If there’s something strange in your neighbourhood…who you gonna call?

In the case of Minden Hills manager of cultural services, Shannon Kelly, who oversees the township’s Heritage Village, it was the Paranormal Seekers.

Kelly invited the Durham Region-based group’s researchers this spring for a look at the Stirling Bank building, Stanhope Schoolhouse circa 1898, and Bowron house, a log cabin from the 1860s.

Spokesperson and lead researcher, Rachel Cross, heads up the nine-person team.

“Our goal is to go into these locations, find that spooky, interesting history, share it with everyone and get people interested in learning about the past and learning about the culture in their community,” she said.

She added they often say, “a haunting is history waiting to be heard. We kind of bring that past, connect it with the present in that interesting way that hopefully grabs people’s attention and gets them to come out, whether they’re going to have an experience or not.”

They did have encounters when they descended on the site on a mid-April evening with researchers, investigators, intuitives and technology.

It was a dark and dreary Friday night, April 12, when the group arrived, beginning with a tour and setting up base camp in the cultural centre. They began their investigations in Stirling Bank.

“Immediately, right off the bat, it was like bang, bang, bang, things began to happen and we couldn’t even get our equipment out fast enough,” Cross said.

She added they captured a figure on their structured light sensor (SLS) camera. She said it was in human form and appeared to be pointing towards military artifacts in a cabinet. They just didn’t know which one it was pointing at.

She noted they were the first people to be in the building since January, “so this could be why things were happening. Whoever was there was like, ‘oh, people’.”

She said right after that, their equipment batteries started to drain – something that happened all night long, and a sign the entities were drawing the energy. “Anything they can use to manifest, to get what they want across, how they’re going to show themselves,” Cross said. She noted the video cameras only lasted for about seven minutes before batteries completely drained.

She said there was “surprisingly lots going on. More than we thought.”

Other bits of technology were “going off.” One of the team members thought she saw a shadow, and what looked like flashes going by, and their music box began to play. She said they tried to figure out who the person was by asking questions, answered via a ghost box app. It was inconclusive.

Moving to the schoolhouse, Cross said the SLS camera captured something on the ceiling. She isn’t sure what it was. “We don’t know if it was just somebody saying ‘what are these people doing here? I’m just going to stay up here and hang out’ type thing. The music box did go off. It went off so much I had to physically turn it off because it wasn’t stopping. And when I went to turn it back on, it was dead.” She said that was unusual since it usually winds down and does not cut out completely. She said another member of the team thought he saw a shadow.

The last stop, Bowron House, continued to suck the batteries, Cross said. “We just want to talk to you, don’t drain our batteries,” she recalled thinking. She sat on the floor in the parlour with voice-cancelling headphones and a blindfold while plugged into the ghost box. The others asked questions while she repeated words she was receiving. She said a bell they use also rang once.

Cross said they do research about once a month and activity at the Heritage Village was above average, especially the Stirling Bank. However, they were never fearful.

“Everything there was great. When we went into the Bowron House, we felt like there were a lot of eyes on us, ‘what are you doing in my house… maybe you should leave’ type thing, but it wasn’t menacing or evil.”

Kelly said she has not experienced any paranormal activity in the original buildings in the Heritage Village, but has had community members share stories with her. She has worked with Cook and her team in Port Perry at the Scugog Shores Historical Museum, and reached out to her again when she came to Minden.

And stay tuned as Cross said they will be back in August to investigate another Minden property.

Terry Moore has dedicated a large chunk of his adult life towards learning about, and protecting, the natural environment in Haliburton County.

He is one of the driving forces behind Environment Haliburton!, a non-profit whose mandate is to provide a strong voice to encourage positive green initiatives and oppose those that could have an adverse effect on the environment.

Moore was the guest speaker at a recent event at the Haliburton Legion, where he told those in attendance how they can help make a difference in the Highlands. He discussed his experience in individual and collective actions people have taken addressing many issues around the County, such as green burials and shoreline preservation.

Having helped to bring green burials to Haliburton County, with the practice soon to be available at St. Stephen’s Cemetery in Algonquin Highlands, Moore spoke of its many benefits. He said he and wife, Shirley, have been advocating for green burials for about five years, following the death of their son, Kyle. Moore said they wanted to leave an environmental legacy for him after his death.

He said green burials are a simple process – bodies are wrapped in biodegradable shrouds, or placed in a biodegradable casket, then laid directly into a grave site. The spot remains unmarked, meaning it can be used again in the future. Moore said green burials are more environmentally-friendly than traditional burials and cremation. The St. Stephen’s site will be operational by next spring and will feature 180 plots.

“This is the kind of thing that can actually make a difference, can empower individuals to do something to really change things,” Moore said, noting that, by sharing personal experiences, people tend to engage more. People are generally quite receptive to that.”

Moore discusses various environmentbased topics on his regular Planet Haliburton show, which airs on CanoeFM the last Thursday of the month, from 6 to 7 p.m. and the following Saturday from 7 to 8 a.m.

