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May 2022 • Vol 5 • Issue 49
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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, Fenelon Falls and Bobcaygeon Chambers of Commerce.
CONTENTS KAWARTHA LAKES’ FINEST MAGAZINE
FEATURES
TEAM ADVOCATE EDITORIAL
Publisher: Roderick Benns Associate Editor: Nancy Payne Contributing Editor: Trevor Hutchinson Contributing Writers: Kirk Winter, Denise Waldron,
Naresh James, Ginny Colling, Ian McKechnie Web Developer: Kimberley Durrant LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND TO
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Graphic Design: Barton Creative Co. Photography: Amy Occhipinti, Sienna Frost Cover Design: Amy Occhipinti
13 10 Editorial: Let’s remember the other election happening this year.
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health has balance at the heart of it.
Everything you need to know to make an informed decision for the Ontario election on June 2.
34 ‘Lunch with’
Nicki Dedes. The Olympia Restaurant owner talks family and philosophy.
cf The Lindsay Advocate PRINTING
Printed by Cofax Printing 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 Photos, text, and art work contained in The Lindsay Advocate are copyrighted and may not be published, broadcast, or rewritten without the express permission of the Publisher.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.
28 Dating in Kawartha Lakes
isn’t always easy, given how small communities are.
11 Opinion: Good mental 13 Feature Story
Visit www.lindsayadvocate.ca for more stories and to listen to our podcasts
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IN EVERY ISSUE
4 Letters to the Editor 6 UpFront 9 Benns’ Belief 34 Lunch with... 39 Cool Tips for a Hot Planet 40 The Local Kitchen 43 Crossword 44 Just in Time 46 Trevor’s Take
Our Vision
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A TE
LIN
Woman’s ‘unorthodox path’ was entertaining to read
DSAY
AD O C V
National Enquirer-style article?
You have been publishing an excellent, interesting and informative quality magazine. Thank you. However, your recent front page-featured article, “Lunch with Woodville’s Ivory Conover” does not fit. This piece would be more appropriate in a rag newspaper such as the National Enquirer. This may not boost your supporters list. Gerald Isaac, Fenelon Falls
Choice of photos questioned
I would have taken the article (“Lunch with”, April Advocate) more seriously if the photos on page 36 were more tasteful. Anne Sanger, Kawartha Lakes
Kawartha people aren’t always what you expect
I was delighted by your cover story involving Steff (Ivory) Conover and the alternative lifestyle she and her partner live. Very much an eye-opener but also a great piece showing that Kawartha people aren’t always what you’d expect. I chuckled at his observation about the green tea and the soda water. Variety is the spice of life. Sure, Conover doesn’t represent the average person in the region, but who wants to read about that again? Kudos on telling her story. Joe Kilmartin, Toronto
Amazing people
I wanted to tell you how amazing it was to read the article about Woodville’s Ivory Conover. It was great to read about a young progressive couple living and thriving out in Woodville. It was also great to read about her adventures, her struggles and successes she has had along the way. Your article was an eye-opener to how many truly amazing people are out there living among us if we just took the time to get to know them. J. Michael Goncalves, Port Hope
Thank you for a very entertaining article about someone who has chosen an unorthodox path and has chosen to settle in Kawartha Lakes. Reading “Lunch with Ivory Conover” was fun, and it’s healthy for us to be introduced to “interesting people in Kawartha Lakes,” including — as your article says, “not your typical Woodville resident.” The community I am proud to live in is welcoming and has an open heart and mind. I look forward to more “Lunch With” articles. Glenda Morris, Lindsay
Article captured essence
I just finished reading your article about our lunch and it was so wonderfully written — humorous, lighthearted and all together a fantastic reflection of our conversation and of me as an individual. I have to say, in my 17-plus years as a performer I have been interviewed many times, and the articles that come out of interviews can often skew the conversation in an unflattering way or misrepresent something that I’ve said. It was so refreshing to read something that really got at the essence of who I am as both an individual and a performer. Thank you so much for featuring me. Ivory Conover
Voters need all sides of political spectrum says reader
In Benns’ Belief, Roderick Benns advocated for Progressive Conservative Jean Charest to be the next Conservative Party of Canada leader (“Charest could oversee Tory reboot”, April Advocate). Benns also characterized candidate Pierre Poilievre as “sharp but intemperate” and noted that Poilievre appears to be the “heir apparent to all things narrow and mean-spirited within the Conservative Party of Canada,” especially for the “unhinged and merely dissatisfied far right wing” supporters. Notwithstanding his opinion, I personally favour Poilievre over Charest. Charest’s progressive-leaning policies are already well-represented by the Liberal, NDP, Green and Bloc Québécois parties and do not need to be replicated in the CPC too. In a genuine electoral democracy, the full spectrum of public governance ideas should be represented to give every voter a broad range of viable choices. Poilievre passionately represents traditional, fiscally conservative values. This is a desperately needed ballot
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option because many Canadians now realize that Ottawa’s sitting cast of progressive Members of Parliament has saddled them with unsustainable debt levels and tight-fitting regulatory handcuffs which have been applied without any accountability to our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Canada’s public policy pendulum must swing back towards the kind of libertarian-conservative policy ideas previously held by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper if our children’s future is of any genuine concern by voters. Poilievre is the best choice to move that pendulum in the right direction. Gene Balfour, Fenelon Falls
Meet Team Advocate
Don’t forget these milkmen
Several names were mentioned “Just in Time,” April Advocate as being fondly remembered by their former customers. Two such persons — Roy Walker and Norm Sexsmith (my father) — both worked for Silverwood’s for years delivering milk to their many customers. Not only did the customers enjoy a friendly little visit but had treats ready for the horse in many cases. I think both names deserve recognition. Gayle Graham, Lindsay
Drivers not paying attention to crosswalk lights
Pedestrians on Kent Street in Lindsay, please take heed of this warning — do not rely on the safety of the new flashing crosswalk lights on Kent Street. This past Tuesday while shopping downtown, I was nearly hit twice on two separate attempts to cross at the designated flashing light crossings. Both times cars blew through right in front of me well past the time the lights began to flash. Luckily, I did not step out and rely on the safety of the crosswalk. Some drivers on Kent Street are obviously not seeing the flashing lights or are not heeding them. In fact, I have seen this happen to other pedestrians at other times as they tried to cross at the lights. May I suggest that the city promote safety at these crossings by clearer signs or more appropriately placed flashing lights. No one wants a serious injury or death at a Kent Street crosswalk. Sharon Phelps, Lindsay
[ RODERICK BENNS ] Roderick grew up in Lindsay’s east ward near Queen Victoria Public School. By the time he was in Grade 4, he knew he wanted to be a writer. In the 1990s he won a firstplace national newspaper award through the Canadian Community Newspapers Association in the category “Reporter Initiative” for a series of stories on Kawartha Summer Theatre. He is the author of several books for youth on Canada’s prime ministers and has written op-eds for the Globe, Star, and National Post. A father of two, Roderick is the publisher of the Advocate and president of the Lindsay + District Chamber of Commerce. A Leonard Cohen and U2 fan, he is also a green tea fanatic.
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. We do not publish anonymous letters unless it’s a matter of public importance and/or someone risks harm by writing us. We would then publish under strict guidelines and only if we can verify the person’s identity. Simply email kawarthalakespublisher@gmail.com. Please keep your letters to 200 words or less.
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UPFRONT
Celtic concert to be held at Lindsay church
It’s a return engagement to Lindsay for this Celtic group.
Kawartha Art Gallery welcomes new curator of digital programs
Susan Taylor, executive director of the Kawartha Art Gallery, and Sharon Woods, right. Woods has recently begun a new position as curator of digital programs at the gallery. Photo: Amy Occhipinti.
Clan Hannigan, with husband-and-wife duo Saskia and Steafan, will be performing May 29 at Cambridge Street United Church in Lindsay as part of a music series hosted by Kawartha Lakes Singers. It’s a return engagement for the performers “for what is sure to be a rousing, toe-tapping Celtic concert,” according to a media release. Tickets for the afternoon event are $25 for adults and $10 for children. Organizers encourage attendees to purchase tickets online at klsingers.ca. Find concert tickets in the menu bar. Select the month and day of the May 29 concert and follow the links. Other options include purchasing tickets from a choir member (cash or cheque). Cash-only tickets may be purchased at the door. Audience members will be required to wear masks. A small reception was held at Kawartha Art Gallery recently to welcome new staff member Sharon Woods. Woods is the new curator of digital programs and will build on the gallery’s developed online resources programming, with a specific focus on developing engaging online content and online versions of off-line content. The gallery hopes to reach new and existing audiences with this approach. “I’m excited about the upcoming projects and exhibits the museum is working on,” Woods tells the Advocate, including an exhibit on Group of Seven painter, A.J. Casson. With a mother who grew up in Norland, Woods says she is quite familiar with the area, even though she lives in Newmarket. “We also had a family cottage (in Kawartha Lakes) for a number of years, so I do have some connections here.” Her last job was at the Museum of Ontario Archaeology in London as a visitor experience assistant. A priority for her new position is to continue to build on the gallery’s relationships with community organizations for the development of new projects and new partnerships. Her position is supported by an Ontario Trillium grant. The Kawartha Art Gallery is located on the second floor of 190 Kent St. W. Lindsay, attached to the library.
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Globus Theatre looking forward to a full season of shows in 2022
Market day at St. Paul’s Church St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Lindsay will host a Spring in Bloom Market Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 28. There will be more than 20 vendors in the courtyard and parking lot selling crafts, children’s games, jewellery, wellness oils and much more. The Lindsay Garden Club will also be there with garden plants available for purchase. Enjoy a takeout lunch, craft demonstrations, popcorn, kids’ activities and other events. The church is located at 45 Russell St. W., across from ValuMart.
Sarah Quick and James Barrett. Photo: Dahlia Katz.
Calling the last two years “incredibly difficult for live theatre,” Sarah Quick, artistic director of Globus, says the theatre company is still standing and, in many ways, stronger than ever as it gets set for a complete theatre season this year. Quick says over the past couple of years the theatre offered social inclusion to youth in the community through their programming, and to patrons during the times when the theatre were allowed to open. As they look ahead to this year, James Barrett, artistic producer, says he thinks the Globus audience “is going to love” the works on offer. “Our patrons told us that, this year at least, they wanted the emphasis to be on comedy and that our tradition of programming new works alongside perennial favourites was what most appealed,” he said. To learn more about the new season at Globus Theatre visit lakeviewartsbarn.com or call 705-738-2037.
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Don’t miss more than 20 vendors at St. Paul’s Church in Lindsay. Photo: Sienna Frost.
