County Closeup

Bring your broken toasters, your snowblowers, your shirts in need of mending! At Haliburton’s monthly Repair Cafe, you’re sure to find the fix you’re looking for! That’s the message SIRCH Program Coordinator Dianne Woodcock hopes to spread far and wide. The Haliburton Repair Cafe is open for the season and the many volunteer fixers are ready to take on whatever challenges local residents have to o...

The joy and challenges of brewing beer is what the brand new Brewhouse boardgame is all about, and two local breweries — Haliburton Highlands Brewery and Boshkung Brewery — are featured in the game. Invented by a former brewer, the aim of the game is to successfully brew a batch of beer of your choice from scratch and have it served in a taproom, while trying to handle some of the real-life pitfal...

Every Friday, Minden’s Dominion Hotel serves up one of its most popular dishes to customers — fish and chips. Now the historic hotel’s fan favorite will be included in a cookbook with hundreds of others from notable hospitality hotspots around the world. Entitled “Inspired Stays, Local Flavors”, the cookbook is the brainchild of Enviivo, a cloud-based accommodation booking and management platform....

They’re the heartbeat of any hospital, and their work is both essential and appreciated. Haliburton Highlands Health Services, (HHHS), knows volunteers play a vital role and is inviting members of the community — no matter your age or how much time you have to offer — to join the team of volunteers at the healthcare facility. HHHS recently revamped their volunteer program, streamlining it and crea...

Haliburton County is a place filled with beauty and wonder and Hike Haliburton — a free festival held here — gives locals and visitors alike the chance to explore all that’s on offer in our region. That’s why, for the second year in a row, Festivals and Events Ontario (FEO) awarded Hike Haliburton one of the top 100 festivals in the province. Handed out at the SYNERGY 2025 awards gala in Kitchener...

Tom Oliver is a gifted musician and someone who cares about his community. That’s why he’s decided to create a network of musical instruments with those who want to learn how to play them. Here’s how it works. Oliver put a call out to local residents to donate any musical instruments they have at home that they’re not using. Then, interested would-be players come pick up the instrument of their ch...

The Haliburton Highlands Land Trust is clearing up the rumors and inaccurate information contained in a recent post on social media about the proposed Milburn-Kendrick Conservation Reserve in Haliburton County. The post, shared by more than 1,000 Facebook users, spread false information, saying hunting and other leisure activities would not be permitted on the Reserve once it was established. Not...

The threat of 25% tariffs that’s causing chaos in the stock market is creating an atmosphere of worry amongst local businesses in Haliburton County. The on-again, off-again tariffs by US President Donald Trump and the uncertainty that follows is posing both confusion and difficulties to firms in the county. CanoeFM recently spoke to three businesses in the county to gauge their feelings about how...

Few of us ever imagine having to sleep in our cars in the harsh winter months, but that’s exactly what Places for People‘s Sleeping in Cars fundraiser is all about. Tonight’s fundraiser is the sixth installment of the event, which features about 30 ‘sleepers’ who brave the elements overnight in their vehicles to raise money for more affordable housing initiatives in Haliburton County. CanoeFM rece...

Don’t be surprised if the number of measles cases spikes after March Break and starts showing up in Haliburton County. That’s what Dr. Thomas Piggott, Medical Officer of Health for the Haliburton-Kawartha-Pine Ridge Health Unit warns. In the last two weeks, 78 cases of measles were identified in Ontario, bringing the total of recorded infections to 140 – considered now to be the largest measles ou...

At Walkabout Farm, it’s less about what you can’t do and everything about what you can try to do. Run by its passionate founder, Jennifer Semach, Walkabout Farm offers therapeutic riding and so much more. Wrapping a client’s entire family and support system in kindness and daily miracles, the farm is a much-loved staple in the community. CanoeFM visited the farm recently and had the privilege of m...

Haliburton County Development Corporation’s, (HCDC), Local Initiatives Program, (LIP) gives local not-for-profits a financial leg up. It is a vital source of funding support for a diverse range of not-for-profits in the region. HCDC is celebrating its 40th year of sparking economic growth in the region and has been assisting local organizations since 2015. HCDC Executive Director, Patti Talman spo...

Boshkung Brewery in Minden has joined 49 other breweries across Canada in supporting the efforts of Veterinarians Without Borders, (VWB), through the Animals & Ales Pet Photo Contest. Deb and Matt Banks, new owners of Boshkung, think that the Animals and Ales Contest is an extension of the pet-friendly vibe they promote at the brewery. So, they’re excited to take part in the Veterinarians With...

If you can’t wait for the weather to change and you’ve got a big project planned for your home or cottage, your first stop should be your local municipality’s building department. Applying for a building permit isn’t just good sense, it’s the law and Dysart et al Building Official Karl Korpela says not doing so can cost you. Applying for a building permit is an essential first step as Korpela told...

The roar of snowmobiles have been heard all season long in Haliburton County and that’s been great for everyone involved, from sledders themselves, to those who manage the local trails and even local businesses. Snowmobiling in Ontario is a $6B business, with hotels, restaurants, snowmobile outlets and service providers all cashing in big time this year. CanoeFM spoke with the Neil Vanderstoop, Pr...

Right now in Haliburton County, 260 children are on a waitlist for childcare. Their parents struggle to find suitable childcare and often face a hodge-podge of caregivers that include grandparents, friends and neighbors while they wait for a licensed spot to open up at one of two centers here. In the fourth and final segment of our series on the childcare shortage, we speak with officials from the...

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...