County Closeup

Six years ago, a Minden cottager asked what he could do to help improve affordable housing in town. Now, this cottager’s donation of land is about to become the site of a new affordable housing building in Minden. But not so fast. There’s still the task of bidding for tenders, creating cost estimates and far more financial assistance and that means shovels won’t be breaking ground anytime soon. Mi...

Statistics from the Ministry of Health predict that over the next 20 years, Haliburton County’s population is expected to increase by 22%, while the 80+ population will grow by 59% in the next 10 years. That’s part of the reason Haliburton Highlands Health Services (HHHS), is inviting the public to be part of its Master Planning The Future of Care forums. HHHS CEO and President Veronica Nelson say...

Consumers across Canada have enthusiastically leaned into the Buy Canadian trend since US President Donald Trump threatened 25 per cent import tariffs on Canadian products. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sees the implementation of tariffs as counter to our historical relationship as friends and allies and has promised to do likewise for US imports into the country. Consumers, meanwhile, have launch...

The end of February is closing time for 23 locations of The Beer Store in Ontario but Haliburton County’s two locations will remain open for now. Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s move to sell beer, wine and coolers at more than 4,000 convenience stores across the province is now impacting The Beer Store across the province. So far, increased competition has led to store closures in Toronto, Barry’s Bay...

In many ways, the desperate childcare shortage in Haliburton County is exposing cracks in the system that need solving. In part 3 of its series on the childcare shortage in the region, CanoeFM spoke with the Co-CEO of Compass Early Learning and Care which operates one center in Minden. Ashley Collins has been with Compass for 10 years and has witnessed waitlists grow not just here but province-wid...

Recent statements by both Canada’s Conservative Party Leader Pierre Pollievre and US President Donald Trump have reignited fears about the safety of those in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. The two politicians said there are only two genders — male and female. Allan Guinan, President of Minden Pride, brushes off those comments as politicians with few substantial proposals seeking “air space.” He says th...

Haliburton Highlands OPP say no matter how technologically savvy you think you are, criminals always seem to be one step ahead. That’s why protecting yourself online and over the phone is even more critical as a new series of online and telephone scams are being carried out in Haliburton County and across Canada. Here’s how it works — fraudsters contact unsuspecting individuals, using OPP and RCMP...

If you’re a woman living in a rural part of northern Ontario, you are 75 per cent more likely to experience domestic abuse. That’s what a delegation from the YWCA told members of Haliburton County Council recently. Intimate Partner Violence, which includes physical, mental, sexual, and financial abuse is impacting an estimated 2,500 women in the county, according to Statistics Canada. That’s why t...

With only two licensed childcare centers in Haliburton County, finding reliable childcare here is a bit like winning the lottery. It’s great when you hear there’s a spot for your child, but the waiting, wishing and hoping is exhausting for parents. On the other side of the equation are those that care for children in childcare centers like Compass in Minden. In Part 2 of our series on the shortage...

Haliburton County has only two licensed childcare centers in the County – one in Minden, and the other in Haliburton, so for parents in need of finding reliable childcare face an incredibly difficult ordeal. Parents of young children here must endure years-long wait lists or turn to grandparents, neighbors and friends to fill in as caretakers for their children. With 260 children on waitlists that...

An intimate table for two looking out on a pack of grey wolves. It’s not for the faint of heart, Dinner with Wolves at the Haliburton Forest and Wildlife Reserve’s Wolf Sanctuary is definitely a night to remember. Catered by a local restaurant, the Dinner with Wolves experience features a three-course meal and all the photos of wolves you can take. Guests have the whole center to themselves to vie...

Attracting tourism, while decreasing our carbon footprint were the rationale Environment Haliburton’s Susan Hay used to convince Dysart et al council members to apply for the Charged for Change $125 grant at its Jan. 28th session. Susan, president of local environmental organization Environment Haliburton became aware of the grant in late 2024 and jumped at the chance to increase the number of ele...

