The Lindsay Advocate - July 2020

LOSANG RABGEY RECONNECTS WITH LOCAL ROOTS | TREVOR’S TAKE: WHITE PRIVILEGE & WHITE FRAGILITY

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July 2020 • Vol 3 • Issue 28

PUBLISHED BY

Fireside Publishing House, a proudly Canadian company.

The Lindsay Advocate is published monthly and distributed to a wide variety of businesses and locations within Kawartha Lakes, North Durham and southern Haliburton County. We are a proud member of the Lindsay and District and Fenelon Falls Chambers of Commerce.

TEAM ADVOCATE

CONTENTS KAWARTHA LAKES’ FINEST MAGAZINE

FEATURES

EDITORIAL

Publisher and Writer-at-Large: Roderick Benns Contributing Editor & Writer-at-Large: Trevor Hutchinson Associate Editor: Nancy Payne Research, Strategy & Development: Joli Scheidler-Benns Contributing Writers: Roderick Benns, Trevor Hutchinson,

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Jamie Morris, Ian McKechnie, Nancy Payne, Kirk Winter Web Developer: Kimberley Griffith LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND TO

kawarthalakespublisher@gmail.com ADVERTISING & MARKETING

Advertising/Editorial inquiries: Roderick Benns

705-341-1496

CREATIVE

Graphic Design: Barton Creative Co. Photography: Sienna Frost, Erin Burrell, Jamie Morris,

Nancy Payne, Roderick Benns

Visit www.lindsayadvocate.ca for many more stories FOLLOW US ON

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The Lindsay Advocate @lindsayadvocate Roderick Benns @roderickbenns

c /The Lindsay Advocate

PRINTING

Printed by Maracle Inc. OUR PRIVACY POLICY The Lindsay Advocate is independently owned and operated. The opinions expressed herein are the views of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of this magazine. Photos, text, and art work contained in The Lindsay Advocate are copyrighted and may not be published, broadcast, or rewritten without the express permission of the Publisher. Liability for incorrectly displayed advertising is limited to publishing corrections or advertising credit for subsequent issues. The Publisher reserves the right to reject, revise, cancel, omit, discontinue or even decline to print advertising without reason or liability, and without notice. The Publisher has made every effort to ensure information contained herein was accurate at press time. The Publisher does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any party for damage, loss, or disruption caused by errors or omissions.

9 9 GETTING UP TO SPEED

The quest for fast rural internet is leading to major investments by all levels of government.

Will it be enough?

12 Editorial: Pointing fingers

vs. accountability.

13 Op-Ed: Rural learners need reliable, fast internet.

16 BACKYARD TOURIST

The northwest corner of Kawartha Lakes has some hidden gems you shouldn’t miss.

23 E-BIKE JOURNEY

Find out what the trip is like on an electric bike from Lindsay to Fenelon Falls.

26 COBOCONK WELLNESS CENTRE

New/Tentative development would boost local medical care.

IN EVERY ISSUE

4 Letters to the Editor 5 Benns’ Belief 6 UpFront 12 Kawartha Lakes Lite 33 Crossword 34 Friends & Neighbours 36 Just in Time 38 Trevor’s Take

Our Vision

We care about the social wellness of our community and our country. Our vision includes strong public enterprises mixed with healthy small businesses to serve our communities’ needs. We put human values ahead of economic values and many of our stories reflect the society we work to build each day. ~ Roderick and Joli

Advertising Sales: Contact us at 705-341-1496 • kawarthalakespublisher@gmail.com

‘Social determinants’ of gun violence need to be addressed A TE

LIN

DSAY

AD O C V

A little bit of heaven in Pleasant Point

In March of this year our church in Pleasant Point received a heritage designation from the City of Kawartha Lakes. The church was built in 1922 and the structure itself is very basic with no stained glass windows, no special seating and everyone is welcome. It was built by volunteers and one carpenter in one day with money from the cottagers in the area.

I have visited many major churches around the world.

Each one has its own unique structural features, stained glass windows and impressive altars; however, they feel very impersonal.

Our little church reflects the community and the people who built it. When I sit in the church on a Sunday morning with the windows wide open, the sound of the wind in the trees, the smell of pine needles in the air, the songbirds and yes even the occasional powerboat passing by on Sturgeon Lake, I am contented.

I don’t feel guilty, I don’t feel superior and I am not even jealous of all those other churches I have visited. I do wish, however, that every person could at least once experience a church service in our little bit of heaven.

George Baillie, Pleasant Point

Joe Keele was no hero, says Lindsay resident

This is regarding the letter in the June issue of the Advocate, “Lindsay’s Unknown War Hero and Renaissance Man,” by Alan Gregory.

Keele went off to war to fight some native people and Metis in 1885 in Batoche, Saskatchewan. Local people were trampled on by a government thousands of miles away and by a queen that did not even live in Canada.

After a successful war by the government in Batoche, Louis Riel was hanged. Now our governments are really sorry, and we build statues in his honour. A sad story, and what a war hero that Joe Keele is.

Gunter Schubert, Lindsay

This is in response to the article in the Advocate’s June 2020 issue, “The Great Debate” on the proposed federal gun law.

Removing the newly listed (and unlisted) prohibited firearms won’t end or significantly reduce gun violence as the government, and society, are collectively seeking.

The government needs to commit right now to tackling the social determinants of gun violence, gangs and the demand for illicit firearms. Significant investments need to be made today to ensure a reduction in gun violence tomorrow. This will require a sustained commitment of resourcing and government priority.

This includes giving Canada Border Services Agency the tools and resources needed to stop the flow of illegal firearms into Canada, as well as further investments in police services at all levels to tackle gangs, organized crime and the market for illegal firearms.

Once investments have been made in catching criminals, we need to make sure they are fully prosecuted. This will require further investments in our justice system with the capacity and policies needed to keep criminals in jail.

Canada needs to show leadership in the coordination of police services across the country to better flag suspicious purchases and other firearm-related criminal offences. This has been identified as a significant gap that has contributed to domestically-sourced firearms into the criminal element. It should have received government attention prior to implementing a ban.

This serves as a prime example of a non-regulatory alternative that could have enhanced public safety.

Robert Wiggins, Lindsay

We want your letters!

Send us your thoughts to be featured on this page.

The Lindsay Advocate welcomes your Letters to the Editor. We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity or length. Simply email thelindsayadvocate@gmail.com.

Please keep your letters to 200 words or less.

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BENNS’ BELIEF

RODERICK BENNS, PUBLISHER

To grow and be better

Every edition of the Advocate is a labour of love.

We want to provide our readers with as much value as we can and keep this free, thanks to our advertisers and supporters.

One of the features we’ve added this month will become a regular staple — an editorial section (on pages 12-13.) This will become an important expression of the Advocate’s views as your local news outlet of record, and yet another way of keeping you informed to the best of our ability.

The editorial on the left-hand side is discussed by the editors and then written by a member of the team. There is no byline since it is the magazine’s viewpoint.

The right-hand “op-ed” (which simply means opposite the editorial page) is an opinion piece that will feature one of our writers, or sometimes a guest.