Can you believe we’re almost 50 issues old? Look for an all-new look for your Advocate next month! 7
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BENNS’ BELIEF RODERICK BENNS Publisher
Ford and Scott: We still remember
Leadership, by its very nature, is an impossible enterprise if the goal is to please everyone, every time. However, there are decisions that leaders make that are sometimes so brazenly harmful, so odious in their intent, that they deserve to be remembered — especially on election day. When Premier Doug Ford ran for office in 2018, his campaign team made it clear that Ontario’s innovative three-year basic income pilot running in the Thunder Bay area, Hamilton area and Lindsay would be left alone so researchers could assess the results. Largely designed by retired Progressive Conservative Senator Hugh Segal, the Ontario pilot’s intent was to determine what would happen if a financial springboard existed for people in times of need. Would people stop working? Could government afford it? (No and yes.) We didn’t get nearly the amount of data we were supposed to glean, since the pilot was cancelled prematurely. However, the Basic Income Canada Network released a survey report, Signposts to Success, in March 2019, documenting the experiences of more than 400 of the recipients. It provided compelling indicators of lives remarkably changed for the better. Fully/An impressive 58 per cent of those involved in the pilot program improved their housing, 34 per cent found employment since they could now afford child care or transportation. And 32 per cent were able to go back to school or upgrade their skills. All of this because we took the worry of poverty off people’s shoulders. One of the reasons for cancelling the pilot was the cost of $50 million a year for the three years, Ford said. (To put this in perspective, just a short time ago Ford made $50 million available for grants to faith-based and cultural organizations impacted by COVID.) Interestingly, that is also Ford’s estimated net worth — $50 million — making him one of the richest politicians in all of Canada. He can drive his own truck to pick up donated masks during the pandemic and pretend he’s just an average Canadian guy. He can show a kindlier visage since COVID all he wants, but those paying attention know he is Janus-faced, the result of honed political reflex and a calculated desire to endure in office. Perhaps most disappointing was that local MPP Laurie Scott showed zero inclination to speak out against her government’s decision. In September of 2017 she said she was glad Lindsay was chosen for the pilot. Six months later, she was mute and complicit, not wanting to risk her long and safe political career. If there’s such a thing as political justice, she, like the carnival huckster she works for, deserves to be retired this June.
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EDITORIAL That other election: Any takers? Most of us are rightly focused on the June provincial election. These contests are always important, given how much is decided at the provincial level in this country. However, given the historical reality of this particular riding, it’s a tough place if you’re anything except a Conservative. Why? Because as the analysis by the Advocate’s Kirk Winter on page 19 shows, only three times since 1934 have local voters defeated an incumbent MPP. And the incumbent is usually a Conservative. But that other election is coming quickly — the one that decides the makeup of our municipal government. While it doesn’t happen until October, municipal nominations open May 2 and close August 19. Your option for mayor so far? Councillor Pat Dunn. While we applaud Dunn’s willingness to put his name forward for the top job (we believe a willingness to serve the public should be respected), surely even he would acknowledge the best thing for our municipality would be a contest. Given Dunn’s former candidacy as a Reform Party candidate, we believe it’s safe to say he would govern with a conservative, austerity mindset. Who then to provide a campaign counterpoint? With Mayor Andy Letham winding down his time in office, is there a more moderate choice than Dunn waiting in the wings, biding his or her time? So far, we’ve only gotten a ”no comment” from Councillor Tracy Richardson. We haven’t received a firm no from Councillor Doug Elmslie, either. Contrary to what people believe, being mayor of Kawartha Lakes is not some part-time gig. The job pays $114,000 per year, plus expenses — a reasonable sum for a job of this scope, though not as much as many of the city’s senior staff. There’s still plenty of time for candidates to come forward for the mayor’s job as well as to run for council. We’re hoping to hear that we have a race on our hands, not a coronation.
LETTER SPOTLIGHT
Beautiful place, but pretty expensive We moved here recently from the GTA to be closer to our family. I was advised that I might be surprised by high water costs. Without consuming any water, the annual cost for the service in 2021 was $1,127, plus another $500 or so. My annual water bill in the GTA was about $480. I made my concerns in writing to Kawartha Lakes with a copy to the mayor. We are finding that Kawartha Lakes is an expensive place to live. Vision care is 60 per cent higher here than in the GTA. Hair styling/cutting is also more expensive. Restaurants are also not less expensive here. Housing prices are also getting out of the realm of prospective homebuyers’ purchasing power. Other than that, it is beautiful country, except a little too cold and we will survive. I think we need a total turnover of the next council. I have found The Lindsay Advocate to be more focused on social justice compared to the other news media that are, in my opinion, centre right to alt right. I find the Advocate reasonable and pertinent to the residents of Kawartha Lakes and beyond. Barry King, Lindsay
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OPINION
Three keys to demystifying mental health NARESH JAMES Naresh James is the retired executive director of the former Canadian Mental Health Association Kawartha Lakes Branch. Despite the varieties of opinions about mental health, my personal preference is to describe mental health in three ways: maintaining a positive attitude, maintaining a balance in life, and satisfaction with life. My observation during the pre-COVID crisis was that while women were more open in talking about their mental health, men tended to avoid the subject. However, in the post-COVID-crisis era, even men are willing to talk about their mental health and well-being. The evil COVID-19 has left us with some goodness — all of us are open to share our experiences without shame. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), mental health is a state of well-being. It’s not limited to our survival but about “thriving, enjoying life, having a sense of purpose and being able to manage highs and lows of life.” Physical fitness helps our bodies to stay strong; mental fitness helps our minds do the same thing. Ultimately, physical fitness and mental fitness are interdependent. For example, chronic physical pain or illness is linked with depression. Uncontrolled anxiety and panic may result in physical symptoms similar to a heart attack and may also lead to thoughts of suicide. We need to take care of them both, body and mind. Both are essential in enjoying our lives and being productive. People tend to interchange mental health with mental illness. This is incorrect. Mental illness refers to disturbances in thoughts, moods, feelings, perceptions etc., that affect us to the extent that we can’t function in our day-to-day activities properly. Mental illness vocabulary includes depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety/panic disorder, psychosis, schizophrenia, delusions, paranoia,
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hallucinations, etc. Like any other illness, mental illness requires medical treatment coupled with counselling and peer support. CMHA maintains that good mental health includes a sense of purpose, strong relationships, feeling connected to others, having a good sense of self, coping with stress and enjoying life. Good mental health also includes being resilient, confident, being connected and maintaining one’s roles and responsibilities at home, school, work and the community. Sustaining good mental health is like being on a journey, a kind of journey in which we are not alone. As we live, work and play within an environment, the environment has a big role in fostering our mental health. COVID-19 is just one example. While adversities can contribute to our poor mental health, supportive family and friends contribute to our adjustments to life’s adversities.
CMHA maintains that good mental health includes a sense of purpose, strong relationships, feeling connected to others, having a good sense of self, coping with stress and enjoying life. We can learn techniques of coping, which include developing our inner strengths, enhancing our abilities in managing our stressful home, school and work, or our socio-political-economic environments. We can learn to become resilient and to be prepared to face traumas, losses and grief. It’s always better to be prepared. Prevention is better than cure. To learn more about mental health, contact any mental health organization in your area.
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DECISION DAY
}} Ontario election primer to help you make
an informed choice for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock
KIRK WINTER Municipal Affairs
We asked local residents: What should provincial leaders and parties be focused on in this Ontario election? Kim Humphries
Health care. More money should be given to front line staff and services. If there were more specialty clinics and access to regular blood tests and necessary X-rays, CT scans and MRIs, it would decrease disease progressions.
The Ontario election is about health care, education, transportation, the environment, small business growth and more. Provincial elections are “closer to the people” than federal elections because the areas of provincial jurisdiction tend to touch on each facet of our lives. We spoke to six party candidates who are vying to be your local MPP, come this June 2 election — the Conservatives, NDP Liberals, Greens, Ontario Party, and the None of the Above party. Each of the main parties was given about the same amount of space, in no particular order, to make their case as to why their platform and party should appeal to Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock voters. Read what the candidates are saying — and what they’re not saying — before taking the time to vote. Ask yourself which party seems to be talking about what matters to you the most.
Amanda Dodo-Williams
More reasonable rental housing for the community.
Andie Zahra
The prices of everything have gone up in recent years, but Canada Pension Plan for retired Canadians hasn’t kept up. Of course, this is a federal fund, but provincial influence can help to advocate for seniors. One-time payments of $500, given to specific seniors, rather than everyone, means very little. Seniors need an income that they can rely on to live comfortably after working and paying taxes all their lives.
CONT’D ON PAGE 14
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Barbara Doyle NDP Candidate
NDP TO MAKE HOUSING, PUBLIC LONG-TERM CARE AND MINIMUM WAGE KEY ISSUES
The New Democratic Party of Ontario is promising massive investments in housing, a fully public long-term care system and a $20 per hour minimum wage if elected on June 2. Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock candidate Barbara Doyle pointed out that housing costs have skyrocketed. “Wages have not kept up with the cost of living. Post-secondary education costs are creating a huge burden for our youth. How many of us worry about our parents’ care while also trying to figure out daycare and college funding?” she said in an email to the Advocate. Doyle plans to make housing and the high cost of living key local issues in the upcoming election. “Safe, affordable housing is a basic human right and in HKLB it is essential that we get shovels in the ground right away. We need thousands of new units in every riding. We must ensure higher wages, lower costs in utilities and other basic costs such as medical, child care and transportation.” Doyle promises the NDP “will make it easier to buy a home, while strengthening homebuyers’ protections,” adding the best way to cool the housing market is to take on “billionaires, speculators, flippers and bad developers.” The platform also includes promises to make renting more affordable and give renters more security. Perhaps the largest and most expensive promise being put forward by Doyle and the NDP is the phase-out of private long-term care facilities within eight years. “We will transition the whole system to be public and not-for-profit so every dollar spent on home care goes directly to your loved one’s care, and not into the pocket of wealthy investors,” Doyle said. The NDP also promises that these provincially run facilities will have better paid staff and more full-time positions, and that all residents will receive a standard of four hours of care per resident per day “immediately.” The NDP also plans to make an increase in minimum wage to $20 per hour central to its campaign.
Don McBey
Liberal Candidate
LIBERAL CANDIDATE PUSHES AFFORDABILITY AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY
Don McBey, a retired United Church minister, lawyer and former vicechair of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal of Ontario, says the Liberal Party of Ontario has the answers to the problems Ontario is facing.
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Marion Warren
I watched a program on TVO that focused on home-based care for folks of all ages who require home care and who wish to live at home. It has been running for a few years in Sweden and is a treasure. Some of our current provincial government toured with Sweden’s officials but there has been no report. With the number of for-profit long-term care beds coming into production I guess that was not considered. I truly think this would go a long way to helping seniors stay at home if they wished.
Karla Forgaard-Pullen
Basic income. At least re-establish the pilot project. Sufficient food and housing go a long way to improve health, school performance and more.
Janet Rodin
Increase the funding for Ontario Works and especially the Ontario Disability Support Program. If a group of professionals has determined that an individual has a disability that prevents them from working, then why are we not providing them with a livable income? The second thing is affordable housing. There needs to be an increase in social housing options, with opportunities for supports for those that require that to be successful in their housing.
