Students at Wilberforce Elementary School have said goodbye to another school year – and are celebrating the arrival of summer vacation following their graduation ceremony June 26.

The parents of the graduating class of 2024 cheered for their kids while seated in the Lloyd Watson Memorial Community Centre.

The 13, Grade 8 grads were decked out in green graduation gowns and caps, and sat at the front of the room along with the grads from Grades 4, 5, 6 and 7, who were also honoured.

The soon-to-be high school students collected their diplomas, and awards were given out, including for citizenship, academic achievement, and leadership.

Dave Burton, mayor of Highlands East, said, “we look forward to seeing you off to bigger and better things next September”.

Valedictorians Andra Brad and Mia Alden reminisced and talked about looking forward to high school. “We will never forget all the memorable moments. I can’t wait to see all the things we will accomplish in the years to come,” Alden said.

The ceremony ended with a video tribute to the graduating Grade 8 class.

Director of education for Trillium Lakelands District School Board, Wes Hahn, highlighted some “great” events in the 202324 school year in his end-of-year video. They included Day of Paint, Pride month, the second annual Pow Wow and drum social, and the Better Together Arts Showcase.

J. Douglas Hodgson Elementary School principal David Waito identified two challenges facing teenagers in society right now.

During his graduation greetings June 25, he said there’d been an increase in teenage loneliness. During adolescence, he said brains rewire for social connection. He said ties to friends should be increasing in importance and depth.

“Yet, so many teenagers these days are reporting feeling more and more lonely. And I think this is worrisome.”

He said technology has created the ability to connect more than ever before, sitting on our couches using social media to interact with people in Australia, Calgary and Ottawa.

“But I think the problem here is I’m sitting on my couch. I’m not with my friends.” He added virtual connections are not a substitute for “the real thing.” He said students have to get off the couch, go out with each other, laugh, make mistakes, and get into a little bit of trouble, “or we are going to get lonely. Because Instagram followers are not really friends.”

He urged them to make their next four years at Hal High about seeing each other in real life… “making real connections with each other…” He said that should help with the second challenge facing teens – school attendance. “High school does have so much to offer. You’ve got to be there, and you have to be involved to make it happen.”

Waito congratulated the class of 2024 saying, “we are all so proud of you.” He lauded their efforts, perseverance, and achievements, and advised them to not just let life happen to them, but work hard to earn their futures.

Valedictorian Luke Gruppe said it had been a fun time but that it had gone by fast. He quoted a famous line from the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

He said some of the highlights were a three-day trip to Montreal, a ski trip to Sir Sam’s, and treetop trekking.

He lauded teachers, and went on to say why he thinks JDH is such an “exceptional school.” He noted the closeness to Haliburton village, a nearby high school track, running trails behind the school, and a well-used gym.

However, “what truly defines JDH over these past five years is its people. The students and faculty here have demonstrated kindness, care, and support for one another.”

Kim Williams, superintendent of learning at Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB), said she always looks forward to adult education graduations.

She attended McKeck’s Tap & Grill June 26 as the Haliburton Adult and Alternative Education Centre said goodbye to 21 graduates last week.

“Today is your day, as Dr. Seuss said. You have great places you’re all heading off to,” Williams said. “The one thing I love about coming to these graduations is hearing all the personal stories about the journeys you have been on, the challenges you’ve overcome. The skills you have to navigate through life – it’s taken perseverance, you’ve had to stay focused on a goal despite all the other things happening around you… so let me be the first to say, congratulations.”

Lori Sargent, teacher and head admin at the Haliburton site, said she and fellow teacher, Greg Shantz, have gotten to know this year’s graduates well as they worked towards their high school diploma.

While circumstances, often beyond the students’ control, led them to the AAEC program, she credited the graduates for putting in the required work and helping to create a positive atmosphere at the Haliburton campus.

“Acceptance is a big word at our school. Everyone has their own journey, you’ve all had to learn to paddle your own canoe to get here. We accepted one another and celebrated what we’re going to do next,” Sargent said.

