Despite spending weeks deciphering statistics and comments about the County’s shoreline preservation bylaw, and Dysart’s site alteration bylaw, I feel I have more questions than answers.
The years-long process leading to the introduction of the bylaws was highly politicized. In the end, three townships agreed to play ball, while Dysart dared to be different.
There are notable variations between the two documents – arguably the biggest being the County introducing a mandate forcing anyone who wants to make changes to an existing shoreline development plan to first ensure their property complies with the new shoreline preservation bylaw before work can proceed. Any complaints are considered by a new staffer hired to manage the program.
There’s no such requirement in Dysart’s bylaw, while complaints are investigated by existing staff.
Mayor Murray Fearrey and County warden Liz Danielsen are both happy with how their respective programs have performed in their inaugural year, though for different reasons.
County staff have responded to 52 complaints since April 2023, with action taken at 22 properties. Danielsen believes that’s evidence people are paying attention to the new rules. She said the fact staff can follow up with offenders, and initiate remediation, is positive.
She’s focusing on the environmental benefits – which, for a program designed to maintain water quality and improve lake health, seems obvious.
There was little for Fearrey to reflect on in Dysart, given staff only received four complaints. Two investigations have been completed, with no action taken, while two others are still in progress.
The big focus in Dysart, seemingly, has been on total spend. While the County has invested approximately $118,000 into its program, Dysart’s costs are around $900. Fearrey noted his council has likely saved in the region of $100,000 going their own way. But if those savings come at the expense of deteriorating local lakes, are we actually saving anything? I’d argue the opposite.
Tourism is the number one driver of the County economy. People come here because of our pristine lakes. Lose that and a lot of businesses would be in big trouble.
When discussing preventative actions, Fearrey pointed to Dysart’s new shoreline health report card. While a neat addition, the program is carried out by inspectors whose primary job is to test residential septic systems. As far as I’m aware, these assessments cannot be booked or scheduled – they’re an add-on to an existing service.
That’s not great when you consider Dysart conducts septic tests in specific regions each summer. This year they’re out on Benoir, Elephant, Farquhar, Fishtail and Grace lakes – which is great for those areas, but what about everywhere else? They’ll have to wait their turn, it seems.
As well, Bri Quinn, program manager, confirmed the assessments are for public information only. The township cannot act or issue fines to any wrongdoers. That seems counterproductive.
Most concerning were the responses I received from some in the community. While the consensus was the Dysart bylaw isn’t worth the paper it’s written on, none would publicly condemn it. Nor would they criticize the council that endorsed it, out of fear of damaging relationships. Most felt Dysart was simply paying lip service by introducing this bylaw, believing it to be too weak. In discussions I’ve seen at the council table, there appears little appetite to strengthen or improve it.
Absent any kind of performance metric, it’s difficult for people to understand what the numbers mean. What difference the bylaws are making. Why they’re so important. The County bylaw is guilty of this, too.
I think it’s fair to say there’s room for improvement with both bylaws.
More questions than answers
Vandals target Haliburton’s Head Lake Park
Dysart et al deputy mayor Walt McKechnie said the township intends to press charges against the culprits who caused thousands of dollars of damage at Head Lake Park last week.
The vandals struck sometime between the late afternoon July 10 and early morning July 11, destroying six solar lights and several no smoking and camera warning signs, trashing the recently-installed privies, damaging gates, spray painting graffiti on the roof of the new playground structure, damaging part of the jungle gym, and breaking a four-person teeter-totter.
Andrew Wilbee, Dysart’s director of parks and recreation, said staff are currently going through security camera footage to try and identify the culprits.
He said a new teeter-totter would likely cost more than $5,000 if it needed to be replaced. Staff are still determining the total cost of all damages.
McKechnie said he’s “deeply disappointed” by the act, which comes less than a year from the opening of the new $600,000 playground.