Joanne Sayers
More support for primary producers with “buy Canadian first” laws. One new affordable dwelling for every homeless person in Canada. Mandatory introduction to skilled trades in high schools. Drop the volunteer hours and make them job experience hours.
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Dawn Tanner
We need affordable housing. Build more family units and increase the threshold, as the lower middle class are struggling just as much now as retirees. We need more rehabilitation services for people who are willing to do the programs. We need programs in the jails for repeat offenders to engage and have access to rehabilitation before being released.
Ann Coyle
Do not privatize our hospitals.
Jackie Brooks-Gavan
Improve quality and accessibility to health care. Affordable housing and a guaranteed livable income. I think the whole country would benefit from civics education so we can review which government does what and what is and is not working. Then we can hold the parties accountable for their decisions.
Patricia Sheppard
Definitely need an investment in schools, especially literacy and civics. We need an overhaul of the long-term care system, better incentives to hire and retain medical workers. Larger investments in green energy. Tax breaks for businesses that employ with a living wage or who better invest in employees.
Julia Groomer
Environment above all else because without a place to live, everything else is irrelevant.
Sandra Tate
We need doctors, doctors, doctors. Just moved here last year and it was a real eye-opener. Never have I ever in my 57 years had no family doctor.
McBey, the Liberal candidate for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock, will be campaigning on a platform that focuses on Ontario making a transition from pandemic to endemic, ideas on how to deal with health-care shortages, an educational recovery plan that will benefit publicly funded schools, a program that will allow for economic dignity for Ontario workers and a focus on responsible development that will protect the environment. The Liberals accept that COVID-19 is here to stay and plans need to be put into place that will prevent future closures. “That plan would include mandatory vaccinations for front line health care workers, improved ventilation in indoor public settings, better access to rapid testing, 10 days of paid sick leave, immediate action to stop the disturbing rise of harassment against our health-care workers and financial support for small businesses who may be adversely impacted by any new restrictions,” the Brock Township resident wrote in an email to the Advocate. McBey added that the Liberals plan to repeal Bill 124, which limits healthcare workers’ pay raises to one per cent, and to begin rebuilding health-care capacity using all available resources to deal with staffing shortages. “We have an extensive and robust Emergency Long Term Care plan,” McBey said, “that includes recruiting retired professionals, providing incentives to retain critical health-care workers, ensuring that all long-term care homes have access to necessary supplies and PPE, while leaving room for improved access to personal in-home care.” On the education front the Liberals promise to lower class sizes in both elementary and secondary schools by hiring almost 4,000 teachers. “We will (also) add COVID-19 vaccine to the list of universal vaccinations for students,” McBey said. “We will implement a vaccine mandate for educational and child-care workers, prioritizing them for boosters, and make PCR testing free for families with children in school.” The Liberals have rolled out several new ideas not typically associated with their party when it comes to individuals’ economic dignity. “We will replace minimum wage with a regional living wage, reintroduce the Universal Basic Income project, provide workers with drug, dental and mental health services, allow Ontario businesses the flexibility to adopt the four-day work week and provide 10 paid sick days for all Ontarians.” McBey and the Liberals also promise support for small business by removing corporate taxes for businesses hit hard by the pandemic, eliminating incorporation fees for startups and capping credit card fees. Finally, the Liberals will end the issuing of Ministerial Zoning Orders, a process that fast-tracks building projects, often to avoid full environmental reviews. According to McBey, it’s time for residents to reconsider voting for the well-entrenched incumbent. “I am confident the residents of HKLB have come to realize the lack of real significant support they have received during Ms. Scott’s tenure, and this Tory government’s dismal record on small business support, the environment, senior care, education funding, health care and of course their response to COVID-19.” CONT’D ON PAGE 16
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Catherine Pentiricci
What’s being done to get people access to a family doctor? This is beyond ridiculous, hearing stories of medical graduates (including local residents of Kawartha Lakes) waiting years to get residency placement, and then you hear government saying that are trying to recruit doctors to come live here? How about allow for more residencies so the people who are educated and already live here can serve their communities?
Candace Brodie
Increase sentencing for hate crimes and actually put the offenders in jail. More police patrols in our neighbourhoods.
Locally, there is now an extra operating room at Ross Memorial Hospital. We are working hard at PSW (personal support worker) and nursing training and recruitment.
PROVINCIAL ELECTION CONT’D FROM PAGE 15
Laurie Scott
Conservative Candidate
SCOTT SAYS ECONOMY AND HEALTH CARE WILL BE ELECTION PRIORITIES
Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock Member of Provincial Parliament Laurie Scott says the provincial election this spring will focus on the Ontario economy, the state of Ontario’s health care and long-term care system, and how happy people are with the Progressive Conservatives’ handling of the COVID19 pandemic. On the economy, the veteran MPP says her party has much to be proud of. “We have produced 300,000 more jobs than there were when the pandemic began,” Scott said in a telephone interview with the Advocate. “We are working hard to match skills with the appropriate trades. There are more EV (electric vehicle) announcements to come with more jobs in Oshawa for local workers. We have made the biggest investment in infrastructure in the province’s history, spending millions on broadband, highways and transit. There are going to be tons of jobs for the next generation of workers in Ontario.” Scott also detailed some of the changes that have been brought about in Ontario health care because of government investments. “Locally, there is now an extra operating room at Ross Memorial Hospital. We are working hard at PSW (personal support worker) and nursing training and recruitment. We are also funding more residency spots for new doctors to train in Ontario.” Scott rejected the NDP promise to buy Ontario’s privately run long-term care homes so they can be run as a public trust like hospitals, saying it was $7 billion that could be spent more effectively. “Why would you want to buy old facilities back?” Scott said. “It is a far better investment to build new facilities.” Scott said the Progressive Conservatives will be hiring 193 new long-term care facility inspectors “to make the Ontario long-term care system the most inspected in Canada.” However, Scott didn’t mention that in 2018, the Ontario government stopped conducting annual, unannounced and full inspections of long-term care homes. According to CBC, it made this change in favour of a system in which inspectors instead investigate specific complaints at least once per year. On the issue of the pandemic, Scott said the election would be a report card on how well the government of Doug Ford handled the pandemic. “I think we did very well, but no level of government was perfect. We had to make a lot of tough calls. I think the large majority of people support the decisions we made. We tried to use the best science available. We are very
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proud of our vaccination rates, which are the highest in North America. We spent $20 billion to fight this pandemic. No expense was spared.” Scott says the pandemic has been at least partially responsible for the record number of Progressive Conservatives not seeking re-election in 2022.“It has been an exhausting two years for people at all levels.” Scott says her advocacy for the riding and the hard work of the people in her constituency office stands her in good stead to be re-elected in June. “I am a strong advocate for the needs of the area. I have had 18 years to get to know the riding well. We are in the community quite a bit making connections and getting feedback.”
Tom Regina
Green Party Candidate
GREEN CANDIDATE SAYS HOUSING AND ENVIRONMENT ARE KEY ISSUES
Tom Regina, a retired high school music teacher and candidate in Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock for the Ontario Green Party, points to the lack of affordable housing and the need to protect of wetlands and farmlands as the two biggest election issues for him. “Two Green values that drive policy are ecological wisdom and social justice,” Regina wrote in an email to the Advocate. “That is why I think housing is a big issue. Too many people are having problems finding an affordable place to live, if they can find one at all. I know that there are businesses that are having staffing issues and one of the barriers is a lack of available housing. It is an impediment to the economic well-being in the community of towns that make up our riding.” He added, “Climate and environment are sources of our needs and quality of life. We must work harder to protect farmland from urban sprawl. The rural and wilderness areas of our riding and province are part of our identity and critical to our health and well-being.” The Greens are planning to run an aggressive provincial campaign on these issues and others, Regina said, including implementing a law that will require the province to reach net zero by 2045, repealing Bill 124, which is causing health care workers to leave the system in droves because of limits on pay raises, and investing in green technologies like green hydrogen production.
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Regina says he wants to see a meaningful discussion about electoral reform because “too many voices (are) not being heard when decisions are made.” He says the whole basic income question should be revisited, noting his disappointment when Premier Ford unilaterally cancelled the test projects, including in Lindsay, before adequate data was gathered. When asked if long-time incumbent Laurie Scott is able to be defeated, Regina acknowledged her deep roots in the riding. “It is dissatisfaction with the premier that will be one of the greatest obstacles for her. I am planning to get out in public around the various towns in our riding to meet people on the street. Voters will return unexpected results when presented with a strong, clear alternative plan that addresses pressing issues.” Regina says the premier has failed voters on several fronts, including significant deep cuts to Toronto city council, the initial cancellation of a minimum wage increase only to bring it back in time for the election, scrapping the Indigenous curriculum review, the cancellation of a program to provide public charging stations for electric vehicles, the limiting of conservation authorities’ power to prevent development and the negative environmental impact that will occur if Highway 413 is actually built. Regina says he wants to see a campaign where there is more time for listening and finding common ground rather than creating obstacles for the sake of opposition. He would like to see a more “positive, respectful and collaborative” political system rather than the “polarized, partisan political culture” that currently exists.
Dr. Kerstin Kelly
Ontario Party Candidate
Grant Dewar
NOTA Party Candidate
ONTARIO PARTY, NONE OF THE ABOVE PARTY FIELD CANDIDATES LOCALLY
The ballot will be a little more crowded in Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock this June with the addition of candidates for the Ontario Party and the None of the Above Party (NOTA). Both parties are looking to pick up the votes of disaffected Progressive Conservative Party supporters who are angry at Premier Doug Ford regarding his handling of the pandemic. CONT’D ON PAGE 18
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PROVINCIAL ELECTION CONT’D FROM PAGE 17
Retired veterinarian Dr. Kerstin Kelly will be carrying the banner for the Ontario Party, which posted this on its website: “Dr. Kelly practiced veterinary medicine for many years, growing a large and thriving practice, before retiring in 2020. She is active in many community groups including the Woodville Freedom Group of Rise Up Kawartha. She is an advocate and expert presenter on self-care, emotional first aid, suicide awareness, and prevention. Dr. Kelly was drawn to the Ontario Party because it stands to defend Freedom, Family, and Faith, and looks forward to working hard to earn the votes of her neighbours in June’s election.” Grant Dewar, a retired farmer from Fenelon Falls, will be running for NOTA. Leader Greg Vezina founded the party in 2014 as an expression of his frustration with the mainstream party offerings available to Ontario voters. The party Experienced Legal Advice Legal Advice for your aims toExperienced elect independent members who are not bound by for yourandResidential & Recreational Experienced Advice your party control who can, in thefor words of its promotional Residential &Legal Recreational Transactions material, represent their & constituents first. It expresses Transactions Estate Planning Residential & Recreational Transactions & Estate Planning many of the ideas first Planning put forward by Preston Manning in & Estate the 1980s, calling for the use of referenda, term limits and recall elections to help shape provincial policy.
