Gull Lake’s Jim Ecclestone recalls visits to the Rockcliffe when he was in his late teens and early 20s. His children, twin daughters, Laura and Jamie, and son, Matthew, also raised a glass or two at the iconic Minden tavern in the day.

Jim Ecclestone said seeing Minden’s downtown Rockcliffe in its current rundown state was bothering him.

A friend of The Rockcliffe – Moore Falls owners’ Mark and Lise Dracup, and Dan Gosselin and Kirsty Goodearle, they all got to talking one day.

The Dracups, Gosselin and Goodearle purchased the Minden Rockcliffe in 2021 – hoping to reinvigorate it as a small hotel, restaurant and tavern. However, their plans fell through and they announced in August 2023 they were looking to sell.

“I said, ‘I’ll take it off your hands’,” Ecclestone told the two couples. He said Laura, Jamie and Matthew technically own the property now, but he is helping out while the three work for the family business, Calstone, based out of Scarborough.

“They actually own it and dad’s doing all this early work on it,” he said during an interview with The Highlander Aug. 27.

County residents would have noticed work on the exterior of the building the last couple of weeks, including a new paint job and plants. Contractor Shane Gallagher is leading the charge.

Jim Ecclestone said, “we just wanted to fix it for the town – clean it up, plant some flowers, paint it, and make it look nice. This is only week two, and we’ve already done a lot. By the end of this week, we’ll probably be finished with what we’re going to do on the outside, temporarily, and then we move inside.”

With a dumpster slowly filling outside, Ecclestone said the inside of the building “is a disaster.”

He said they will be ripping up floors in certain areas to see if structurally, the building is worth saving.

Family wants to give back to community

“Because we don’t even know that yet. So, the worst case is it ends up looking better than it has forever… and somewhere down the line my kids will decide what they are going to do with it. If we can save it, then they’ll start to develop a business plan for it. We have no business plan for it right now.”

He said they would liaise with the Township of Minden Hills, and mayor Bob Carter, throughout the process.

Carter told The Highlander Ecclestone told him his family were fifth generation cottagers with a soft spot for Minden. He’s thrilled at the prospect of what might happen.

“They want to do something to make downtown Minden look nice and we encourage that as much as possible,” the mayor said. “In terms of business improvement and economic development, we’ll give them all the help that we can.”

Ecclestone said it would probably be a month before they know what they are dealing with. A crew of friends and professionals from the Gull Lake area is helping him out. He said Gallagher is committed to two-to-three years of work “if everything goes well.” For now, Gallagher said, “we’re going to assess the damage.”

Ecclestone said they are both excited about the project, and the prospect of saving the 130-year-old building. “We’re hopeful that we can save it.”

Ecclestone said people have been coming by as the work progresses, “and the smiles on their faces – that gives us inspiration, too…everyone is stopping and waving, excited about it.”

He added it is way too premature to say if it would even return as a tavern. If they do something with the existing property, it could be three years away.

Gallagher chimes in, “it will be a hundred times better than what it was… no matter what we do.”

Adds Ecclestone, “we’re very fortunate our company has done very well and we can give back to the community and make a difference. That’s what it’s all about.”

With International Overdose Awareness Day right around the corner, Jack Veitch of the Canadian Mental Health Association Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge, is reminding the public that drug and mental health services are available to those seeking them.

While there aren’t any public events in the County this year to mark the occasion, recognized worldwide Aug. 31, Veitch said CMHA is continuing to promote education around drug use through its mobile mental health clinic, which visits the community every other week.

Intake has been strong since the program launched in December 2021 – with Veitch claiming both the number and complexity of cases CMHA is seeing has significantly increased since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re starting to see the impact that isolation and disconnection had on the mental health and wellness of so many. I think the unfortunate repercussions [of increased drug use] are starting to play out,” Veitch said.

“Numbers are up, but so is the complexity of need. You think of a community like Haliburton County… people are more isolated and remote. Transportation can be an issue, cost of living can be an issue, accessibility to care can be an issue. Compound that with the housing situation and it’s no wonder things are getting worse,” Veitch added.

“What we’re seeing in the last two-to-three years is so different from what we were seeing five years ago.”

Talking to someone – whether a friend, family member, or professional – is the best first step towards healing, Veitch said.