“It’s frustrating because our township and people in this community invested a lot of money to make that playground happen. It’s hard-earned taxpayer money that’s being destroyed,” McKechnie said. “Why someone would want to do this, I don’t know. That playground has been well-used since it opened. Kids love it.” Despite the damages, the playground will remain open. Nicole Baumgartner-Spooner was there with her three children July 17. Having played a key role in making the playground a reality, leading community fundraising efforts alongside fellow realtor Brandon Nimigon, Baumgartner-Spooner said she was upset to see the facility senselessly damaged.
She said the teeter-totter was one of the few pieces of accessible equipment in the park, and she regularly sees people of all ages, including seniors and children with mobility issues, using it.
Reward for information leading to arrests
“That’s the biggest shame here, is those people won’t have anything to use for a while when they come to the park,” Baumgartner-Spooner said.
McKechnie said the township has been in contact with Haliburton Highlands OPP.
“Whoever committed this, if you’re on video, we’ll be pursuing charges. It might not seem like a lot of money to some people, but to me it is. With all our costs going up, we can’t afford to keep fixing and replacing things people have taken upon themselves to break,” McKechnie said.
The Highlander received a call from a woman who claimed to have witnessed “a group of teenagers” damaging signs and the privies. Asking not to be named, the source claimed she approached the group to ask them why they were doing this, only to be met with a flurry of insults. She said they ran away once she took her phone out and started taking pictures. She has since been in touch with police.
It’s the second major act of vandalism at the park in as many years. Damage to the gate and fencing at the dog park in July 2022 saw the facility closed.
Anyone charged could find themselves in hot water – mischief causing more than $5,000 in property damage often carries a hefty fine, community service, and can lead to up to 10 years of jail time. Damages less than $5,000 carry a maximum six month jail sentence.
Dysart coun. Pat Casey, the representative for Haliburton village, visited the park July 16, saying he was surprised by the extent of the damage. He’s offering a $500 reward to anyone with information leading to a conviction.
“We need to make sure this doesn’t become a regular event, otherwise we won’t have any equipment left. There was a lot of people who donated money, time, resources to this. It’s a great park – when you see the amount of money that went into making it happen, for someone to so blatantly abuse that, it’s disheartening,” Casey said.
Patient: CT services ‘a really big deal’
Minden resident Les Wilson says the addition of computed tomography (CT) services at the Haliburton hospital is “life-changing” for many Highlanders.
He was one of the first patients to receive a scan in the recently-remodeled space housing CT – down the hall from the Haliburton emergency department. Tests began July 9, with Gail Kennedy, integrated director of diagnostics at Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay – who is assisting with CT start-up at HHHS – estimating there will be about 20 pre-booked procedures daily, with the machine also available for emergencies.
Wilson was there July 15 for a scan on his abdomen and said it was one of the best experiences he’s had at a hospital.
“It was amazing – I was in and out in 20 minutes,” Wilson said. “I have a hernia that needs fixing, they took great care with me, explained what they were going to do. I wasn’t sitting in a waiting room forever. I’ve been to lots of hospitals over the years for lots of different things, but this was the first time I thought ‘wow’ when leaving.”
No stranger to injury, Wilson estimates he’s had about a dozen CT scans over the years. All of them involved lengthy road trips to hospitals in Lindsay or Peterborough.
Usually, he’d have to take a full day off work, with travel and waiting time. “I was always losing money before. Now, it’s just getting off work an hour early, which is much nicer,” he said.
Wilson said he’d typically spend about $100 when traveling for scans, for gas, parking, and food. He said it will be nice to not have to pay out-of-pocket anymore.
With many County families living on strict budgets and fixed incomes, Wilson believes having local access to CT – and, soon, mammography – is a really big deal.
This could be life-changing for people who can’t afford to drive all over. There’s a lot of people struggling in this community, which makes long trips difficult, especially if you’re the one paying,” Wilson said. “Having a machine like this available in our community makes a huge difference for everybody up here.”