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HALIBURTON-KAWARTHA LAKES-BROCK PROVINCIAL RIDING BY THE NUMBERS Elections since 1934: 26 Winning party: Voters have elected a Progressive Conservative 18 times, a Liberal seven times and one member of the New Democratic Party. Sitting members: Only eight individuals have actually represented the riding: William Newman (L), Leslie Frost (PC), Glen Hodgson (PC), John Eakins (L), Dennis Drainville (NDP), Chris Hodgson (PC), Rick Johnson (L) and Laurie Scott (PC). Political dynasties built: Frost won seven elections in a row, Glenn Hodgson three, John Eakins five, Chris Hodgson. If Laurie Scott wins in 2022, it will herald her fifth consecutive trip to Queen’s Park. Highest voter turnout: 82 per cent (1934). William Newman defeats Leslie Frost. Lowest voter turnout: 40 per cent (2009). Rick Johnson defeats John Tory. Most contested election: 2009 – nine candidates on the ballot. Closest election: 1937 Leslie Frost defeats William Newman by 340 votes. Most lopsided election: 1995 Chris Hodgson defeats Sharon McCrae by 20,000 votes.
Last election Date: June 7, 2018 Votes cast: 57,183 Results: Laurie Scott (PC) 32,406 / 57 per cent of the votes cast, Zac Miller (NDP) 15,142 / 26 per cent, Brooklynne Cramp-Waldinsperger (L) 5,655 votes / 10 per cent, Lynn Therien (G) 2551 / 4 per cent, Thomas Rhyno (I) 662 / 1 per cent, Gene Balfour (Libertarian) 455 / .8 per cent, Chuck Macmillian (I) 312 / .55 per cent Turnout: 60 per cent
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Incumbents have huge advantage }} Analysis KIRK WINTER With the June 2 provincial election right around the corner, there is one statistic in particular that stands out. Only three times since 1934 have local voters defeated an incumbent MPP: 1937 (Leslie Frost over William Newman), 1975 (John Eakins over Glen Hodgson) and 2011 (Laurie Scott over Rick Johnson). Alex Marland, an analyst with Ekos Research Associates, argues in a postgraduate thesis published by the Canadian Parliamentary Review that a Canadian incumbent has significant advantages, especially if the member has an efficient and effective constituency office that deals with local needs in a timely manner. Marland writes that the most electable incumbent is a “representative who represents local or regional constituency interests and is locally involved in the riding.” Leslie Frost, who represented the area from 1937 to 1963, pioneered that kind of politics in this riding. Frost claimed to have visited nearly every home in the riding because, he said, it was the only way to “truly understand the hopes and aspirations of the local people.” Even when Frost was premier, his constituency office hummed like a well-oiled machine, taking care of constituency correspondence, answering phone calls, scheduling constituency appointments, writing for community newspapers and making sure the member attended ceremonial functions and local gatherings. “When a member is seen to be dealing with constituency concerns which often mean directing the person to the proper official, distributing congratulatory letters and generally engaging in informal contacts with constituents, this makes them very re-electable and gains a clear advantage from their incumbency,” Marland writes. The example of Frost and long-time federal member Bill Scott when it comes to the importance of a high level of constituency services has no doubt been instructive to other local candidates hoping for a reward at the ballot box election after election. Marland also provides statistical evidence that incumbency benefits the office holder. “In Canada these benefits are believed to increase incumbents’ vote share between three and fourteen per cent. Incumbents are typically able to secure this advantage throughout their term in office,” he writes.
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Marland adds that the ability for an incumbent to gain repeated exposure through newsletters and press release distribution at the public’s expense is certainly beneficial to their chances of re-election. Dennis Pilon, associate professor in the political science department of York University, agrees with Marland on the benefits of name recognition for the incumbent. “All the research in political science says that incumbency is one of the biggest predictors in success. The more people recognize your name, the better chance that people will recognize it on the ballot,” Pilon said in an interview with Postmedia in 2016.
An incumbent is also much less likely to face a contested nomination. Further, incumbents who belong to the governing party have the advantage of the government using program announcements to increase positive political coverage. As the incumbent, Marland continues, the member “can usually argue that they are more qualified for their positions and can claim credit for riding projects. As candidates who have already won an election, they are experienced campaigners who have campaign teams familiar with issues and previous mistakes. They are able to rely on proven strategies which facilitate even the most elementary decisions such as which functions to attend.” Marland calls this the “learning advantage,” where the experience of winning one election aids the incumbent in winning the next. An incumbent is also much less likely to face a contested nomination, Marland writes. Further, incumbents who belong to the governing party have the advantage of the government using program announcements to increase positive political coverage. Last, but certainly not least, Marland writes that incumbents benefit from their incumbency “because they have increased fundraising ability and access to capital” that challengers simply do not have.
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City needs 70 volunteer firefighters }} Shortfall may be related to low morale as well as the pandemic, some say
Kawartha Lakes is facing a shortage of volunteer firefighters at almost every hall across the city. Kawartha Lakes Fire Service Chief Terry Jones told the Advocate in an email that although 23 per cent of the city’s volunteer firefighter positions are sitting empty, the problem of keeping a full roster isn’t a new one. “As a hybrid fire service reliant upon volunteer firefighters, we struggle to maintain the number of firefighters required,” Jones said. “Being a predominantly rural population, at times we lack the number of firefighters required.” The shortfall “has been amplified during the pandemic,” he added, “which required we pause on recruitment for the last two years. That said, we are extremely pleased with the response to the most recent recruitment. Due to the size of communities, there are fewer applications than ideal. However, I am confident we will train upwards of 60 new volunteer firefighters this year.” Some current volunteer firefighters in Kawartha Lakes say there’s more to the story, though. They told the
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KIRK WINTER Municipal Affairs
Advocate that the lack of firefighters may be more indicative of poor morale in at least some stations stemming from a feeling of not being valued, the rarity of full-time jobs opening up, reluctance among employers to let them respond to fire calls and the challenges of balancing work and family with the demands of training and being on call. The Advocate granted anonymity to two long-serving volunteer firefighters. Both said they feared being fired from what they see as a very important community service if they went on the record with their comments. The three volunteers who spoke with the Advocate represent a range of fire halls around the city. The city’s 305 volunteer firefighters are in fact paid for their time, making between $20.65 and $24.96 an hour. Volunteers must report to 60 per cent of scheduled training sessions and 30 per cent of all fire calls. A volunteer’s total income over a calendar year depends on the number of calls they respond to and the station where they report. CONT’D ON PAGE 22
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VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS CONT’D FROM PAGE 21
Each new volunteer recruit must complete 40 hours of unpaid online training before starting 66 hours of in-class practical sessions spread over two months. Each recruit receives $500 at the end of the probationary period. Each station provides six hours a month of additional training in two sessions. There is also additional mandatory paid training throughout the year.
“The full-time guys just don’t get it that this isn’t our first priority. They ignore and belittle the station coordinators, who are often well respected and experienced volunteer firefighters themselves, creating a very unhelpful ‘them and us’ atmosphere.” One of the biggest obstacles to recruiting and retaining volunteer firefighters in Kawartha Lakes, say current volunteers, is the reality that few, if any, will ever be able to make firefighting their career. “Being a part-time firefighter here has never been a real path to full-time locally as we only have full-time minimum staffing in Lindsay,” Mark Lowell, a volunteer out of the Burnt River Fire Hall, said in an email to the Advocate. No other stations in the city have full-time positions. “There are two kinds of volunteer firefighters,” said another interviewee we are calling Alex. “There is the group under 35 who hope to make firefighting a full-time gig, with volunteer (experience) acting as the stepping stone, and the guys like me over 35 who enjoy the camaraderie of the hall and believe helping your community is important. The young guys don’t last long before they are gone with real jobs in Durham, Metro Toronto or Peterborough. They could die of old age waiting to snag a full-time job at the Lindsay hall.” Another volunteer we are calling Sam observed that, “If someone arrives with their paperwork already in place you know they won’t be around long. They are
VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTING BY THE NUMBERS In 2021, Kawartha Lakes Fire Service responded to 2,465 calls, an average of almost seven calls a day. There are 18 stations across the city staffed largely by volunteer firefighters, and one station in Lindsay with full-time firefighters. looking for a career and we can’t supply it, which is maddening. There needs to be a real pathway for our young volunteer firefighters to become full-time locally.” That pathway is unlikely to open up any time soon. Jones confirmed that the city hired just three full-time firefighters in the last five years, all of whom came from the volunteer ranks. But even if the city can find enough new volunteers, “There is a big difference between recruitment and retention,” Alex said. “You can bring in all the newbies you want. If the job is not attractive, the training is too hard or there is not enough understanding of our situation outside the hall, the quality of service suffers. The new folks often don’t stay long enough to truly be useful to their mates at the fire hall.” The volunteers who agreed to be interviewed for this story also described a fire service in which they say they are undervalued. “The full-time guys just don’t get it that this isn’t our first priority,” Sam added. “They ignore and belittle the station coordinators, who are often well respected and experienced volunteer firefighters themselves, creating a very unhelpful ‘them and us’ atmosphere that does not help morale or recruitment at the smaller volunteer halls at all.” The volunteers say that city staff and full-time firefighters don’t understand the constraints that prevent volunteers from responding or turning out to calls. “The past chief sent out letters last year to volunteer firefighters with low turnout without asking station coordinators (the reasons). We lost three volunteers who were pissed off at the letter,” Lowell said, adding that one of those who quit did so to avoid the risk of bringing COVID back to his elderly mother. He says he’s heard there will be more letters sent out this year. In his email, Jones said that when volunteers don’t respond to the percentage of calls spelled out in the collective agreement, the service issues a letter. “This is supported by the union and allows us to keep actively responding firefighters in the stations and fill vacant
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positions with new recruits. We can only have a maximum 20 volunteers per station. If we allow people to remain without fulfilling their response requirements of responding to 30 per cent of calls, it takes away a position from someone who may be better able to meet the needs of the fire service.” The process doesn’t acknowledge the demands volunteers face, said Sam. “It is gutting when you get one of those damn letters and you know you are trying your best. Senior admin doesn’t get what we are trying to juggle. We work full-time somewhere else, we have family commitments, kids who need to be driven to jobs, and on top of that we are also volunteer firefighters in the middle of a pandemic.” Provincially mandated requirements for volunteer firefighters are made clear during recruitment, the fire chief noted. “Volunteer fighters are our most valuable resource, and we greatly appreciate them all for stepping up through the pandemic to continue serving the needs of our residents.” All three volunteer firefighters who spoke to the Advocate said that for anyone who isn’t self-employed or retired, making it to a call during the workday is difficult and can be career-harming. “We have eight members (at the Burnt River hall) who respond when they can,” Lowell said. “Some work too far away. Some employers won’t let them leave.” Many volunteer firefighters hoped that the passage of Bill C-215 in 2016 would protect volunteer firefighters from intransigent bosses. The bill changed the federal labour code to prohibit “disciplinary action against volunteer firefighters who must leave work or fail to appear at work while acting in their capacity as volunteer firefighters.” The bill also states that “no employer without just cause can refuse to employ a person because they are a volunteer firefighter.” “We had high hopes when that legislation was passed,” said Alex. “The reality of the workplace today is very different. If you are part of a work team where your labour is key to something getting done, bosses make it pretty clear that you aren’t going anywhere when you are on their dime. Even if you are self-employed, the client isn’t going to look too fondly on you packing up and leaving in the middle of the job for a call.” Changes in how recruits are trained are also making it hard to keep them on as volunteers, Lowell said. “We had five people try to join our hall last year. Only one made it. The training is very hard on working people and their families. We used to bring them in slowly. We would train
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THEN & NOW
Netting Suckers from the Big Bob Dam Before the advent of refrigeration and transport trucks, basically everyone survived winter on what they had saved up from the previous year. Late winter was often a time of relative hardship, if only because of the monotony of what could be preserved. When the suckers ran in early May, they seemed to be in practically limitless quantities and many people took advantage of this moment of plenty. The annual spawning runs of suckers, then herring in November, were of great importance to local Michi Saagiig (Mississaugas). Today the spawning runs are nothing like they once were and just imagine how unsafe it would be to net fish from the edge of a dam with no railing! ~Maryboro Lodge Museum. NEW Visit NAME maryboro.ca
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VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS CONT’D FROM PAGE 23
them at the halls and build a relationship (with the new firefighters) and help them make it. Now, it is at the training centre in Cameron. It is pass or get out.” Jones noted that a new training plan is just getting underway. “We have one centre that is equipped for the mandatory training. After this initial training is completed, volunteers will return to their respective halls for ongoing weekly training. The fire service is committed to provide the best training available.” There are also plans to improve training by expanding the existing training centre and program for all firefighters. The reality of training more than 400 firefighters across 19 stations over the considerable size of Kawartha Lakes is “daunting at times,” Jones said. “It is because we have citizens willing to become volunteer firefighters that we can sustain our hybrid model. With council support to build a long-term plan, I’m confident we are addressing the training shortcomings of the past.” In the meantime, though, nearly one-quarter of all spots for volunteer firefighters sit empty. There’s no easy answer when it comes to attracting and retaining volunteer firefighters, Lowell said. “I am a former paramedic and also a business owner with deep family roots in this community. There was a time when our fire halls were a great part of our towns and members joined to help, not to get paid. I am not sure we can recover that feeling by doing the same things in the city of Kawartha NEW LOCATION Lakes that have not worked over and over again.”
