Setting the stage 

The Ontario’s Highlands Tourism Organization (OHTO) the regional tourism organization encapsulating the Haliburton Highlands revealed its new brand platform to local stakeholders late last month. It’s a vast improvement over the branding the organization tried…

Lines on the road

By Jim Poling April 28 2016 The last few stubborn patches are gone finally but in a way it is sad to see the snow go. Snow covers more than just autumn’s decay. It hides…

Dockheads 

A new requirement for provincial approval for docks and boathouses of a certain size needs comprehensive dialogue between the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and the province’s municipalities before any reasonable approval framework is put…

Arresting costs 

By Chad Ingram Published April 21 2016 Haliburton County council has voted to appeal to the Ontario Ombudsman on the OPP billing model and while that’s something the municipality should not rule out investigating the…

The death of Billy Skead 

By Jim Poling Published April 21 2016 Billy Skead was buried during the winter but the question continues to prick the conscience of his troubled aboriginal community: Why did he die? Medical reports say Billy…

Annoying white noise

Published April 14 2016 I t has come to this: If you sat in front of your television set for 10 straight hours (God forbid!) you would be bombarded with roughly three hours of commercials.…

Agricultural awakening 

By Chad Ingram T here’s a joke about Haliburton County and farming the punch line being that the poor settlers who came to the area in the 19th century with visions of bountiful crop yields…

Better Bitters

A guided tour through the art science and history of our favourite 7000-year-old beverage with beer columnist Brent Milcz. In part one of our journey from grain to glass we discussed malt and what it…

Flood of emotionBy Chad Ingram

S pringtime is flood season in Haliburton County particularly in Minden where the hearty pioneers who settled the place God bless ‘em built the community on a flood plain. It’s common this time of year…

ColumnsColumns

Open mouth insert . . . By Jim Poling I think it is time that Justin the Good sat down for a serious heart to heart with his No. 1 policeman RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson.…

Wieners 

When are government officials acting in the public interest and when are they just trying to justify their own positions? It’s difficult to tell sometimes. Case in point: a Minden Hills small business owner getting…

The wearing down of America 

People continue to shake their heads and ask how Donald Trump the vulgarian who inherited all his money got to be a U.S. presidential contender. The answer will not be found by studying the man.…

Good wood from a bad situation

Evidence continues to stack up proving that trees are among our best friends who help us to enjoy healthier and happier lives. Trees give us better air to breathe because their leaves draw in carbon…

Within without

Within without By Chad Ingram Job creation along with business attraction and retention are major and ongoing challenges in Haliburton County. They are mentioned frequently during most every municipal election (provincial and federal ones too…

Spectacular Spain

By Linda Coneybeare Travel Plus Hola! I am just back from a week on the Costa Tropical in Andalucía Spain. My sister and her husband wisely decided to spend the winter in Spain so that…

Starting with malt

A guided tour through the art science and history of our favourite 7000-year-old beverage with beer columnist Brent Milcz. As a brewer talking about how beer is born is a bit of a rabbit hole.…

Dear Minden Hills council

I am writing this open letter on behalf of the members of the Arts Council – Haliburton Highlands Board of Directors to express our dismay at the cuts to the Minden Hills Cultural Centre. The…

Arrive alive

Smart phones have changed our lives in myriad ways. The way we communicate the way we use the Internet the way we shop and date and get directions. They’ve also made our roads more dangerous.…

Canadian drama at its best 

We’ve seen the final episode of Downton Abbey but the finales of two real-life Canadian dramas will be aired within the next few weeks. A verdict in the Jian Ghomeshi sexual assault case comes down…

Just imagine 

By Chad Ingram It’s difficult impossible really for those of us living here in the comfortable 21st century with our automobiles and propane heating and pocket-sized devices capable of holding the sum total of human…

The window 

By Jim Poling I t was one of the those wood frame windows they built into 2 ½-storey family homes 100 years ago. Perhaps four feet tall and 2 ½ feet wide with a push…