‘Momentous day’
MPP Laurie Scott said the unveiling of CT was an historic moment for HHHS. She, along with Ontario health minister Sylvia Jones, attended a grand opening July 10.
“This is a momentous day for the County – this addition symbolizes our commitment to advancing healthcare in our region,” Scott said. “This is the sort of addition that galvanizes a community.”
The 1,000 sq. ft. space features a waiting area, changeroom, and two washrooms. The CT suite includes scan and control rooms, ultrasound room, and storage area. It can accommodate between six to eight patients at a time.
HHHS president and CEO, Veronica Nelson, said the addition means doctors will be able to diagnose more than 6,000 patients per year.
The total cost of CT and mammography expansion – with the latter coming in the fall – has been touted at between $3 and $3.5 million. The HHHS Foundation has committed to raising $4.3 million, with executive director Melanie Klodt Wong saying they’re just over 80 per cent towards the goal.
Jones said one of the major benefits is keeping County ambulances in the area. In 2023, Haliburton County EMS completed more than 350 patient transfers, the bulk of those for CT scans. EMS Chief Tim Waite said there would likely be some cost savings. In 2022, he told The Highlander the average transfer for CT costs $720, meaning savings could be around $252,000 annually.
“This has been a challenging time, but when I look at what you’ve been able to accomplish as a community, focusing on things that are going to have a positive impact on patient care, you can be proud,” Jones said.
“Yesterday, five people who came into your emergency department didn’t have to travel somewhere else to be diagnosed. If you start multiplying that over a full year, the wow factor increases exponentially,” she added.
The health minister promised there are “more good things to come in Haliburton.” She said the addition of mammography is timely given the province, in September, is changing the rules for scans. Now, women between the age of 50 and 74 are eligible through the Ontario Breast Screening Program. Jones said the province is lowering the minimum age for self-enrollment from 50 to 40.
Company had a blast with historic road project
A Haliburton County-based contractor has taken part in a pilot project that could now be used across the province.
The work involved a culvert replacement 1.3 kilometres north of Hwy. 35 on Hwy. 118.
The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) hired Braithwaite Drilling Services for the roadworks and they were assisted by Francis Thomas Contracting (FTC) of Carnarvon.
Britt Thomas of FTC said, “it’s been cool to be a part of this, and it is a historic thing for both Carnarvon and our company.”
Matt Braithwaite, of Braithwaite Drilling Services, Peterborough, said they used equipment that has been employed in Europe, but is new to the province. Rather than having to dig up the highway above the culvert, they were able to bore through the side. Braithwaite said it is faster and cheaper.
“We used the Geonex (drill) to hammer in a 40-inch culvert through blast rock. We were able to avoid any auguring techniques – where you wouldn’t be able to do that in blast rock because it would fall in and you couldn’t hold the hole open.”
He said the special drill allows the casing to go in with the hammer. “You only have three quarters of an inch of open space at any given time while you’re drilling, and when you’re done, the casing becomes the product pipe. And in this case, it was a culvert.”
He noted the drill is worth about $2-3 million.
“It’s been used in Europe for the last 15 or so years, and certain parts of the United States where it’s applicable, like right now in New York, there’s numerous projects going on.” He said the technology has been used in western Canada, too.
“But Ontario’s never had one, so we’re a little bit behind, but we’re getting there. So, it was a pilot for Ontario, but not necessarily the technology itself.”
Braithwaite said his company had been working with the MTO for the past seven years on culvert replacements. He said there had been a bit of trial and error with other methods.
He said there is no doubt using the Geonex saved time and money, “because we learned after the fact that a temporary bridge would have had to have been created and installed in order to do that because of the volume of traffic on the road. So, we’re talking like 10 and 20-50 times the savings.”
An MTO spokesperson confirmed the pilot project was initiated to try out trenchless culvert installations in deep rock fills. She said the trial site consisted of a 12-metrehigh rock fill, and consisted of the trenchless installation of a culvert with a diameter of 1.2 metres and a length of 40 metres.
