Lindsay Advocate — News. Community. Wellness.

New study shows Kawartha Lakes just slightly above average in food bank use

Published on August 20, 2019 in Community/Poverty Reduction by Lindsay Advocate

A new study has found that Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock, had 3,978 people visit a food bank out of a population of 113,960. 34 per cent of these individuals are children, which is one per cent above the provincial average.

On July 24 Feed Ontario released a new study revealing hunger and food bank use rates across every electoral riding in Ontario. In partnership with Fleming College’s Geographic Information Systems program, they have created an interactive map that allows users to compare provincial electoral ridings, including information on Food Bank Use, mean and median income, and housing.

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Benns’ Belief: This land is our land — and we must protect it

Published on August 20, 2019 in Opinion by Roderick Benns

“We no longer see the world as a single entity. We’ve moved to cities and we think the economy is what gives us our life …without regard to what it does to the rest of the world.” – David Suzuki

It’s a privilege to be able to drive across Canada, not the least of which is because it helps one understand the essence of the country better than dropping in on big cities by plane. However, the cost of lodging, gasoline, and time away from jobs makes it next to impossible for too many Canadians.

So, it was indeed a privilege for us to be able to travel over 12,500 kilometres to the Yukon and back a few years ago for over a month, seeing this great country in a way that few of us do.

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Local farmers struggling from wet spring, overall effects of changing climate

Published on August 19, 2019 in Community by Mallory Cramp-Waldinsperger

After examining her soil-stained hands for a moment, Jessica Foote looks out at the fields of her farm, on which several acres of crops have already been lost this year. “We’re at the beck and call of mother nature,” she says, before wiping some of the soil from her hands. Foote, one of many area farmers struggling this year, is the owner of Lunar Rhythm Gardens has been working in agriculture since she was nine-years-old, under the guidance of her father.

Despite the high elevation of her Janetville property, flooding has already destroyed six acres of alfalfa, along with several of Foote’s lettuce crops.

“It’s the extremes that do it,” she says.

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Disturbed by excessive car noise? Start letting police know

Published on August 18, 2019 in Community by Roderick Benns

Disturbed by excessive car noise? Start telling the police

What’s more annoying than excessively loud car or motorcycle noise?

Not much, for most people. And yet Kawartha Lakes Police Service write very few tickets for this infraction, mainly because most people don’t complain about it to them. So far in 2019, police have only issued two infraction notices for “unnecessary noise.”

Typically, police choose an “enforcement initiative” each month to concentrate on (distracted driving, impaired driving, etc.), choices that are often generated by concerns raised by the community, according to Sgt. Dave Murtha.

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Passion Projects – Briarwood Tarts takes the cake

Published on August 16, 2019 in Community by Mallory Cramp-Waldinsperger

Miya Bradburn has always loved to bake for her family and friends.

For many years, however, there was one exception to her passion; Bradburn refused to make tarts. “I was probably close to 35 when I made my first pastry,” explains Bradburn, who was continually encouraged by her mother, Helene.

“It’s kind of funny really. Making pastry is one of the things that you say you can’t do, but you end up doing it and realize it’s actually fun…that does make me chuckle a little bit,” says Bradburn.

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New Lindsay transit route, expanded fleet, as part of new infrastructure money

Published on August 16, 2019 in Federal/Municipal/Provincial by Roderick Benns

New Lindsay bus route, expanded fleet, as part of new infrastructure money

Lindsay Transit will be updating its fleet, adding a new route, creating bike racks on buses and upgrading transit software, among other changes after the Province announced new infrastructure funding.

Laurie Scott, minister of infrastructure, announced Kawartha Lakes has been nominated for funding under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP). Ontario will be investing upwards of $790,000 to go towards new transit infrastructure projects.

The project is being nominated under the Public Transit stream of the ICIP, a 10-year, $30 billion fund created by Federal and Provincial levels of government to provide support to help municipalities repair or build critical infrastructure.

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Quitting a job: What if you want to take it all back?

Published on August 15, 2019 in Opinion by Wards Lawyers

New study shows major job and income challenges for Kawartha Lakes

Quitting is a normal part of any employment relationship. Any employee contemplating doing so will have hopefully made the right decision without feeling the sting of regret. Regret is a common consideration as resignations will often prompt questions related to “are you sure about this?” from an employer, and it turns out the response to that question could be critical.

At law a resignation must be ‘clear and unequivocal’ in consideration of all the contextual factors surrounding the resignation. This would make most employers feel confident that a resignation given in writing would be firm and enforceable. But a recent case from the Ontario Court of Appeal draws some uncertainty into such a situation.

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Worker cooperatives: A path to equality

Published on August 15, 2019 in Opinion by Judy Paul

Quickly. Can you name five cooperatives? La Siembra Cooperative sells delicious Fair Trade chocolate bars, my bank is the Waterloo Education Credit Union and I buy outdoor equipment at Mountain Equipment Co-op. Over 20 organizations are part of the Haliburton County Community Co-operative and Huntsville recently launched the Muskoka North Good Food Co-op. How did you do with your list?

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Active Again continues in Fenelon Falls; Bobcaygeon program to start in fall

Published on August 14, 2019 in Around Town/Community by Trevor Hutchinson

Active Again — a program that encourages older adults to try various recreational activities in a comfortable environment with other participants who may require an ‘adaptive’ or modified approach to participating — was launched as a pilot project for 2019 in Fenelon Falls.

The Active Again pilot program was born when the Kawartha Cycling Club received a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation in 2018 to fund the initiative. KLSRC has worked closely with six different sport and rec providers in the area to put together and facilitate the program.

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Nurse practitioner starting practice in Woodville

Published on August 12, 2019 in Health by Lindsay Advocate

Cheryl Marks, Nurse Practitioner, is coming to provide care for local patients at the Woodville Medical Centre, beginning the week after Labour Day. Marks will be a permanent, full-time, primary care provider with the City of Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team.

A newcomer to the area, Marks has career experience in the hospital, long-term care, and family health team settings. She has also provided nursing care in neonatal units, infection disease centres and sexual assault treatment facilities. Marks is looking forward to starting her practice now in Woodville and providing care to local patients. Dana Robertson will continue to be the medical receptionist for patients onsite.