“The first thing I always say is you’re not alone and you don’t have to do this alone. It can be an isolating feeling, almost like you’re the only person that’s ever been here – you feel irredeemable, but in truth it’s the exact opposite. Many others have struggled with similar situations, and there are resources available that can help,” he said.

The local CMHA chapter was one of 45 national providers chosen to pilot a new 9-8-8 suicide crisis helpline last year, while it tripled the number of on-the-ground mental health workers in its communities from four to 12. A new ‘Safe Beds’ program opened in Peterborough, providing short-term temporary housing for anyone going through a mental health crisis – including people from Haliburton County.

Dane Record, chair of the Haliburton, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland Drug Strategy (HKLN), said the best way to reach people who are struggling, especially those with drug dependency issues, is to connect them with others who have lived experience.

“They’re the ones who have the information right at the beginning. The subject experts in this case are not the medical professionals, it’s the people who have used before, or are still using now. We need their input so we have evidence-based information, as opposed to anecdotes from [professionals] that go nowhere,” Record said.

A new Narcotics Anonymous group launched in the County over the summer, with the first meeting happening July 18. They meet every Thursday at The Link in Haliburton village, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

The lead organizer, who requested anonymity, said the only requirement to attend is a desire to stop using.

“I have seen the devastation of this disease, especially in the last 17 years since I have been in recovery,” he said. “Meetings are free and there’s nothing to lose and much to gain. Having a community of like-minded people who have walked a mile in your shoes is a huge help in the process of getting clean.”

Drug use in the County is rampant, according to Tom Regehr, who spent over a year running weekly meetings designed to bring people together to share their personal stories of struggle. He noted in an interview last year Class A substances like methamphetamine and heroin are a favourite of local users. Opioids such as fentanyl are also popular.

Record said opioids are popular because of their strength and accessibility.

“If generics can be easily manufactured and put out there, that’s just what happens,” Record said.

The Haliburton, Kawartha Lakes, Pine Ridge district health unit (HKPR) is publicly sharing statistics regarding opioid-related overdoses through a new portal on its website. The health unit estimates there have been 224 hospitalizations due to opioid overdose in 2024, with 36 suspected deaths. That number already eclipses the total from 2022, when there were 34 deaths, and is more than half way towards last year’s total of 65 deaths.

The local John Howard Society branch, has been working with County residents since January 2023 through the Mapping a Plan program. Cathleen Meenan, a harm reduction and crisis counsellor, said over 62 people have accessed the program since September, 2023.

“The need in this community is great and we’re here to support those in need,” Meenan said.

Dysart et al council and public works staff are going back to the drawing board after learning the planned replacement of the Koshlong Lake bridge came in more than $4 million over budget.

Rob Camelon, public works director, told council Aug. 27 the township received a lone bid, from Four Brothers Construction in Orillia, who said they could complete the work for just over $5.25 million. Dysart had budgeted $1.1 million for the project.

“Still stinging on this one,” Camelon said. “We didn’t see it coming. Needless to say, we’re not recommending awarding this. We’re going to come back with a few different options.”

Another bid, submitted by HugoMB Contracting Inc., was submitted after the tender deadline and wasn’t considered.

Issues with the bridge were first identified in December 2022, when Camelon asked council to approve new legislation limiting the weight of vehicles crossing the bridge. Engineering firm Tulloch completed a study of the 60-plus-year-old bridge in fall 2022, finding it was not up to modern safety standards and needs replacing. It was built in 1960.

Council opted to lower the allowable weight limit to 16 tons for single-unit vehicles, 29 tons for two-unit vehicles, and 42 tons for three-unit vehicles until 2027 – though the decision was heavily criticized by homeowners in the area.

Residents Ken and Frances Hill, and Laurie Bruce, representing the Koshlong Lake Association, said the bridge was the only access point to properties for at least 147 residences in Dysart and Highlands East. They said the weight limits prevented emergency services, such as fire and EMS, from crossing.

In January 2023, council approved the purchase of a temporary bridge for $188,533. It was installed in February, with all weight limits removed. Camelon noted this project was for a permanent replacement.

The public works director suggested putting the project out for tender again in the new year – possibly at the same time as the bridge crossing Redstone Brook.

He told council staff had investigated possible detours – but the only workable option would see people travelling an additional 27 kilometres, with a four-to-five kilometre stretch of that traversing private property.