Local opinion pieces are among the most popular items in newspapers and magazines and we hope to provoke interesting discussions with this section.

Regular readers will notice we’ve also added a Canadian-accented crossword puzzle, as well as a topical cartoon by Little Britain’s Walt Radda.

We’ve noticed that much of our competition has either moved to an online-only format or has always only been available online. But we believe Kawartha Lakes residents want an actual print copy in their hands — especially a higher-quality offering like the Advocate.

While older people have always enjoyed magazines, it turns out millennials and members of Gen Z love them, too.

About two years ago, The New York Times noticed an uptick in interest for smaller-run magazines, even with younger people. Gen Z folks spend an hour a week reading magazines, according to a 2018 survey of 2,500 college students.

Some, like Aron Caruso of Folio magazine, suggest it’s likely because a printed publication provides a welcome break from the sensory overload of the ubiquitous digital experience. “Magazines tell stories in ways that digital simply can’t, in pictures and in words — people save print magazines.”

Indeed. We know many folks who started their personal Advocate collection with the first issue. We appreciate these citizen archivists as we work with you to create a better community.

As mentioned two years ago in one of my first columns, Lindsay’s very first newspaper was called The Lindsay Advocate, first published in 1855 by Edward D. Hand. We certainly had no inkling of this when we created the Advocate for Kawartha Lakes.

The paper’s goal, at the time in 1855, was to further “the interests of this Town and County and advocating whatever will, in any way, tend to their well-being and improvement…”

We are proud to carry this trust forward and to have you as a reader.

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UPFRONT

Bee a hero }} 2020 Kawartha Lakes Pollinator Garden Challenge

With scientists ringing the alarm bells that native pollinators are disappearing at an unprecedented rate, Bee City Kawartha Lakes is launching a contest and challenge.

With just a few simple additions to your outdoor space to help build the Kawartha Pollinator Pathway, you could create a prizewinning pollinator habitat. Anyone can participate, including individual residents, schools, churches, businesses and farms.

By encouraging local residents to plant pollinatorfriendly plants, the city is aiming to build a corridor across Kawartha Lakes. Native species such as coneflowers and bee balm are best but any single flower plant that hasn’t been sprayed with pesticides will do. Zinnias, though not native, are always a good choice. Search “Bee City Kawartha Lakes” for a list of the best plants. You will also need to include at least one of the pollinator aids listed on the site.

Just take a picture of your garden or container before you plant and another picture at the end of July and submit through the same website by clicking on the Bee a Hero! bar. Older and new gardens can enter.

Winners will be chosen in late August. There are first, second and third prizes for container gardens, for children 12 and younger, and for those aged 13 and older in each category.

Rockwood Forest Nurseries gives portion of its revenues to MADD Rockwood Forest Nurseries north of Cameron is helping MADD Canada to raise awareness about impaired driving.

Rockwood has agreed to give five per cent of its revenue to MADD for each red maple tree sold up until Nov. 30.

The nursery sells a variety of trees (shade and fruit trees), evergreens, shrubs and perennials to both wholesale and retail customers across Canada.

Rockwood Forest Nurseries is under new management.

Contact www.rockwoodforest.com or visit at the nursery at 437 Mark Road, Cameron.

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Business UPFRONT

Imperial Stylish Fit alters tailoring business to make reusable cloth face masks

Nasir and Shafiqua Ahmad of Imperial Stylish Fit. Photo: Jamie Morris.

What do you do if your alteration and tailoring business has been forced to close during the pandemic?

If you’re Nasir and Shafiqua Ahmad of Imperial Stylish Fit, you get creative and sew face masks, and then do contactless sales from your shop.

The Ahmads offer face masks in threestyles and in 35 patterns. All masks are double-layered fabric, reversible and washable; all have a wire sewn in that can be pinched for closer fit around the nose.

Prices range from $4 for a microfibre version to $6 for pleated cotton masks and $7.50 for unpleated ones (which are more complicated to cut and sew).

Customers can see the full line and place orders at www.imperialsfalteration.com for pickup at the shop, located at 60 Russell St. in Lindsay. Or, visit the shop and select from masks displayed behind the windows.

Invitation to small businesses

We have a challenging year ahead of us as a country, as a province and as a municipality. Fortunately, we have each other, along with a community that is more determined than ever to buy local.

Small businesses are realizing how important it is to be a part of the Lindsay + District Chamber of Commerce. (Or, depending on where you live in Kawartha Lakes, the Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls or Coboconk-Norland chambers, too.)

When you join your local non-profit chamber, it will get to work for you, whether by helping you increase your social media presence, or providing business referrals, networking opportunities, workshops and access to member benefits including group health insurance, preferred home and auto insurance rates, discounts at Purolator, Roderick Benns, LDCC president.

Staples and Esso, and so much more.

We are fortunate to live in a community that has most everything we need. We just need to make the choice to support each other. We all understand how important that is now.

Let’s meet the challenge of 2020 head-on — together.

The cost to join your local chamber is as little as $215 for the whole year.

Call 705-324-2393 or email info@lindsaychamber.com to learn more.

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7

Keep Loool Kawwwwhh Laaaa

Some of us spend a lot of time on floors.

Help support our farmers, businesses and entrepreneurs during COVID-19 by keeping it local.

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Visit a Farmers Market for some fresh food or order your next meal from a local restaurant. Many of them are now open and operating.

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Downtowns and small shops are also now open, with new protocols in place to keep you safe. Support our economy by buying your next gift from a local business.

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Show your support in any way you can to those who need it in our community, such as donating food to local food banks & shelters.

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Getting up to speed

}} The quest for fast rural internet in Kawartha Lakes

TREVOR HUTCHINSON, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Angela Field owns Tradewind Toys & Gifts in Lindsay. But she lives outside of town — and her internet has been letting her down. Photo: Sienna Frost.

“Our internet service is just deplorable,” declares Angela Field.

The entrepreneur and mother of four describes a situation where data must be rationed – that is, only a little bit of internet time can be used per day for fear of going over an internet company’s cap and being forced to pay more. Family members must alternate their activities with only one person online at any given time.

And Field, with her husband Evan Lang, lives just 15 minutes outside of Lindsay — the largest settlement area in the city.

“In fact, our service is so bad, we are currently getting a credit from our provider because we are only receiving a small fraction of the service we are paying for,” she adds.

Field describes a situation that is all too common for rural residents of our city: horrible rural internet.

Mayor Andy Letham is keenly aware of situations like Field’s. Letham describes the state of rural internet in the city as “all over the place.”

“We have some areas with access to fibre lines direct to the home. In the rural areas, we have gaps.

There are line-of-sight issues to a tower. There are other areas that basically have a dial-up level of service. In the south there are pockets that have dead zones,” says the mayor.

For Field, it is a question of fairness. “There is a huge rural population here and for many of us there is nothing in terms of internet. I don’t expect the same service as people get in town. We choose to live rurally,” she says.

However, Field notes that COVID-19 has only heightened the need for good internet, given the growing importance of working from home and home-based education.

CONT’D ON PAGE 11

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Join Us!

