It’s been a slow start to the summer construction season across parts of Haliburton County, though Kevin Hodgkinson, president of the Haliburton County Home Builders’ Association (HCHBA), says it’s too early to hit the panic button.

While he’s noticed a bit of a downturn at his custom cottage building business, with others in the local construction space reporting similar decreases in demand, Hodgkinson said he still has enough work to keep his staff busy.

“I’m quoting a lot more renovations than I am new builds – that’s been happening, really, over the last six months,” Hodgkinson said. “The days of having two or three years of jobs lined up, that’s probably over for now. One of the issues we’ve been seeing, too, is more contractors from down south coming north to complete jobs too.”

He said he’s hearing from friends in the industry that business has slowed substantially in the GTA.

Hodgkinson said he has one major project booked for 2025. Usually, by this time, he has two projects pencilled in with a lengthy waitlist.

“I’m not overly worried – we’ve been extremely lucky as contractors that, in the last 15 years, it’s been as busy as it has been here. Going through COVID was absolutely crazy, we were so unbelievably busy. I’d say things are moving back to the way they always were, reverting to the norm. It was always going to slow down,” Hodgkinson said.

In Dysart et al, chief building official Karl Korpela said it had been a “dismal” summer for construction. The township issued 49 building permits in June – down from 73 in the same month in 2023, 85 in 2022, and 83 in 2021. That adds to the 45 applications processed in May, which was the lowest the township has seen for that month since 2019.

Most concerning, Korpela said, is the construction value of approved projects over the past two months – way down from the past three years. For May and June, the total value is estimated at just over $10.1 million this year, less than a third of the $32.3 million recorded in 2023 and down from $21.4 million in 2022 and $20.1 million in 2021.

Year-to-date construction values are pegged at $29.5 million, with 216 permits issued – both four-year lows.

“I’m not exactly sure why our permit numbers are so low… it’s hard to point a finger at any one thing. It could be Canada’s high inflation rate, interest rates, capital gains tax regulations, the carbon tax,” Korpela said.

He noted the problem appears to be taking hold provincewide. Quoting a recent Statistics Canada report, Korpela said construction of single-family homes is down 24 per cent, with all other dwelling types down 12 per cent for June year over year.

Comparing new construction through the first half of 2024 to last year, Korpela said Dysart is down 69 per cent for single-family homes, 25 per cent for seasonal dwellings, and 78 per cent for all other accommodation types. Total permit applications are down 16 per cent – with smaller projects such as decks, sheds, and garages making up most of the numbers.

Mayor Murray Fearrey said it’s a cycle he’s seen before.

“I think a lot of contractors are working on contracts they already have,” he said. “We all knew this would happen. Whenever you have a peak, you have to expect a valley. I don’t know how long it’s going to last, but it’s not good news.”

Any decrease in business for the building sector is filtering down to companies that assist with major projects. Coun. Pat Casey, who owns Total Site Services – specializing in site preparation, drilling, blasting, excavation, and septic services and Casey’s Water Well and Geothermal, said business is down 30 to 40 per cent so far this year.

Around the County

It’s largely been business as usual in Algonquin Highlands and Highlands East – with both townships reporting an increase in estimated construction values for projects approved by the building departments.

Through the first half of 2024, Algonquin Highlands chief building official, Greg Moore, has reported 65 building permit approvals carrying a total value of almost $18.4 million. Over the same time last year, the township issued 100 permits at an estimated value of $12.5 million.

In Highlands East, there have been 78 permits issued year-to-date, with construction value pegged at $19.9 million. Last year, the township processed 54 permits through the first six months of the year, valued at $11.5 million.

Minden Hills’ building department hasn’t released updated statistics since April, when 32 building permits were issued. That’s up from 23 in April 2023. Estimated construction values were not provided.

From Jan. 1 to June 30 last year, Minden Hills processed 136 building permits – 30 of them single-family dwellings, 35 accessory structures, 31 demolitions, and 40 minor projects. The township did not provide updated statistics for 2024 by press time.

David Hyland is still scratching his head over how a peacock missing tail feathers showed up at his property Aug. 5.

Hyland called The Highlander this past Tuesday to ask if the paper knew of anyone, or any wildlife organization, that could come take the bird to ensure its care and safety. He had been feeding and watering it since the Civic Holiday Monday.

He said that’s when his wife, told him, “there’s a peacock on the lawn” of their home near Furnace Falls. He went out to investigate and discovered it was indeed a “real peacock … a great big male peacock.”

Hyland noted the majority of the bird’s tail feathers were missing. He thinks they were cut off because there appeared to be a straight line. He added while not an expert, he estimates the remaining feathers at fourto-six feet long. Peacock feathers can reach five feet or 1.7 metres in length. “Highly decorative,” he added.

