What the Haliburton?

In this episode of What the Haliburton, host Bram Lebo and Highlander deputy editor Mike Baker continue their mayoral candidate interview series for Highlands East, sitting down with former Ward 1 councillor Steven Kauffeldt. Tune in as the team digs into Kauffeldt's vision, municipal experience, and plans for the future of Highlands East.

In this episode of What the Haliburton, host Bram Lebo and LJI reporter Adam Frisk chat with Highlands East mayoral candidate Mike Killingsworth. The former TTC chief special constable and Markham deputy clerk shares his vision for protecting rural living, keeping taxes fair, and improving council transparency.

Host Bram Lebo and Highlander LJI reporter Adam Frisk kick off our municipal election coverage for Highlands East, where a five-way race for mayor is underway. The first guest is candidate Krystle Anne Pegg, a Gooderham-based paralegal specializing in legal disputes and regulatory matters. Krystle is also the founder and chair of Citizens for Crown Land Protection, a non-profit dedicated to safegu...

Five municipalities with five councils and five sets of staff seems like a lot for Haliburton's population of 21,000 or so. Bram and Lisa speak with Gary Dyke, Chief Administrative Officer of Haliburton County, to get the scoop on the options for our future and why we need to look at them. Should we go for single tier or a hybrid model? Or maybe we can just keep trucking along. Join us for an in-d...

Host Bram Lebo and The Highlander deputy editor Mike Baker sit down with Dysart et al mayoral candidate Greg Bishop to discuss his vision for the township and his jump into council politics. A retired Ontario Land Surveyor and land tribunal adjudicator, Bishop breaks down his platform and shares why he's stepping up to lead the municipality.

What the Haliburton is moving on to the Dysart et al mayoral race following our four-part series on Minden Hills. Kicking off the coverage is Andrew Nowell, owner of The Wicked Wizard’s Wife, a 26-year Canadian Armed Forces veteran and local legion member.

The use of food banks in Haliburton County continues to rise due to high food costs, low incomes and a variety of social factors. This year alone, usage has increased 27%, stressing our local food banks and inspiring a Christmas in July fundraiser. What's going on when families and individuals can't afford to put food on the table? To get some insight into that question and how we can all help, Br...

In the last of our series of interviews of Minden Hills Mayoral Candidates, we sit down with incumbent Bob Carter to discuss his record and plans for a third term.

In our third candidate interview for the 2026 Municipal Election, Bram and Lisa talk to Pat Kitcheman, a local building contractor and newcomer to politics. Pat tells us a bit about himself, why he's running, and what he would do if elected Mayor of his hometown.

Bram and Lisa host our second candidate interview with Pam Sayne. Pam is completing her third term as Minden Hills councilor and is now running for Mayor.

In this special mini-edition, we sit down with our reporter Adam Frisk and co-owner Simon Payne to discuss the launch of HI, The Highlander’s brand-new news and information app for Haliburton County. HI delivers a clean, direct online feed of local updates straight to your phone. Built on a foundation of community trust, it features 100 per cent pure Haliburton County content sourced from The High...

Municipal election season is underway and we're kicking itoff at What the Haliburton with our first candidate interview of 2026. Tammy McKelvey is running for Mayor of Minden Hills after her first term on council. Lisa and Bram talk with Tammy about her candidacy and why she thinks she's the right person to lead Minden for the next four years.

In this episode, we sit down with Barb Smith-Morrison, executive director of the Brooksong Retreat and Cancer Support Centre in the Algonquin Highlands. A cancer diagnosis brings overwhelming fear, grueling treatments, and deep emotional turmoil, not just for patients, but for their families too. While the medical system can often feel like an impersonal assembly line, Brooksong offers a tranquil...

Why do turtles cross the road? It’s not a joke, it’s an ancient, dangerous journey. In this episode, we sit down with Leora Berman, the "turtle lady" and founder of Turtle Guardians, who has spent 20 years championing these living dinosaurs. Turtles face massive threats from climate change and development, and because they take decades to mature, every breeding adult is vital to the ecosystem. Thr...

The Mayor of Dysart, Murray Fearrey, passed away last week at 84. Bram and Mike talk with Murray's dear friend and Deputy Mayor, Walt McKechnie, about a remarkable 55-year career in local politics.

Jamie Schmale has been our MP for 11 years, all of that time in opposition, giving him plenty of time to consider what his party (the Conservative Party of Canada) would do better. In this episode, our MP drops by the podcast for a wide-ranging chat. We discuss recent floor-crossings, how MPs vote and what that means for our democracy. And we get MP Schmale's take on why rural Canada always seems...

The County of Haliburton recently received a federal grant of $1.2 million to provide support to people in our community who are addicted to hard, often dangerous drugs. The money will be used to purchase a van and to hire support workers to "meet people where they are" with counseling and items like clean needles to make drug use less dangerous. But with these programs having a 1% success rate in...

Just how difficult has it become to make a living as a food service entrepreneur in Haliburton County? Bram and Adam talk to Claudette Petrie, owner of Poquito Loco in Haliburton Village. Her Mexican restaurant serves great food, has a prime location and a loyal customer base. So why is she closing it down after Labour Day this year? Spoiler alert: it has a lot to do with the same thing all of us...

The Village of Minden was flooded again this year, despite commendable efforts by Parks Canada staff to maintain smooth water flows through the Trent-Severn system. With waters subsiding somewhat this past week, what happens next is largely dependent on how much rain falls over the next few days. Mayor Carter is back on the podcast to give us an update, explaining why flooding is so difficult to a...

Join Bram and Adam as we examine the intersection of fast food and content creation. In this episode we meet local food reviewer Guy Alaimo. Guy does food reviews from parking lots in Haliburton County and the surrounding area, drawing thousands of social media viewers to his punchy takes on take-out. You'll never look at a meatball sandwich the same way again.

Lisa and Bram speak with retired Municipal Chief and current chair of the Haliburton County OPP Detachment Board, Andrew Fletcher. The Board was set up to coordinate local community needs with OPP operations and has local representatives from our councils and the general public. What are the OPP's priorities in this area? Why are certain types of crime so difficult to stop? Our guest brings a life...

Bram and Lisa talk to The Highlander's new reporter, Adam Frisk. Get his newcomer's take on Haliburton County and hear all about the news and information app for Haliburton County launching in the next few weeks.

We speak with Marg Cox, executive director of Point in Time and the Haliburton Youth Hub. Point in Time helps youth and families facing difficulties and provides a safe place for counseling and support. Recently they announced the acquisition of land for a new Family and Youth Hub on County Road 21, near our local high school. Is that the next logical step for Point in Time or will it take focus a...

Bram and Lisa discuss how key organizations we all rely upon are refusing to engage with our community, leaving us in the dark. Why are they behaving this way, and what can we do about it? If you have information you think The Highlander should know about one of the organizations mentioned, email editor@thehighlander.ca .

Our deputy editor, Mike Baker, talks with outgoing owner Paul Wilson and new boss Ryan Ramsay about the Minden-based Haliburton Huskies. Get the inside track on this year's play and the plan for 2026.