By Emily Stonehouse It’s dark, the nights are long. Swirling snow and screaming winds, we wake up to dig ourselves out. Every day. But, it’s getting lighter. The days are stretching thin. Wisps of daylight…
Ready?
By Emily Stonehouse It’s no secret that over the holiday season, our thoughts are heightened. There’s an edge to our emotions, a fray to our feelings. Seasonal times tend to have that effect on people.…
The cost of living
By Emily Stonehouse I watched as our county council spoke in circles around budget spikes. A percentage knocked off here and there, major capital projects put on the back burner for another year in an…
Behind closed doors
By Emily Stonehouse Please note that the following editorial contains depictions of domestic violence that some readers may find uncomfortable. If you are in a dangerous situation of domestic violence, contact 1-800-823-0599. I lived in…
Prioritizing people
By Emily Stonehouse I was ready to start this editorial, flying the flag with bold letters crying ‘Long Live the Library’. We all know that during budget talks, the first victim to the chopping block…
The Canadian Way
By Emily Stonehouse Over the past few months, the differences between countries have stood out like a sore thumb. Constant comparisons, dichotomizations, polar opposites seen in real time. We see this in the form of…
Kids
By Emily Stonehouse It’s a time of year where kids are on the forefront. And they should be. It’s a season of magic and wonder. As we age, that sparkle dims and dwindles; until sometimes…
To remember
By Emily Stonehouse Lest we forget. A phrase we share around Remembrance Day. Thinking of our past chapters, looking forward with hope. The act of marching to war in any capacity is something beyond my…
Real
By Emily Stonehouse This week, the paper is filled with some very real stories. And I don’t mean real in the sense that they are true and accurate (though I can assure you, they are),…
Shed a tier
By Emily Stonehouse Highlands East council took the time this past week to discuss the potential development of a new council meeting space. And while they tossed around the idea, nothing was set in stone…
Weaving words
By Emily Stonehouse We always find a theme in our papers. One specific thread that seems to weave through our words, and when I tug at that thread, I generally find my topic for an…
The right to strike
By Emily Stonehouse As I type this, there are two known major strikes happening in the community. The college support staff have been picketing for over two weeks, and last week, Canada Post announced once…
Truth
By Emily Stonehouse As we wade the waters of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation - a day for reflection, for pausing, for honouring - it’s difficult to look past the muddy riverbeds of the…
Recipe
By Emily Stonehouse During her presentation for the Haliburton Highlands Healthy Democracy Project, civic facilitator Jessica Slade made reference to a recipe for success: citizens with ideas, councils with authority, staff with expertise, and volunteers…
Hope
By Emily Stonehouse Forty-five years ago, Terry Fox started his Marathon of Hope. A true Canadian icon, Fox rallied communities in the name of hope, and put one foot in front of the other as…
Long live locals
By Emily Stonehouse Long live locals We are a town that greatly depends on summer traffic. I get it. And I haven’t seen any specific numbers, but as a local, it seems like the community…
Do it for the staff
By Emily Stonehouse The dynamic between staff and council has long been a relationship I find interesting. At a lengthy county council meeting last week, for nearly an hour, councillors stayed at odds over the…
Lens
By Emily Stonehouse At the first official flag raising in Dysart by Pride in the Highlands, I brought my kids. I was thrilled to be there. A first in the community, and a clear-cut action…
The greater good
By Emily Stonehouse The other day, I inched my way towards a line of red brake lights around the high school. I wasn’t sure why we had stopped, and my initial response was irritation. Summer…
Sorry
By Emily Stonehouse We’ve all made jokes about it. The fact that we as Canadians have ‘sorry’ built into our daily repertoire, right up there with toonie and double-double. We say it when we bump…
Questions
By Emily Stonehouse We don’t know everything. Yes, perhaps a startling realization. I wrote a few weeks ago about how there is always more to every story, about how there is power in seeking more…