By Chad Ingram That voice. That unmistakable, instantly identifiable voice. For nearly 18 years, Mike Jaycock has been a foundational personality and ubiquitous presence at Canoe FM, the county's volunteer community radio station. In short…
One year forward
By Sue Tiffin We joke that it’s March again, but feels like it’s still March, acting as though the point last year when much of the world acknowledged the need for an abrupt pivot in…
Parade of memories
By Chad Ingram Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, I have continued to work from the Minden Times office most days of the week. The office has been closed to the public at various points, but I…
A silver lining
By Chad Ingram We are approaching a year since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Haliburton County, and in some respects, the pandemic is showing proverbial silver linings for the community. An important qualifier up front here…
An obituary for the snow day
By Chad Ingram As I write this, buses in the county and elsewhere within the Trillium Lakelands District School Board have been cancelled due to inclement weather and road conditions. Buses have been cancelled, but…
Back to the drawing board
By Chad Ingram After some two years of discussions around the council table (and virtual council table) and embarking on a public input process, Haliburton County council has decided to halt its creation of a…
On conversion therapy
By Chad Ingram Last week, residents of Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock received in the mail paperwork for a constituency referendum by MP Jamie Schmale. Schmale has held a few of these referendums in the past, where he…
A grim anniversary
By Chad Ingram This week marked the one-year anniversary of the first confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada, although it would be several more weeks before the true depth and breadth of the pandemic would become…
New school
By Chad Ingram Last summer, as friends with school-aged children grappled with whether to send their kids physically back to school in the fall or opt for online options amid the COVID-19 pandemic, I continually…
Taking flight
By Chad Ingram Just before New Year's Eve, Ontarians discovered that Finance Minister Rod Philips had balked public health recommendations surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and taken a Christmastime trip to the Caribbean. While Phillips’ attempts…
The year that was
By Chad Ingram Normally, with the dawn of a new year, I publish a column recounting the top 10 Times stories of the previous year. I'm not going to do that this year, and the…
Clampdown
By Chad Ingram In what was a poorly kept secret, on Monday Premier Doug Ford announced a province-wide lockdown for Ontario amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, one scheduled to commence on Boxing Day. It paints…
‘Plandemic’
By Chad Ingram It's finally here – the vaccine designed by a group of global elites to transform us all into brainwashed drones toiling in perpetuity for our corrupt overlords. As outrageous as that may…
A Shindig to remember
By Chad Ingram Some readers may be aware that I'm a musician, and some may be aware that my friend Tim Tofflemire and I played the Haliburton Highlands Christmas Shindig the weekend before last, our…
Willingness to change
By Chad Ingram How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. That adage is frequently used by a number of local municipal politicians and now the elephant is on the table in…
A year of change
By Chad Ingram 2020 has been a year of many changes, and readers will notice some at the Minden Times and its sister publications starting next week.After more than a decade as the managing editor…
Big on broadband
By Chad Ingram It's not every day, week, month, year or really ever that the premier of Ontario comes to Minden, so it was a pretty big deal when Premier Doug Ford arrived in town…
A different Remembrance Day
By Chad Ingram Like almost everything in 2020, Remembrance Day will look much different this year amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. That, however, doesn't preclude any of us from taking part in the act of…
Monster mash
By Chad Ingram The Halloween celebration at the Minden Hills Cultural Centre this past weekend was great, and not just because I won a lollipop for decimating my sister and brother-in-law in a double pumpkin…
The face mask police
By Chad Ingram Working in media during the COVID-19 pandemic has meant, in large part, days dominated by the subject of the coronavirus for nearly eight months now. That is true whether you're a national…
A billion reasons to buy local
By Chad Ingram It's no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has been rough on businesses in Haliburton County, some have laid off employees and some have had to close their doors. It's up to us…