County Closeup

There's a new shuttle bus driving around Haliburton County each week and it's driving positive change for Community Support Service clients struggling to remain independent in their homes. The Haliburton Highlands Health Services shuttle bus, (aka Triple H S), is making a real difference in the lives of those 55 and over and those with mobility issues by picking them up at their homes and driving...

Owning a pet is now more expensive than ever. According to Rover, a Canadian online pet care service,in a blog post about rising costs, dog owners are facing 18 per cent higher costs this year compared to 2024 and cat owners paying 41 per cent more than last year. As a result, there's greater demand to animal welfare agencies like the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA...

As they've done for more than 58 years, members of the Gooderham Century Gun Club gather in a nearby field throughout the spring, summer and fall to improve their clay trap shooting skills. It's an interesting group of people, some women, some men, some hunters and others just interested in honing their skills with a shot gun. The trap shooting course has five stations for five shooters and after...

For Steve Lucacic, nature has so much to offer to feed the body and stir the soul. That's why he's become a passionate forager who loves to pass on his expertise to others. The former touring musician decided to change his eating habits when he got sick. Since then, he's recovered, become a hunter and fishing guide, and 70 per cent of his diet comes from living off the land. Lucacic teaches foragi...

Ontario is home to eight species of turtles – all of which are at risk. This time of the year is the most dangerous time for turtle species across the province as more motorists take to area roads. Every year, and estimated 2000 different species of turtles are killed by vehicles. That's why the work of the Turtle Guardians, based out of Haliburton, is so critically important. Because turtles can...

They're soft and cozy and the last thing you put on before drifting off to sleep. But for many people, a pair of PJs is almost a luxury and that's what the Great South Lake Pajama Project aims to fix. Started in 2023 by Joy Webster, whose family has a four-season cottage on South Lake near Minden, the Great South Lake Pajama Project is already a great success. So far, the initiative has collected...

Haliburton County is the kind of place that kind of sneaks up and wins you over with its natural wonders, vast recreational opportunities and welcoming people. That's what happened to Laurie Sweig when she moved here six years ago. She fell in love with the peace she found here. Now, the songwriter is giving back to her adopted home by way of music, penning not one, but four songs about Haliburton...

The Retail Council of Canada has reported a 300 per cent increase in shoplifting since the pandemic, and points to economic pressures, the growth of online resale markets for stolen goods and a rise in organized crime activities. The most popular items stolen include meat, cheese, baby formula, clothing and alcohol. Brad Park owns and operates the Foodland in Haliburton. He says theft is a near da...

"Till death do us part". That's how the marriage vows describe the matrimonial bonds, but when those bonds get broken, divorce is often the next logical step. As Canada's divorce rate is now at a 50-year low, the one demographic where divorce is on the rise, is with those over 50. Known as ‘grey divorces', these splits come after one partner has chosen to end a long-term relationship in the hopes...

It'll be months before the cleanup is finished in Haliburton County following the destructive ice storm in March that caused trees to snap, power lines to crash and residents to go without power for more than a week. But officials are already tracking the lessons learned because of it. From building in redundancies and bolstering landline and cell tower infrastructure to creating a far more collab...

It's been three years since Dysart et Al's Resources Committee asked the County of Haliburton to explore the creation and installation of wayfinding signs and identity. Now all four municipalities in the county have been presented the Wayfinding Strategy and have given their feedback. The program, led by pl.ural, a professional landscape architecture, planning and design firm focuses on identifyin...

For 30 years, Haliburton County residents have been acting as volunteer scientists, taking water samples as part of the Lake Partner Program. Every spring and fall, they collect samples from 600 lakes and more than 900 sites that are then mailed to the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks' lab in Dorset where they are analyzed for a number of water quality factors. But now, that program...

Vision 2025 — The Future of Pride held recently at Haliburton's Pinestone Inn was an opportunity for members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, allies and local government officials to gather to celebrate the last nine years of progress made by Minden Pride and to chart a course for the future. The event featured hands-on group think sessions on a number of topics including supporting 2S LGBTQIA+ busine...