Peacocks do tend to shed their feathers naturally in a process called molting. The shedding process begins every year after mating season, between February and August.

While he has no proof, Hyland suspects the bird was stolen from somewhere and dumped along Hwy. 503.

He said it was an unusual sight as peacocks are not native to Ontario. In fact, the peafowl are native to Sri Lanka and India, where they are the national bird. In Ontario, peacocks are not permitted as pets but may be kept on agricultural properties.

His son told him the bird is probably worth $3,000 to $4,000, According to an internet site, Peacock Farming, they can cost up to $5,000.

Hyland said, “that belongs to somebody. It is tame. It eats Cheerios and grapes … what else does it like? I had it penned up in my raspberry patch last night but he got out, jumped over the fence. He wiped out all my raspberries. He’s also pecking at the side of my truck because he sees himself in the paint.”

Birds are known to defend their territory, and will attack and try to drive away any bird they view as a possible competitor. When they see their own reflection, they assume they’re seeing a competitor and can attack the image.

Hyland added, “he’s not afraid of me. He’s cautious. He won’t let me go up and touch him, but I can stand three or four feet beside him and talk to him and he seems to be comfortable.”

As Hyland walks around his rural property, he spots the peacock laying in the bush near the river. The bird emerges and walks into the grass adjacent to a trailer on the property. The missing tail feathers are visible.

“He’s somebody’s dear pet of some kind. It’s so, so, weird,” Hyland said.

“My son, who is into birds, told me if you ever find an ostrich feather on your lawn in some countries, it’s the luckiest thing that could ever happen to you and your property. I found a whole bird,” he says with a loud chuckle.

Monika Melichar of Woodlands Wildlife Sanctuary said people do have peacocks on farms, and said it sounded like the bird was a domestic animal. As such, they cannot take it in as a rescue.

When googling what to do when you find a peacock on your property, it comes up as “the first step will be to try and locate the owners. They may actually live a few miles from where the birds are gathering as peafowl have quite large territories. As peafowl are non-native it is illegal to allow them to escape into the wild so the owner should take responsibility for them.”

In Ontario, people can report suspected animal cruelty to the OSPCA at 1-833-9264625.

Sharon Kennedy has joined the Eagle View Events Centre and Sir Sam’s Ski/Ride team as the director of events and sales.

Kennedy’s focus will be the sale and management of weddings and events, as well as connecting with the community and beyond, building further awareness of the centre, the business said.

It added, “with an extensive background, and an expansive career dedicated to the tourism and hospitality industry, Sharon brings a unique lens to this role via her specialty in rural tourism development.

“With Sharon’s strength and experience in conference, wedding, festival organization and more, we feel this addition to the team puts us in good stead for the future,” Doug Wilkinson, owner of Sir Sam’s/Eagle View said.

He added, “Sharon’s enthusiasm and community connections will be an asset to us as we continue to offer more and more experiences to our guests.”

Kennedy said she is looking forward to working with the “amazing team here and I know that we’ll be able to create some really exciting events and experiences for the community.

“Being a resident of Eagle Lake makes this even better, as I understand the particular needs of our local area but can couple those with my expertise from a larger regional tourism and event perspective.”

Kennedy has worked with Westin Hotels, Parkwood Estate, Municipality of York Region, Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, and held senior roles with two of Ontario’s regional tourism organizations (RTO 6 & 7).

The Kushog Lake Property Owners Association held its annual picnic at Pine Spring Valley Resort Aug. 3. It was an opportunity for families and cottagers to meet their neighbours and have fun, with swimming and noodle-paddling competitions.

KLPOA president Susan Harvey said the event has been going since 1969. “What’s really neat is there are families here today whose parents were here as kids, and now they’re here with their kids. It’s super,” Harvey said.

The association also honoured founder and past president Norma Goodger. She passed away earlier this year and they held an event for the Norma Goodger Memorial Trophy.

Harvey thanked more than 25 volunteers and added, “we also have a lot of local businesses that support us. I can’t name them all. There’s so many of them, but I want to give a big shout out.

She added, “friendships are made too, which is really neat. Because the lake is so big, somebody might be at the north end, and somebody might be at the south end, they meet at the picnic and friendships develop, play dates get arranged, and so that part of community is really important to me.

“Everybody’s having fun, brings the whole lake community together. And it’s a way for the association to give back to all the members on the lake and all the property owners on the lake,” Harvey added.

There were trophies as part of the swimming and water-related activities contests with ribbons given out to those who finished in the top three in their age races. Families gathered during the hot morning and afternoon to relax on Muskoka chairs, grab a burger from the free BBQ, and cheer on their kids in the water events. The Stanhope Firefighters’ Association was also present for educational purposes and to provide fun activities for kids.