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Dating scene }} Finding love in a small town can be
awkward but being friends first can help
DENISE WALDRON
Juanita Miscio doesn’t have trouble finding dates in the Kawarthas, but says she is more cautious now. Photo: Juanita Miscio.
It can be tough to pursue new relationships in a smaller community where everybody knows you. But whether it’s through a dating app or a good oldfashioned personal encounter, local singles keep searching. And they’ve learned a thing or two along the way. Like, for starters, that it’s pretty hard to be inconspicuous on a first date in a small town. “If you post anything on social media, even if they’re just in the background or something, everybody knows who it is,” said Alex Moores, a single, 29-year-old education assistant from Lindsay. “Sometimes you get a DM (direct message) ‘Is that so and so?’” she said. “Everyone is so nosy.” Another refrain among small-town daters is the distance they often have to travel to find a match. Moores found that many local men sent her creepy dating app messages or they only want a hookup. She has extended her dating range for more choice and has found matches three or fours hours away. “That does not seem realistic to me.” If daters travel to a sizable city, they can visit hundreds of clubs, events or venues and may not run into any of the same people — ever. There isn’t much of a buffer in Kawartha Lakes. People you date or know will be at the grocery store, the farmers’ market, bars, the post office or the convenience store. Juanita Miscio bumped into a man she knew at a Jack and Jill dance the weekend before the pandemic lockdown of March 2020. The two met in high school and their families knew each other. There was a romantic spark after seven years apart. While the two were cutting a rug, a fight broke out on the dance floor. The fisticuffs separated them. “I was worried about him when I got home,” said the 27-year-old female from Fenelon Falls. She tracked the man down on Facebook and the two dated for 10 months. They still see each other now and then. “We have not had the talk about ‘what we are’ yet,” but she is glad he is back in her life.
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Donna Medland and Bruce Sapsford were family friends long ago and recently renewed their relationship.
Miscio grew up at a resort near Haliburton chatting up the guests and honing her social skills. “I’ve never been afraid to talk to others.” Her six-year-old son plays hockey. While pucks bang off the boards in frigid local arenas, the aspiring photographer, who owns her own cleaning business, warms up to the subject of potential mates in the local dating scene. “I’ve always been successful in getting dates in the Kawarthas.” There is an assortment of online dating sites with mobile apps to help find casual matches or something more serious. Miscio said many men seemed nice online, but she soon found that most just wanted sex. She has strict rules and has to get to know them first. “I don’t even kiss on the first date.” Miscio has given up online apps after a date put his hands on her throat twice while drinking. She says alcohol can break the ice but can also encourage physical violence, depending on the person. The incident left her with post-traumatic stress, so her new mantra is to only date people she meets in real life or through others. While Miscio has met some men online who became friends, she is leery of “stranger danger.” Family and marriage therapist and psychotherapist Brian Farmer says online dating is popular, given that people don’t gather as much as they used to. “When they do, it is more spectator events and not interactive social dates,” he said. While he is not against online dating, he cautions there are many pitfalls. “You don’t know who is on the end of
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“There isn’t much of a buffer in Kawartha Lakes. People you date or know will be at the grocery store, the farmers’ market, bars, the post office or the convenience store”. that profile or call, or how the service screens types of people who are undesirable,” he tells the Advocate. Farmer, who is also a pastor at the People’s Full Gospel Church in Lindsay, says the focus on meeting online means that people are not developing the social skills to deal with someone in person. “There is evidence that younger people don’t pick up on the cues if someone is being dishonest, as others did when all of their interactions were in person.” The Lindsay therapist says a constructive way to find someone is participating in a social activity of interest to the dater. “If someone really enjoys curling or some type of activity, they could meet other people with a similar interest and have something in common.” CONT’D ON PAGE 30
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DATING IN KAWARTHA LAKES CONT’D FROM PAGE 29
Alex Moores says it’s hard to keep a low profile on a first date in a small town.
A THERAPIST’S ADVICE “Focus on making that other person’s life the best it can be. You will get the best response from someone if your focus is to make their life better and their focus is to improve your life. You will overcome the difficulties with much more ease.” ~ Brian Farmer
Emily Stewart says dating prospects need to be honest about what they’re looking for.
While some rule out being set up by friends or family, Farmer says people should not discount it as many end up with partners, thanks to these familiar connections. Farmer suggests being friends with someone before getting into a serious relationship. “Our culture has put this mystique around falling for this person who makes your heart pound and you have that visceral reaction as being the ultimate sign that person is for you.” He said studies behind that show it is not the case. “We can have a push towards that attraction to people that are not suitable to us, simply because they meet all the checkmarks we have subconsciously put up in our minds.” He adds it is not to be dismissed totally, but it’s not the only marker. “Ultimately a long-term relationship has to have both attraction and friendship to be solid and viable.” Donna Medland has used a long-term friendship and online dating to explore romance at 82. The Lindsay senior entered a profile in the digital world and soon noticed a man familiar to her — they had gone to school together. They met for lunch and her date instantly reacted badly to her level of mobility. “I get around fine but use a walker,” said the widow. Things went downhill from there. He let her know he was seeing a woman in Montreal and was hoping to date a much younger woman he had just met at a drugstore. “He thought he was the cat’s pyjamas,” she laughed. Medland is a traveller and wanted a companion to share warm breezes on a Caribbean cruise. After she came up empty, her three daughters asked her to consider an old family friend. They had gone to kindergarten with Bruce Sapsford’s children in Scarborough. The two families were friendly and went on holidays together. “Bruce and my husband Bill were good friends.” She called Sapsford, and they picked up where they left off. “We always have something to talk about and he takes me for what I am.” While their conversations were frequent and enjoyable, Medland said inviting Bruce on the cruise felt a bit scary. Her potential cruise partner took up Medland’s offer to visit at her home for three days in March. While she wanted to see him in person, she had ulterior motives. “I wanted him to meet all of my friends in Lindsay and get their approval,” said Medland. They gave him a gold star and the two are sailing off into the proverbial sunset from Florida for 19 days. “We’re just friends and will see how it goes. I have no expectations.” Emily Stewart, a 24-year-old municipal worker from Bobcagyeon says her generation has unrealistic expectations. She says Gen Z daters feel an obligation to get married and time is running out. She dated someone for five months from Bobcaygeon and they wanted her to move in with them. “It was all too fast,” she says. “People are rushing things. The person you marry may not be the same person in 10 years.”
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She finds the sentiment also applies to sex. “Lots of men say they want a relationship but they only want fun and quick with no strings attached,” she adds. “People need to be honest upfront about what they want.” Stewart hosts the podcast 2 Broke Canadians with a female friend. She says men gravitate to the episodes about sex and think that is who she is. “I am so much more. We cover aspects related to life, the world, drugs, love and personal health.” Despite being open about what she wants, Stewart finds it disappointing that many men are not. Colin Jacobs asked us not to use his real name because of the advocacy work he does in the community. He is always open with his dates, such as the fact that he is pansexual and monogamy is not that important to him. The 30-year-old student from Lindsay lets his dates know he is not limited when it comes to biological sex, gender or gender identity. “Transparency, honMedland is a esty and support right from the start is needed,” says Jacobs. While he is uptraveller and front with dates, some don’t subscribe wanted a to the lifestyle and bow out. Others are appreciative and stay. companion to The aspiring wildlife technician says he share warm has no filter when approaching people. “I am very successful at finding dates breezes on a student groups at Fleming,” Caribbean cruise. through Jacobs says. He takes part in events and After she came goes intending to have a good time with expectations of dating or meeting up empty, her no someone. “Every conversation will not three daughters lead to a date.” While Jacobs is open to meeting dates asked her to anywhere, he says singles’ events are anconsider an old tithetical to his philosophy of dating. Variety is a tremendous part of his family friend. life. When looking at his social, romantic and sexual needs, he says it would be unfair to expect one person to fulfil all of these needs. “I’ve had sexual experiences with men, but I don’t call it dating, and my serious relationships are with women only.” Jacobs is a believer in what he calls “dating anarchy.” He looks for relationships based on needs and wants rather than traditional expectations, such as marriage. Dating anarchists tend to believe in freedom, non-hierarchy and open communication. His best advice? “Put yourself out there, be honest and respectful and get tested.”
DID YOU KNOW If there’s not enough singles in Kawartha Lakes for you, consider moving one province over. According to Zolo, Quebec City has the highest number of single men and single women of any Canadian city.