Lisa Uuldriks, principal of all TLDSB adult education programming, was also in attendance. She likened the graduates to butterflies – saying they’re now the best versions of themselves, ready to go out into the world.

Several awards were presented – Jazzalynne West received the Joshua Rewa award of distinction, Kayden Colligan the Joshua Rewa memorial post-secondary bursary, Curtis Hoare the math and science award, Tyler Ewing the effort in the workplace award for his placement at Medeba, Elizabeth Lemieux for academic commitment and dedication, and Jason Thomas the work placement award.

Other graduates include Dana Black, Evan Carpenter, Aiden Conlin, Marcus Edwards, Liam Finnie, Hannah Huffman, Tess Husbands, Logan Kennedy, Christian Lemieux, Pharen Richardson, Amelia Somerville, Carter Stamp, Ryan Tanaka, Seth Winstanley, and Jocelyn Winter.

Husbands, reading the graduate address written by Black, who didn’t attend, said her fellow graduates should be proud of their achievements.

“It takes bravery to go against the trend, to seek out what you need to be successful. It’s a gamble – you don’t really know what will work for you, but we all took the leap. My advice is to remember this lesson as you move forward in life,” Husbands said. “You’ve already shown you can go against the tide and do what is best for you.

“We may have faced setbacks or doubts along the way, but those things have gotten us here today… on this journey to success,” she added.

Haliburton Highlands Secondary School (HHSS) principal Jenn Mills borrowed from Dr. Seuss when congratulating the Red Hawks’ 2024 graduating class last week, saying, “you will succeed, yes you will indeed, you will move mountains.”

It was a packed house inside the HHSS athletic complex June 27 as the community came together to celebrate 86 graduating students.

Armed with the classic Oh, the Places You’ll Go, Mills reeled off some advice for her now former students – telling them to trust the years of lessons received at HHSS and elsewhere.

“My hope is the lessons you’ve learned in and out of the classroom throughout your elementary and secondary careers will stay with you and help set you on your way… you have brains in your head and feet in your shoes, you can steer yourself any direction you choose,” Mills said.

She said one of the most important things to achieving success is setting goals – even little ones.

“Some days it might just be getting out of bed, others it’ll be figuring out what to do with your life and how to get there,” Mills said. “Don’t wait for life to happen to you. You need to put the work in and set yourself on a direction to achieve everything you want for yourself.”

Vice principal Martin Gage said it’s OK for graduates to fail, as long as they pick themselves back up and keep trying.

“You’ve reached the top of one mountain. Now it’s time to find another one to climb. Most of you already have some pretty solid plans – entering the workforce, going to college or university, working towards an apprenticeship, or exploring the world. These plans will lead you down different pathways… there’s many ways to make meaningful contributions to the world,” Gage said.

Valedictorian Abi Lewis encouraged her classmates to chase their dreams and stay true to who they are, no matter how tough the path gets. She was one of five students to receive school letters for academic excellence, along with Brody Bolger, Olivia Humphries, Lily Manning and Marley Mariani.

Bolger received the principal’s award for student leadership, with Humphries earning the lieutenant governor’s award for community service. Cameron Level received the governor general’s academic medal. Eight students graduated with specialist high skills majors in hospitality and tourism, with nine earning environment credits, and nine others receiving the extended French certificate. Thirty-four students made the honour roll, for students who graduate with an average mark of 80 per cent or higher.

Lake Kashagawigamog resident Lance Payne is fed up with not being able to safely access the water from his private dock during daytime hours throughout the summer.

He was one of four delegates pleading with Dysart et al council June 25 to implement rules limiting the impact of boat wakes on the Lake Kash chain. He was joined by Lake Kashagawigamog Organization president Wendy Hampson, Dr. Timothy James, and Silver Beach resident Dave Tranter, who said they’ve been dealing with the issue for two years.

It started, they say, when Haliburton Hockey Haven, a local youth camp, started offering wakeboarding on Lake Kash in 2022.