“So that brings its own challenges,” Camelon said, noting the detour would also cross into Crown land.

Mayor Murray Fearrey said the township may have no option but to abandon the project if it doesn’t receive any lower bids during the next round.

Harcourt got a new playground, next to its community centre this past weekend.

The playground is for kids and teenagers, and includes a couple of slides, a multi-person spinner, similar to a teeter-totter but one can rock on it, and several climbing elements. The playground comes in vibrant colours, such as purples and teal blues.

“We wanted to make sure we had different elements for everybody to enjoy and be able to come up and parallel play or co-play with other people,” said Andrea Mueller, the programs and events manager with the Municipality of Dysart et al.

The playground cost $150,000 and was funded by an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant.

MPP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock, Laurie Scott cut the ribbon.

A member of the township’s parks and recreation department, Ryan Akey, was also at the event. Scott acknowledged the government grant and the impact on the community.

Lindsay Watling, a parent of a child who will be using the playground, and a committee member for getting the playground, said, “we’re far from Haliburton, even though we’re Dysart, and we don’t get the same amenities as the Dysart ‘in town’ get. So, for us to have this new space and a space that all ages can play in, is a huge deal. It’s going to be a game-changer for all ages of kids coming out to play, rather than just what we had here, which was very limited.”

Watling added it was a challenge to stretch $150,000 to make the playground, but was proud to have been a part of it. “I’m just happy that the kids have a space now to come and play. Because really, that’s what it’s all about,” Watling said.

Jenann Gadway, another parent and committee member, echoed Watling and said she is excited to see her son play in the new playground.

“I think it also puts us on the map. Harcourt is a little far from Dysart, so it puts us on the map, for sure. I’m just excited to have somewhere to just hang out.”

Gadway loves the new playground, from the climbing apparatuses to the colours, to how it caters to toddlers and teenagers. “I think we will encourage people to travel into the little village of Harcourt and use our amenities. We have the beautiful community centre, we have the park, and we have the rink, and that’ll encourage people to come and spend money at our convenience stores, eat at our restaurants, and it will just bring more people to this community,” Gadway said.

Nina Riberdy was shocked earlier this summer when, while inspecting her 16 honeybee colonies, she found a large hornet hunting discombobulated worker bees.

The Haliburton resident said she’s noticed an increased presence of hornets on her property since last summer. After moving to the County in 2018, she and her husband first enquired about having someone bring a beehive or two to their 100-acres on Tom Bolton Road, to help pollinate apple trees and raspberry and blackberry bushes.

There were no takers, so she and husband, Jamie, established their own set-up. They watched YouTube tutorials to learn the basics and took a beekeeping course in Peterborough.

“It’s a lot of money and even more work, but we enjoy it,” Riberdy said. “You’d think bees know what they’re doing and that they’ll be fine doing their own thing… but they actually need a lot of help.”

The hornets she’s seen hanging around are big – over an inch long, Riberdy said. Her first encounter last year was eye-opening.

“We have to walk about 80 yards from our house to the bee yard. As I was walking, I heard something buzz by me. I didn’t get a good look the first time, but then saw it land on some tall grass. I went over to check it out and it was definitely a hornet – he had captured a grasshopper and was halfway through eating it,” Riberdy said.

Her second sighting, a few weeks ago, was in the couple’s “bee barn” as Riberdy calls it. They use the space to stack empty honey supers, which usually attract hungry bees on their way back to the hive.

Only this time, the bees weren’t alone.

“The hornet was in there hunting the honeybees – I couldn’t believe it,” she said.

Marylou Clark, who has five colonies she cares for – each containing between 40,000 and 50,000 bees, said she’s seen hornets circling her hives all summer. Earlier this month, while doing some yard work, Clark came across a hornet that had half-eaten one of her bees.

Both Clark and Riberdy killed the hornets and took pictures, sending them to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). They feared the pest might have been the Northern Giant Hornet, also known as the murder hornet, which are indigenous to Asia.

They said OMAFRA identified them as standard European hornets.

Following up with The Highlander, the ministry said it does not track hornet activity but has established an online reporting tool for suspected sightings of the Northern Giant Hornet. OMAFRA works with the University of Guelph to ID the insects.