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Four Lost Cities: A Secret History by Annalee Newitz explores ancient cities and attempts to understand why they were abandoned long ago. Considering that many people currently live in cities and many more will in upcoming years, this book may offer insight into the cities of our future as well. This book was selected from the Kawartha Lakes Public Library’s NextReads Newsletters. Register to receive monthly or bi-monthly e-newsletters with enticing book suggestions. Get started at kawarthalakeslibrary.ca/nextbook.
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Lindsay Seniors Association back with fun and games
After having to put programming on hold for much for the past two years because of COVID-19 restrictions, the Lindsay Seniors Association is once again offering activities and is inviting local seniors to join in. Participants can choose from a wide range of activities including carpet bowling, euchre, knitting, shuffleboard, cribbage, scrabble, rug hooking, Mah-jong, an art group and a writing group. There is also a weekly exercise program. Bingo will resume in September. Most activities run once a week. There is an annual membership fee of $20 and members are welcome to attend as many activities as they like. Memberships can be purchased at the association office at the Lindsay Armoury, 210 Kent St. W., Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. All activities are organized and run by volunteers. The association is looking for a volunteer pianist before the choir can start back up again in September. The time commitment for the pianist is each Monday at the Armoury and occasional Tuesdays at long-term care homes. The association was established in 1965 as a non-profit volunteer organization. For more information contact 705-878-8261 or email lindsayseniors@gmail.com. Anyone interested in volunteering as the choir pianist can leave a message for Donna Brooks.
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Lunch with...
Conversations with interesting people in Kawartha Lakes
Nicki Dedes on family ties and living life with intention
Nicki and Costas Dedes, owners of Lindsay’s Olympia Restaurant. Photos: Nicki Dedes.
RODERICK BENNS Publisher
To understand what makes Nicki Dedes tick, we have to talk about family. Of course, we’re all shaped by our parents and our roots in one way or another. But there is something deeper within the Greek identity – something profoundly lineal and etched by the millennia of civilizations from which we owe so much to our own society today. Naturally, first we must find her to have these conversations, which is the easiest task of all. As the proprietor of Lindsay’s iconic Olympia Restaurant, she is omnipresent as a community host, welcoming new and established patrons alike each day. It’s an incredible-smelling potato bacon soup — which her husband, Costas, has whipped up for the day — with pita for her. It’s a Greek salad with chicken breast, a reliable favourite, for me. Saffron tea for Dedes and green tea for me are set in front of us, with small wisps of steam emerging from miniature stainless-steel pots. It occurs to me that I seldom see this woman sitting down, let alone taking the time to eat. (It’s like spotting a deer in an open field; you know you shouldn’t be surprised, but it’s still nice to see.) Her parents, Chris and Cathe Karkabasis, were both born in small villages in Greece about three kilometres apart, while both villages were equidistant from Sparta, about 10 km away. But before they would ever meet, Chris had the itch to travel at a young age. He wound up in Toronto as a 16-year-old and “found he loved it here,” says Dedes. He first worked at Diana Sweets, a well-known restaurant on Yonge Street. Working mostly nights as a bar boy (now called a bus boy) he was eventually promoted to the position of soda jerk. “He was working day and night shifts in multiple positions, intent on completing his high school diploma,” says Dedes. Chris found a high school on Bathurst Street where English language courses were taught to the thousands of new Canadians coming to live and work in the bustling city. Between learning English and other needed courses, as well as working at multiple jobs, Chris completed his high school equivalent. At the legendary Massey Hall venue, he would put chairs away at the end of shows and do whatever needed to be done once the curtain dropped. Like many immigrants who seek out the Canadian dream, he was earning money to send back home to take care of family.
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The Karkabasis property in Greece where Chris and Cathe have settled. Lemon, orange, and olive trees are plentiful.
“He was making connections and having experiences, saving as much money as possible, knowing he wanted to one day to open a place of his own,” says Dedes. Within a few years his parents told him it was time to come back to Greece. They had found a couple of young women in the village for him to meet and told him it was time to settle down. “It says a lot about my dad’s character to respect his parents’ wishes like that,” says Dedes. Soon Chris would meet Cathe and they were married within months, in 1962. Cathe had trained as a seamstress in Athens, learning not only the basics but how to design clothes from scratch. No one in Greece really bought their clothes in a store at the time, Dedes says. “You made your own,” which made her mother’s skills invaluable. Soon Chris would share his dreams with Cathe of what they could do in North America — and they weren’t the only people in their village thinking along the same lines. Indeed, they were a part of the third wave of Greek nationals, most of whom arrived for economic reasons, to make a better life. OPPORTUNITY IN LINDSAY While Chris and Cathe were in Toronto, they heard that the Cottage Restaurant on Kent Street in Lindsay was coming available. Seeing an opportunity, the family moved to Lindsay in 1969; Dedes was about four or five years old and her brother, Louis (who now runs Pane Vino restaurant just a block east), was about two. The restaurant was open from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m., seven days a week.
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“We loved growing up in a smaller community,” says Dedes. “It was very welcoming. Dedes attended Alexandria Public School, Central Senior, then LCVI — all from their same house on Peel Street where she lived for her school-age years. Meanwhile, down the street, Eudoxia Tozios, a dynamic Greek woman, had been running the popular Olympia Tea Room for more than three decades. (And prior to it being the tea room, it operated as Olympia Candy Works in the 1920s, making the Olympia name in Lindsay more than a century old.) CONT’D ON PAGE 36
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NICKI DEDES CONT’D FROM PAGE 35
“We loved growing up in a smaller community,” says Dedes. “It was very welcoming. Dedes attended Alexandria Public School, Central Senior, then LCVI — all from their same house on Peel Street where she lived for her school-age years. In 1980, Tozios approached Chris Karkabasis. She was ready to sell. For about a year, the Karkabasis family were running both the Cottage Restaurant and the Olympia at the same time before a cousin took over the Cottage for another decade. “The Olympia was neglected in many ways but our family revived it and expanded the menu,” said Dedes.
It became a busy breakfast and lunch place, sticking with the early morning Cottage model that Chris and Cathe preferred. When asked when the Olympia shifted from being a breakfast-lunch eatery to more of a lunch-dinner establishment, Nicki laughed and said, “When we retired my parents.” Dedes says her dad had “made it to suit their lifestyle, being early risers.” This was also before the town had many options and people pretty much had to flood into the downtown for breakfast in those days. Looking at olives on top of my Greek salad, I ask her if they are really from her parents’ home in Greece, something I had long heard was the case. As it turns out that was true — up until about 2018. “There was a time, when my parents were farming a lot in Greece, that the olives came from their property,” Dedes explains. Chris and Cathe had found a place in their old village in the 1990s and exported both olives and olive oil from their property during those two decades. “It was a point of pride for sure,” says Dedes. Now her parents have sold the farm property and just keep a handful of trees by the house.
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However, her cousins are farming in the same region now and the Olympia’s olives come from them — all within the same geographic area, about the size of Kawartha Lakes. The quality, she says, is just the same. FARMING IN GREECE In Greece, one’s home and farmland are typically in two separate places. Urban areas are dense and compact, and often walled, which historically was safer. In the old days, a landowner’s animals would graze wherever one’s property was demarcated, outside the city or town. In the evening, the sheep or other animals were brought back, and lived on the main floor of the home. Their heat from the main floor helped warm the second floor where families slept, Dedes explains. “That’s how my dad grew up, coming from a farming family.” This month her parents are celebrating their 60th anniversary. In 2019 Chris and Cathe went to their home in Greece to avoid the long Canadian winter, with the intention of returning to Lindsay in the spring. When COVID caused lockdowns in Europe, they decided instead to settle into life not far from Mount Taygetos, just outside of Sparta. Dedes digs out her phone and shows me photos of the Karkabasis home in Greece where she visits at least a couple of times per year. In some shots chickens can be seen wandering the yard. There’s lemon and orange trees and bright hibiscus. It’s easy to see the appeal of the fertile land and the undulating foothills. The Olympia owner finds she gets more rest when she goes back — and that doesn’t mean sleep or “lounging,” as she puts it. “It’s more like rest for the mind. I feel more rejuvenated.” I immediately think of Professor Guy Standing’s work on why he supports basic income policy. Standing writes of how Greek society distinguished between labour and work, and between leisure and recreation — and how vital they are for defining a balanced life. “A new economy and political system should … encourage leisure in the ancient Greek sense of schole, the pursuit of knowledge and meaning, rather than endless consumption. Society must reconceptualise work, to develop a new politics of time ....” Standing wrote. Dedes says the ancient Greek philosophers “required the fullness of yourself to be present, not just to pass through life … not to just get a paycheque but to also do the best for your community.” The last of our tea consumed, Dedes says she is more determined than ever to “live a life with intention, and not just go through the motions.”
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Putting the brakes on climate breakdown starts with this election
Crunch time. For students, that can mean exams. For teachers, report card deadlines. For accountants, tax season. For all of us, collectively, the stress test of meeting our climate targets. The problem is, that deadline can seem nebulous. It’s out there, somewhere, someday. But that someday is looming, and it’s not a deadline you can pull an all-nighter to meet. If we miss it, there’s no fine we can pay to compensate — just eons of penalties. Two months ago the United Nations warned that climate breakdown is rapidly accelerating and the worst effects will hit us much harder and sooner than originally thought. They already are. Remember the B.C. fires, heat waves and floods of 2021? Costs of those November floods are now approaching $9 billion. And 595 people died of B.C.’s extreme summer heat. In Ontario we don’t see that number of deaths and roads washed out — yet — but we do experience droughts and reduced crop yields. And Lyme-disease bearing ticks. And tree-killing emerald ash beetles. They both like the increased heat. Climate disruption is a big problem and we have to pass this test. So what can we do? Look to the near future — the provincial election on June 2. We can mark our X beside the candidates and their parties who will help put the brakes on climate breakdown. To do that, let’s ask our candidates a few pointed questions. 1. What would your party do to increase the sales of electric vehicles (EVs) and heat pumps? Burning gas or diesel heats up the planet. Using electric power, not so much — by a long shot. Recent high gas prices are driving up demand for EVs,
but the wait for one can be months, if not years. Part of the problem: 70 to 80 per cent of new EVs in Canada go to two provinces, B.C. and Quebec. Why? Both provinces offer rebates to EV buyers and require a certain percentage of car company sales to be electric. In addition to EV rebates, the federal government provides rebates for heat pumps to replace gas or oil furnaces. We need to accelerate those transitions in Ontario. 2. What would your party do to produce cleaner power and increase energy conservation? Ontario used to have some of the cleanest power in the country, with as little as four per cent coming from polluting natural gas. Right now, our provincial government plans to ratchet that up to 25 per cent. That flies in the face of national and international goals to cut emissions by almost half by 2030 and to net zero by 2050 to keep global temperatures more livable. 3. What would your party do to protect our farmland and natural spaces like forests and wetlands? We don’t just need to reduce carbon emissions; we need to help the natural world store carbon, filter groundwater, protect us from flooding and provide habitat. Our conservation authorities helped by bringing that focus to discussions of new developments. But their powers were hacked away and flood-monitoring ability cut along with their budgets a couple of years ago. Will your party reverse those decisions? We need those answers by June 2. Crunch time. Because it’s our vote, but it’s our children’s future.
