County Closeup

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 County of Haliburton and the City of Kawartha Lakes who say they are in lock-step, trying to expand childcare facilities here, but say the challenges are many. Firstly, a childcare center needs space and lots of it, it needs to recruit and retain staff with liveable incomes and in Haliburton County, it needs creative collaboration with businesses and other organizations to make childcare happen. For now, though, the wait list continues to grow with families waiting as long as four years for a spot.

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.

Minden Mayor Bob Carter spoke with CanoeFM recently about the funding announcement that gets the ball rolling on improving the inventory of available housing. He says he’s cautiously optimistic that after all these years, the dream may finally become a reality.

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 says the community’s voice is vital to helping to steer healthcare in both the short and long term. With the first session already in the books, there are two more opportunities for the public to let their opinions be known. The next sessions are on March 5th and 26th from 6 to 8 pm at the Minden site, or virtually.

The forums are vitally important to sketch out ways to improving access to primary care, emergency service and long-term care.

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 launched their own revolt by purchasing products made in Canada. But as Amanda Conn, Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce Executive Director told CanoeFM, it’s not quite as simple as reading labels. Her organization is working with provincial and national partners to make it easier for consumers to find and buy Canadian products. She also encourages buying local whenever possible.

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, Marmora, Geraldton, Cochrane, Stratford and Burlington.

UFCW Canada Local 12R24, which represents The Beer Store workers, told CanoeFM The Beer Store is expected to keep at least 300 retail outlets open until the end of 2025. After that, it’s likely bricks and mortar locations will cease to be, resulting in the loss of good paying jobs. for 6,500 employees.

Customers CanoeFM spoke to aren’t happy with the potential loss of Beer Store locations that offer both convenience and a wide variety of brands to choose from.

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-wide. The Compass facility in Minden is not operating at full capacity, due to another challenge – finding qualified early childhood educators to fill in the care gap.

The shortage of childcare is seen through the struggle to attract candidates with livable compensation and benefits and being able to retain them. For students interested in pursuing ECE, the closest post-secondary school that offers it is in Peterborough and there’s no transportation system in place. Childcare operators like Compass need a lot of space, around 6000 square feet, and that’s often hard to find.

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 that whole the rhetoric is emboldening some homophobes in the US and Canada, his organization continues to see growing support in Haliburton County.

CanoeFM spoke with Guinan recently to hear how he feels about the comments made by both Trump and Pollievre and how those sentiments impact his community. In the interview, Guinan says he chooses to be grateful for the progress made, for building bridges and the growing compassion and understanding within Haliburton County.

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 non-emergency phone numbers to legitimize their criminal activities. Victims are misled into believing they must help catch a dishonest bank employee or resolve suspicious transactions by providing personal information or transferring funds.

While Artificial Intelligence or AI is making it harder to decipher scam attempts, it’s your own common sense and gut instincts that are your strongest weapons against fraudsters.

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 the delegation asked Haliburton Council to join a growing number of municipalities across Ontario in declaring it an epidemic.

The request for the declaration came out of three femicides — gender-based murders against women, which occurred on the same day, nine years ago. On Sept. 22, 2015, three Renfrew women were murdered by a man with whom each had a past relationship.

Haliburton County joined 95 other Ontario municipalities in declaring Intimate Partner Violence an epidemic.

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 of childcare in Haliburton County, we hear from an Early Childcare Educator and from the administrator who manages the waitlist there. Both say the shortage of childcare is a complex issue, involving both the need for more centers, but also the need to respect, compensate and retain quality childcare staff.

Ultimately, both say quality childcare should be a right, not a privilege because zero to six years old is a critical time for proper child development.