“Following the success of this pilot project, trenchless installation can now be considered as a culvert replacement option in rock fills,” she added. “The ministry will look for future suitable locations to utilize this specialized technology in an effort to reduce construction costs and impacts to the travelling public.”
Braithwaite said they could not have done it without FTC.
“They were fantastic. They brought in all the excavation and earth-moving equipment for us. They constructed a temporary road that allowed us to bring our equipment down. They provided all the support during the drilling, so all of the cuttings that were brought out of the hole, they were able to remove, either bringing them to their pit or just remove them on-site. And then they helped us load and unload, mobilize, demobilize, just provided fantastic support through the whole project.”
Braithwaite added, “it is exciting, and I know it’s exciting for the people up there to be part of.”
Thomas added it was a proud moment for the local company. “We’ve never been a part of anything of that sort before, so it’s been a learning experience in so many ways.”
Initiative sprouts award for Master Gardeners
The Ontario Horticultural Association (OHA) selected the Haliburton County Master Gardeners (HCMG) as recipients of its 2024 Environment Award.
The Master Gardeners have been recognized for their contribution in the advancement of horticulture with the development and launch of the Stepping into Nature multimedia walking tour along the Minden Riverwalk trail. The award was announced at the OHA annual general meeting convention in Guelph July 13.
Carolyn Langdon, coordinator for the HCMG, said, “the Stepping into Nature self-guided tour extolls the benefits of a natural landscape along a previously degraded section of river in the village of Minden and is a valuable addition to this popular walking trail. It was a very ambitious project for a small group of volunteers so we are particularly honoured by the attention and the award from the OHA.”
Master Gardeners Merryn Camphausen and Langdon travelled to Guelph to accept the award.
“Stepping into Nature is a free, self-guided walking tour of the remarkable flora and fauna along the Minden Riverwalk trail,” said project lead, Shelley Fellows. “It was an ambitious project including 21 site signs, photos, detailed descriptions of plants, insect information and gardening tips, along with audio stories.” Everything is accessible via a smartphone app called PocketSights and through QR codes on signage throughout the walking tour.
A combination of practical recommendations to address common landscape problems and field research to understand the flowering plants, shrubs, trees and grasses growing along the riverwalk, the Stepping into Nature walking tour was supported by a Local Initiatives Program grant from the Haliburton County Development Corporation. Insect research, including field collections, were performed by a U-Links team, headed by Caleb Brown from Trent University.
The HCMG is a community service organization. Members are certified Master Gardeners, with expertise in horticulture, botany and gardening in harmony with nature. They are celebrating 22 years in the Haliburton Highlands. They have visited more than 60 properties throughout Haliburton County in the last three years to advise property owners on how best to naturalize their properties. Their website contains helpful resources, and they recently published a “Guidebook to Ecological Landscaping in the Highlands”.
Youth hub looking for new Haliburton home
Demand for service has increased so much at the Haliburton County Youth Wellness Hub over the past 18 months that Marg Cox, executive director of parent organization Point in Time, is looking for a new, upgraded space to house its expanding range of services.
The current facility, located on Dysart Avenue in Haliburton village, provides a “safe, welcoming space” to County-based youth between the ages of 12 and 25 looking for a place to unwind, make new friends, and connect with an array of mental health, substance use, and careers supports.
It’s been open since 2019 – one of six locations across Ontario selected for a pilot project supported by the provincial government, Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario, and the Graham Boeckh Foundation.
It’s been a tough few years for youth in the County, with many feeling isolated and alone – fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, but continuing since, Cox said. Many have found solace through the youth hub.
“We have been bursting at the seams – it’s been difficult operating because of the number of services we’ve introduced and the people we’re serving,” Cox said, noting the youth hub registered approximately 2,000 visits for drop-in and other skills and wellbeing activities between April 2023 and March 2024, with over 230 unique youth accessing formal or clinical services.