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Diane Reesor
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PRESENTED BY Hi Diane, Tomatoes in March are boring. How can imported tomatoes be spiced up to be more flavourful in salads during winter months? Recently every type of imported blueberries I’ve bought are pulpy and have no flavour. I have been using frozen berries in desserts but the colours bleed. How can I make banana blueberry muffins that don’t turn green? Thanks! Dianne Lister
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Stories from Kawartha Lakes
Dear Dianne, I love challenging questions. Winter tomatoes are boring because both the flavour and texture are all wrong. The texture can be enhanced by putting them in a paper bag for a few days to help them ripen a little bit more. As to the flavour, I have a marinade that I like to use that really makes them sparkle.
Winter Tomatoes
Cider vinegar • Brown sugar • Oil Fresh tomatoes • Fresh basil (see notes below) • Combine cider vinegar, a mild-flavoured oil and brown sugar in proportions that you favor in a bowl big enough to hold the tomatoes. • Slice tomatoes and add them to the bowl. • Toss with fresh basil. Serve within a few hours. • These can be added to a salad or eaten as a side dish. Notes: You can use basil paste or dried basil in place of, or as well as, fresh. Although this recipe will keep in the fridge, for some reason it gets vinegary very quickly. As for frozen blueberries, they certainly do bleed. Unfortunately, when blue and yellow are mixed the colour produced is always green. Here are a few tips for using them: • Don’t let them thaw at all before putting them in muffins. • Try tossing the blueberries in a bit of flour before putting them in your baking. The flour will absorb some of the juice before it has a chance to come in contact with the banana batter. • You’ll need to bake the muffins a few minutes longer to compensate for the frozen nuggets in the batter. Good luck!
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The Bright Stuff The Bright Stuff The Bright Stuff The Bright Stuff
ACROSS Across Across Across
Drinks carefully 1 Drinks carefully 1 1Drinks carefully Across Suffix with amarstil5 Suffix with amaror stil5 5Suffix with amarororstil1 Drinks carefully Ousts, with "out" 9 Ousts, with "out" 9 9Ousts, with "out" 5 Suffix with amar- or stilCivil War Gen. Robert ______ 14 Civil War Gen. Robert 1414Civil War Gen. Robert ___ 9 Ousts, with "out" 15 Jump "of faith" 15 Jump "of faith" 15 Jump "of faith" 14 Civil War Gen. Robert ___ Blacksmith's block 16 Blacksmith's block 1616Blacksmith's block 15 Jump "of faith" Words exasperation, after 17 Words of exasperation, after 1717Words ofofexasperation, after 16 Blacksmith's block "for" "for" "for" 17 Words of partner? exasperation, after Touchy partner? 19 Touchy 1919 Touchy partner? "for" Part a"bright" "bright" 20 Part 1a of a "bright" 2020Part 1 1ofof 19 Touchy partner? observation observation observation 20 Part 1end of aend "I'm ___ end ofmy myrope!" rope!" 22 "I'm ___ of my rope!" 2222 "I'm ___ of"bright" observation Hoops great Shaquille 23 Hoops great Shaquille 2323Hoops great Shaquille 22 "I'm ___ end of my rope!" 24 Report card stinkers 24 Report card stinkers 24 Report card stinkers 23 Hoops great Shaquille Part theobservation observation 27 Part 2the of the observation 2727Part 2 2ofof 24 Report card stinkers Fin.inst. inst. whose logo 30 Fin. inst. whose logo islion a lion 3030Fin. whose logo is isa alion 27 Part 2globe the observation and and aofglobe and a aglobe 30 Fin. inst. logo is a lion Adjust, amanuscript manuscript 33 Adjust, as a manuscript 3333 Adjust, asasawhose and a globe "Am ___late?" late?" 34 "Am ___ late?" 3434"Am ___ 33 Adjust, as a manuscript Stir, suspicion 35 Stir, as suspicion 3535Stir, asassuspicion 34 "Am ___ late?" 37 Arrives on thescene scene 37 Arrives on the scene 37 Arrives on the 35 Stir, as suspicion Attire forthe thehighchair highchair setset 39 Attire for the highchair 3939Attire for set 37 Arrives on the scene Copy abio bio lablab 40 Copy a lab bio 4040Copy inina in 39 Attire for the highchair set 43 "Go team go!" 43 "Go team go!" 43 "Go team go!" 40 Copy in a bio lab Part theobservation observation 44 Part 3the of the observation 4444Part 3 3ofof 43 "Go team go!" Fist-thumper's feeling 48 Fist-thumper's feeling 4848Fist-thumper's feeling 44 Part 3 of the observation 49 Share one's views 49 Share one's views 49 Share one's views 48 Fist-thumper's feeling Woods usein inshipbuilding shipbuilding 50 Woods use in shipbuilding 5050Woods use 49 Share one's views End theobservation observation 54 End of the observation 5454End ofofthe 50 Woods use in shipbuilding Hasbro's "game 57 Hasbro's "game 5757Hasbro's "game ofof of 54 End of the fun" observation unspeakable fun" unspeakable fun" unspeakable 57 Hasbro's "game 59 Company "handle" 59 Company "handle" 59 Company "handle" of unspeakable fun" No-___ (gnat) 60 No-___ (gnat) 6060No-___ (gnat) 59 Company "handle" Lose focus, with "out" 61 Lose focus, with "out" 6161Lose focus, with "out" 60 No-___ (gnat) 62 9-1-1 call, e.g.: Abbr. 62 9-1-1 call, e.g.: Abbr. 62 9-1-1 call, e.g.: Abbr. 61 Lose focus, with "out" Command from général" 63 Command from "le général" 6363Command from "le"legénéral" 62 9-1-1 call, e.g.: Abbr. W.W.I Belgian battle sitesite 64 W.W.I Belgian battle 6464W.W.I Belgian battle site 63 Command from "le général" 65 "Drat!", in the sticks 65 "Drat!", in the sticks 65 "Drat!", in the sticks 64 W.W.I Belgian battle site DOWN Down Down 65 "Drat!", in the sticks Down Old photo colour 1 Old photo colour 1 1Old photo colour Down "Uh oh,___ ___the theoven oven on!" 2 "Uh oh, ___ the oven on!" 2 2"Uh oh, on!" 1 Old photo colour 3 Small, in Ste-Foy 3 Small, in Ste-Foy 3 Small, in Ste-Foy 2 "Uh oh, ___ the oven on!" Fume silence 4 Fume in silence 4 4Fume ininsilence 3 Small, in Ste-Foy 4 Fume in silence
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byBarbara Barbara Olson by Barbara Olson by Olson CROSSWORD © ClassiCanadian Crosswords © ClassiCanadian Crosswords © ClassiCanadian Crosswords by Barbara Olson 5 56 6 67 7 © 9 91010 10 12 2 23 3 34 4 4 78 8ClassiCanadian 8 11 1 1 THE 5 9 1111 1212 12 1313 13 Crosswords BRIGHT STUFF 1414 14 1 2
3
1515 15 5 6
4
1717 17 14
1818 18
2020 20 17
18
1616 16 9 10
8
2121 21 2323 23
2727 27
22
3030 30 3131 31 3232 32 3535 35 30 31
32
3939 39 35
27
2828 28
3333 33
3636 36
3737 37 3838 38
33
4545 45 4646 46
4848 48 44
4949 49 45 46
54
55
2929 29
23
25
26
40
41
37
4343 43
38
4747 47
42
5050 50 5656 56
49 5959 59
34
47
50
51
52
53
56
6161 61 59
6262 62
6363 63 60
6464 64 61
6565 65 62
64
43
5151 51 5252 52 5353 53
6060 60 57 58
63
24
3434 34 29
4444 44 39
5757 57 5858 58
13
2424 24 2525 25 2626 26
21
4040 40 4141 41 4242 42
5454 54 5555 55
12
19
28
36
11
1919 19 16
15
2222 22 20
48
7
65
32 Decked out spookily, in a way "What ___is___ isnew" new" 5 "What is new" Decked outspookily, spookily, way 3232Decked out inina a way 5 5"What ___ 6 Sweet-smelling flower "Old Glory's" ctry. Sweet-smelling flower 36 "Old Glory's" ctry. 3636"Old Glory's" ctry. 6 6Sweet-smelling flower 32 Decked out spookily, in a way 5 "What ___ is new" 7 Accepted, a duty Official lang. Singapore Accepted, aduty duty 37 Official lang. of Singapore 3737Official lang. ofofSingapore 7 7Accepted, asasa as 36 "Old Glory's" ctry. 6 Sweet-smelling flower 8 Side of a pillowcase that a 38 Prickly plant 8 Side of a pillowcase that a 38 Prickly plant 38 Prickly plant 8 Side of a pillowcase that a 37 Official lang. of Singapore 7 Accepted, pillow goes pillow goes in ainduty pillow goes inas Unlikely leave big tip,say saysay 40 Unlikely to leave a tip, big tip, 4040Unlikely totoleave a abig 38 Prickly plant 8 Side of a pillowcase that a 9 Leave puzzled 9 Leave puzzled 9 Leave puzzled Hockey Hall-of-Famer EricEric 41 Hockey Hall-of-Famer 4141Hockey Hall-of-Famer Eric pillow goes in 40 Unlikely to leave a big tip, say 10 ___'clock (noonhour's end) ___'clock (noonhour's end) 1010___'clock (noonhour's end) 42 For single, alternating traffic 42 For single, alternating traffic 42 For single, alternating traffic 9 Leave puzzled 41 Hockey Hall-of-Famer Eric 11 One who cleans out the buffet4545Still One who cleans outthe thebuffet buffet 1111One who cleans out Still ahead 45 Still ahead ahead 10 ___'clock (noonhour's end) 42 For single, alternating traffic trays, maybe? trays, maybe? trays, maybe? Bal.Bal. sheet whiz 46 sheet whiz 4646Bal. sheet whiz 11 One who cleans out the buffet 45 Still ahead 12 For as long as, briefly For aslong long as,briefly briefly 1212 For as as, 47 Streaked, as blue cheese 47 Streaked, as cheese 47 Streaked, as blueblue cheese trays, maybe? 46 Bal. sheet whiz 13 Crafty Crafty 1313Crafty "Anyone for___ ___of ofcards?" cards?" 51 "Anyone up for ___ of cards?" 5151"Anyone upupfor 12 For as long as, briefly 47 Streaked, as blue cheese 18 Members of Abba or First Members Abba First AidAid 52 1818Members ofofAbba ororFirst Aid ___Rouge, Rouge, Cambodian 52 ___ Rouge, Cambodian 52 ___ Cambodian 13 Crafty Kit 51 "Anyone KitKit guerrilla guerrillaup for ___ of cards?" guerrilla 18 Members of Abba orTweety First Aid 21 Caught sight of, to Caught sight toTweety Tweety 52 ___ Rouge, Cambodian 2121 Caught sight of,of, to Rear admiral's rear 53 Rear admiral's rear 5353 Rear admiral's rear Kit Bird Bird guerrilla Bird 55 Word with "Honour" 55 Word with "Honour" 55 Word with "Honour" oror or 21 Caught sight of, toCanada's Tweety 25 ___ MacDonald, first 53 "Grace" ___ MacDonald, Canada's first Rear admiral's rear 2525 ___ MacDonald, Canada's first "Grace" "Grace" Bird female foreign minister female foreign minister female foreign minister 55 Word with "Honour" or River Germany 56 River of Germany 5656River ofofGermany 25 ___ MacDonald, 26 Swirl loosely inCanada's water, a Swirl loosely water, a first "Grace" 2626 Swirl loosely ininwater, asasa as Classical grp. Roy Thomson 57 Classical grp. at Roy Thomson 5757Classical grp. atatRoy Thomson female foreign minister dishrag dishrag dishrag 56 River Hall Hall of Germany Hall 26 Swirl loosely in water, as Mine" a 28 George Harrison's "___ George Harrison's "___ Mine" 2828 George Harrison's "___ Mine" 57 Classical grp."atmosphere" at"atmosphere" Roy Thomson Prefix meaning 58 Prefix meaning "atmosphere" 5858 Prefix meaning dishrag 29 Dah's Morse mate Dah's Morse mate Hall 2929Dah's Morse mate 28 George Harrison's "___ Mine" 30 Bar Mitzvah overseer BarMitzvah Mitzvah overseer 58You’ll Prefix meaning "atmosphere" find the solution 3030Bar overseer 29 Dah's Morse mate 31 Annual Canadian curling Annual Canadian curling 3131Annual Canadian curling on page 46 30 Bar Mitzvah overseer championship championship championship By Barbara Olson © ClassiCanadian Crosswords 31 Annual Canadian curling championship
43
JUST IN TIME
The Lindsay Rotary Club }} 100 Years of Service
Rotarians Mike Puffer, Bernie Nickerson and Adam Hayward in front of the Rotary Wheel at the trailhead on Logie Street. Nickerson was president in 1989-1990 and Hayward has been president since 2019. Photo: Ian McKechnie.
