By Adam Frisk Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Unionized staff at Community Living Trent Highlands (CLTH) are back on the job this week after a nearly 11-week strike.

The end of the prolonged labour dispute saw four per cent initial wage increase for workers, and the return of community programs across Haliburton County.

According to CLTH executive director, Teresa Jordan, employees were greeted by management staff at locations throughout the area as Community Living transitioned from temporary replacement workers.

“We’re just getting started back to our regular teams,” Jordan said in an interview with The Highlander on Aug. 10. “Happily, everything reopens this week… by Wednesday, we will have everything back up and running and open.”

The strike began on May 25, when more than 300 developmental service workers, represented by OPSEU Local 358, walked off the job. Members were fighting for a 6.5 per cent retroactive wage increase, a no-layoffs guarantee and an increase to baseline funding that supports residents living in Community Living group homes.

Under the new agreement, workers secured a four per cent wage increase in year one, retroactive to April 2025, followed by three per cent increases in years two and three.

OPSEU Local 358 president Jessica Bushey noted the significance of the deal for developmental service workers, and said they had not seen general wage increases above 1.9 per cent since 2018.

“We really did set the bar for the sector provincially,” Bushey told The Highlander.

“Having that retro payment will help reduce some of the costs of being on strike… This agreement wouldn’t have happened without the campaign, without the strike, and without the strength of the membership.”

Jordan said that while the collective agreement includes a 10 per cent salary increase over three years; other compensation items were removed from the package compared to the initial offer at the start of the strike, including the guarantee against layoffs for existing staff.

As for budget concerns amid fixed provincial funding, Jordan said she was confident in navigating the outcome.

“I think the difference for Community Living Trent Highlands is that we have a lot of diverse programs. I’m confident we can find the efficiencies that we need to find without drastically impacting service or jobs.”

The local union president said the return of members brought emotional reunions between staff and residents, many who experienced disruptions to their routines while replacement staff covered shifts.

“A lot of happy tears, a lot of really good reunions happening,” Bushey said. “A lot of the people supported were really happy to see the staff back.”

With staff returning to work this week, the focus shifted toward workplace reconciliation.

“Our relationship can’t be healed immediately when it’s had this kind of trauma,” Jordan admitted. “While this will be a long road back to feeling like a comfortable partnership, I just want to convey my excitement that we are now at this stage of having ended the strike and to start that work.”

With Pride Week in Haliburton County right around the corner, Pride in the Highlands’ volunteer lead, Chris Hewson, said the local LGBTQ+ group has had to pivot to survive over the past year.

A lack of manpower has forced festivities, running Aug. 17-23, to be scaled back for this 10th annual celebration. Last year, Hewson and his former co-chair, Allan Guinan, said the group needed to find more helping hands to assist with event planning and delivery, though that didn’t pan out.

“The Pride planning committee used to be 12-people strong a few years ago. Then it dropped to nine and now we’re down to seven,” Hewson said. “We just don’t have the time to do everything we want, so we’ve had to pick and choose where to put our energy. So, this year’s Pride Week is a little pared back compared to what people have seen before.”

Celebrations begin Aug. 17 with flagraising ceremonies at Minden Hills township office (11 a.m.), in Stanhope at Algonquin Highlands municipal office (1 p.m.), and at A.J. LaRue Arena in Haliburton (4 p.m.).

This is the second year for the Dysart raising and first in Algonquin Highlands. Hewson feels it’s important hosting flag-raisings all over the County – especially since the group officially changed its name to encompass the wider Highlands region last year.

“The raising of the flag is more than a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community; it’s a beacon, a visual reminder that the Haliburton Highlands are a welcome and safe space for everybody,” Hewson said.

There is no flag raising in Highlands East, though Hewson confirmed no application was submitted to the township.

Other marquee events include a collaboration with youth theatre troupe CtrlART-Del, with a special reading of Paul Dunn’s Outside at Highland Hills United Church in Minden Aug. 18 and 20 at 6:30 p.m. It follows the story of Daniel, a teen who triumphs over homophobic bullying, depression and suicidal thoughts.