Cox said the most popular service has been health-related. The youth hub has a full-time nurse practitioner, who assists with referrals and prescriptions and offers advice for issues around mental, physical, and sexual health. There’s also virtual access to a psychiatrist.
“Because so many people don’t have access to primary care in Haliburton County, the demand is high,” Cox said, noting appointments can typically be booked a few days in advance.
Counselling is available for youth dealing with mental health and substance use issues, while two full-time employees juggle roles in peer support, programming, and transportation.
The hub’s ‘Lift’ service, launched in 2021, allows youth a chance to investigate possible career paths. Cox said there’s evidence to suggest working often has positive effects on mental health.
“Getting a good job that fits someone’s interests and their skills can really change the trajectory of their life,” Cox said.
Following the return to normal post-pandemic, Cox said many youth were presenting to the hub feeling “lost, helpless… someone said it to me recently, but it’s as if we forgot how to socialize during COVID. We need to re-learn how to make friends and interact, which can be a hard thing for people to overcome, especially if they’re introverted or dealing with other issues like anxiety.”
She wants to see the youth hub expanded to ensure nobody falls through the cracks.
Point in Time has secured COS Consulting to assist with the project – finding a site and getting a new facility built. Cox said it needs to be in Haliburton village, within walking distance of the high school. All Point in Time and youth hub services would be consolidated at the new location, with Cox estimating a cost between $6-8 million.
“Our big goal is to be able to provide the space that’s required to be able to support youth in keeping with the increased demand we’re seeing in the community,” she said. “It’ll be nice to be able to say we service all youth and cater to all demands – currently, we’ve got some youth who can’t handle the loud noise volume. Because we don’t have a quiet space or any alternative, these people sometimes choose not to come. We want to avoid that.”
While most of the project will be covered by government and foundation grants, Cox said Point in Time will likely have to fundraise around $500,000. To contribute, visit pointintime.ca.
Once a site is secure, there will be extensive engagement with the community.
“Our youth designed the last hub, we’ll be consulting with them again,” Cox said. “Since this space will be for the community, we feel it’s important they have a say in what it will do and what it will look like.”
Charity golf tournament for slain officer
More than 31 years after he was killed in the line of duty, OPP Const. Eric Nystedt is being remembered with a memorial charity golf tournament in his name Sept. 5.
It is also a fundraiser for partners of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and OPP, who have been partnering since February to respond to mental health calls.
Const. Joel Imbeau is now a full-time mental health worker for the OPP in the Highlands and is helping to organize the tournament.
And while the event at the Pinestone is still seven weeks away, Imbeau is looking for 144 registrants as well as sponsors, and donors of prizes, including for the silent auction.
The CMHA-OPP program has been running in other counties since 2015, but with funding Const. Paul McDonald helped procure 2.5 years ago, they have finally implemented it in the Highlands.
Imbeau said proceeds will go to some of the organizations that OPP and the CMHA work with, such as the three Haliburton County food banks, the two heat banks, the Special Olympics, Places for People, and Born Again Bargains in Minden.
“The community has really taken this on with open arms,” Imbeau said.
He said some of the prizes includes vehicles (a Ford F-150 pickup truck and Chevy Traverse) if someone gets a hole-in-one, as well as free Godfathers pizza for a year. “We’ve got some really nice prizes.”
Imbeau said people can register for golf, a cart, and dinner and silent auction, or just come for the dinner-auction.
“These are charities we use for the program, such as the food banks. We rely on them to support the families we work with and understand there is a huge increase in demand. That includes the heat banks. We want to replenish those accounts and make sure our partners are satisfied with our contribution in making sure we can keep those relationships strong. It’s important,” he said.
Imbeau said he believes Nystedt’s mom, Mary-Lou Nystedt-Buerkle, will be attending the dinner and making a speech. Eric’s brother, Scott, may also attend. They are from Sault Ste. Marie.