IAN McKECHNIE Writer-at-large
Even if we aren’t Rotarians ourselves, many of us can trace some connection to the Lindsay Rotary Club, which this year marks its 100th anniversary. We might have had a neighbour, friend, or relative in the club. Thousands have enjoyed lunch at Rotary’s annual Burger Day in Victoria Park. Most of us at one time or another will have had occasion to venture into the Lindsay Aquatorium, the Lindsay Public Library, or the Ross Memorial Hospital – all of which Rotary had a hand in contributing to when these facilities opened or underwent significant expansion in the 1970s. Rotary is part of who we are. The international Rotary Club movement originated in 1905 with a lawyer from Chicago, Illinois, by the name of Paul Percy Harris (1868-1947). Members of that initial club met in each other’s place of business on a rotating basis; hence the name Rotary. Clubs soon sprang up around the world, with the one in Lindsay holding its first meeting on March 10, 1922, at the Benson House Hotel. A second Rotary Club in the area, that in Fenelon Falls, grew out of the Lindsay club and had its charter granted in 1944. “At seven o’clock a number of cheerful songs were sung and the large meeting sat down to a splendid dinner,” reported the Lindsay Daily Post on March 11, 1922. “Every now and then the proceedings were brightened by songs either en masse or performed by quartettes, trios, duets, or solos as the needs might be.” Tobacco smoke surely wafted throughout the room as members listened to Rotarians from Oshawa, Peterborough, Toronto and Trenton wax eloquent about the aims of the organization. L.V. O’Conner, a local judge, was elected as the club’s first president, and on March 17, the Lindsay Rotary Club held its first luncheon, also at the Benson House. Twentyfive public-spirited men joined as charter members and pledged to live up to the slogan, “He Profits Most Who Serves Best.” Two months later, the club celebrated Charter Night. Members gathered at the Legion and marched to the Canadian Pacific Railway station, where contingents of Rotarians from across the province were
44
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heartily welcomed to the community. In due course, everyone sat down to “a sumptuous banquet provided in a splendid manner by the Talent Workers of St. Andrew’s Church.” It was the beginning of a century of service in which Lindsay Rotarians have been instrumental in improving the lives of their fellow citizens. Under the leadership of Frank L. Weldon (1899-1985), Rotary joined forces with the Lindsay Kiwanis Club in the fall of 1931 to form the Lindsay Citizens’ Relief Association. Together, the two clubs ensured that no citizen went hungry or cold at the height of the Great Depression. In the summer of 1944, Rotary held a draw for a fully furnished four-bedroom cottage on Sturgeon Lake. Tickets were 50 cents each, and three could be purchased for a dollar. Proceeds went towards Rotary efforts to aid children with disabilities and war work. Rotary’s efforts have expanded over the decades to encompass a wide range of public service initiatives. For Bruce Faulkner, who joined the club in 1965 and served two terms as its president, the most memorable might have been the building of the Lindsay Aquatorium. Rotary had been the driving force behind Lindsay’s first in-ground swimming pool, and when that outdoor facility needed replacing, Rotary joined forces with the Kinsman, Kiwanis and Lions clubs to raise money for the project. “The pool was paid for without debt and with no debenture,” Tahiliani also Faulkner recalls. Fundraising events under Rotary auspices welcomed the were always popular, particularly the annual first women into auctions. “We used to write to clubs around local Rotary the world and ask them to send us crafts and membership — memorabilia,” says former Rotarian Moti Tasomething that hiliani. “Dennis Sweeting (the longtime artistic director of Kawartha Summer Theatre) served was initially met as auctioneer for many years.” Tahiliani joined Rotary around 1968, not with controversy. long after he and his family immigrated to “I was told that Canada from India. “Rotary members gave half the club me a very warm welcome,” he remembers. would resign,” Tahiliani served as president in 1992–93, and it was during his tenure that membership in Tahiliani the Lindsay Rotary Club reached a peak of recalls. 75 people. Tahiliani also welcomed the first women into local Rotary membership — something that was initially met with controversy. “I was told that half the club would resign,” Tahiliani recalls. Both Tahiliani and Faulkner agree that their adopted community would not be where it is today had it not been for the Rotary Club. “Rotary has done wonders in the world,” says Tahiliani, pointing to the organization’s ongoing support of children with special needs. “I don’t know what small towns would do without the service clubs,” adds Faulkner. Said the Lindsay Daily Post in its coverage of that initial meeting of local Rotarians a century ago, “the general enthusiasm and good fellowship manifested was infectious and speaks well for Lindsay’s new Rotary Club.” The same appears to hold true 100 years later.
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45
TREVOR’S TAKE TREVOR HUTCHINSON Contributing Editor
Fuel to the fire
I’m so mad! Like, did you know that Canada’s inflation rate is actually two per cent lower than in the U.S. and that inflation is a worldwide phenomenon being spurred by COVID-related supply-chain issues and the war in Ukraine? I could go on. How about Canada being voted by the U.S. News and World Report to be the best country in the world in which to live? Or that we have AAA credit ratings from bond agencies, have the lowest unemployment rate since the 1970s and one of the lowest debt-to-GDP ratios in the G7? This is outrageous! Despite the fact that I have freely voted in elections for all of my adult life, I’m clearly being forced to live in a COMMUNIST country because, at least for a while, we had policies that tried to stop us from killing each other. Take next month’s provincial election for example. I have at least two very distinct choices to make. I can vote for maintaining and improving health care or for vague references to privatizing hospitals. I can vote for a shiny new highway through pristine farmland or increased education funding. I can share this opinion, which might be the opposite of my neighbour’s, freely. And my neighbour can do the same. Clearly, we are living in a DICTATORSHIP. How am I sure that all of these pretty good outcomes are actually attacks on my FREEDOM? Because there are social media algorithms that target blatant disinformation — often funded by malevolent foreign actors — at me. In other words, I’VE DONE MY OWN RESEARCH. Thankfully, there is at least one Conservative politician who is interested in stoking my emotions and making sure that we all get ANGRY at each other. It doesn’t matter that if we don’t make huge changes to the way we live our planet will be uninhabitable. I have to pay 11 cents for a carbon tax on gasoline, unlike some other Canadians, because my provincial government cancelled the cap and trade system. Therefore I am OPPRESSED. Some people may be wary of the Trumpification of Canadian politics and the further entrenching of an us-versus-them political climate. I don’t know why. It seemed to work out in the States okay. Their political climate seems quite sane, and robust enough to tackle the biggest issues of the day. I know this because I read it on a news site that isn’t a news site. Or — and call me crazy, but — maybe I am exhausted from the pandemic and the potential for world war. Maybe I am worried about how fast technology is changing and worried that the planet won’t be livable for my kids’ kids. Maybe we are only going to solve our biggest problems together. Yeah, that is crazy. Wishing a happy “It’s All Trudeau’s Fault Day” to all who celebrate it.
46
SOLUTION
to this month’s crossword, page 43 The Bright Stuff
THE BRIGHT STUFF
1
S
14
E
17
2
I L
3
4
5
P S E E
6
E T
15 18
L
7
8
22
I
F
A T
30
31
I
27
32
R B C
35
E D 33
36
O N E A
I
E M E N D
B
I
44
B S
45
40
41
42
B E W A T C H
I
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N E
48
57
R E 54
58
49
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O P
L Y
F O R L
24
38
I 59
I
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T O O 43
R A H
47
50
56
E
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52
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T E A K S L
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G H T
T R A D E N A M E
61
62
63
64
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O R D R E
26
L
E N T E R S
60
S E E U M
25
E F S
29
N G T V
B Y C A N D L
T A B O O
I L
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37
13
F E E
C L O N E
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12
A N V
S O N W E D A
A R O U S E
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21
23
28
11
19
T W E R E N T
T H E
10
B O O T S
16
E A P
P E T E S S A K E
20
9
T O
Z O N E
Y S E R
E M E R
D E R N
By Barbara Olson © ClassiCanadian Crosswords
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FLATO makes $1.2 million donation to Fleming College
Largest single donation in history of the college “At FLATO we believe in supporting the communities where we build. Education is a very important part of the community and we’re excited to support Fleming College and help provide students with the resources they need to succeed.” — Shakir Rehmatullah, President of FLATO Developments Inc. From the donation, $720,000 will be put toward Fleming’s FLATO Capital Innovation Fund while $480,000 will be used to create the FLATO Student Scholars Program. Over the next 10 years, several hundred students will receive scholarships and become FLATO Scholars. The program will be offered to incoming students at Fleming’s Frost Campus. In acknowledgement of this generous gift, the main foyer at Frost Campus will be known as The Shakir Rehmatullah Atrium.