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 daily occurrence and knows the cost of living, addiction and other societal pressures are many of the reasons for the rise in shoplifting.

CanoeFM spoke with both Park and PC Joel Imbeau from the Haliburton Highlands OPP to discuss what they're seeing in the region and what the penalties are.

"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 of living a happier life with the years they have left.

CanoeFM spoke with a family lawyer with practices in both Haliburton County and the City of Kawartha Lakes. She says she has noticed grey divorces trending in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic and advises her clients to take a more collaborative approach when breaking the bonds of marriage. Avoiding the expense and hassle of a protracted court battle is in everyone's best interests, she says.

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 collaborative approach for whatever emergency comes next, officials are looking at how to improve their preparedness and responses.

CanoeFM spoke with Haliburton County's CAO Gary Dyke, the Director of Haliburton County's Paramedic Service, Mike Slatter and a spokesperson from Hydro One to discuss what worked and what gaps need to be addressed.

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 identifying and creating uniform signage that helps people locate the cultural, historical, civic and recreational destinations within Haliburton County and its four municipalities and is expected to cost $500K, paid for in part by the recently imposed Municipal Accommodation Tax on short term rental hosts in the county.

CanoeFM spoke with Scott Ovell, Director of Economic Development for The County of Haliburton to find out the current status of the Wayfinding Strategy and its next steps.

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's future is in question, since the MECP funding agreement that expired in March hasn't been renewed. Local resident Ron Parkinson and his organization Highlands East Lake Properties has launched an email writing campaign to Ontario Premier Doug Ford, the MECP and local members of parliament and provincial parliament to reinstate the program for the next five-year period.

The valuable data collected from county lakes is used by a variety of users, including municipalities, planners, scientists and researchers.

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+ business owners, promoting and hosting events throughout the year, rather than just in June's Pride month and finding more opportunities for public education and engagement.

CanoeFM attended the event and spoke with a number of attendees who were pleased to have their voices heard on the future of Pride in the Highlands.

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 knit each week would turn into the popular mission it is today. Fueled by pots of tea and goodies, the women share stories and laughs while they produce blankets of all different sizes, to be used by those in wheelchairs, new mothers and the unhoused.

CanoeFM visited the group recently to learn more about Knitting for Warmth and the priceless service the group provides.

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 conservation. The event combines hands-on activities, resource sharing, and workshops, with collaboration from local environmental groups.

The event expands on the native plant sale FEEL hosts each spring and builds on the success of their annual Haliburton-Muskoka-Kawartha Children's Water Festival.

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 claims are mounting as adjusters scramble to keep up.

Glenn Hall and Serena Wooder are experiencing a rise in claims for homes and vehicles damaged by falling trees or branches. They say in their time, there’s never been an ice storm like the one that struck in March and they advise all owners to get the process started if you haven’t already.

CanoeFM spoke with Hall and Wooder to hear more about the insurance claims in our region.

The type of outdoor lighting we choose as homeowners has a direct impact on the behavior of insects, bats and other species. That was the finding of a recent U-Links community research project conducted late last summer.

Ella Honey and Angus McBride, both Masters Candidates in Trent University’s Environment and Life Sciences department conducted studies in the wee hours of the night to discover the affect of different light temperatures and their positioning on the food web around Paudash Lake in Haliburton County.

The researchers presented their findings to a virtual audience for U-Links Celebration of Research which included environmental groups, interested local residents and members of the media. They later presented their findings to Environment Haliburton.

CanoeFM spoke with Honey and McBride to learn more about how our use of outdoor lighting can be changed to have fewer negative impacts on a variety of insects and other species.