Minden Times

By Emily Stonehouse I am going to say something that I doubt will win me many friends: I think we need to slow down on housing. Whoa whoa, keep reading. I promise I will explain this. To begin, I adamantly, wholly believe that housing is a human right. That every individual – regardless of background or financial status – is deserving of a roof over their head. Full stop. But that said, as someone who has waded many waters in this community, I think the term “housing” has become a bit of a buzz word.

By Emily Stonehouse If there’s one singular reason for amalgamation, please let it be fewer meetings. It’s a sticky topic. I get that. Over the course of five meetings as well as multiple conversations with township staff and members of the public this week, I am starting to understand more and more that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution. When I worked as a senior staffer at the Township of Minden Hills, I was adamantly in support of merging our municipalities.

By Emily Stonehouse A local cottage-owner has found a way to keep his happy place accessible through the years. Roger Karam and his wife, Nayla, have been coming to their cottage on Blue Hawk Lake since 2008. In a little cottage built in the early 2000s, the owners have been mindfully renovating to accommodate accessibility challenges. With a motor neuron disorder that makes walking difficult, Karam was faced with the challenge of how to get from the cottage to the water.

By Emily Stonehouse It’s that time of year again. June is forever the month of whirlwind obligations. Graduations, ceremonies, dances, recitals, tournaments, races, open houses. Every day there’s another note from the school about an upcoming event. And if public school isn’t enough, we also mix in the winding down of extra-curriculars, nice weather, and buzzing kids. But as I looked up from the pile of both personal and professional commitments, I realized the joy of celebrating these kids.

By Emily Stonehouse Over the decades, many things have changed in the newspaper world. Canadian Press standards, new words, outdated language. The methods with which we type and copy and paste have evolved and shifted. But there is one thing that myself and all the editors of the Haliburton Echo and the Minden Times from the past 50 years have in common: Murray Fearrey is one of the names we have written the most.

By Emily Stonehouse Many would notice that flags around town have been drawn to half-mast. Dysart’s longtime mayor, Murray Fearrey, passed away on Thursday, May 28. Forever calling the Haliburton Highlands his home, Fearrey was born in the community in 1941. By 1967, he had joined the workforce at the Municipality of Dysart et al as a municipal assessor; a role which allowed him to understand the intricacies of the public sector.

By Emily Stonehouse I’ve been putting a lot of thought into how we cover these upcoming municipal elections. It’s been a pleasant surprise to see the volume of names that have been thrown into the hat for the various round tables. A notable jump from the past number of acclamations and ambivalency that fogged the minds of many in recent years. My hope is that all those who have put their names forward are doing so in the name of progress as opposed to anger.

By Emily Stonehouse While we wind down a flooding season for the books, many environmental organizations have opted to start looking into mitigation strategies in an effort to slow down water concerns in the future. The Haliburton Highlands Land Trust (HHLT) recently penned an article outlining some of the efforts landowners can make that may change the outcome of the spring floods.

By Emily Stonehouse Gathering together for the Haliburton Highlands Sports Hall of Fame Induction on May 23, proved two things: We are a community of doers and dreams, and you never know someone’s full story. On the rainy Saturday, the A.J. LaRue was completely packed. Individuals of all ages and backgrounds came out to celebrate the accomplishments of a number of dedicated athletes from over the years.

By Emily Stonehouse I’ve always found the term ‘Artificial Intelligence’ (AI) to be a bit of an oxymoron. It’s right up there with ‘jumbo shrimp’ or ‘old news’. The two words clashing and pulling against one another, similar to how AI is cloaking our world; an old versus new mentality. This week in County council, Director of IT Mike March brought a report to the table, outlining the framework for how IT can be utilized and managed moving forward.