“Northern Giant Hornets are not present in Ontario, and it is unknown if they can survive Ontario winters,” OMAFRA spokesperson Meaghan Evans said, noting there have been multiple confirmed sightings in British Columbia and Washington state since 2019.

Evans said European hornets are common, noting the species was introduced to North America more than 160 years ago. European hornets typically grow to between 2.5 to 3.5 centimetres, much smaller than the Northern Giant Hornet, which can grow to exceed five centimetres.

A labour of love

Clark said the past three summers have been difficult, caring for the bees that her husband, Robert, got when he retired. Robert was killed in a car accident in Lindsay in December 2021.

“So, they became my problem,” Clark said with a smile.

Despite being allergic to bee stings, Clark said she never considered getting rid of the hives, saying they help maintain a connection with her late husband.

It’s been a strange season this year, Clark said. While the last of the honey is usually collected by late July or early August, things were still going strong mid-month.

Clark doesn’t sell her honey – instead gifting it to family and friends. That’s given her a claim to fame. The niece of one of her friends, Alaina Ballantyne, used Clark’s honey to set a new Guinness World Record in April 2023 for most honey eaten in one minute. Ballantyne, who lives in Mississauga, managed to put away 238 grams.

“That’s a pretty cool thing – my name isn’t in there, but it doesn’t need to be. I’m just happy she decided to use my honey,” Clark said.

Caitlin Luck has gone to the dogs – and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

The owner of Cedar Grove Golden Retrievers is just back from a competition in Bracebridge, where her dog, Glow, was awarded the best female Golden by the Muskoka District Kennel Club.

Luck just returned from a dock diving event in Bowmanville this past weekend, where pooches, Glow and Stormy, competed for big air, speed retrieve, extreme vertical and iron dog.

She is also planning a litter of puppies for the fall – for the first time in more than a year.

She took a break from dog breeding amid a busy life that includes her son playing hockey, and her daughter dancing.

“When you have a litter of puppies, you really have to commit and stay home. For the first two weeks, I literally sleep on the couch beside them. They are in the living room and I basically have to be in there. You don’t go anywhere for two weeks,” Luck said while seated at her kitchen table, with Stormy and Glow, toys in their mouths, waiting patiently in the living room behind a child gate.

Following the full-on fortnight, there is another six weeks until the pups can go to their adopted home at two months of age.

Luck is planning a litter for Stormy, who turns five this December, and who has only had one litter. She does not want to keep her intact for longer than necessary without actually breeding her. She is currently investigating stud dogs, one in the U.S. and one in northern Ontario.

Luck said she prefers bringing the dogs together as opposed to having semen shipped. “I try to do things somewhat naturally because I feel like it benefits the dogs and is how Mother Nature intended it to be.

“There’s a lot that goes into choosing a stud, because I am not just putting two dogs together. I want to check them out. I want the health and the structure of the dogs to match – you don’t want to breed two completely different dogs together because you’ll get two different extremes. The idea is I want a consistent litter, so I know their temperaments and structures are what a Golden Retriever should be.”

She researches pedigree, life longevity and what causes death, and things such as allergies. Luck does genetic testing to ensure two dogs that carry a similar gene for disease are not mated. She even has her dogs’ eyes annually checked by an ophthalmologist. At two, they have their hips and elbows certified. She’s never had a dog fail a health clearance, but has removed dogs from the breeding program because she does not like their temperament or structure.

“Ideally, my focus is to better the breed. When I’m breeding Stormy and I want to keep a puppy from her, I’m looking for a puppy that is improved upon her flaws because no dog is perfect.”

She prides herself on being an ethical breeder. “The showing, the training, the health clearances… I do try and educate people on it.” Her puppies are usually sold before they are born and only after she has met, and vetted, potential new owners. Cedar Grove has health guarantees and Luck does extensive training, such as emergency recalls, sitting for attention, and crate training.

Best in show and dock diving

Luck shows five to 10 times a year. She brought Glow to Bracebridge the end of July, early August. They are conformation shows, assessing the dog’s structure, movement, and how they match up against the breed standard for the Canadian Kennel Club. The idea is to preserve the breed. Golden Retrievers were bred to hunt, so they need to exhibit a certain hardiness.

