County Closeup

According to the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs, more than 50 people die from carbon monoxide poisoning every year — the majority of which occur during fall and winter. That's why, as of January 1, 2026, changes to the Ontario Fire Code now require a working carbon monoxide alarm on every level of any residence with a gas-burning appliance, including a furnace, water heater or stove. The previ...

The beauty of Haliburton County and the wonderful people who live there are the reasons a local couple has stepped up to double the impact of the Haliburton Highlands Health Services Foundation's ‘Believe in the Magic of Giving' holiday campaign. Scott Pollard and his wife Suzanne Patmios have a four-season home on Mountain Lake that's become their favorite place to be. The beauty of the area, alo...

Radon is a naturally occurring, radioactive gas that comes from the breakdown of uranium found in rocks and soil. You can't see, smell, or taste radon. When it enters confined spaces like a house, it can build up to high levels and become harmful. When radon is inhaled, radioactive particles can get trapped in your lungs. This damages lung tissue and over many years, can develop into lung cancer....

Local Haliburton County fire departments are joining forces with the Ontario Fire Marshal's Public Fire Safety Council and other fire safety education organizations to deliver its annual ‘12 Days of Holiday Fire Safety' campaign. Don Kruger, Minden Hills Fire Chief, spoke with CanoeFM recently to explain that this time of year brings with it added fire risks and with some forethought and planning,...

This week, [ someone ], [ someone else ] and [ another person ] cover [ topic ]..... Topics discussed: Topic A Topic B Topic C Links mentioned in this episode: http://example.com http://second-example.com This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

This week, [ someone ], [ someone else ] and [ another person ] cover [ topic ]..... Topics discussed: Topic A Topic B Topic C Links mentioned in this episode: http://example.com http://second-example.com This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

Thirty-eight years ago, a lone gunman entered Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal with one goal — to kill as many females as possible. He walked into an engineering class, asked the men to leave and proceeded to shoot the female students. In what he described as ‘fighting feminism', he shot all nine women in the room, killing six. The shooter then moved through corridors, the cafeteria, and another cl...

Measles, a disease that can lead to serious health issues such as blindness, deafness and even death is easily prevented with childhood vaccinations. But after the COVID-19 pandemic, misinformation and outright lies regarding the necessity for them caused a dramatic drop in parents vaccinating their children. As a result, a serious outbreak of measles occurred in 2024, with more than 5,000 cases r...

The Highlands festival Singers are in their 34rth year of entertaining audiences in Haliburton. In that time, they've performed Handel's Messiah eight times and this year they're bringing it back to the delight of both the singers and to the community. CanoeFM recently attended a rehearsal and spoke to Musical Director Melissa Stephens and a number of choir members on what this classic work means...

Given the rising cost of third-party commitments to the City of Kawartha Lakes for Social Services and housing, Lakelands Public Health, as well as physician recruitment, which represent more than four per cent of the 2026 budget, Haliburton County aims to maintain existing service levels while planning for the future. Those third-party costs, total more than 6 point 6 million dollars, up more tha...

Protecting lake health is something Jim Prince and fellow members of the Kenisis Lake Cottage Owners’ Association take very seriously. They say doing so is vital to both the environment and to the local economy. That’s why, as a lake steward, his lake association and nine others have voiced their opposition to the move by some Dysart et Al councilors to peel back long-established shoreline protect...

David Mills and Jim Frost are devoted members of the Haliburton Lions Club. Every year, they're in charge of the club's prized possession — its Santa Claus float for the annual Christmas parade. Designed and constructed in 2004, its founders have passed on, but their vision is lovingly preserved. Each year, the float is repaired and prepared for the nigh time parade, with hand-carved reindeers and...

It's been a year of the kind of work that Leanne Young and her husband Kyle are grateful to be doing — helping to support and guide the youth of Haliburton County. Through their efforts, Youth Unlimited brings preteens together through their programming, both at The Bridge and in area schools. Now, they say, it's time to give back to the community with their Concert of Hope, presented on Saturday,...