We’re here to support you Learn more about the support we offer seniors in Bobcaygeon each day.

Virtual tours available.

Please call Lindsay

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Every year for the last 10 years we have had increased demand for broadband. I believe COVID has forever changed the demand for broadband.

RURAL INTERNET CONT’D FROM PAGE 9

How internet speeds work The speed of an internet connection is measured in megabytes per second (Mbps).

Those speeds are further broken down into download speed (how fast it takes to stream Netflix or open an attached photo for example) and upload speed (how fast you can upload a Facebook video for example).

Anything below a download speed of 1.5 Mbps and you are probably unable to stream video or music.

You need a minimum of 5 Mbps to stream highdefinition video. —TH

d d d d

Letham, for his part agrees, noting that, “Every year for the last 10 years we have had increased demand for broadband. I believe COVID has forever changed the demand for broadband.”

If there is one piece of good news that has arisen from the pandemic, it may be that the issue of rural internet access is finally on the radar of all levels of government and among the various opposition parties.

Politicians at all level are keen to be seen as investing big dollars in improving the situation.

For instance, the federal government is devoting significant resources to the problem. In a written statement to the Advocate, Marie-Pier Baril, press secretary for Maryam Monsef, the minister for women and gender equality and rural economic development, describes an ambitious plan.

“Included in this $6-billion investment is the new $1-billion Universal Broadband Fund, which will launch soon ... and $585 million has been invested in the Connect to Innovate program, which is on track to connect over 975 communities across Canada to high-speed internet by 2023,” states Baril.

Baril explains in the statement that the previously-mentioned funding also includes the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s (CRTC) $750-million broadband fund that will help to improve connectivity across the country through investments in cable, towers, satellites or whatever it takes.

Financing will also be available through the Canada Infrastructure Bank which is seeking to invest $1 billion to support broadband infrastructure across the country. Two billion dollars is also available through the Rural and CONT’D ON PAGE 15

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11

EDITORIAL

Pointing fingers vs. ensuring accountability Back in mid-March, if you didn’t have strong opinions about what the decision-makers were doing, you were in the minority.

Closing schools after March break was either ridiculous or not stringent enough. The NBA overreacted by shutting down so fast, and the federal government under-reacted by not shutting the border fast enough.

Author Karen Armstrong writes that our opinions these days tend to be characterized by “aggressive certainty.” And, as we’ve seen, aggressive certainty quickly leads to blame, whether it’s aimed at people in a park or at our leaders at all levels of government.

That’s a lot of negative energy flying around our community, especially since dirty looks don’t actually change anything. As CBC Radio’s Michael Enright lamented in another context, we’ve become a nation of hall monitors, bent on pointing out the misdeeds of others rather than focusing on the only behaviour we can change which is, of course, our own.

Similarly, when it comes to public life, we need to differentiate between unhelpful and unproductive finger-pointing, and democratic demands for accountability.

Blaming those in authority for missteps is unfair. Establishing what went wrong, on the other hand, is essential to helping us prepare for future health crises.

We’re all learning as we go, doing our best with the information we have, but that doesn’t mean that city hall, the health unit, school boards, the conservation authority or other public agencies are exempt from legitimate criticism.

It’s just common sense to require various levels of government to account for mixed messages so we can do better in the future.

A strong community is built on a foundation of respect and compassion for all. It starts with each of us taking responsibility for our own actions and looking out for the safety of others, and insisting that those in charge do likewise.

LETTER SPOTLIGHT Treasure those around us Adelaide Place has been helping our mom through this challenging time. The agency called ParaMed schedules personal support workers (PSWs) to assist the residents in this and many facilities in the area.

I want to give a shout-out to all those great PSWs who have been not only helping our mom through this challenging time but also servicing many homes in the area.

Perhaps these workers will get more acknowledgement for their hard work and the endless smiles they constantly give to residents. It’s physically draining, running from job to job with timelines and restrictions. It’s hard to get full-time hours which I believe may change given all that’s happened in many nursing homes in Ontario.

I think this virus is bringing attention to many different aspects of life. It’s taught us to treasure those around us.

It’s shown how workers have stepped up to show their strengths — and somehow we have a kind of certainty that we’re going to be okay. We’re working together like we’ve never had to before.This virus has taken away many and my heart goes out to the families and the loved ones. They will be remembered.

Darlene Hannam, Cavan

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OPINION

Rural learners deserve reliable, cost-effective internet

KIRK WINTER, WRITER-AT-LARGE

focused on a family whose four children have so exploded Even the most fortunate parents with motivated chiltheir “skinny” rural internet package costs that the dren and the right technology have found it a challenge parents, both now on the federal CERB, had to cancel to keep on top of their child’s distance learning over the their plan. When they contacted one of the local public past three months as the school year wound down. boards to explain their situation they were told to drive We all need to spare a moment’s thought for many in from their home in the north of the city to sit in the families in Kawartha Lakes who live in rural areas. Many parking lot of their children’s school and try to access of these families must contend with poor speeds or internet from there. That was all the education superinrestricted internet usage time to allow their children to tendent had to offer. do their school work.

Why is this issue important? Rural Parents, on satellite or — heaven kids are disproportionately falling behind forbid — dial-up (yes, that’s still a thing), and, in some cases, completely stopped have reported that they cannot both submitting lessons at all to their teachers work from home and have their chilin May and June. One rural elementary dren doing school work at the same Rural kids are teacher told me her attendance and time. disproportionately lesson completion was well under An acquaintance posted that since the pandemic has begun and her family falling behind and, 25 per cent. The fear is that only the keen and affluent children whose parof five have been forced to use their in some cases, have ents have the time and money to make rural internet for work and school on a daily basis, they have not had a completely stopped rural distance learning work will succeed, including when whatever kind of single day where their internet session submitting lessons schooling resumes this fall. has not unceremoniously ended. Too Here’s hoping that help is on the many people accessing the internet at all to their way from all three levels of government in rural areas means people are often teachers. that have pledged tens of millions of kicked off by their provider in prime dollars to build broadband infrastructime. ture across east central Ontario. CounUnlimited rural internet is wildly cil recently approved a new cellular tower on the Glenaexpensive, if available at all. Lindsay residents can pay as little as $45 a month for unlimited high-speed internet rm Road that will hopefully provide better rural service to hundreds of families in the north area of the city. with no installation costs. Some Kawartha Lakes rural The only thing that cannot be guaranteed during this suppliers want approximately $115 a month for a much slower unlimited service with $200 upfront in installation. upcoming cellular expansion is cost certainty for families of modest means. Unless the federal government is preRural families without unlimited packages are experiencpared to regulate rural internet fees, for many the expaning usage overages that are leading to bills which are not sions of services could be beyond their financial reach. sustainable.

One of the saddest stories I have heard so far in this pandemic regarding the inequality of internet access

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RURAL INTERNET

Cindy Ray

CONT’D FROM PAGE 11

SALES REPRESENTATIVE

AFFINITY GROUP

Northern Communities stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, which allocates funding to the 273 Kent Street West provinces and territories.