There’s a Pride picnic for youth at Rails End Gallery Aug. 19, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; an artist reception and opening party for ‘Voice of Pride’ art exhibition at the Minden Hills Cultural Centre Aug. 19 at 7 p.m.; a screening of Pixar’s Onward at the cultural centre Aug. 21 at 2 p.m.; and rainbow trivia night at The Dominion Hotel Aug. 21 at 7 p.m.

There are also two drag storytime events planned – at Haliburton County Public Library branches in Minden (Aug. 18, 3-4 p.m.) and Haliburton (Aug. 20, 3-4 p.m.). Both will feature Minden entrepreneur Shawn Smandych in drag as his alter-ego, Auntie Plum.

“It’s a literacy program… it’s been very well-attended in the past, participants love it and that’s why we continue to do it,” Hewson said.

Asked why he felt it was appropriate to expose children to concepts like drag and what some of the benefits are, Hewson said it sparks creativity and imagination.

“When we think about the way we approach drag, it is in a very fun, imaginative and playful way… there’s nothing sexual about it,” Hewson said. “Drag exists in all shades of the rainbow. There are more adult-appropriate things we’ve done in the past, but those definitely aren’t happening in the middle of the day at a library.”

Pride Week will close with its rainbow street festival in downtown Minden Aug. 23, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be various vendors selling their products, musical performances, a show by NorthFIRE Circus and Gayly Forward and the always-popular river run.

Hewson said he’s seen an increase in homophobic-fuelled actions, including a banner in Minden promoting Pride Week twice being cut down in recent weeks.

“We see and experience more divisive verbiage and behaviour than in the past – that comes from being more visible, present and engaged with the community. But being out is what we’re about – being closeted is no place for someone to live, survive or thrive. By shining our lights as boldly as we dare, we’re encouraging others to shine their lights too.”

Anyone interested in getting involved can contact Hewson at chris. prideinthehighlands@gmail.com.

By Adam Frisk Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A single Canada goose can drop up to two pounds of poop a day, a stomachchurning fact that members of the Halls & Hawk Lakes Property Owners Association (HHLPOA) were using this past weekend (Aug. 8) to drive home a serious message about local drinking water protection.

The HHLPOA launched its new Water Guardian campaign on Saturday at Elvin Johnson Park, urging property owners to take direct action to protect vulnerable, untreated drinking water supplies.

“Because we’re not within a town or city, we’re relying on well water, groundwater, or surface water from lakes and rivers, and that’s it,” Shelley Fellows, HHLPOA president, told The Highlander. “For a lot of us, you turn the tap on and assume it’s safe to drink… But here, we are responsible for it. It’s about bringing that home, understanding that every one of us is a guardian of the water.”

The initiative serves as the public outreach component of the HHLPOA’s Protect Every Drop: Drinking Water Source Protection Plan. The 60-page document was created as part of a pilot project funded by the Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Associations following a provincial auditor general report that highlighted gaps in nonmunicipal water safety.

The Water Guardian pledge encourages property owners to adopt specific practices, like maintaining their septic systems, eliminating fertilizer and pesticide use, regularly testing their drinking water, and renaturalizing their shorelines. The renaturalization helps filter surface runoff and deters Canada geese, whose poop contributes to localized coliform bacterial contamination.

The campaign comes during a time when data indicates declining water quality across the watershed. According to Olivia Tomlinson, a Big Hawk Lake cottager who led a recent revamp of the association’s broader lake plan, long-term monitoring shows water clarity and dissolved oxygen levels dropping, while algal blooms are on the rise.

“It’s a very sensitive ecosystem,” Tomlinson explained, noting that while changes aren’t drastic just yet, there is a statistical downward trend. “The goal would be to see a stabilization… it’s really about trying to correct it before it gets any worse. And I think it’s totally doable. Everyone is so involved.”

Tomlinson explained that waterfront properties face risks from blue-green algae blooms, which were documented on nearby Kennisis Lake last summer, as well as invasive species. She said that she had taken some water samples that indicated the potential presence of spiny water flea in local waters, though official lab verification is required.

