County fire coordinator Michael French says a decision last year by the four townships – to put no daytime burning rules into effect – “was a really progressive move” that has led to fewer blazes and a reduced need for fire bans.

Daytime burning is not allowed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. between April 1 and Oct. 31.

Speaking on behalf of Algonquin Highlands, French said, “we haven’t been busy at all. We’re way down in calls. We’re probably down 30 per cent.”

For the most part, the chief added the public is respecting the new regulations.

One anomaly was a July 13 fire on Beech Lake in which someone used a burn barrel during the day, with flames spreading into nearby trees. However, French said the person was in violation of the rules “so appropriate action was taken.”

People breaking the regulations can be held responsible for damage to property or people; be liable for the cost of firefighting equipment and personnel; and for any costs or expenses owed by the municipality to the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) for controlling or extinguishing a fire.

Otherwise, French said, “we haven’t had any issues. We have been fortunate they are following the rules in the four townships. There is zero tolerance; they will be held accountable if they are burning outside the burn bylaw.”

There have been no fire bans in the County this summer despite some hot temperatures.

“Nobody’s burning in the daytime which really limits the opportunity for bush and wildfires so it was a really progressive move on the four townships’ part, and everybody’s respecting it, so that’s very important,” French said.

The County chief said the MNR monitors conditions and updates the townships. He added they are measured at the Stanhope headquarters “so nice and close to the region.”

Once they get the conditions’ statement, the four fire chiefs and CAOs discuss whether a ban is needed, and, so far, none have been required.

Minden Hills chief Don Kruger said his department hasn’t been particularly busy this year, noting they “have not had much in the way of grass/bush fires since April,” despite the region’s fire danger rating consistently reading mid-to-high.

Chris Baughman, chief in Highlands East, said he’s had minimal calls for grass and bush fires – a welcome reprieve after a busy few years. “We are encouraging people to continue to use caution and safe burning practices [when permitted], as they should be regardless of the conditions.”

At a July 22 council meeting, Dysart chief Dan Chumbley said his department has seen an uptick in calls this year, responding to 25 per cent more incidents through the first six months of 2025 – 247 compared to 205 last year. He said firefighters responded to three grass fires and a structure fire in June.

Alison Lake, a fire information officer with the MNR, said the fire hazard value for the Haliburton Highlands is currently “moderate,” apart from one area near Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park with a high value.

French added one of the important things about having the no daytime burning is “it gives more leniency because with people not burning in the daytime, we don’t have to be as aggressive putting a fire ban on because in the evening, there is less wind and more humidity, less chance of fire spread.

“It’s been a really quiet year and hopefully it continues.”

Tips for home and cottage

French encourages residents to continue to respect the burn bylaw, have working smoke alarms in their homes, and if they are going to burn after 7 p.m. make sure the fire is out when they are done. He also recommends a garden hose or bucket of water nearby.

He added cottagers and homeowners should check out firesmartcanada. ca tips on how best to protect their building from the potential of fire spreading, such as cleaning out eavestroughs, sweeping pine needles off rooves, and keeping foliage away from structures.

Lake said there are quite a few things home and cottage owners can do to reduce the risk of wildland fires. She said people can call 911 when they see a fire, or smoke, and note the location, colour of smoke, and size of the fire or area burning.

She suggested that when doing yard work, people dispose of yard waste and woody debris by composting or at a local landfill.

She said there is a full set of outdoor burning regulations on their website at ontario.ca/outdoorburning

Fleming College has announced its new 47-bed student residence at the Haliburton School of Art + Design will open this fall, though Marcia Steeves, union spokesperson for OPSEU Local 351, said a strike mandate vote among support staff is “likely” – potentially impacting programming.

The contracts for roughly 300 fulltime workers is up Aug. 31, while a deal covering 150-450 regular part-timers expired in January 2024. Talks are ongoing, though Steeves, who isn’t a member of the bargaining team, said it seems the two parties remain far apart.