According to the Ontario Provincial Police Association, Const. Nystedt had been on the job for less than three years when he was called out with a senior constable on Saturday July 3, 1993. The two officers were called twice that shift to an assault, domestic occurrence at a location near Kinmount. A man was drunk and his behaviour was said to be endangering others at a cottage in the Furnace Falls area.
At 2 a.m. the officers were looking for the suspect, who had run off into the bush after having committed an assault.
“Const. Nystedt was in the rear, passing a small clearing, when suddenly the wanted man came out from behind him and stabbed the young officer in the left leg. The knife severed the left femoral artery and Eric bled to death before he could receive the necessary aid.”
A massive search was commenced with 50 officers, a canine unit, members of the tactics and rescue unit and, later, a helicopter.
Off-duty officers converged on the area to help. Finally, around noon, the suspect came out of the bush and was arrested.
Go to hhoppcharitygolf@yahoo.com to get a registration form or for any additional information.
Bringing the water festival on the road
Provincial funding is allowing the Friends of Ecological and Environmental Learning (FEEL) to bring a version of its Children’s Water Festival on the road – to reach more children and youth across Haliburton, Muskoka and Kawartha Lakes.
On July 10, MPP Laurie Scott joined a team of volunteers with FEEL to celebrate the launch of its mobile Children’s Water Festival programs.
Last week’s event was largely thanks to two grants, totaling $79,000, from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF). The first was a six-month, $13,000 capital grant awarded last fall, and the second is a two-year, $66,000 resilient communities fund grant that started this spring.
“Our government is proud to help Friends of Ecological and Environmental Learning extend these important water care experiences to even more regional families, schools, and communities in the years to come,” said Scott, MPP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock “Together, we are building a future where children and communities understand, appreciate, and protect our precious water resources.”
With the OTF capital grant, FEEL purchased a trailer that will store and transport some of its Children’s Water Festival activity centres to public and partner events. With the resilient communities fund grant, over the next two years, FEEL will build its resiliency and sustainability through strategic planning, updating its fundraising strategies, and adapting its Children’s Water Festival programs to reach more children and youth across Haliburton, Muskoka and Kawartha Lakes, FEEL’s Kara Mitchell and Stephanie Field said.
For more than 15 years, FEEL has delivered an annual outdoor Children’s Water Festival, a fun day camp about water stewardship, for more than 1,000 elementary school children of the Trillium Lakelands District School Board region.
Through the pandemic, they needed to adapt funding and program approaches. Initial trials of offering a few of their hands-on activities at public events, and in partnerships with local libraries and the Kushog Lake Association, went well. Mitchell and Field said the trailer, additional staff time, and fundraising involved in the OTF investment promise to carry important water care-inspiring experiences to more regional families, schools, cottagers and regional communities in the seasons and years to come.
FEEL’s mission is to advance the public’s awareness, understanding and appreciation of ecosystems through education. Their volunteers from within regional communities, secondary and post-secondary programs enjoy learning exchanges and connections in giving back to water that gives life. To get involved, find them online or contact info@ waterheroes.ca.
The Good Lovelies attracted to Haliburton
A folksy, pop, Americana trio, known as The Good Lovelies, will be stopping in Haliburton for the Highlands Summer Festival July 24, 25, and 26.
One of the things that attracts the group to Haliburton is its beauty. The group have played at the Haliburton Folk Society a few times in the past and enjoyed being in cottage country.
“Haliburton’s always been a really nice place for us to play. It’s kind of close to home, so that’s nice. And it’s just so beautiful,” said Caroline Brooks, one of the members of the band. Brooks, along with Kerri Ough and Sue Passmore, will be performing at the Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavilion.
They will be playing from their new album, which came out last October, and is titled We Will Never Be the Same. The record has been nominated for a Juno award.
The songs on their record are compelling in their own way; they speak of complex feelings experienced by women who have come to ponder some of life’s biggest questions.
“We didn’t set out to write the album with that in mind. Often, when you’re writing an album, whether it’s solo or as a collective, you’ll find there are themes that come out as your writing progresses,” Brooks said.