The 2nd Annual Harvest Haliburton Food Forum brought together growers, municipal leaders, tourism leads, ministry representatives, university professors and local business leaders to advocate for support of small-scale farms and regenerative farming by creating policies and bylaws that protect local farmland and food production. Less than two per cent of Haliburton County is used for agriculture....

After he retired from running his scrap metal business in Minden, Rick Harding needed to find something to keep him busy. With the help of his best friend Rick Franklin, the two started collecting pop cans, then beer cans and liquor bottles, then scrap metal. The two then began taking the items to the city for recycling, and giving the proceeds to the Minden Community Food Centre. Jean Munroe, Exe...

More than half of Ontario's ice rinks and arenas are nearing the end of their lifecycle, requiring significant and expensive repairs or replacement. According to the Ontario Recreational Facilities Association, (or ORFA), the province's estimated 27 hundred arenas are in poor or failing condition. With many of them built more than 50 years ago, many of the province's arenas are facing closure and...

Aging Together as Community is a community advocacy group established originally in 2020, as the Haliburton Highlands Long Term Care Coalition during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the help of a number of community builders, it evolved into a group intent on raising awareness of seniors' unique health care needs while keeping seniors living independently in their homes for as long as possible. Bonnie...

When the Canadian Dental Care Program rolled out in May 2025, offering affordable dental services for eligible Canadians of all ages, Dr. Bill Kerr and his colleagues made the difficult decision to close the Volunteer Dental Outreach Clinic in Haliburton. The clinic officially closed in September. While he salutes the federal government for providing dental care to all Canadians, it's a bitterswee...

Haliburton Highlands Secondary School has been offering co-op education credit courses for 40 years and Jason Morissett says it gives students invaluable, real-world experience. Rather than spending thousands of dollars in post-secondary courses only to find out it's not a fit, the high school's co-op program is a kind of ‘try before you buy' approach to learning more about the career than interes...

In 2008, Woodlands Wildlife Sanctuary was founded by Monika Meli-car and her husband Whitebear as a refuge for animals in need of a second chance. Every year, more than 800 animals come to the center, who are either sick or have been injured or orphaned due to some kind of human cause, such as being hit by a car or run-ins with domestic animals. No matter the reason, the volunteers give their all...

Marg Cox, Executive Director and the Board of Directors of Point in Time are celebrating the securement of land in Haliburton that will eventually become a new Child, Youth and Family Hub as well as the new Point in Time office. The site, at 5219 County Road 21, is beside the Home Hardware, and will be a one-stop shop for Point in Time services, programs and a child, youth and family hub. It's the...

From Bethany houghton's earliest memories of learning to play the cello, to building violins, teaching students and performing, the constant thread has been wrapped around the joy that music brings her. So, it's no surprise that when CanoeFM recently had the opportunity to interview her, music was center stage. While there were some relatives that could play music, it took sibling rivalry to open...

William Spotton loves his little piece of paradise on Farguhar Lake near Wilberforce. It's a long cabin built by his grandfather in 1948. With no electricity or running water, it's not a fancy cottage, but to Spotton, it's his refuge. So, when it came time to renew his insurance for the waterside property, it was a shock to discover how much more he'd be paying, four times the original rate when h...

Canada's rental market is dire. In cities like Toronto, the average person's income must be at least $78 thousand dollars per year to afford to rent an apartment. And here in Haliburton, the rental market suffers from both a lack of inventory and landlords who can set whatever price they want. CanoeFM sat down with Fay Martin, Vice-president of Places for People recently to learn more about the cu...

Eight years ago, Jennifer Semach opened Walkabout Farm in Minden. She began offering therapeutic riding programs to provide enrichment for those who are differently abled. This farm, and the important work done in Minden, is the only stable of its kind here in Haliburton County and relies on donations from both businesses and individuals to operate. That's why the farm and its many volunteers and...