For the women who make up Minden's Knitting for Warmth group, everything starts with an 8 X 8 inch square. For 23 years, this group of friends have gathered each week to sew those squares into gorgeous blankets that are then donated to organizations where the need for them is great. Mary Trepanier is Project Manager of Knitting for Warmth and says she never expected her simple idea of gathering to...

The Friends of Ecological and Environmental Learning, (FEEL) is offering a weekend filled with workshops, displays and practical, hands-on learning through the first annual Sustainable Shores & Garden Event. Held at Abbey Gardens May 17 and 18, the focus of the event is on experiential education, specially selected native plants, and other practices meant to support biodiversity and conservati...

Every bill comes due, and now the price of the recent devastating ice storm that caused downed power lines and snapped trees like twigs across Ontario and Quebec is becoming clear. According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, the estimated cost of property damage the March ice storm caused is $342M. In Haliburton County, Minden, Kinmount and Gooderham were particularly hard hit and insurance claim...

The type of outdoor lighting we choose as homeowners has a direct impact on the behavior of insects, bats and other species. That was the finding of a recent U-Links community research project conducted late last summer. Ella Honey and Angus McBride, both Masters Candidates in Trent University’s Environment and Life Sciences department conducted studies in the wee hours of the night to discover th...

Found at the bottom of the world’s oceans and even on the top of Mount Everest, microplastics are everywhere. A recent research project conducted and presented as part of the recent ULINKs Celebration of Research has found microplastics in Haliburton Lakes. Trent University’s Environment and Life Sciences Masters Candidate Jacob Wyonch presented his findings to a virtual audience recently, which i...

For decades, Canadians have been good neighbors to the US, but now, thanks to the heavy-handed rhetoric of President Donald Trump, that relationship has soured. Since the announcement of tariffs impacting Canadian businesses and the 51rst State threats, the ‘buy Canadian’ and ‘elbows up’ movements have prompted many to reconsider where and how they spend their time and disposable income. Thousands...

Get on your bikes and ride! The Haliburton Community Cycling Hub is now open and ready to help get more people on bicycles enjoying the beauty of the many trails here. Thanks to a $30 thousand dollar seed grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, support from Dysart et Al, and the Rotary Club of Haliburton, the cycling hub – the brainchild of the Friends of the Rail Trail (or FoRT) will provide...

A travelling exhibit from Kenora’s Lake of the Woods museum, entitled “We Were Taught Differently” now on display at the Minden Hills Cultural Center, hopes to enlighten local residents about what indigenous children and youth endured at these schools – the last of which closed in 1997. Comprised of a series of panels, photographs and first-person accounts, We were Taught Differently is difficult...

When it comes to the vices of Canadians, alcohol is still the preferred choice. But a recent report from Statistics Canada shows Canadians are drinking less alcohol and buying more cannabis. In fact, cannabis sales increased by 15.8 per cent, with Canadians spending $5.2 billion dollars in 2023 & 24. Cannabis retailers have their own theories for the trend, saying that with more access, inform...

The savagery of war and the courage of Canadian service men and women — including that which his own son Chuck endured on his tour in Afghanistan, were all the motivation Wayne Krangle needed to start producing maple syrup for charity, aptly named Syrup for Soldiers. The liquid gold comes from more than 200 sugar maples that Wayne has on his property in Algonquin Highlands. Now in its 16th season,...

The ice storm that knocked out power and decimated thousands of trees in Haliburton County is over, but the damage left behind will take weeks, if not months, to repair. That’s why the Haliburton ATV Association and its many riders turned out recently to help clear the Rail Trail ahead of the upcoming ATV season which begins May 1. With more than 1,000 kilometers of trails in the region, it’s goin...

One in eight Canadian women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. While urban centers offer far more variety and accessibility to mastectomy products and clothing, women in rural communities must drive hours to find what they need. That’s why the announcement that a new initiative by Body Med North Boutique to help support women with bras, prosthetics or breast forms, compression garments...