The theme of being a mom, and handling everything that life throws at one in that role, was prominent, plus that of just trying to be good humans.
“There’s a lot of overlap in what we’re experiencing. Sue and I are both mothers. Kerri has experienced a lot of grief in the last couple of years with the loss of a few loved ones,” Brooks said.
The singer added, “it’s just reflective of where we’re at, personally, in that moment.”
The trio will be performing a mix of songs off the new album, and some older EPs. The singers, who also write all their own songs, have fans all around the world as they’ve toured in Germany, the UK, across North America, and beyond.
What excites Brooks the most about playing in Haliburton is the time the trio are here.
“This is a rarity: to stay in one place for three consecutive shows – outside of festival appearances, I can think of only one other time in our 18-year career when we did this.”
We Will Never Be the Same is the group’s fifth full-length studio album.
Cecil Bailey still tapping his toes at 100
“He’s always dancing, as you know,” said Paul Sisson, who’s known Cecil Bailey since they were young, and who is also a legion member.
Bailey celebrated his 100th birthday July 14 at the Haliburton Legion. The remarkable milestone attracted 107 guests, who came out to wish Bailey a happy birthday and to celebrate together.
Sisson called Bailey a “steady” member of the legion. Sisson and his wife would sometimes take him back to the Gardens of Haliburton after a social outing, instead of having Bailey call a taxi.
Bailey is a Second World War veteran, serving in Belgium, the Netherlands, England and Germany. He drove an airport crash tender and was almost shipped to Japan, but the Americans bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki first.
Before the war, Bailey was a Haliburtonian, driving a 1939 Chrysler Royal as a 15-yearold with his friends in the passenger seat. The Chrysler was an exotic car back in the day, and was probably the best car in the County at the time. Bailey’s father, W.O. Bailey, owned the sawmill in town, so the family was well off. Haliburton was known for its logging industry, similar to other places in the region.
Bailey didn’t care much for rules as a teenager. When his dad found out he had been taking the car out, he took the rotor out of the distributor on advice from a friend. Bailey wasn’t going to let that stop him, he took the rotor out of a similar car and put it in his dad’s car and off he went, hitting the roads again.
Carmen Peters, 96, met Bailey in 1936, when Peters was around eight years old. His father worked for W.O. Bailey. “He was helping me out when we were growing up. And then I worked with him, before he went into the army,” said Peters.
Peters also touched on how the Bailey family was instrumental in building up Haliburton and Eagle Lake.
Mike Waller, president of the Haliburton Legion, said he met Bailey 20 years ago at a music event in the clubroom. He recalled an older gentleman coming in, and changing his shoes, but he couldn’t figure out why he was doing it. Bailey was getting ready to dance, and he danced with all of the ladies in the room. He danced the night away, something he is known for.
Waller said, “Cec is just a great guy. Just to sit down and talk to him and listen to his stories about his life has been fantastic.”
Bailey was also instrumental in bringing the train to Haliburton Highlands Secondary School. He also built six houses in Haliburton, with the sixth house starting when he was 83. He had a triple by-pass that year but remarkably continued building the house. Bailey built houses and worked around the Haliburton area for his father.
Gord Kidd & Friends helped ring in the celebrations. The band dedicated a couple of songs to Bailey and addressed him in between numbers.
Deputy mayor for Dysart et al, Walt McKechnie, and MP for HaliburtonKawartha Lakes-Brock, Jamie Schmale, were on hand.
Always dancing, Bailey still had the energy to cut a rug with daughter, Pearl Wood, at the party.
Wood has fond memories of growing up with her dad, who called her his ‘baby doll’.
“Certainly, my dad built every single house we lived in with his hands, saws, hammers, whatever. We may have lived in a little huddle before we got into the house he built, but he built all of our houses,” Wood said.
She added, “he’s always active. My dad never quit. No matter what he did. He was always moving.”