As of Jan, 1, 2025, the Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge Health Unit and Peterborough Public Health officially merged into one agency, the Haliburton, Kawartha Northumberland Peterborough Health Unit, or HKNP. The merger, was prompted by the Ontario government’s More Convenient Care Act, with the goal to build a greater capacity of people, processes, tools, technology and funding to better serve com...

He’s something of an institution in Haliburton. Miles Maughan has been with the Dysart Fire Department for 47 years and on Dec. 31, 2024, he retired from a career that has meant the world to him. CanoeFM invited Miles into its studio to share his fondest memories, greatest challenges and thoughts on his decades of service to the community. Miles spoke about how the department has changed, and grow...

For the past few years, Youth Unlimited, a faith-based organization in Haliburton has been operating in local churches, without a place to call their own. Recently, the group celebrated the grand opening of The Bridge, a center for youth that aims to build confidence and foster respect while having fun with friends. Thanks to the dedication of co-directors Kyle and Leanne Young, The Bridge is now...

It’s been decades since doctors made house calls in Ontario, but thanks to a pilot program, patients in Haliburton County are getting cared for in their own homes. It’s part of the province-wide Community Paramedicine program that offers both medical care and social interaction, aiming to take some of the strain off the healthcare system and cut down on 911 calls. CanoeFM spent time with three Hal...

There’s a group of retired women in Haliburton who don’t believe in sitting on their laurels, rather, these three women are doing their best to improve Canadian society by starting with the basics – Basic Income, that is. Judy Paul, Carolynn Coburn and Marybeth Wilson began the Basic Income Group because of experiences each had in their former occupations. They saw first-hand how poverty holds peo...

Highlands East Mayor Dave Burton was recently elected to the position of Warden of Haliburton County. He sat down at CanoeFM studios to share his hopes for the term ahead, the challenges and the reasons he's been committed to public service.

Canada’s 629,000 veterans have higher rates of depression, anxiety and substance use disorder than civilians. One in seven veterans is living with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a psychological response to the experience of intense traumatic or life-threatening events. PTSD can affect people of any age, culture or gender. That’s why the work carried out at Dimensions in Haliburton County i...

There’s nothing like the cozy feeling you get when you heat your home with a wood stove or a pellet stove. Beyond the radiant warmth, modern-day stoves have a higher efficiency than any other heating method on the market today. That’s why they’re to go-to system for the majority of rural community residents. Ian Myers has been a chimney sweep in Haliburton County for 17 years and says these stoves...

For 36 years, a solid concrete cow has been keeping watch over customers at the Kawartha Dairy’s Minden store. The cheerful bovine has been a constant in the community and at Christmas, residents there can’t wait to see it decorated for the holidays. CanoeFM visited the store recently and spoke to third generation owner, Terry Crowe who says the cow is part of his family’s dairy legacy and his mot...

Christmas is supposed to be a time for togetherness, joy and wonderful meals shared with loved ones. But for those who live on the margins or are alone, Christmas can be a dreaded time of year. That’s why, for the first time in its 35-year-history, SIRCH — which stands for Supportive Initiatives for the Residents of the County of Haliburton — will serve up a Christmas dinner with turkey and all th...

It’s a time for getting together with friends and family, but it’s also prime time for crime. Shopping in crowded stores, lengthy Christmas lists, presents to wrap, dinners to cook and planning trips to relatives mean we’re all quite distracted. Constable Joel Imbeau, Community Relations Officer for the Haliburton Highlands detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police says a safe and happy holiday...

Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere or RIDE is a sobriety testing program used by police since 1977. So far, in this year’s Festive RIDE program, police have stopped more than 1,000 vehicles. The RIDE program is designed to keep impaired drivers off the road, but many are still not getting the message Canoe FM recently spoke with Constable Joel Imbeau who says arriving on the scene of an accident c...

It’s that time of year again –- flu season, and as the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. According to medical experts, our best bet to prevent a severe case is to roll up your sleeves and get a flu shot, but less than half of Canada’s population chooses to do so. Dr. Norm Bottum is a family physician in Haliburton and he’s been kept busy lately giving flu shots to his p...