The owners of Fast Lane Bowling in Minden said they will continue to operate until the season ends, however, they are planning to sell and relocate to Sault Ste. Marie.

Ron Crump told The Highlander, “we’re here until April and then I’m going to put it up for sale.”

He said they have family, including grandchildren, in Sault Ste. Marie.

Crump, who owns the business with partner Debbie Gerzymisch, said landlord Hazma Khalid informed them of a substantial rent increase on Dec. 2. Initially, they said it was put at $2,850 a month, and then reduced to $2,100, but still a 75 per cent jump from what they had been paying.

Crump said at that time, “we just don’t make that kind of money.”

Gerzymisch added, “especially in the summer. We’re dead. And in the winter, we have an extra high hydro bill because of the heating.”

Resident Trina West organized a GoFundMe that raised $1,980.

As for plans to put the business on the market, Crump said, “it’s spreading by word of mouth right now. I’ve told a few people. Hopefully someone will pick it up and keep going with it.”

Last week, they notified various bowling leagues of their plans. The winter bowling season now boasts four leagues, including Red Wolves Special Olympics, as well as parties, fundraising events, and drop-ins.

Khalid told The Highlander last month that Bank of Canada interest rate hikes had forced his hand and even with the rent increase, he is still charging less than market rent.

Managing the bowling alley had been Crump’s retirement plan, to supplement income if there were any profits, but also to give himself something to do. Gerzymisch added they had enjoyed getting to know the County bowling community.

Pet store and hair salon

Two other businesses in the complex also had their rents hiked. Another had already moved out.

Susan Andresen of Pet-Tyme-Animal Krackers! was facing a 150 per cent jump, to $1,250 a month from $500.

She told The Highlander last week that the landlord had agreed to negotiate rent, “so we have no plans to move at this time. We love what we do and want to continue to serve the pet and animal lovers of Minden and area.”

Sonya Smith, of Sonya’s Unisex Hairstyling, told The Highlander she is going to try to stay put for now. Her rent increase was more than double. “They’ve come down a little bit. I’m going to try and stay if I can.”

She said she had to raise her prices a little bit, “because I have to do something. If I’m just working here to pay the rent, that’s no good. I need to pay my bills just like everybody else.”

Coun. Walt McKechnie renewed calls for a CT scanner for the Highlands during County budget talks Jan. 11.

McKechnie commented on the Haliburton and Minden hospitals “not being properly equipped with a CT scanner” during discussions on the EMS budget.

The Dysart deputy mayor said they were discussing spending millions of dollars in 2023, for things such as new trucks and fixing bridges, but when it comes to a CT scanner, “it’s a priority for a lot of people, especially those getting older.

“To me, this is a high priority. This is something we should be taking a hold of and trying to help get these machines in our hospitals. It just makes so much sense.”

He didn’t have to convince director of emergency services, Tim Waite, or County CAO, Mike Rutter, who both spoke of the need during the meeting.

Waite estimated his service transported 230 people out of the County for CT scans in 2020. That number jumped to 357 in 2021, or nearly a person a day. He added 78 per cent of those calls involved taking someone to Lindsay or Peterborough, having them scanned to rule out certain medical conditions via negative test results, then bringing them back. Waite said it amounted to about 2,000 hours of ambulance time a year.

The problem, though, is when ambulances are out of the County, they can be dispatched to 911 calls in other jurisdictions. When taking patients to larger hospitals, he said they can be stuck in lineups for hours – essentially taking that ambulance out of service for Highlands residents.

“I think it’s a very important tool for here for a couple of reasons,” the paramedic chief said of CT scanners. “Number one, people in Haliburton County can get the diagnostics locally without having to travel. Number two, for physicians now, a CT scan is just a routine part of their assessment. It’s almost like getting regular blood work.

Not having diagnostic tool a deterrent to doctors

“So, I think it is an important tool to not only keep our vehicles in the community, but also to help diagnose people in the community quicker and determine the proper facility for them to go to.”

Warden Liz Danielsen said one barrier to recruiting physicians to the County is not having a CT scanner.

Rutter said when Campbellford got its diagnostic machine, its physician recruiter commented on how much easier it was to attract new doctors. “Because the young ones in particular, that is just a basic tool, they felt really isolated without having it.”

He added he has aging parents, and his dad has had to go out of the County three times for non-emergency CT scans. While there, he said they’d shopped, gassed up and spent money.

“If they were giving that service locally, they would be less likely to do that. They would shop, fill up, do everything locally and that money continues to circulate in Haliburton County. There are hundreds of CT scans done for residents of Haliburton County each year.