“They run two wake boats continuously for six hours daily, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (breaking for lunch) every weekday in July and August. This is not allowing property owners to engage in safe water-related activities in a fair or equitable manner,” Payne said. “We also have concerns about ecological damage in the future.”

Payne said the boats regularly send waves up to three-feet high careening towards the shore. “It’s dangerous – people feel like they can’t go swimming, they can’t go out in kayaks or canoes. It’s impossible to sit on the deck without being thrown around,” Payne added. “The objective is not to remove wake boats from this lake, it’s to look at a more equitable use in sharing the water.”

Councillors confident about compromise

Tranter said the Silver Beach community is up in arms, too. He estimates their association has spent approximately $50,000 repairing docks and other equipment by the water due to excessive wakes over the past two years.

He said this was about more than money, however.

“It’s not safe down by the water when these boats are running – one of our residents fell between their dock and boat last year after a wake,” Tranter said. “I want council’s support to come up with a reasonable solution to this, because it has to stop.”

Hampson said LKO administration met with Troy Binnie, who owns Haliburton Hockey Haven, June 4 to see if they could work out any issues. She said they spent two years trying to organize a meeting, and while she was thankful for the opportunity to connect, the two parties left without an arrangement.

Binnie said he was unaware the issue was before council, telling The Highlander, “I realize there are a lot of wakeboard boats or similar in the 22-mile chain of lakes we are on, but I do know our drivers have been trained to respect and protect our lake and our campers, with safety being our top priority.”

He added that all Hockey Haven boats are equipped with front and rear dash cams to ensure the training and safety of campers is “constantly recorded and reviewed so we can make sure our staff are following the federal boating guidelines, as well as those around us.”

James, a scientist who works in ecological conservation, said as dangerous as these wakes are for people, they’re worse for the environment.

“Without question, there’s evidence to support citizen observations of shoreline damage, changes to lake ecology and water quality… a new and significant physical stressor [has been added] to our lake system. When you add a new stressor like this, the system responds. It’s this response that’s the cause of concern,” James said.

He noted the County’s lakes are “pristine” but due to the delicate balance of nutrients in the water, he’s afraid the wakes could skew things and lead to the formation of algae and growth of weeds in the water.

“Unfortunately, one of the best ways to introduce unwanted nutrients like phosphorous into the water is by eroding our shorelines and stirring up underwater sediments… this can happen naturally, but the relationship between wake size and its power is exponential. A small increase in wake size means a really big increase in what it can erode,”

James said, noting the waves created by wakeboarding on Lake Kash are up to 17 times stronger than natural waves. James said the wakes are likely impacting fish and other wildlife native to Lake Kash, and the use of larger boats, like those used for wakeboarding, increases the risk of introducing invasive species to the system.

Payne said he’d like to see Dysart connect with Transport Canada to establish Vessel Operation Restriction Regulations (VORR) on Lake Kash. He said the deadline for new applications for summer 2025 is Aug. 15.

Deputy mayor Walt McKechnie said he wasn’t in favour of going that route – yet.

McKechnie said he spoke with Binnie this week, who, he claims, has agreed to a compromise – reducing the sound of music on one boat he’ll maintain on Little Kash, and moving the second boat to Big Kash “a few days of the week.” McKechnie believes the township should focus on educating people rather than jumping straight to enforcement.

“Bringing in VORR is not the right answer… I’d like to see us communicating with all lake associations to let the people know about the respect they should have for our lakes and shorelines,” McKechnie said.

Coun. Nancy Wood-Roberts said she spent time on Lake Kash last summer and said the boats were “very noisy” and the large wakes made it impossible for people to access the water, especially with children.

Ward 1 coun. Pat Casey said the township should work with Hockey Haven to ensure they’re following through with the proposed compromise and see what impact, if any, that has. If the issue remains, council can discuss more stringent measures.