In a July 14 update to its 45,000 members, OPSEU/SEFPO said it is requesting a strike mandate with negotiations at an impasse.

If more than 50 per cent vote in favour, it could open the door for workers to walk off the job. Under the Colleges Collective Bargaining Act, five days’ notice is required before a strike or lockout can be initiated.

The College Employer Council (CEC) says the call for a strike vote, “unnecessarily escalates matters just weeks before a new semester for students is about to begin.”

CEC says the union wants wage increases exceeding 20 per cent over three years; benefit increases exceeding $25 million annually; 10 additional paid days off for family care; four additional paid holidays; and two additional days of vacation.

The makeup of Ontario’s post-secondary system has been in flux since January 2024, when the federal government announced changes to international student intake. Since implementation, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) says the new rules has reduced numbers by 40 per cent.

HSAD endures

Fleming was hit hard – for the 2023-24 school year, the college had 3,500 international students enrolled at campuses in Haliburton, Lindsay, Peterborough, Cobourg and Toronto – accounting for half its student body.

The college did not provide full international student numbers for the 2024-25 school year, though spokesperson Asher Lurie said intake had dropped around 45 per cent.

Thirty-seven Fleming programs have been cut since the federal announcement – though none in Haliburton. The campus will maintain art certificate programs for artist blacksmith; ceramics; drawing and painting; fibre arts; glassblowing; and jewellery essentials, its visual and creative arts diploma program, and dozens of short-term art courses.

With Fleming announcing, on July 11, that 17 to 18 per cent of its support staff and administrators will be laid off, The Highlander asked if that could lead to cuts at HSAD, but the college was noncommittal.

“We continuously evaluate enrolment trends, program costs, and community needs when assessing the viability of our programs. We remain committed to our vital role in fostering local and regional economic growth, providing accessible education, and equipping students with in-demand skills that strengthen the workforce,” said Chris Jardine, Fleming’s associate vice president of marketing and advancement.

Jardine added there has been no discussion about bringing new programs in other fields to HSAD, saying he expects enrolment “to remain relatively low, unchanged between fall 2024 and fall 2025.” The college did not provide numbers.

Asked if the latest round of cuts will impact any Haliburton-based employees, Jardine was non-committal, saying, “we are committed to employment stability protocols and, in line with the Employment Stability Act, will not be disclosing further details at this time as our priorities remain fairness and transparency throughout the process.”

Steeves said 24 full-time and five part-time positions have been axed, while an additional 21 full-time vacancies will remain unfilled. She wasn’t sure, as of press time, how it would impact HSAD.

“Given the nature of the ongoing process, where bumping may occur, we cannot provide specifics,” Steeves said.

She noted Fleming’s announcement said cuts would impact administrative and support staff, but “we have seen little movement in decreasing the number of administrators.” Between 2020 and 2024, she claims the college increased administrative positions from 55 to 93, costing more than $4.4 million.

She added the union has filed two grievances for specific violations of the existing collective agreement.

Steeves is worried this will affect the quality of Fleming’s academic programming and could lead to increased costs for students.

“We need to see reinvestment in the college system to support growth in our local economies,” Steeves said. “Members are frightened. We are working in an environment that has lacked transparency in its direction and decision-making for quite some time.”

Province criticized

OPSEU/SEFPO president JP Hornick said, provincially, 10,000 staff have been let go and more than 600 programs cut in what they described as one of the largest mass layoffs in Ontario’s history. Steeves feels part of the blame lies at the feet of the Ontario government.

“The root problem remains the lack of base funding within the province from Ford’s government and the lack of oversight of public institutions,” Steeves said.

“We don’t disagree that many colleges were forced to turn their minds towards increasing international student recruitment, what we disagree with is that this reliance was used to grow well beyond the intended purpose of the Ontario college system, concentrating on high profits and aggressive expansion,” she added.

Bianca Giacoboni, press secretary to colleges, universities, research excellence and security minister Nolan Quinn, said the province has filtered about $2 billion in new funding to post-secondary institutions over the past 14 months, on top of the $5 billion it routinely puts in.