“So, there are many, many benefits outside of just the ambulance service. It’s in physician recruitment. It’s in economic development. For an aging population to drive half-an-hour, or 15 minutes versus two to three hours. There are lots of benefits of having those machines here,” Rutter added.

Waite said while communities usually purchase CT scanners, the province must approve it and also fund the annual operations. He indicated there is work going on “in the background” but did not elaborate.

Coun. Cec Ryall said Haliburton Highlands Health Services is well aware of the situation.

Coun. Bob Carter added, “just because you have a CT scanner here, doesn’t mean you have it staffed.” He added CTs can reveal medical conditions that Haliburton County hospitals cannot treat and some patients will still need to be taken elsewhere. Overall, he said there are many pressures on the ambulance service.

“No doubt, as far as I’m concerned, our ambulance services are going to have to expand … the population aging, population growing, and less medical services available locally,” he said.

HHHS explores feasibility

HHHS said on Jan. 16 it is exploring the possibility of bringing a CT scan machine to the County.

“HHHS had planned to include the addition of a CT scan machine as part of our master planning process,” said president and CEO Carolyn Plummer. “We know it would make such a positive impact in the community and that this is something the community has wanted for some time.”

As part of the exploration, HHHS has taken steps to conduct a feasibility study, she said. The study will help determine if it is possible to proceed now, rather than wait for the master planning process to be completed.

If the study demonstrates that a CT scan machine is feasible for HHHS, a full application to the Ministry of Health will be required.

“While we hope to be successful in this effort, we know we have a long way to go,” Plummer said. “We do see so many benefits of having a CT scan machine for everyone in Haliburton County. It would support our patients with quicker diagnostics, help to better meet the needs of our community in terms of screening and prevention, help attract new healthcare workers to the area, and reduce the number of EMS hours currently spent transferring patients out of the County for services.”

If an application is made to the Ministry of Health, it will require strong community support, Plummer said.

HHHS believes the cost could be in the range of $2.5 to $3 million for the project, which would include estimated renovations, “but the feasibility study will give us a better idea of the cost.”

Musician Terra Lightfoot has been a Haliburton County resident since 2020, but has yet to perform for a hometown crowd.

She’ll soon rectify that thanks to the Haliburton County Folk Society, which is presenting Lightfoot and her band during a show at the Haliburton Legion Jan. 28.

“We love it. There’s nothing better,” Lightfoot said of her chosen home. She relocated from Hamilton.

She added, “I am so excited for my neighbours to come and see the show. I’m excited to play locally after so many times being involved in the community but not in the music community, so that’ll be really good. And I know that there are a lot of local musicians around, too, and I’m excited to meet some of those folks and the Folk Society.”

Lightfoot said they are a rock band, “so we will be playing some rock and roll.” She is bringing bass player, Eli Abrams, and drummer, Glenn Milchem, who plays in Blue Rodeo.

The band will perform original music. “I guess some people would say I’m a little bit country and a little bit folk, too, so there will be some quieter moments but it’s a lively show. It’s for dancing and having fun.”

Lightfoot said she played quite a bit through the pandemic, virtually from the very beginning, but her schedule slowed in the summer of 2021. One COVID-19 memorable moment was doing a recording of a Joni Mitchell song for CBC in the living room looking out at the back marsh, “so, that was really lovely.”

She’s also had time to write music from home, “so, that’s been great.” She is planning to release a new record in 2023. “Those songs were written in Haliburton, which is cool.”

The Folk Society said that in the heart of winter, a show by Juno-nominated Lightfoot and her band, “is guaranteed to brighten the spirit and warm the heart.”

The Folk Society’s Barrie Martin agreed with Lightfoot that, “she’s bringing something a little bit different … more solo rock and roll and blues than anything. It should be a good event.”

Lightfoot is a singer and songwriter with a “huge voice and big and gutsy guitar tone. In her music, you’ll catch some rock, some soul, some blues…and a whole lot of heart,” the Folk Society added.

CBC Music describes Lightfoot as, “one of Canada’s best all-around musicians… an amazing tour de force, the complete package.”

With three studio albums to her credit, along with Polaris Prize and Juno Award nominations, Lightfoot has performed with numerous artists, including Blue Rodeo, Willie Nelson and Bruce Cockburn, and recently completed a tour with Blackie and the Rodeo Kings.

Local singer and songwriter, Thom Lambert, will do an opening set.

“I’m sure I’m going to be meeting a lot of people for the first time and I’m looking forward to that,” Lightfoot said/

Tickets for the concert are available at haliburtonfolk.com. To find out more about Lightfoot, visit terralightfoot.com

A new Highlands business is hoping the sky’s the limit for its pending venture.

Royal Canadian Falconry has set up shop on Irish Line, and owners Amy MacAlpine and Andrew Carroll are looking to fully launch in the spring.