“We’re trying to come up with something that is workable for everyone,” Casey said

Affordable housing advocate Places for People (P4P) has added another property to its inventory this month, purchasing an eightunit rental in Haliburton village.

Sue Tromanhauser, P4P president, announced the news June 25, saying the non-profit closed a $1 million deal for 104 Highland St. in May. It’s the second purchase the group has made in as many years, following the 2022 deal for a five-plex in Carnarvon.

“Haliburton County has traditionally vied with Manitoulin Island for the dubious distinction of being the poorest jurisdiction in Ontario, according to Statistics Canada,” Tromanhauser said. “This acquisition is P4P’s latest progress in ensuring the availability of housing people who live and work here can afford.”

Tromanhauser confirmed all existing tenants will remain.

The deal means P4P now owns and manages six properties across the County, comprising 20 residential units. The new location also comes with a commercial component, opening a new potential revenue stream for the non-profit, while there’s space behind the existing buildings that could be ripe for further development, Tromanhauser said.

She noted the successful community bond initiative P4P held last summer, which raised $850,000, helped the organization complete the purchase. Loans were secured through Haliburton County Development Corporation and Kawartha Credit Union – making this the first time a mainstream bank has invested in P4P.

“We’re becoming known across the County and further abroad as a leader in how to move the needle on making housing a priority for everyone,” Tromanhauser said.

Since 2007, the non-profit has housed more than 100 people in the Highlands – 32 families, including 47 adults and 56 children.

Dysart et al coun. Pat Casey was instrumental in the deal. The previous owner of the property, he agreed to sell to P4P under market value without listing it or taking other offers.

Casey, who owns Casey’s Water Well and Total Site Solutions, said he wanted to ensure existing tenants were maintained and well taken care of in any deal. He lauded P4P for its work offering affordable rents to people who live and work in the County.

“People should not have to worry about where they will sleep tonight and they should have the ability to be self-sufficient and contribute to their community,” Casey said. “Times are tight right now and for me, corporately and personally, if we do have some money to spread around to help somebody get the next leg up and get started, to me it’s a moral responsibility of mankind. It’s just good for society as a whole to contribute.”

P4P vice president Fay Martin said she’s already connected with existing tenants.

“I have in my heart what this means to these people. They won’t be dumped on the side of the road. They will continue to live where they’ve lived, many of them for several years, and at affordable rates,” Martin said. “These tenants are all people who live and work in our community.

“We are inheriting incredibly affordable rents, which is very difficult to maintain because we don’t have the deep pockets of developers… who in their right mind would do this? Nobody. But Places for People does because somebody has to,” she added.

“But investing in real estate, we’re taking on the crazy for-profit world to do what we can so people have access to housing they can afford,” Martin added.

For more information, or to donate to P4P, visit placesforpeople.ca., or contact info@placesforpeople.ca.

CUPE members at the Municipality of Highlands East say they are closer to a strike after conciliation talks failed to reach an agreement.

Eric Bell, CUPE communications representative, said Local 4416 filed a request for a “no board” report, which could put the workers in a legal strike position by early July.

CUPE 4416 represents 30 members at the municipality, who work to maintain roads, provide clean water, run parks and recreation facilities, manage the landfill and keep administrative operations running.

“We have tried to reach an agreement with the employer, but unfortunately, they are still not willing to move away from unfair proposals and haven’t committed to addressing the serious concerns that we have with harassment and violence in the workplace,” said CUPE Local 4416 president Rick Huffman. “Our local is actively preparing for a strike, but we are hopeful that the employer will return to the table to negotiate a deal for members that is fair and equitable.”

The union said the employer has made unfair demands that would give them the ability to change workers’ hours and days of work with minimal notice.

“This is an unfair proposal that will make it impossible for our members to make plans outside of work,” Huffman said. “Imagine not knowing if you were going to be called in to be forced to work on Saturday, week after week, and not being able to make plans for your kids’ hockey trip, dance recital or birthday party?”