The shows entail a lot of grooming. Glow also showed in Sturgeon Falls in May, taking home a best in breed. Luck said it was amazing as it was her first time winning that.

The trio have also been doing dock diving, which Luck said is “fun.

“The dock is about 20-feet long on average and the pool is about 40-feet long,” Luck said. They train at Luck’s mom’s pool. One training method is to have them chase a toy. Stormy can jump 12-14 feet and Glow closer to 17 feet. The dogs do obedience competitions as well.

When it comes to dogs, and Goldens in particular, it’s all in the family. Her mom has been breeding dogs since Luck was 10. Her sister is also in the industry.

“I’m always learning and trying to do everything better,” Luck said. “It’s about trying to make people happy. They get a really good companion.”

Find out more at cedargrovefarms.net.

Redstone Lake cottager, Susan GarrodSchuster, was at book club discussing Kim Thuy’s Ru – about a woman escaping Vietnam’s Tet Offensive – when she heard acquaintance, Giang-Chau Ghent (whom she calls Chau) tell her own story.

Chau is the great-niece of the last empress of Vietnam. She is now married to the brother of Garrod-Schuster’s friend, Martha. Chau fled Vietnam to make a new life in Canada.

After she shared Chau’s story, GarrodSchuster said she couldn’t get it out of her mind.

“I said to Martha, ‘that story has to be told’. I phoned Chau and asked, ‘have you ever thought about writing this story?’ She burst into tears and said, ‘I’ve wanted to write it forever but my English isn’t good enough and every time I remember what happened – I cry.”

The telling and the writing took seven years to complete.

Garrod-Schuster will be at Master’s Book Store in Haliburton Aug. 30, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The labour of love included extensive research into the geography and history of the Asian country, including the war, although Garrod-Schuster emphasizes war is not the focus of the book. The first part details Chau’s life growing up in the royal family’s palace compound, until the age of 25 when she escaped, first to a refugee camp, and then coming to Canada. She married and had children of her own. She returned to her native country for a visit in 2015.

She went from a place where if you dropped a spoon, a servant picked it up for you, to a refugee camp where she lined up for food. She came to Canada with two siblings. She raised $20,000 to sponsor her mother and another four siblings to come. Now, all 10 siblings are in Canada.

The author tells of how the women in the family saved gold leaf and American dollars and sewed them into clothing before fleeing, so it is also a tale of matriarchal feminism.

She thinks the book will appeal to “anyone who enjoys history, or things about other countries.” For her, an immigrant from the U.K., she says there is no comparison to Chau as she was not a refugee, and spoke English. Chau was in danger for weeks.

One of the highlights for her in the writing was pride in nation, as in 1979, Canada welcomed 60,000 refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

Garrod-Schuster came to the Highlands in the mid-90s, where the family initially built a bunkie and lived off-grid in summer for about 10 years, before constructing a threeseason dwelling. It’s there much of this book was written.

“To me, there’s nowhere like Haliburton (County). I just absolutely love it here.”

Garrod-Schuster said she has been a writer her entire life, and especially when preparing weekly sermons as a United Church minister.

“I always wrote, and my messages on a Sunday were always story-driven. Always through the week, I looked for stories that I could share.” As a sessional lecturer at University of Toronto and York University, she added she was always looking for story material, even in the classroom.

She’s now working on a collection of short stories about being a minister in rural Ontario, and describes it as humorous, in the vein of Stuart McLean’s The Vinyl Café.

The Haliburton Highlands Rotaract Club held a yard and bake sale in West Guilford Aug. 24. Items included a towel heater, old books for $1 each, lamps, kitchen appliances, works of art and children’s books.

There was also popcorn and coffee, along with cookies and baked breads for purchase.

All proceeds support Rotaract initiatives in the community. Rotaract brings people ages 18-plus together to exchange ideas with leaders in the community, develop leadership and professional skills, and have fun through service.

The people that are part of Rotaract are dedicated to finding innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges, all while getting to make friends from around the world, the local group says.

One of the initiatives Rotaract takes part in is the Helping Hampers program, which provides baskets of essential goods to families. The baskets can include school supplies, food, and other essential items.

Rotaract has also collaborated with Hook, Line and Sinker in Haliburton on concert partnerships. Doing these types of events allows Rotaract to not only raise money, but spread the word about what they’re doing in the community.