County Closeup

Ever since the explosion of the internet, people have been turning to ‘Dr. Google' to research medical maladies. Now, because of the convergence of both a shortage of physicians and the growth of Artificial Intelligence, or AI, more people are relying on medical expertise found on their laptop. According to the Ontario Medical Association, the advent of AI and a lack of access to primary care are...

More than 13 years ago, the municipality of Dysart et Al asked local residents for their opinion on what was needed in terms of art and culture. That one survey led to the creation of the Cultural Resources Committee, whose job was to foster creativity in the community with a variety of projects. Now, the municipality is attempting to refresh the cultural landscape through its online Cultural Plan...

Homeschooling, a tradition that's existed for hundreds of years, has been enjoying a renaissance of sorts since the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021-2022, the number of Ontario children being homeschool jumped from 40,000 to more than 85,000 and here in Haliburton County, the trend continues. Micheon Hutchings is a member of the Haliburton Homeschoolers, a Facebook group that supports parents who've cho...

Threatened annexation and tariffs by US President Donald Trump have cooled the historically friendly relationship between Canada and the United States. That now includes travel by Canadians who are choosing not to go south of the border this summer. Border crossings have dropped 33 point one per cent in June. Canadian air travel also fell by 22 point one per cent in the same month. Last year, Cana...

They're fast and fun, but in the hands of untrained drivers, ATVs – All Terrain Vehicles, can be deadly. According to the Ontario Provincial Police, in the last 10 years, there have been 58 off-road vehicle fatalities in the region, with 59 per cent of those occurring with drivers not wearing helmets. In fact, the Haliburton Highlands OPP say the region leads the province with the most ATV fatalit...

Thanks to Hydro One's Ice Storm 2025 Recovery Grant, 50 indigenous communities and municipalities, including the County of Haliburton and the Township of Minden Hills, will receive up to ten thousand dollars to support local recovery efforts and bolster emergency preparedness. Minden Hills declared a state of emergency that lasted long after the initial storm and subsequent power outage. That decl...

HHHS CEO Veronica Nelson recently announced her plans to leave the hospital to take on the CEO role at Ross Memorial in Lindsay. Nelson came into the organization in the midst of turmoil, following the closure of the Minden Emergency Room. After two years, she's proud of the work that's been done to build back the trust of both staff and the community and forging a path forward together. In her tw...

The Kawartha Haliburton Children's Aid Society is hoping to find more foster families willing to open their homes to care for children and have launched a campaign to help encourage them to do so through information sessions throughout the region. While the good news is fewer children and youth are going into the care of the KHCAS, the bad news is that either through retirement, changing family dy...

On the third Wednesday of the month, a group of men and women meet in the private dining area of a local restaurant in Haliburton to share their writing samples, receive feedback and be pushed out of their comfort zone. The newly-formed Haliburton Writers Write group aims to support local writers in the region and to have some fun along the way. The group was the brainchild of the Haliburton Arts...

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...