Their enterprise will involve experiences and workshops. They also do bird abatement and control.

MacAlpine started Royal Canadian Falconry in 2017, but the couple only recently relocated to Haliburton County with their two-year-old son and three working dogs.

She is a registered vet technician, who worked at a clinic for years, and has experience with wildlife.

“I was just fortunate to meet someone who was willing to take me on as an apprentice so I could become a falconer,” MacAlpine says.

In Ontario, falconry is legal but people have to have a hunting license. “Falconry is hunting,” MacAlpine explains. She said Royal Canadian Falconry is different than other raptor centres.

“All of our birds are trained to fly, but hunt as well. They don’t just fly post to post. They’re predators that get to exhibit all of their natural behaviour, while benefitting from captivity. It’s a very rare relationship because birds of prey are not domesticated. They’re not tame as we see in other relationships between humans and animals. The way that falcons work is we hunt with them. We make ourselves very useful to them so they want to work with us,” MacAlpine said. There is positive reinforcement using food.

She added a lot of people romanticize the wild and wilderness, “but nature is very brutal and very tough and birds of prey are just hardwired to know that and understand that.”

In addition to falcons, they have hawks, and an owl, 17 birds in all. They also breed birds of prey so that number fluctuates.

They are in the process of cleaning up the 100-acre property and building enclosures for the birds.

When fully-operational, people can come by appointment to learn about the birds. When they arrive, MacAlpine said she will talk about the enclosures, then pull out the birds.

“We hold them and talk about each of the birds, as a species, their natural history, how they hunt and what they hunt, and then talk about that bird as an individual. For example, this is Petunia, and her job is to protect blueberries in the orchard from nuisance birds.” They then do demonstrations, with one or two of the birds taking flight.

“Our guests will have the opportunity to put their gloves up and have the bird land on them. We try to make it a very personal experience, not like going somewhere with 20 or 50 or 100 people,” the falconer said.

They have done programs all over Southern Ontario and the GTA.

Carroll said when it comes to bird abatement or control, they have worked to eradicate nuisance birds. For example, they have brought their birds of prey to oil refineries and GTA roofs to deter seagulls, and to blueberry orchards to scare away birds such as starlings, which can decimate a crop.

MacAlpine and Carroll said they were looking for a specific type of property for their business and the place on Irish Line fit the bill.

She grew up cottaging at an uncle’s place in the Highlands, and Carroll, whose background includes whitewater guiding, and lifeguarding, says his grandfather was Dr. Louis Carroll.

You can find them at royalcanadianfalconry. com, or on Instagram, Facebook or Tik Tok.

Predator Prowl

Haliburton Forest and Yours Outdoors have partnered with Royal Canadian Falconry for a live animal experience. It will be at the Haliburton Forest Wolf Centre this Saturday, Jan. 14 from 3-5 p.m. See more at yoursoutdoors.ca/event/4884/predator-prowl.

The Highlands Opera Studio (HOS) acknowledged its Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) resilient communities grant during an event at the Haliburton Highlands Museum Jan. 5.

HOS received a two-year, $92,100 grant this past summer.

The money will support the purchase of digital equipment for use inside and outside the theatre, along with the hiring of personnel to operate the equipment and train HOS staff in its use.

HOS general and co-artistic director, Valerie Kuinka, said the impact of the grant cannot be overstated.

“For some people, the pandemic has created a lasting apprehension to return to live events in confined spaces, and has also resulted in a serious lack of qualified professional theatre technical personnel, impacting the ability to prepare and present live staged events,” she said.

“Through the purchase of strategic digital equipment, this grant will enable HOS to streamline and upgrade all our activities and re-connect to our community, not only through the unequalled experience of live performance in indoor venues, but also online, or even outside, therefore serving our community better.”

MPP Laurie Scott attended the event.

She said the grant is creating more opportunities for the community to get involved with the arts.

“These funds will ensure that the Highlands Opera Studio is able to share the gift of experience and creativity, in-person and virtually,” Scott said. OTF volunteer Klara Oyler also spoke.

There was a screening of a short video featuring Cree First Nation’s Andrew Balfour who composed and created Mishabooz’s Realm. It was commissioned by the HOS and written in the County. The HOS used its new projector to show the 15-minute video. They will next purchase a sound system.

The night was also an opportunity to show appreciation for HOS volunteers from the 2022 season. Soprano Lauren Margison performed three songs, accompanied by pianist Melissa Stephens.

See highlandsoperastudio.com for more information. Holiday promo reduced tickets for the 2023 HOS season are still available until Jan. 20. They can be purchased through the website or by calling toll-free: 1-855-455- 5533.