Lindsay, ON In early June 2020, the provincial government CELL: 705-340-1188 announced $150 million dollars of funding to improve OFFICE: 705-324-2552 broadband access in under-served areas of the province. www.cindyray.ca That funding is part of a $315 million dollar plan called HOME IS NOT A PLACE...IT’S A FEELING. LET ME HELP WITH YOURS. Up to Speed: Ontario’s Broadband and Cellular Action Plan.

In a media release from the premier’s office, local MPP and minister of infrastructure, Laurie Scott, highlighted the importance of reliable internet access, which has been made more urgent because of COVID. “It appears that functioning remotely will continue to be a regular way of life for many in this new environment, and fast reliable internet will be critical. The ICON (Improving Connectivity in Ontario) program is an Auction Barn Services Farm • Estate • Business Closures important step towards bridging the digital divide,” Scott says.

Phone or Fax: 705-786-2183 So, there is a lot of funding being announced. But just 1241 Salem Rd. Little Britain, ON K0M 2C0 EXT:png:END EXT what will we be spending this money on? info@corneilauctions.com To understand the current state of rural internet we www.corneilauctions.com first need a basic understanding of the terms used to describe internet service.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunica- EXT:png:END EXT tions Commission has identified broadband service as a basic service that should be available to all. They have identified a speed of 50 Mbps upload and 10 Mbps download with unlimited data — often shortened to 50/10 — as the minimum goal for Canada. That speed enables people to use cloud-based software (the ability to access software on shared computer resources using the internet), use video chat for a doctor’s appointment, and stream www.hubinter.com high-definition videos. The federal plan, launched before COVID-19, called for 90 per cent of Canadians to have access to these speeds by 2021 with the remaining 10 per cent of Canadian households reached in two phases over the following 10 years.

For comparison, many residents in Lindsay enjoy speeds of up to one gigabyte per second (Gbps) of download (or 20 times this new national standard) because they get fibre wire (the most efficient way to transmit data) right to their house. The Field and Lang family, by contrast, can only access one to three Mbps, or up to 50 times slower than the suggested minimum standard.

Lindsay, ON: (705) 324-6136 | 1-800-267-8665 P I N N A C L E R E A LT Y LT D . B R O K E R A G E

CONT’D ON PAGE 20

Port Perry, ON: (905) 982-1500 | 1-866-882-5271

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15

Backyard Tourist

}} Peace, Beauty, Water, Stone The northwest corner of Kawartha Lakes offers beautiful scenery, fascinating history, interesting people and great food.

NANCY PAYNE, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Kawartha La k road trip es Elliott Falls

the stone barn victoria road Quaker OAks

victoria falls Kirkfield Lift Lock Kawartha La kes Carden Alvar

road trip

ry’s cemetery St. MaEl liott Falls Stone Fences the stone barn victoria r

d the staycation, but This is definitely the summeroaof while splashier travel plans are on hold, we have a chance ks of the world with aker OApiece to discover our own Qu beautiful fresh eyes and an open mind. I recently spent a glorious victoria early summer day exploring thefalls most sparsely populated part of Kawartha KiLakes, the area west of Highway 35 rkfield Lifroad t Lock and north of Kawartha Lakes #48.

I’d planned to take five hours; I spent eight Carfour den or AlvarIf you live in the area and still felt like I’d missed things.

— roughly the former Carden, Dalton and Laxton townry if you visit from s cemeteAnd ry’special.

Mait’s ships — you knowSt. why other parts of Kawartha you’ll know right away StoneLakes, Fe n ce s that you’ve stumbled on someplace memorable.

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kawartha Lakes 35

115

7

peterborough

115 toronto

ottawa

401

4

401

1. Elliott Falls Dancing dragonflies and a pretty park welcome you to modest but lovely Elliott Falls. Cross to the far side of the water, follow the path and look back up the Gull River for the best view.

To get there, turn east on Elliot Falls Road just north of Norland. (That’s not a typo. The road has one t; the falls have two.)

of course), it was one of many socalled colonization roads built around Ontario at the time.

2. The Stone Barn

4. Quaker Oaks

Where most old barns have one storey of stone and the rest is wood, this one-of-a-kind version has 61-centimetre-thick stone walls that stretch right up to the roof line. The 101-yearold barn, which withstood an earthquake in 1930, is now a gift shop and wedding venue, part of The Links at Monck’s Landing golf course. 155 Hilton’s Point Road.

3. The Victoria Road Kawartha Lakes #35 (not the highway) is also called the Victoria Road. It starts at Monck Road, winding through trees at the north end and then running straight — very straight — south to Glenarm. Constructed between 1859 and 1864 to enable logging and encourage settlement (with no regard for Indigenous people using the land,

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This eclectic little store/bakery/vegetable market/farm animal sanctuary may be more familiar to cottagers than to those of us who live close by. Owners Mark and Judy Spurr helped found Toronto’s Riverdale Farm, but ultimately chose to live where they spent their summers. Specialties are excellent homemade fruit and butter tarts and giant olives with a choice of 15 different stuffings, from blue cheese to peanut butter. I recommend the espresso, but you can also grab a sandwich while you browse the impressive selection of food and novelty items amid the Beatles and Grace Jones record covers on the walls. Allow time to visit with Mark and Judy; they’ll remember you next time you stop in. 789 Monck Road (KL#45); closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

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CONT’D ON PAGE 18

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BACKYARD TOURIST CONT’D FROM PAGE 17

5. Victoria Falls The view of tumbling water cascading through a huge rock chute makes the commitment of getting here completely worth it. Just be sure you have a vehicle that can handle the 12-kilometre oneway drive on a gravel road; the last few kilometres get quite rutted and bumpy.

Otherwise well-maintained, the road follows the Black River, weaving in and out of land belonging to the Couchiching Conservancy, private cottagers and the Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park. Bring a picnic or just sit on the sun-warmed rocks to nap or read. I took easy trails down both sides of the water to see the falls from as many angles as possible. It’s hard to get a sense of scale in a photograph, but trust me — it’s gorgeous.

Take KL#6 to Sadowa, and turn north, where the same road is also known as the Chisholm Trail. When you get to a T just over the Black River, #6 turns west, but you want to go east on the Black River Road. It will take about 25 minutes from there to get to the falls, so give yourself lots of time to enjoy the scenery on the way, and to explore when you arrive.

6. Kirkfield Lift Lock How many times have you pontificated about this being the second-highest hydraulic lift lock in the world, and the highest point of land on the Trent-Severn Waterway? And how many times have you actually visited it yourself? I thought so. Climb the stairs for a lovely view and to watch boats being locked through. I find the massive 1907 structure itself as beautiful as it is impressive.

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7. Carden Alvar I used to see the Carden plain, as we called it, through the eyes of a farm kid — good for grazing cattle but not much else. Now I understand how lucky we are to have this expanse of limestone and its precious and unique ecosystem so close by. If you want to learn more, head to the Carden Nature Festival in early June. But in the meantime, simply drive or cycle slowly on one of the (often very bumpy and narrow) side roads that cut through the alvar, and stop to read the helpful information panels. I’m no naturalist, but even I could see how different this area is from the gentle farmland to the south and the Canadian Shield

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to the north. The alvar supports a wide range of plants and animals that can only be found here, like the lovely prairie smoke flower in the photo. That’s also why you’ll encounter birders from all over the world setting up their giant zoom lenses on the roadside. McNamee Road is in better shape, and also where I spotted a bear cub up a tree right above some casually grazing cattle.

