County Closeup

Bruce Kruger came to Haliburton recently, to make a special public proclamation and to celebrate a remarkable achievement. Kruger, surrounded by CanoeFM staff and volunteers, declared this Saturday, July 4rth as CanoeFM Day in Haliburton County in the lead-up to the station's upcoming fundraiser, the annual CanoeFM Radiothon, taking place July 3rd, 4rth and 5th. For 30 years, Kruger worked with th...

Ojibwe Spirit Horses, also known as the Lac La Croix Indigenous Ponies or Indian Ponies, are the only known horse breed developed by indigenous people. Critically endangered, there are only 200 remaining in the world. They're shorter than other horse breeds, standing on average 13 hands. They have hard hooves and therefore do not require shoeing. The have fluffy ears and an extra nose flap to prot...

In April, Aurora Wesley finally heard the news she's been hoping for. Wesley became one of 15 Canadian students to receive the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award and a $30 thousand dollar scholarship she'll use this fall at the University of Western Ontario. Caring for others runs deep for Wesley. When she was just 11 years old, she organized a fundraising event for the Canadian Cancer Society in suppor...

Since 1917, the not-for-profit Moorelands Camp has been offering opportunities for children from low-income neighborhoods to realize their potential to succeed. The camp, rooted in positive youth development, allows kids to develop leadership skills in a safe and fun environment. Colette Halferty is the director of Development and Communications for Mooreland Kids & Community Services, the par...

After the death of their son Kyle in 2019, Terry Moore and his wife Shirley launched the Haliburton Highlands Green Burial Society seven years ago with the hope of establishing a green burial site here. Sadly now both Shirley and Kyle are buried in St. Stephens Cemetery in Algonquin Highlands, the first green burial site in the region. It's a bittersweet accomplishment but one Moore takes comfort...

The moment one steps into Reid House, it hits you. It's no longer 2026, it's entirely 1882. To the left of the front door is the more formal parlor, complete with an ornate woodstove and furniture reflective of the period. A staircase to the right leads to the upstairs bedrooms and the hallway leads to the kitchen, where families would spend most of their time together. There's a quiet here, a rev...

According Second Harvest, Canada's largest food rescue organization, Canadians waste approximately $58 billion dollars' worth of food each year, an estimated 13 hundred dollars per household due to confusion of best before dates and the fear of consuming inedible food. And at a time when the staggering cost of food is putting the squeeze on consumers, understanding the difference between expiry da...

Since May 2024, the Beer Store has closed one hundred and ten retail locations across the province. The original agreement stated that grocery stores were obligated to take back empty alcohol containers. But now, after numerous grocery chains lobbied against the policy, they are no longer responsible for doing so. The result? People in rural communities have to drive out of their way to return the...

Lorne VanSinclair has been fascinated by the power of radio and music since he was a little boy. And it's that fascination that's led him to carve out a career in both radio and music that's won the appreciation of both listeners and radio associations. Though not formally trained, VanSinclair found creative ways to get on air. He worked at CBC in Toronto as a technician and would suggest program...

When Joe and Peter Dollo came home from World War II, the brothers decided to go into business. Together, with the support of their wives Florence and Christina, the Dollos opened a small grocery store on Minden's main street. It was 1946, and the small store became the family business, with everyone pitching in to make it a success. That's the origin story of Minden's Foodland, now celebrating 70...

Selfless, dedicated, fair-minded, and caring. Those are adjectives used to describe Murray Fearrey, who, after more than 50 years spent in Haliburton municipal politics, died last Thursday, May 28th. He was 84.Flags are flying at half mast at the municipal building in Haliburton and numerous locations across the county in honor of a man who dedicated his life to public service. Born and raised her...

Emergency room wait times in Ontario have increased by 67 per cent in the past five years, a new report has found. The study, by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, found that 90 per cent of patients waited 4.5 hours for an initial assessment at ERs across Ontario in 2024 and 2025, up from 2.7 hours five years prior. And while the report goes on to state the rise in ER wait times is direc...