The union said another issue is the continued incidences of workplace harassment and violence directed towards workers from management. “A recent independent investigation found multiple incidences of harassment and even violence by a manager to be true, but the municipality has done nothing to prevent further incidences. Harassment in the workplace has continued, and the municipality has refused to investigate new allegations. Municipal councillors have been informed and asked by the union to intervene but have not responded to multiple letters requesting they do so,” the union said.

“The continued harassment in the workplace from management towards our members is unacceptable, and needs to end,” Huffman said. “We need a commitment from the employer to ending workplace harassment and live up to their obligation to provide a safe workplace, and to negotiate a fair deal to avoid a strike.”

Mayor Dave Burton, on behalf of the municipality, said, “it is unfortunate that the union has chosen to make threats of strike rather than devoting their efforts to concluding a collective agreement. The municipality has made best efforts to reach a renewed collective agreement and has offered a monetary package that provides for significant wage increases and improvements to benefits for all employees, over a fouryear period.” He added the offer is consistent with other recent municipal settlements in the County of Haliburton.

“The union has made a variety of allegations, some of which are the subject matter of grievances and are not part of the collective bargaining process,” Burton added. “The union has publicly raised this issue as a contributing factor to a potential strike but has not raised them at the bargaining table.

“The municipality will continue to make best efforts to reach a renewed collective agreement in the interests of the public, who we serve. If the union decides to commence a strike, we expect to continue operations, as best we can, and will keep members of the public updated.”

After two years of searching, Dan Manley and the Haliburton Highlands Arts Centre Foundation (HHACF) has secured a prime location for a new performance facility in the community.

It was announced June 25 that Dysart et al is gifting 14 acres along Wonderland Road, near the intersection to County Road 21, to the group. The deal includes a five-year window where HHACF has to prove work is proceeding, or the land will transfer back to the township.

“This is a momentous day for anyone involved in, or who enjoys the performing arts in Haliburton County,” Manley told The Highlander. “Six years on from the inception of the foundation, finally having a home for a new facility is a huge game changer for us and really skyrockets this project forward.”

Manley said HHACF approached Dysart council in January about the parcel – after being told the township would not consider donating any of the 91.5 acres on County Road 21, just outside the village, it bought last year.

He feels the location is the perfect spot for a future facility.

“It’s a pretty big parcel of land – we’ll be able to do everything we want there, it’s a nice location being close to Haliburton village. We’re really excited about the potential for what this could become,” Manley said.

In November 2022, HHACF released details of an arts centre feasibility study, completed by consulting firm Janis A. Barlow and Associates, which determined the Highlands could support a facility with a capacity of between 300 and 400 people.

The estimated cost was approximately $48 million, though the facility, once up and running, could be expected to generate approximately $1.14 million annually for the local economy.

Manley said he’d like the centre to also include a rehearsal hall, professional backstage facilities, front of house lobby with concessions, music studios, and educational space.

HHACF is now working with Peterborough-based The Dennis Group to move the project forward. Manley said late summer and fall will be spent revisiting an old fundraising study to come up with a strategy to pay for the build. He says the group will be flexible and would consider removing certain elements of the project to bring costs down if necessary.

The foundation will be required to apply to rezone the land and will need to complete various studies before any work can begin. Manley said that process will begin imminently. A soft fundraising campaign will be launched in the winter, when HHACF will also begin with public consultation – to find out what locals want to see in the space.

“Then we’d retain an architecture and consulting team to help us redream the centre as per whatever our latest budget is,” Manley said.

He expects a formal fundraising campaign to kick-off by summer 2025, with design finalized and submitted to the township by the end of next year.

Manley hopes to break ground by the fourth quarter of 2029.

Appearing before council on Tuesday morning, Manley asked if Dysart would consider waiving approximately $17,000 in rezoning and study fees – mayor Murray Fearrey said council would consider the request.

Fearrey felt this project would be a good thing for both Dysart residents and the wider County community.

“It’s a fairly major project – they’re convinced with the study they did that this is viable for Haliburton,” Fearrey said.