8. St. Mary’s cemetery Just north of the hamlet of Victoria Road, this is a peaceful place to stretch your legs and admire the beautiful setting.

9. Stone Fences I can’t believe it took me this long to discover this piece of the British Isles in our midst. In 1880, railway owner George Laidlaw brought a stonemason from his native Scotland to build traditional dry stone fences around his ranch.

The stones are carefully stacked with no mortar or wires to keep them in place.

Some are overgrown, some stand tall with pointed tops, but all are magical.

From KL #48, turn southeast on Balsam Lake Drive.

Hear Nancy talk about her staycation on episode 9 of The Advocate Podcast, sponsored by Wards Lawyers. You can listen to it for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or via thelindsayadvocate.ca.

TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS • Act like you’re on vacation somewhere else and you’ll find delights everywhere.

• Bring a paper map. Cell and GPS reception can be spotty.

• Leave time for an impromptu walk or to poke around an antique store.

• Public washrooms may be reopening, but even in the best of times, there aren’t many spots to “go.”

• Bring lots of water and some snacks in case you extend your day, but if you can, support local businesses by buying a meal en route, whether from a chip truck or takeout from the excel lent Riverside Inn in Norland to enjoy in the park across the road.

• There will be mosquitoes.

And probably deer flies and horseflies, depending on when you go.

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RURAL INTERNET CONT’D FROM PAGE 15

This is one aspect of what policy experts in the field call the digital divide: the gulf between people who can access the internet and those who cannot.

It’s not just about streaming movies, either. The frequent dropping of internet can prevent types of online learning. Or a business in the city’s rural area might not be able to participate in any of the city’s online webinars.

Slow internet might be a minor irritant in larger centres, but slow service in rural areas can prohibit working from home at all in some cases — which in turn has major implications for attracting new residents and businesses.

It’s been said many times locally that “How’s the internet?” is the number one question realtors get from people who are considering a move to Kawartha Lakes.

Given that more people than ever are working from home as a result of the pandemic, it’s not surprising there’s more need for faster internet.

Mike Rutter, the chief administration officer of Haliburton County, is also the CAO and co-lead of the Eastern Ontario Rural Network (EORN). EORN is an independent not-for-profit dedicated to improving rural connectivity across eastern Ontario and was created by the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (of which Letham is chair). Rutter explains that an EORN gap analysis showed that 54 per cent of the rural areas of eastern Ontario do not have access to 50/10.

Kawartha Lakes Mayor Andy Letham.

Photo: Erin Burrell.

EORN is the group that first brought fibre internet (with a then-fast 10 Mbps speed) to the area between 2005 and 2010. They want to see a proposal that would bring a one-Gbps backbone to all of eastern Ontario, including Kawartha Lakes. This proposed project is estimated to cost $1.2 to $1.6 billion.

According to Rutter, the idea is to build a futureproofed system.

Letham is also an enthusiastic supporter of the EORN plan. The mayor’s economic recovery task force listed high-speed broadband as one of its two main suggestions to encourage an economic recovery locally.

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}} Lindsay to Fenelon Falls

Here’s what the journey is like on an electric bike

Jamie Morris on his electric bike journey.

Photo: Sienna Frost.

JAMIE MORRIS, WRITER-AT-LARGE

It’s the first “heat event” of the season and temperatures are forecast to reach 35 degrees with the humidity. This — of all days — is the day I’ve arranged to borrow a bicycle and ride the Victoria Rail Trail from Lindsay to Fenelon Falls and back.

Maybe not what the doctor ordered for a 68-year-old who’s barely broken a sweat since early March, when the pandemic confined many of us to long stretches at home with brief, anxious expeditions to pick up groceries.

Thankfully, the bicycle, on loan from Pedego Kawartha Lakes in Bobcaygeon, is electric. And not just that: it is what Al Hussey, the business owner, calls “the Cadillac of electric bikes.” (They start at about $2,000 — mine sells for almost $4,000.)

Al meets me at The Bike Garage on William St. N. in Lindsay and wheels out the bike. I get a five-minute tutorial. Seven gears (so far, so good) and it looks like an ordinary bike without the high bar, allowing for an easier mount. A fully charged battery pack is with me if needed. A toggle switch turns the battery on and instantly we’re no longer in ordinary step-thru bike territory. A small LCD console mounted on the handlebar displays battery level and “pedal assist.” (Once I’m underway it will also show speed and distance covered.)

The pedal assist, Hussey explains, ranges from 0 (no assist) to 5 (big boost); mostly, when he’s riding it’s at level 1 or 2. On the right-hand grip is the other assist, a twist throttle. No pedalling needed for that.

I circle the parking lot a few times. The first time the pedal assist kicks in is a revelation: there’s a surge, and it’s as though a strong wind is at my back or I’m on a tandem bike with a rider behind me.

10:50 a.m., Victoria Junction Kiosk: As I arrive at the entry point of the trail just off William Street, two southbound electric bikes pull up. The couple are from Peterborough and in their early 70s. They’re also on Pedego loaners and hoping an electric bike will help them with Peterborough’s hills and allow them to travel farther on trail rides.

I head down the paved section to Thunder Bridge Road and onto the beaten-earth portion for the rest of the 8 km to Ken Reid Conservation Area; then it’s through Ken Reid and the 14 km to Fenelon Falls — 22 km altogether.

The trip is my chance to get a feel for the interplay among the gears and the pedal assist, and for the use of the throttle. It’s level 3 assist with a higher gear that really impresses: that phantom tandem bike rider behind me is now a steroid-fuelled Lance Armstrong. I learn the throttle is

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23

BOOKS

READER SPOTLIGHT Courtesy of Kawartha Lakes Public Library

JULIE WILKIN

Manager, Kinmount and Area Food Bank

BIG MAGIC, CREATIVE LIVING BEYOND FEAR, is by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love. This was an inspiring book that took me down a creative path I never expected. In the book one can learn how to uncover and pursue those “jewels” of creativity that are hidden within us. A good read especially during these isolating times.

E-BIKES

CONT’D FROM PAGE 23

helpful for a boost from a standing start or for small rises like the bridge over McLaren Creek.

11:45 a.m., Fenelon Falls: It took me less than an hour to get to Fenelon Falls, and I didn’t come close to breaking a sweat!

By now I’m feeling very comfortable operating the bike, and I trust the balloon tires to handle the occasional soft, sandy patch or rut. That frees me up to be more attentive to my surroundings as I pass through wetlands and the rolling farmland north of Cameron, and enjoy the views to Sturgeon Lake.

The bike, of course, makes no noise, so bird calls are the soundtrack as I travel south. As I reach the reed beds around McLaren Creek and pass into Ken Reid there’s the conk-la-ree! of male red-winged blackbirds. The collective noun for goldfinches is “troubling” and just south of the bridge a troubling of goldfinches skims across the path.