The picket lines are up in Haliburton County as more than 300 full and part time Community Living Trent Highlands staff have entered into a legal strike after the Ontario Public Service Employees Union and the Ontario Government failed to come to an agreement on the latest contract offer. Community Living Trent Highlands operate two homes in Haliburton and additional outreach services across the c...

It's been a long road for the Haliburton Highlands Arts Centre Foundation, but the organization is hoping that within the next six months to a year, their plan to build a world-class performing arts space will become a reality. Recently, the group finalized the site plan as part of their application to the Municipality of Dysart. Getting to this stage has taken years of work and a steadfast commit...

Canada Post recently announced its plan to convert all home delivery addresses to community mailboxes. In a statement detailing the plan, provided to CanoeFM, the Crown Corporations says taking this action will quote "ensure it can meet the evolving needs of Canadians in a financially sustainable way," end quote. Starting later this year, Canada Post will eliminate door-to-door mail delivery to 13...

Susan Tromanhaser credits her father for passing on his curiosity for people and willingness to just ask questions. It's been the thread that's woven through her life both professionally and personally, she says. And it's that curiosity that's kept her busy for more than three years documenting the lives of locals here in Haliburton County in a weekly column for the Highlander newspaper. The colum...

Susan Tromanhaser credits her father for passing on his curiosity for people and willingness to just ask questions. It's been the thread that's woven through her life both professionally and personally, she says. And it's that curiosity that's kept her busy for more than three years documenting the lives of locals here in Haliburton County in a weekly column for the Highlander newspaper. The colum...

Rick Whitteker's love of the natural world has shaped his career, his activism and even his leisure time. And it's that love and fascination that's led him to write his first book, fittingly entitled, ‘Nature Nuggets' and it focuses on all the wonders to be found here in Haliburton County in all four seasons by way of hiking, kayaking and snowshoeing. The book is a collection of past columns Whitt...

What started as a group of locals assisting the Ontario Genealogical Society in 1990, with the creation of a province-wide index of all cemetery headstones, eventually became the origin story for the Haliburton Highlands Genealogy Group, focused on local family history and genealogy. With more than 80 members, the local group meets five times a year, but for many members, including Espina, the day...

If you live and work in Haliburton County, owning a car is essential. But with the cost of living these days, including gas, insurance, and maintenance, a car can be out of reach for many people in the region. And that fact is creating pinch points for local businesses trying to recruit and retain employees. The same goes for anyone who has appointments or errands to run. Simply put, there is no a...

Mike Knight has been into music since he was a boy growing up in the UK. A lover of all kinds of music, he is also an accomplished bass player and sound engineer for local music events in Haliburton County, under the name Makk Sound. Now, Knight has realized another dream through the creation of his own recording space called Apple Tree Studio. Named after a beautiful apple tree that grows in his...

The facts are staggering. According to the World Health Organization, one in six people experience loneliness with social disconnection linked to more than 871 thousand deaths each year. Roughly 52 per cent of Canadians report feeling lonely at least once a week. That's why, during Mental Health Week, May fourth through tenth, the Lakelands Pubic Health is aiming to combat loneliness head-on by cr...

It's the fastest way to get medical assistance, but in the last few years more than half of the calls to 911 both here in Haliburton and across the province are for non-emergencies. CBC Radio recently played actual calls to 911 to highlight some of the frivolous reasons people call for help, including one where a woman called 911 because she dropped her phone in a snowbank. That's why Mike Slatter...

When Jack Hutchison learned of the opportunity to lead Haliburton Highlands Health Services as its new CEO, he jumped at the chance to do so. Having grown up in Minden, Hutchison knew first-hand how vital triple H S is to local residents and seasonal visitors. So, this was his chance to give back to the community that helped shape him and his career. That's why his move from Moosonee back to Halib...

Facing massive third-party costs in a largely tourism-based economy, Haliburton County Council is taking the proactive step to see what can be done to improve the financial sustainability of the County and its two-tier structure by hiring a consultant to look at its current governance model. At a recent special session, Gary Dyke, Haliburton County CAO, presented a report, entitled Exploring the F...