By Thomas Smith “My husband has ancestors who came over. Our farm that we live on, the farmhouse was built by Michael Cain who was five years old when he came over with the Peter…
AH Council decides against deepening boat launch
by James Matthews Mostly sand was found on the lakebed when Algonquin Highlands investigated the possibility of deepening the Little Boshkung Lake boat launch. And that sand, its distance from the beach, bodes ill for…
HHHS AGM shows year of overcoming adversity
by Thomas Smith Haliburton Highland Health Services has overcome adversity this past year. Despite frequent challenges, the HHHS has implemented new programs, hired 80 new staff members, community support services, and had a total of…
School board sets priorities for coming year
By James Matthews The Trillium Lakelands District School Board approved its spending plan for the coming school year. The board gave the OK for the 2024-25 school year budget during the June 11 public meeting.…
Working with the enemy?
From Shaman's Rock By Jim Poling Sr. We now have new reasons to distrust the politicians we elected to protect us and our democracy. A troubling report from our intelligence watchdogs says that some of…
Icelandic Canadian Club plans celebration for Kinmount
By Thomas Smith On Saturday June 15, the Icelandic Canadian Club of Toronto is celebrating Icelandic National Day with their Icelandic National Day Picnic. The picnic will take place form 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.…
The dangerous buffoon
From Shaman's Rock By Jim Poling Sr. Canadians have watched the U.S. happenings involving former president Donald Trump with an amused sense of entertainment. It’s been like looking over the fence and seeing neighbours struggle…
Local school board sues social media companies
By James Matthews The Trillium Lakelands District School Board has joined other Ontario boards in a lawsuit against social media companies. The local board, along with the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, York Catholic District…
Haliburton County Master Gardeners publish guidebook on ecological…
By Thomas Smith Carolyn Langdon has been coordinator for Haliburton County Master Gardeners for the past four years. “I’ve been involved with the organization for 13 years now. Over half the life of the organization.…
Bad books and good books
From Shaman's Rock By Jim Poling Sr. I thought it was just me complaining that more and more mediocre – or just plain bad - books are being published. A search of the Internet tells…
Molly’s starts anew as Market Bakery
By Thomas Smith A beautiful display of cookies, cupcakes, and baked goods of all types greet customers as they approach the counter. Delicious smells of freshly made bread waft through the air. This June will…
CT scanner cannot come soon enough
By Thomas Smith On Monday, my Dad woke up feeling off. There was a heaviness to his chest and something felt different to his breathing. He figured that his allergies were acting up, or perhaps…
Public health starts the year in the red
By James Matthews, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The region’s public health unit has run a deficit so far this year. But Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit board members heard May 16 that the…
Porch Doctor aims to beautify Haliburton County
By Thomas Smith “We do deck, dock, and boat house coatings on plywood and concrete coatings on porches. That’s where the name Porch Doctor came from,” said Shannon Hulme, director of project services. “I moved…
Co-existing with Beaver
From Shaman’s Rock By Jim Poling Sr. Those critters with the sharp buck teeth and hard flat tails are back and making their presence known. Beaver numbers were reported down in parts of the province…
A walk in the woods
From Shaman's Rock By Jim Poling, Sr. It’s been a year since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an end to the global COVID-19 emergency. Our world, however, still has far to go before celebrating…
Snowflake Meadows prepares for Magical Festival Fundraiser
By Thomas Smith “Snowflake Meadows has always been a dream of mine since I was a little girl. It started after my parents unfortunately passed away.” said Kristyn Begbie, founder of Snowflake Meadows Animal Rescue.…
Marina sale stymies boaters’ access to lakes
By James Matthews, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter A marina that has served a number of Algonquin Highlands and Minden Hills lakefront property owners may be closing public access. And the property owners on three lakes…
A deer in the headlights
From Shaman's Rock By Jim Poling Sr. There are times when the political tribalism consuming us seems like a cancer that cannot be cured. Today, thankfully, is not one of them. I say this after…
Re-Open the Minden ER goes to Queen’s Park
By Thomas Smith On April 22, 2024, Patrick Porzuczek, founder of Minden Matters and Re-Open the Minden ER went to Queen’s Park to participate in the public hearings on Bill 180. “On April 20th, 2024…
The Mason Jar’s burgers a smash hit in…
By Thomas Smith Tara Schroeder and her husband Andrew moved to the county three years ago to help her parents’ cottage rental business on Hall’s Lake. Tara has many years of experience managing and working…