The annual Highland Yard fundraising run is going on hiatus for a year, Places for People president Susan Tromanhauser confirmed last week.

The event has been a staple in Haliburton County since 1971, with the community coming together to support various important local causes. Recently, it has served as one of P4P’s major recurring fundraisers, bringing in more than $20,000 in 2023.

Tromanhauser indicated Highland Yard has generated approximately $200,000 for P4P since 2012.

“It takes a lot of man hours to pull the event off – what is it the kids say now? We don’t have as much bandwidth as we used to,” she said. “It’s not that we won’t ever do it again. We are going to continue with it – but not for 2024. We just don’t have the manpower to continue at this point.”

Highland Yard ran unencumbered for 49 consecutive years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. It paused for two years, skipping events in 2020 and 2021, before returning virtually in 2022, where runners were encouraged to complete two-kilometre, fivekilometre, or 10-kilometre circuits in their own time.

Rotaract Haliburton Highlands came on board as a key supporter post-pandemic, assisting with the virtual effort in 2022 and taking on more of an organizing role for the event’s return to in-person last year, where more than 180 people participated.

Tromanhauser said Rotaract did re-commit for 2024, but that still left organizers short in numbers.

P4P has announced a pair of events in August, which Tromanhauser hopes will help fill the void this year.

Residents of Oakview Coliving are hosting a community luncheon at their property overlooking Little Hawk Lake Aug. 17, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cost is $25 per person if people book by Aug. 3, or $30 per person after. All proceeds will go to P4P.

A fundraising concert is taking place at Haliburton Forest Aug. 31, beginning at 7:30 p.m. On stage will be Grievous Angels – fronted by Charlie Angus, MP for TimminsJames Bay. Tickets are $40, with all profits to be directed to P4P.

Tromanhauser said volunteers with the nonprofit housing advocate are already thinking of ways to bring Highland Yard back in 2025.

“We’re hoping to come back new and improved – it might have a bit of a different look to it, but we definitely intend to continue. Highland Yard has been around for over 50 years. It’s a historic event here in Haliburton County, so we don’t want to lose it,” Tromanhauser said.

Pat Bradley and Gail Simon, volunteers with the Minden Healthcare Auxiliary, are reminding the public to have cash in their pockets July 12 as the group brings its annual ‘tag day’ fundraiser back to the downtown.

From 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. volunteers will be at Canadian Tire, Tim Hortons, Foodland, Valu-Mart, Home Hardware and Pharmasave collecting donations, which will be used to upgrade the Haliburton Highlands Health Services site in Minden. Volunteers will also be at Boshkung Social from 2 to 6 p.m.

Despite losing its emergency department last summer, the former hospital site still provides services to the community – Simon says the auxiliary supports facility upgrades and equipment purchases throughout the facility, though has focused primarily on Hyland Crest over the past 12 months.

The group recently gifted $40,000 to HHHS for several upgrades and also invested around $5,000 supporting an adult day program at the site.

“Now we’ve spent all our money, we need to fill the coffers back up again,” Bradley said.

The auxiliary is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Formed in 2000, the volunteer group has raised and donated approximately $360,000 to the Minden site.

Simon confirmed the auxiliary renewed its commitment in May to support HHHS for at least another year.

“We generally have monies that come in yearly from donors who received great care here and want to donate or are just long-term residents of Minden and want to give back. If we disappeared, who would collect that money?” Simon asked. “We felt we should carry on.”

The auxiliary boasts 43 members, of which 20 actively give their time planning events, running the gift shop at the Minden facility, and assisting with programs for long-term care residents. Simon said they’re a “small, mighty team” that could benefit from some new blood.

The group meets three times annually for general meetings, with members required to complete at least one three-hour shift at the gift shop each month. The gift shop is open Tuesday to Thursday and Saturdays from noon to 3 p.m.

Bradley said ‘tag day’ is the only regular fundraiser the auxiliary has – she feels it’s important for the community to show their support as HHHS relies on donations to upgrade its facilities.

“We are focusing on long-term care right now. We all know there have been so many cutbacks within the healthcare system in the last few years and long-term care facilities only receive operating costs [from the province]. There’s no way for organizations like HHHS to put money into the maintenance of equipment, buying new equipment, changing spaces – this is where we step in to provide support,” Bradley said.

“Auxiliaries are needed to fund the things the government isn’t – often very important things,” she added.

For more information on the auxiliary, or to become a member, visit hhhs.ca or contact 705-457-1392 ext. 2927.

Haliburton Highlands Health Services (HHHS) president and CEO Veronica Nelson has expressed confidence in the organization balancing its books by spring 2025.

Speaking at HHHS’ annual general meeting June 27, Nelson said the local health service ended its 2023/24 fiscal year March 31 with a $2.3 million operational deficit – down from $4.2 million at the end of the 2022/23 fiscal year.

Having found $1.9 million in savings over the past 12 months, Nelson said she and the board have a plan to eliminate HHHS’ working debt for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We anticipate getting very close to balanced at the end of this fiscal year,” Nelson said.