I take a short detour into Ken Reid Conservation area on the escarpment loop. The tree roots and winding path are much more of a challenge than the rail trail and I’m more aware of the 40-pound weight of the bike.

Back to Lindsay, but before returning the bike, I take it to the northern terminus of Lindsay Street. No traffic, so I can check out the top end for the pedal assist and throttle. I push it to 33 kph — plenty adventurous enough for me — then head down William Street.

Oddly, it’s only on the town roads that I have any concern for safety: Lindsay still has no bike lanes. The roads are designed for cars and though there might not be quite as many of them during COVID-19, they seem to be driving faster.

2 p.m., The Bike Garage: When I dismount, Al checks some readings with me.I’ve covered just under 50 km and have used less than two of the five bars for the battery.

Reluctantly, I turn over the bike and the keys I’ve been given.

It’s been an exhilarating and enjoyable experience and I can see lots of reasons to consider electric bikes. They’re an environmentally responsible way of getting around and allow any rider to travel greater distances with much less effort. For instance, an electric bike lets boomers (a key demographic, according to Hussey) easily keep up with children or grandchildren.

As I trudge home in the heat the idea of an electric bike is increasingly tempting. For the first time, I’m sweating.

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SMI is Continuing to Serve As we continue to become accustomed to the new normal, Stewart Morrison Insurance is continuing to assist our clients in a time of need. In order to protect our staff and clients, we have implemented various ways for you to contact and speak with your Account Manager, without physical contact and from the comfort of your own home.Â

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2. Call our office from 8:30pm - 5:30pm during the week to speak with your dedicated broker or to make payments. If you have an emergency claim, please visit stewartmorrison.ca/claims.

3. Stewart Morrison Insurance provides email communication to clients who wish to do so.

You can also stay up to date on industry news and how we are assisting our clients through the email newsletter. Sign up today!

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Stewart Morrison Insurance is here for you when you need us the most.

For all your insurance needs visit: stewartmorrison.ca or call 705.324.6681.

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New Coboconk Wellness Centre

}} Village hopes to see doctors, other health professionals set up by 2022

KIRK WINTER, WRITER-AT-LARGE

If Ward 1 residents Jennifer Wilson and Ian Forster have their way, Coboconk and area will soon have its own wellness centre, complete with family doctors.

The two presented a feasibility study that was commissioned almost a year ago by city council regarding the construction of a Coboconk Wellness Centre.

The northern regions of Kawartha Lakes “are dealing with a gap in health care service,” Forster told council. “The hospitals in Minden and Lindsay are too far away, and there are no services available in the evening for residents.”

The community is firmly behind the project, says Forster, with commitments from Dr. Shabaz Warsi and the Coboconk Pharmacy. Retailers such as Medigas and lab-test companies have also expressed.

Providing medical care in Ward 1, the large northwestern portion of the city, has always been difficult, Forster says, with doctors coming and going. The area was experiencing upheaval pre-COVID-19, and the need for local medical services will increase post-pandemic, he says, as local snowbirds opt to live in the area through the winter instead of heading south.

Forster says he has heard that local real estate agents have had more inquiries than there is existing property for sale in the area as individuals from the Toronto area look for an escape from urban living. Ward 1, in their eyes, “is a perfect area to relocate to,” he says.

The feasibility study group looked at four locations for the new facility and Legion Park, including the train station, scored the highest.

The study notes that more people will be able to walk to this location because it is right in Coboconk.

The 100-acre (40.5-hectare) lot is also conveniently located off Hwy 35. The study group noted that the city already owns the property, limiting the possibility of the site being sold to someone else while the group waits for funding from all three levels of government.

LONG-TERM CARE AS PART OF SCENARIO?

Forster also mentioned that with the lot being so large, future expansion to include something like a long-term care home is possible.

The study group has commissioned architectural drawings from ERA, a firm with experience working on heritage structures. The drawings presented combine the wellness centre and the Coboconk train station into a community hub.

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Various city departments have looked at the project and staff report there are no impediments to the program moving forward.

Forster suggested that if shovels go in the ground in March 2021, the building would be ready for occupancy in May 2022. The building will have more than 14,000 square feet (1,300 square metres) of space, and cost $6 million. Forster said the plans are already being finetuned to reduce costs.

The study group is aiming to reduce costs to less than $5 million, with the communities that will benefit from the wellness centre committing to raise $1 million.

The remaining money is expected to come from the municipal, provincial and federal governments.

Forster said 25 local groups have signed on to support the building of the wellness centre including local business improvement areas, service clubs and seniors’ groups.

There is “a real need to improve local care and keep people out of emergency departments,” Forster says.

“It will also eliminate travel worries for seniors particularly when the weather is bad.”

“This is not just a Ward 1 project,” mayor Andy Letham said after the group’s presentation. “This is a Kawartha Lakes project. This wellness centre will take pressure off both Ross Memorial Hospital and Minden General Hospital, benefitting the whole city.”

Ward 1 councillor Emmett Yeo asked the group about consultation of residents in his area. Wilson responded that the study group held three public meetings, “each attended by over 150 people. There were another 450 online and written responses from people in Ward 1.”

The group also went to Omemee, Fenelon Falls, Lindsay, Woodville and Lakefield to learn about their experience setting up clinics.

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RURAL INTERNET CONT’D FROM PAGE 20

“I think fibre-quality internet to everyone is the answer. It would take three to four years to roll out. That will give us capacity. If we are going to do it, let’s do it right. Fibre cable is not realistic to every home. But the best result is a fibre backbone,” says Letham.

Dan Barnes is operations manager for Rural Wave, a wireless service provider that he started in Little Britain in the early 2000s. The company now provides a large portion of central Ontario with a combination of service options, depending on the location. Barnes is also chair of the Canadian Association of Wireless internet Providers.

He explains that for most areas in the city that have a collection of 100 homes, there is fast, reliable internet. Getting fast internet to the more isolated homes is a challenge, but there are two things government can do to assist.

Barnes says that running fibre to every home would not be the best use of taxpayer dollars. “What wireless providers need is fibre run to their fixed-point towers. And we need access to the spectrum (the range of frequencies that can send wireless signals),” he says.

Barnes notes that most wireless providers broadcast on the less powerful unregulated spectrum. Getting access to the higher range of the regulated spectrum, with its more powerful signal, will eliminate line-of-sight issues that many people in the area have to deal with.

Spectrum is currently auctioned off, so a large company can buy the rights to a spectrum without ever having the business plan to use that spectrum in areas like ours. This process is controlled by the CRTC which has, according to Barnes, become more aware of the problem faced by rural areas, and is considering exempting these areas out of larger spectrum auctions.

Some suggest that if we are spending large amounts of public money on internet connectivity, we should be thinking about the other issue of the digital divide: the people who cannot afford internet service, even if it is available where they live.

Canada has declared high-speed internet to be a necessity. What remains to be seen is if governments are going to decide to spend billions of dollars and still leave people out of what everyone describes as the future of business, education, and entertainment.