She blamed the sector’s struggles on the recent federal changes.

“Due to the unilateral changes to the international student system, difficult decisions are being made across the country in post-secondary,” Giacoboni said. “Our government will continue to support our college system, including Fleming College, and look forward to working with them on our funding review model to ensure longterm success and sustainability.”

While confirming the student residence in Haliburton will open in the fall, the college didn’t respond to a question asking how many of the 47 beds are spoken for. Asked if it planned to offer available units for rent to non-students, Jardine said, “not at this time.”

On July 2, CEC announced Ontario colleges and full-time academic employees have finalized a new three-year contract – ensuring teaching staff will be in the classroom for the upcoming fall semester.

Algonquin Highlands residents won’t have the opportunity to elect a deputy mayor in next year’s municipal election.

Council, during a July 17 meeting, opted against launching an online survey that would have given the public a chance to weigh in on local electoral reform. Currently, the position is filled following an election with councillors voting among themselves to see who gets to fill the role, which also grants a voice at County council.

Mayor Liz Danielsen has long been a proponent for electing deputy mayors. Broaching the topic again last week, she felt council should pose the question to the public to see how they would like the process handled.

“I think I’ve been doing this for 15 years now, but, to me, it’s important this is something we consider given the fact the deputy mayor represents the entire municipality… this is someone who should be elected at large,” Danielsen said.

Township clerk and deputy CAO, Dawn Newhook, said there are three ways to initiate change – expand council to six members; re-designate one of the two Stanhope-area ward representatives, with the possibility for a boundary review; or scrap ward voting and switch to an at-large system where voters cast a ballot for all positions on council.

The current system, electing the mayor by general vote and then two members from Stanhope, one from Sherborne, and one from McClintock, Livingstone, Lawrence and Nightingale, has been in place since March 2000.

Danielsen said she was not in favour of adding another member to council, citing additional costs, while she felt initiating a boundary review “would create all kinds of chaos.”

By maintaining a system where elected officials decide among themselves who would serve as deputy, Danielsen felt council was opening itself to the perception of being self-serving.

“I really want to stay away from that. We have committed to being a little more open and transparent, involving the public in our decision-making, doing more surveys – that’s all part of our strategic planning [process]. That’s why I’d like us to do a survey… we’re talking about making a decision on behalf of our constituents and they should have a say about this,” she said.

Coun. Lisa Barry felt a survey was a waste of time and staff resources, saying the current system is one utilized by lots of municipalities across the country – including in neighbouring Highlands East.

She felt the implications of changing things – adding roughly another $30,000 to the budget for a sixth council member, which could present issues around tied votes, or reducing the number of representatives in Stanhope, were major. She said council would be in a difficult spot if it sought public feedback and opted against following through.

“If it comes back that everyone wants to elect the deputy mayor, that triggers discussions about boundaries and other stuff. I don’t think the community wants those repercussions,” Barry said.

Newhook said a boundary review couldn’t be completed before a Jan. 1, 2026 deadline for establishing election processes. She also said the work would need to be contracted out, so there would be a cost associated.

Coun. Sabrina Richards was also opposed to a survey. While she believes the public does want to have a say in who will serve as deputy mayor, there’s no way of effectively accomplishing that by year-end. Barry agreed.

“I feel like we’d [be] putting out a survey asking ‘who would like a puppy?’ Everyone is going to say ‘I want a puppy’, and then we’re going to have to say ‘sorry, no puppies’,” Barry said.

Deputy mayor Jennifer Dailloux, who was voted into the role in 2022, initially agreed to a survey before changing her mind. She was the swing vote, with Danielsen and coun. Julia Shortreed in favour and Barry and Richards opposed.

While Danielsen labelled the idea “completely wrong, self-serving… and not democratic”, Dailloux suggested council revisit the nomination process to allow councillors to put their name forward for deputy mayor without requiring a seconder. Newhook said she will bring the issue forward for further discussion at a future meeting.