“We have been doing an incredible amount of advocacy with Ontario Health, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Long-Term Care. Everybody knows what Haliburton is saying – they’re tired of hearing my story… I’m expecting some additional relief and a good adjustment to our [funding] problem that we’ve had for several years.”

New chief financial officer, Ulvi IskhagiBayat, said HHHS’ revenues increased by $3.2 million last year, though expenses went up $1.9 million. The organization’s capital deficit, largely accounting for planned facility upgrades and equipment purchases, now sits at $6.5 million – up from $4.5 million.

Demand for services poised to grow

The repealing of Bill 124 – legislation introduced by the Ford government in 2019 to cap wage increases for healthcare workers to one per cent annually but deemed unconstitutional by the Ontario Appeal Court in February – cost HHHS approximately $3.5 million, though new board chair, Irene Odell, said the province funded 85 per cent.

Changes to the board makeup was announced at the meeting, where it was decided there should be 16 to 18 sitting members.

Odell announced seven board members are returning to complete already committed terms, John Herald and Don Pierson were reappointed for three-year terms, Michael Tambosso appointed as a new member for one year, Dr. Connie Phillipson for two years, and Dr. Clifford Ottaway and Al Aubry for three years.

Nelson confirmed she, chief of staff Dr. Keith Hay, and chief nursing executive Jennifer Burns-West, also sit on the board, while the County of Haliburton’s two sitting representatives for the year were confirmed as warden and Algonquin Highlands mayor Liz Danielsen and Dysart et al mayor Murray Fearrey.

Year in statistics

Despite the shuttering of the Minden emergency department last summer, Nelson said more patients are being treated at HHHS facilities – accounting for services provided by the Kawartha North Family Health Team, Para-Med, and SE Health through the urgent care and community nursing clinics.

The number of emergency department visits dropped 29 per cent, down to 17,480 in 2023/24 from 24,701 the previous year. There were 4,479 urgent care clinic visits and 515 community nursing clinic visits – though Nelson noted these are partial numbers, with both services only available for part of the fiscal year.

She noted increases in total patient admissions, up 12 per cent, and number of days spent in the hospital, up to 5,116 from 4,549. Occupancy for the 15 inpatient beds at the Haliburton hospital was 93.2 per cent for the year.

“That means the patients we’re seeing are sicker and need more care than just an emergency visit,” Nelson said, noting the Haliburton site is currently at 146 per cent occupancy.

There were increases across the board in diagnostics – the number of X-ray exams increased 28 per cent (10,440 from 8,138), ultrasound exams up 19 per cent (2,054 from 1,731), echocardiography exams up 117 per cent (405 from 187) and bone density exams up eight per cent (492 from 457).

Nurses completed 30,311 point of care tests, up 24 per cent, and sent a further 10,592 blood tests to the regional lab in Peterborough, an increase of 14 per cent.

The hospital also recorded 1,865 mental health and addictions visits, 2,554 geriatric assessment and intervention network (GAIN) visits and assisted 1,842 diabetes patients. Another 765 people received physiotherapy care.

It was a busy year for the HHHS community support services team, Nelson noted. The operation helped 462 clients attend 9,554 appointments last year, while 21,400 meals were delivered via the Meals on Wheels initiative. There were 492 hospice client visits, and 650 footcare clinic appointments.

Clients received 18,235 hours of care through the assisted living, supportive housing, and adult day program initiatives.

HHHS Foundation executive director, Melanie Klodt Wong, said the Highlands community made 1,809 donations throughout the year, with $607,236 transferred to HHHS for things like automated IV pumps, which automatically deliver medication to patients – eliminating errors.

What the future holds

Nelson said she wants to build on the momentum HHHS has developed over the past 12 months.

After hiring 80 new staff last year, reducing the reliance on agency staff to near zero, Nelson said she expects that pattern to continue. Updated hiring practices allowed HHHS to bring new staff in up to two months quicker than before.

“In Q1, hiring took 84 days. By Q4, we had reduced it to 35 days,” Nelson said.

She noted a new five-year strategic plan and multi-year master plan outline clear targets for HHHS future growth. Projections for the 2049/50 fiscal year – 25 years away – see HHHS more than doubling its capacity in some areas.

They’re anticipating the number of emergency visits increasing approximately 15 per cent, though inpatient admissions are expected to grow to 1,163 – an approximate 120 per cent increase, with the number of diagnostic exams expected to spike to 31,556 from 13,350.

Nelson said the master plan projects an increase in inpatient beds at HHHS over the next 25 years, up to 41 from 15, while the number of long-term care beds is expected to grow from 92 to 256.

Asked if HHHS can handle this anticipated increased workload at its current facilities, Nelson said it’s too early to tell.

“We have submitted our pre-capital submission on our master plan to the ministry. That’s basically telling them we want to plan… they’ve asked that question too. How do we get ready for 25 years from now? We do it together with our community. We figure out what we do today that we’re going to need 25 years from now,” Nelson said, noting there will be extensive community consultation to “map for the future.”