County Closeup

Just 10 minutes north of Minden off Plantation road, is an extraordinary place. With bald eagles flying overhead, the shrieking of Sandhill cranes in the nearby meadow and the sound of the wind rustling the leaves in the trees, it's a place that invites visitors to slow down, explore and appreciate nature.Formerly the Campbell property, now renamed the Beaver Creek Wildlands, it's a 200-acre paradise that features 15 distinct habitats, including meadows, swamps and forests. It's the seventh property to become a nature reserve through the joint efforts and funding of the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust and Parks Canada.CanoeFM had the opportunity to visit Bever Creek Wildlands recently which now boasts an impressive boardwalk path and a floating bridge over the water an army of volunteers helped construct. HHLT's new Executive Director Dave Newnham and Partners in Conservation Program lead Rick Whitteker were on site to talk about the new property and why protecting it is so vital. We carried out our discussion on the 350-meter floating bridge that's nearing completion.Trail work at Beaver Creek Wildlands will continue until the weather makes it impossible to continue, but both Newnham and Whittaker say the public will be invited to a grand opening sometime in the new year. Visitors will be able to walk the trails soon after.

Kaitlyn Wight's first daughter Arya was just four days old when the family moved to Minden. Alone in a new community, Wight struggled to find programs for her baby but eventually discovered the Early ON program at Archie Stouffer Public School and some others offered at the Haliburton County Public Library.Now Arya is 2 and a half and has a 10-month-old sister Amelia to keep her company. But for Wight, the lack of childcare here has caused her to choose to remain a stay-at-home parent until both her daughters are in school. She says it's just something the family has decided because waitlists for childcare in Haliburton County remain long with little hope for change anytime soon.This is Part Three of the multi-episode series on the voices of Haliburton County as we inch ever closer to the upcoming municipal election. The series, entitled,WHAT MATTERS HERE: Listening to the voices of Haliburton County,will cover the issues that matter to various demographic groups in our region.In this, Part Three, we'll hear from a number of young mothers to find out what they'd like their elected representatives to do to support young families here.

Seniors make up the majority of the population of Haliburton County. In fact, the median age is 60 years old and what's important to them may differ from other demographics. As the municipal election edges ever closer, CanoeFM reached out to a few seniors from across the county to find out what their needs are both in their communities and their representatives in municipal government.Here is Part 3 of our election series entitled What Matters Here — Listening to the voices of Haliburton County.

Minden Hills' Scotch Line landfill won't last forever, and a new food waste organics program is aimed at diverting waste from the landfill and stretch its life-expectancy further.The process is simple. Large earth bins, as they're known, will be placed in the ground at Scotch Line. Residents who've separated and collected their food waste then place their food waste in the bins on site and six times each year, the bins are emptied. The food waste is then processed for use in Miller Waste's Green Energy program.The Scotch Line landfill in Minden Hills is anticipated to reach full capacity by 2035. That's why the municipality has been constructing a new, modernized transfer station area at the Scotch Line site as well as enhancing waste diversion programs like the Blue Box program and the food waste organics program.Chelsea Cosh, Minden Hills' Manager of Waste facilities sat down with CanoeFM recently to discuss the new initiative.

It's been said that necessity is the mother of invention, and the Big Hawk Lake Log Chute is an example of that. Built in 1861, it was one of dozens located here in Haliburton County during the region's early logging days. Hundreds of log chutes existed across Ontario and Quebec at one time, now the Big Hawk Lake Log Chute is the only one of its kind in the province.And while it's a popular attraction for tourists and locals, years of exposure to ice storms and flooding have caused damage to the log chute. And this week, portions of it will be under repair to keep it intact.Chris Card, Parks, Recreation and Trails Manager for Algonquin Highlands spoke to Canoe FM to explain why the rehab work is necessary for the chute's survival.

With the municipal election just a few weeks away, CanoeFM wanted to hear from random people regarding their interest and participation in the democratic process granted us every four years.CanoeFM spent some time in West Guilford recently to gauge people's intentions as we edge ever closer to election day, Monday, October 26th. Here's what they had to say.

Back in 2012, SIRCH helped the Kerrs get the Volunteer Dental Outreach Clinic up and running, supporting them as a registered charity. Eventually, the clinic formed its own non-profit entity, with a Board of Directors and operated without SIRCH's assistance.For 14 years, VDO served the people of Haliburton County, providing much-needed dental care. In early 2024, the federal government launched the Canadian Dental Care Program, promising dental care coverage, however, funding gaps persist. The Lisa Kerr Memorial Fund, created after the sale of the clinic's equipment, totals $210 thousand dollars and will go to help those who can't cover outstanding fees for certain procedures the CDCP won't fund.Dr. Bill Kerr, a dentist who credits his wife Lisa for VDO's creation and operation, sold all the dental and office equipment from the clinic and the proceeds from that sale now form the memorial fund named in Lisa's memory. The fund is aimed at distributing monies for clients who don't have the resources to afford gaps in coverage from the federal Canadian Dental Care Program. SIRCH will manage the fund and collect donations to keep it going.Dr. Kerr told CanoeFM that he's thrilled that his wife's dream of a volunteer outreach dental clinic not only came true but continues to live on even after the creation off the federal government's Canadian Dental Care Program.

Earlier this year, Carol Simmons, former president of Bark Lake Cultural Developments, announced her retirement from the organization. Without someone assuming the role and others joining, the iconic Irondale Church faced closure and an eventual sale. So, a concert was held in late August to attract new members, and it worked. Now, the church, built in 1887, has new Board leadership and a promising future.Marilyn Pel steps into the role after only being an Irondale resident for two years. While admitting it's a daunting task, Pel says she's thrilled the church will remain a part of the community and she's touched by the willingness of others to help bring new life into the historic church.Though it's early days, Pel says the first job is for the church to build a following. So, now non-denominational services are taking place every Sunday. Families are returning to the church but beyond that, the sky's the limit for breathing new life into the old church.

Halloween is coming and all the little ghosts and goblins are already getting excited. But for parents, that one night of fun can really hurt the wallet by shelling out lots of money for candy and costumes. That's why the Haliburton County Library is making Halloween more affordable with its upcoming 2ndannual Halloween Costume Swap.CanoeFM sat down with Jennifer Korpela, Programs and Outreach Coordinator with the Haliburton County Library recently to talk about the free event and how it's aimed at removing financial barriers to the fun of Halloween.

Used tires are piling up at auto garages and tire shops across Ontario since changes were made to the province's collection and recycling program.The devastating Hagrsville fire in 1990, caused by arson, prompted the creation of Ontario's regulated tire recycling and diversion programs. In 2008, the Ontario Tire Stewardship program, or OTS, created a centralized used tire program, funded by eco-fees paid by tire producers. More than 70 million used tires were collected under the OTS program from its inception till its closure.In January of 2019, the OTS program ended, shifting to an individual producer responsibility/extended producer responsibility framework. Tire producers became directly accountable for collection and recycling quotas, working through Producer Responsibility Organizations or PROs, managed by the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority or RPRA.In late 2024, the provincial government amended theResource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, lowering the required recycling target for tire manufacturers from 85% to 65% annually. PROs hit their lowered quotas sooner, and ever since, tire retailers and auto shops have experienced lengthy delays in pickups or only partial collection of their tires.Auto shops in Haliburton are facing delays for pick-up of tires of nearly a year and the problem doesn't seem like it's going to improve any time soon.