COVID-19 has only heightened and made more apparent the digital divide in our city and elsewhere. The decisions we make will affect our economy, our growth, and our culture.

But even the most optimistic proponent of the plan knows that achieving broader high-speed access is still two to three years out.

As for Field, she will believe it when she sees it. “We have been told so many promises over the years. This is not about Netflix. This is about my kids’ education. It’s about the ability to do business from home. The internet is now — and it’s the future.”

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WELLNESS CENTRE CONT’D FROM PAGE 27

IF IT’S BUILT, WILL THEY COME? Yeo wanted to know how the group would attract doctors once the wellness centre is built.

The presenters noted that the local doctor-retention group told them the idea of a joint practice like the one being proposed is very attractive to young doctors. The group approach is a supportive environment for newly graduated medical students who don’t want to have to set up on their own.

Ward 7 councillor Pat O’Reilly asked the presenters about provincial and federal funding. The presenters said MPP Laurie Scott told them that once the project has council’s buy-in the province will consider it.

In response to Letham’s question about whether the $6-million quote included land and building, the presenters said the quote was just for the construction of the wellness centre. Any land costs would be additional.

The study has been sent to city staff for a recommendation in the fall regarding budgeting for 2021.

“This is a small investment in the future of Kawartha Lakes,” Yeo told council. “I look forward to the report that staff bring back in the fall.”

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LOCAL HEIRLOOM RECIPES Rhubarb Relish

HAPPY CANADA DAY

This recipe comes from the cookbook of Clarissa Burgoyne of Burgoyne’s General Store, which operated in Fenelon Falls from 1887-1927.

This rhubarb relish is especially good with sausages.

Rhubarb Relish 1 quart rhubarb, cut fine 1 quart onions, cut fine 1 pint vinegar 1 pound brown sugar 1 tablespoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cloves 1 teaspoon ground cassia 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon red pepper Boil until onions are tender, about 45 minutes.

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Join me in celebrating our great nation.

Happy Canada Day!

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32

www.lindsayadvocate.ca

Are You Coming?

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by Barbara Olson © ClassiCanadian Crosswords byBarbara BarbaraOlson Olson by ©ClassiCanadian Crosswords 6© 7ClassiCanadian 8 by 9Barbara 10 11 12 Olson Crosswords © ClassiCanadian Crosswords

ARE YOU COMING? 14 11 22 33 44 55 66

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33 33

66

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You’ll find the solution on page 38

By Barbara Olson © ClassiCanadian Crosswords

37 "Relax, man!"

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33

FRIENDS & NEIGHBOURS

Trading Washington D.C. for Lindsay

}} Losang Rabgey reconnects

JAMIE MORRIS, WRITER-AT-LARGE

with local roots during pandemic

Losang Rabgey, raised in Lindsay but a long-time Washington, D.C., resident, planned to come home to Lindsay in April. She was to join her sister Tashi (also now living in D.C.), and their parents, Pencho and Tsering, for a trip to Quebec City. All four Rabgeys were to be presented with meritorious service crosses there by the Governor General.

These awards are reserved for those who have “demonstrated an outstanding level of service or set an exemplary standard of achievement to benefit or honour Canada.” The Rabgeys are being recognized for their work on Machik, the non-profit organization they founded more than 20 years ago, with its broad mission to create a global community committed to a stronger future for Tibet. The beating heart of the work is a rural school in the remote Tibetan village of Chungba, (Pencho’s birthplace), a school that, unusual to the region, has from the outset taken in equal numbers of girls and boys, and gives instruction in Tibetan.

From 17 annual local fundraising dinners, many local residents are familiar with that school, which has grown from 120 to 850 students. “The Lindsay community has followed these kids from age seven or eight through university, (with) some graduates returning to the Chungba school as teachers, carrying the torch forward,” says Losang.

Cumulatively, more than $300,000 has been raised at the dinners to support the school and other Machik projects, such as a summer program for rural students from across Tibet. Machik’s work has been recognized in various ways; Losang herself has been honoured

by National Geographic and Harvard University.

COVID-19: A NEW COURSE

COVID-19, of course, changed everything, including those April plans. Well before then — in mid-March — as the pandemic grew and borders seemed likely to close, the sisters decided one of them should be home with their elderly parents.

As Losang lives alone, she quickly travelled here.

Losang Rabgey

34

www.lindsayadvocate.ca

“Moving like water,” is how Losang describes the need to be adaptable.

“We go under, around, whatever it takes, to continue forward.”

Ordinarily Losang, like the rest of her family, is frugal but in this case she booked a same-day flight, took a ride service to Lindsay, and checked in to the Kent Inn, across the street from her old high school, to complete a two-week quarantine. (It wasn’t required yet but, Losang felt, was the right thing to do for her parents and the community.)

Weeks have turned to months. Smart decision to come home, it turns out.

Losang is a comfort and support to her parents during anxious times, enjoying family meals and daily walks with her mother. At the same time, it’s been worrying to know that, sadly, her Washington neighbourhood has been hit hard by the pandemic.

Being here has reinforced Losang’s appreciation of Canada, and our respect for guidelines and personal space. She’s also been able to reacquaint herself with the town she left to pursue academic honours (a Commonwealth Scholarship and doctorate from the University of London, U.K.).

Long walks with friends introduced her to the Fleming campus and trails along the Scugog. She’s more aware of the area’s nature and confesses to a sudden desire to try canoeing.

With her parents’ blessing, she’s taken over the dining room table, using her new “office” for work and to connect with a network of thousands on social media.

We are ready and excited to see everyone soon!

Yours in Good Health,

- The Smitty’s Gang

Being here has reinforced Losang’s appreciation of Canada, and our respect for guidelines and personal space.

How much can be accomplished from a dining room table in Lindsay?

There are weekly times for Kora (a meditative practice), bringing people together for Zoom video sessions, creating an online global celebration of 47 Tibetan graduates, ranging from high school grads to a newly minted Yale PhD. Losang also connects those with masks to those who need them most, and Machik volunteers are delivering masks to neighbourhoods at the epicentre in New York City. They also sent masks to the Navajo (who then delivered to the Hopi and Havasupai) and to the Zuni people in the U.S. Also on Losang’s mind is the Lindsay fundraising dinner, ordinarily held in early October at the Lindsay Armoury. Gathering 150 under one roof is unlikely this year, even as COVID-19, we hope, comes under control. An alternative will take flexibility, creativity, and support for Machik’s mission — something Losang believes the community here has in abundance.

The dinner means a lot to her. “It’s an example of what humans can do from one side of the planet for the other,” she says. “Most of those who attend will likely not meet those they support in Tibet, but they care and we are grateful. It’s this aspect of humanity that will get us through this pandemic.”

Her words say something about us as a community; they say a lot about Losang.

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35

JUST IN TIME

Tents and Trailers

}} A History of Camping in Kawartha Lakes

Twilight falls over a nearby lake as you stand at the foot of the picnic table and scrape the remnants of Hamburger Helper into a garbage bag. Hamburger Helper again? For the third night in a row? Why, of course — and scalloped potatoes from a box, too.