The association is also working to address widespread gaps in water testing. An HHLPOA survey conducted last year found that 55 per cent of waterfront residents never test their drinking water, despite health unit recommendations to do so at least twice a year.

“I was one of those people who did not test my water for coliform; it just wasn’t something that occurred to me,” Beth Carey, HHLPOA member, admitted. The association had free water sample bottles from Lakelands Public Health on hand at Saturday’s event.

The HHLPOA has several research projects underway to gather baseline scientific data, including an aquatic plant inventory and a Halls Lake causeway study that will look at how the historical fillingin of the man-made causeway near Elvin Johnson Park has impacted water flow, siltation, and plant growth in the bay.

The association aims to eventually sign up all 650 property owners to the Water Guardian program. To help track participation, HHLPOA plans to use selfassessment check-ins, waterfront display medallions, shoreline restoration contests, and social media tracking.

“Most people, if you’ve grown up on the lakes, know a lot of this almost instinctively, but it’s a really good reminder,” Tomlinson said. “Everyone has been so curious… they want to know how they can help.”

Emma Warburton has spent much of her adult life learning from distinguished artists in Canada and abroad. Now, she’s hoping to use her experience to help connect County-based artists with the materials they need to complete their next project.

The Artist Pantry opened at 12818 Hwy. 35, in the HP Propane plaza in Minden, in early June. Warburton said she hopes it will become a haven for artists who, like her, likely struggle to source high-quality, professional level products locally.

She relocated to the Highlands last year, moving home with her parents in Norland with her now two-year-old daughter, Skye. After years of living in major cities like Toronto, Montreal and London, UK, Warburton found smalltown living a tough transition. Especially since she didn’t have access to her own vehicle.

“All winter long, I felt like I was asking my parents to pick up watercolour paper at Michaels and other supplies at Costco. I couldn’t find a single thing I needed or wanted anywhere in the County,” she said.

With a strong local artistic community, supported by the Haliburton School of Art + Design, Warburton said she saw an opportunity to provide a missing service to the region.

She is starting small – focusing on highquality paints, brushes, paper, pencils and markers. The store also offers custom stretch canvas to desired dimensions. Partial to acrylics, Warburton said she currently has options from Kroma Artist’s Acrylics in Vancouver and Tri-Art, a Kingston-based paint maker.

Whether it’s the artist supplies or some of the food options brought in by Warburton’s mother, Kara, such as candied salmon, pickles and condiments, oils, vinegars, organic flours and cereals – almost everything is sourced from Canadian suppliers.

“That was a foundational concept – we want to be as Canadian as possible. The idea is to contribute to the Canadian economy consciously, keeping things local, and maybe introducing the community to some cool new products,” Warburton said.

She’s also taking suggestions from customers – if there’s a product you use that is difficult to source, Warburton wants to hear from you.

After graduating from a special arts program at Unionville High School in the city, Warburton studied fine art at Concordia University in Montreal and got her master’s in art curating from London Metropolitan University in the UK. She interned at the Art Gallery of Ontario after returning home.

Recently moving into her own place in Minden, Warburton said she’s excited to form meaningful connections in her new community. She has a home painting studio for the first time in years, which she said is awakening her creative spirit.

Specializing in pseudo-realism and abstract expressionism, Warburton takes after her grandfather, Tom Hodgson, a member of the influential Painters Eleven group of abstract artists prominent through the mid-to-late 1950s. She plans to pass down tips and tricks of her trade at workshops at the store next year.

“This is where I’m meant to be… I’m meeting new artists every day. We plan to be open year-round. I just really hope to become an essential part of the community,” Warburton said.

The store is open six days a week, closed on Tuesdays. For more information, visit www.artistpantry.ca.

Through much of the latter half of the 20th century there were few people who had as big an impact on life in Haliburton County, or were as loved and respected locally, as Len Salvatori. The family patriarch died Aug. 2 aged 96.

Over the past week, those who knew him have shared heartfelt tributes and touching stories capturing his many contributions to the community.

