By Chad Ingram

The following are brief reports of items discussed during a May 27 online meeting of Minden Hills council.

For the second consecutive year, Minden Hills’ massive Canada Day bash in Minden’s downtown is cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, the township will host a series of virtual events in honour of the holiday.

While the online festivities are still being developed, there are plans for a fireworks display residents will be able to enjoy virtually, pre-recorded musical performances, scavenger hunts with prizes, quizzes and word searches, and family celebration kits including a variety of activities.
The township received $5,000 in funding from the federal government’s Commemorate Canada program to cover the cost of the programming,

MH supports short-term rental regs at upper tier
During a May 12 committee-of-the-whole meeting, Haliburton County councillors agreed that conversations surrounding the creation of short-term rental regulations for the county’s four lower-tier municipalities should move to the county table, with any regulations or licensing system that may be created enacted across the county in a uniform fashion.

Chief administrative officer Trisha McKibbin told councillors she’d received input from municipal planners in the county on the issue, “and they think it’s quite beneficial for the county to undertake this, and that it would be a more comprehensive way of framing the issue and provide an opportunity for a regional approach.”

Councillors were supportive of the idea.
“I think it’s really important that council does support this resolution,” said Deputy Mayor Lisa Schell, noting a number of lakes in the county, Lake Kashagawigamog for instance, straddle municipal borders and adding it makes sense to have consistent regulations across the board.

Mayor Brent Devolin noted there would be plenty of opportunity for public input on the issue.
“There will be a mechanism for [stakeholders] to have input into this, and … if this is agreed with across the county, there’ll be a plan and strategy to be developed, and that’ll be rolled out, and all of those groups will be informed, including members of municipal councils, how they can have direct input into this process,” Devolin said.