You finish scraping the dishes and pile them into a tub of hot water. The water was boiled in a dented kettle over the same Coleman stove you have brought on every summer vacation since, well, since ... it doesn’t really matter. It’s been around for as long as you can remember. You have, after all, been doing this thing called camping since you were very young.

Camping has long been a summer ritual for Ontarians, not least for those of us in Kawartha Lakes — a ritual that really got off the ground in this part of the world during the last quarter of the 19th century, when people like W.A. Goodwin took to the thickets of northern Victoria County. Though by no means the first person to camp in this region, Goodwin was possibly the first to prolifically document the experience in the form of drawings and paintings. For him, the backwoods campsite complete with tent and canoe was as much a part of the local landscape as the barn and silo.

Yet, camping as we know it owes much of its existence to the emergence of the automobile.

In 1925, the Ontario Motor League made inquiries about Council developing a “tourist camp” near Lindsay in which motorists could pitch

IAN McKECHNIE, WRITER-AT-LARGE

their tents. The scheme bore fruit a quarter of a century later, when weary travellers could park trailers in what was then called Lyn Park for a dollar a night. By the late 1960s, the park featured some 10 to 15 campsites, each complete with a picnic table and a hibachi. Today, some overgrown asphalt loops buried beneath a layer of pine needles are the only evidence of the site, which is now called Memorial Park, affectionately now known as the “train park.”

The demise of Lyn Park’s meagre camping facilities owed much to the increasingly popular Emily Provincial Park, which first opened in 1957. Ken Harrison, a retired dairy farmer

Riverwood Park, Lindsay, circa 1974. Courtesy of David and Joan Wagstaff.

36

www.lindsayadvocate.ca

from Emily Township, remembers visiting the site long before it became a provincial park. “We took the kids there on a Sunday afternoon,” he recalls.

“My wife would pack a lunch of ham sandwiches, salad, and cold tea. It was a nice place to have a picnic.” Within less than two decades, this popular picnicking spot adjacent to the Pigeon River had almost 270 campsites and was attracting visitors from all over North America.

While thousands of people have spent their summers in provincial parks, others have been welcomed into the many privately-run trailer parks operated by local families, of which David and Joan Wagstaff are one. They opened Riverwood Park in 1968 on a 75-acre piece of property south of Lindsay previously occupied by the family’s brickyard.

Joan Wagstaff says she remembers “like it was yesterday.”

“On Sept. 8 at 10:30 a.m., eight families came from another park and gave me $20 deposits.” Before too long, she was clearing brambles away from the first of the original 100 sites.“A gentleman from the Peterborough department of tourism bet me that we would have 100 customers,” Wagstaff recalls.

“He was excited that we were doing this.” Young families flocked to the new campground, and Wagstaff remembers making hamburgers for hungry campers in her electric frying pan.

North of Lindsay, Percy and Hazel Preston, together with Mervyn Courtemas l Th o y r e manche, opened Fairy Tale Park in July f Ch sy o e t of 1964.

Inspired by Storybook Gardens r Cou in London, Ont., the site featured a series of attractions which brought famous nursery rhymes to life. In addition to a giant pumpkin serving as a concession stand and a castle through which patrons passed to pay admission, Fairy Tale Park was home to Humpty Dumpty’s wall and Old McDonald’s Farm — complete with live animals. The property also included at least four campsites with electrical hookup overlooking the Scugog River.

Sadly, Fairy Tale Park was not financially sustainable and it closed after just a few seasons. Eugene Gignac and his son Jake purchased the property in the autumn of 1969, renamed it Cedar Valley Park, and expanded it to 156 campsites. The faux barn previously housing Old McDonald’s Farm became the Gignac family’s living quarters. “We were a camping family,” says Gene Gignac’s daughter, Gabrielle Gignac.

Originally from Montreal, the Gignacs were familiar with the area, having spent summers at Emily Provincial Park, among others. In the almost 50 years the Gignacs owned Cedar Valley Park, they hosted Christmas In July events, corn roasts, dances, fishing derbies, and more. “The campers were the nicest, happiest people,” Gignac reminisces. “We were all like family.”

Wagstaff concurs. “It’s been a rewarding job over the 50 years. I’ve met a lot of wonderful people and made a lot of wonderful friends.” Much has changed over the last half century, especially as “glamping” has taken hold.

“The question used to be ‘do you have swimming and fishing?’” remarks Wagstaff’s daughter-in-law, Penny Wagstaff who now runs Riverwood with her husband. “Now, it’s ‘do you have satellite and Wi-Fi?’” What hasn’t changed, she says, is the desire to be outside: “Kids still love the outdoors!”

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37

TREVOR’S TAKE Presented by

Sponsored by

TREVOR HUTCHINSON, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

White privilege and white fragility

The very first article I wrote for this publication, months before it would have a print version, dealt in part with the shame I felt working full-time in construction and still qualifying for a portion of welfare.

Bad luck (and some bad decisions, if I’m really honest about it) had made for some bad times.

But even on the worst of those horrible days, say when I needed to access a food bank to feed my family or when it was only social agencies making Christmas possible, I was enjoying male white privilege.

I’ll be honest; I didn’t feel privileged when a welfare worker would treat me like a worthless criminal. I didn’t enjoy crying myself to sleep because I couldn’t feed my family.

But here’s the deal: white privilege doesn’t mean that every white person is rich. It doesn’t mean that I don’t work hard for my money. White privilege simply means that because of hundreds of years of colonialism and systemic racism I have greater access to resources and power than a person of colour or an Indigenous person does.

But many white people aren’t good at noticing or talking about it. As the writer Frances E. Kendall explains, “it is sort of like asking fish to notice water or birds to discuss air.” We just aren’t good at questioning what is “normal.”

And this is what we have allowed to become normal: I’m less likely to be questioned by police because of my skin tone. I am less likely to be denied employment, a place to live or a job because I am white. If I am ever sentenced for a criminal offence, I am likely to get a more lenient sentence than a person of colour or Indigenous person. Being able-bodied, heterosexual and male grant me, statistically, even more opportunity. This has given me a built-in advantage not offered to others. And this is a fact, whether I was able to use that advantage or not. It has given me the benefit of the doubt that other people wouldn’t get.

I know some of my friends are going to be triggered by this. The (white) sociologist Robin DiAngelo calls this “white fragility”: the tendency for white people to get really defensive when challenged about ideas of racism. Her 2018 book White Privilege is a must-read, especially for white progressives, who she spends a considerable amount of time challenging.

Acknowledging white privilege isn’t a call to guilt or self-loathing. It is simply acknowledging that there are systemic barriers that white people will likely never experience.

Saying “I’m not racist” is not enough. Living in a system that gives structural advantage to one group of people at the expense of other groups — and not taking action to stop it — is to be part of the problem.

Taking that action, and being part of the solution, can be as simple as listening and learning from others.

38

The Advocate Podcast

Stories from Kawartha Lakes The 15th and 30th of every month.

lindsayadvocate.ca, iTunes, and Spotify

SOLUTION

to this month’s crossword, page 33 Are You Coming?

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