Volunteerism was at the heart of everything he did, his family said. He served 41 years with the Ontario Minor Hockey Association, was a trustee on the Haliburton County Board of Education for 35 years, spent more than 20 years assisting the Haliburton Highlands Outdoors Association, where he helped at the fish hatchery, and was a board member with Haliburton Highlands Health Services for nine years.

“His life is one of the greatest stories in Haliburton,” said Gary Brohman, who was friends with Salvatori for 54 years.

The two connected in 1972, shortly after Brohman took a teaching job in the County. It was normal then for teachers to form relationships with board officials. While things were kept largely professional at first, they hit it off after Brohman started volunteering in minor hockey.

From that point, Brohman, then 27, said Salvatori was like a surrogate father to him.

“As a young man with two kids moving to a new area, I had a lot of questions. Whether it was asking him if I needed new tires, whether or not I should buy a boat, or if my roof needed replacing, Len always had the answer,” Brohman said. A memory wall on the Haliburton Community Funeral Home website is littered with similar testimonials. Mike Polonsky said Salvatori, his new neighbour, was one of the first people he met after buying a cottage. He was hosting people on his first night but his toilet wasn’t hooked up.

“I asked to use his phone to call a plumber. He asked what was wrong, so I told him. He grabbed his toolbox, saying ‘what do you need a plumber for?’” Polonsky said.

Salvatori lived his entire life in Haliburton County – he was born in Dysart on Nov. 6, 1929. He spent 43 years married to Betty Rae Bush, who died in 2001. Together, they have three children – Andy, Lisa and Laurie.

He spent 44 years working at Curry Motors, starting as a general labourer completing oil changes before becoming autobody shop manager and, later, co-owner.

In recognition of his community service, Salvatori was named Highlander of the Year in 1978 and Haliburton Citizen of the year in 1993. In 2017, the Haliburton Alternate Education was renamed in his honour and, in 2022, Salvatori was an inaugural inductee into the Haliburton Highlands Sports Hall of Fame.

Dysart et al mayor Walt McKechnie met Salvatori in the early 1970s. Through all the years he knew Len, McKechnie called him an “effective man for the community.”

The two socialized on occasion, with golf a shared love. McKechnie said they would play at the Pinestone regularly. According to local records, Salvatori shot a hole-in-one on the course in 2006.

Some of McKechnie’s best memories came on the 18th hole, he said.

“It’s a long drive to the hole and there’s a big pond – if you don’t drive it far enough, there’s a real chance you lose your ball to the water on the next shot,” McKechnie noted. “Len would always use one of his good balls for the drive, then put it in his pocket for his second shot and take out a scuffed-up ball he’d call his water ball.

“We used to tease him about that all the time, but he was adamant he didn’t want to risk losing his good ball,” the mayor added.

A celebration of life was held in Haliburton Aug. 11. The family asks that donations in Salvatori’s name be directed to the HHOA fish hatchery or HHHS’ Highland Wood long-term care home.

Deluxe Waterfront Resort on Twelve Like Lake in Minden Hills has added a farmers market to its summer offerings.

Resort owner, Ronen Ifraimov, who also owns Toronto-based Deluxe Produce, said the market has been operating at the former Wedgewood Marina between Twelve and Mountain lakes on summer weekends. Ifraimov said he has access to the Ontario Food Terminal in South Etobicoke and greenhouses in Leamington so it made sense to truck fresh produce north once a week. He added he’s been food shopping in the County and sees a need.

“I’ve been seeing the prices that the supermarkets are charging in Haliburton and in Minden. I thought it was quite ridiculous. So, I decided to do a little farmers market to save money for the community.”

He has built a timber structure on the property to accommodate the new market.

Ifraimov said it isn’t about him making money.

“It’s just to have people come to the property and enjoy themselves on a beautiful day.”

He’s been driving up with produce all summer.

“On Thursday night, I pick up from the Ontario Food Terminal. I have a lot of good farmers that bring produce especially for me. We try to bring as much local as we can, and there is some that isn’t local, but that’s because they’re just not in season in Canada.”

Ifraimov said the market remains open Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.