The Friends of Algonquin Park say now is the prime time to spot a moose along Hwy. 60 in Algonquin Park.

However, in a post on its Facebook page, the non-profit organization recommends drivers stay alert because moose and other animals “are often surprisingly hard to see, especially after dark." 

"The application of salt to Hwy. 60 during winter road maintenance operations attracts moose to roadside ditches," it says in the post. "Moose with salt-deficient winter diets capitalize upon this unnatural source of salt. “From mid-April when roadside ditches thaw, to about mid-May when roadside ditches dry out, chances are good you will observe several of these magnificent animals during a leisurely drive along Hwy. 60." 

They suggest keeping your eyes peeled for animals darting from one side of the road to the other. Also, they point out that if another driver flashes their lights at you while near Algonquin Park, they're likely warning you about an animal running across the road.  

It’s noted in the post that moose and other wildlife are occasionally hit by vehicles. The group says the best course of action is to drive slow to “help save the lives of Algonquin Park’s moose and possibly even your own.” 

The post Be aware of wandering moose along Hwy. 60 appeared first on My Haliburton Now.

As the weather continues to get warmer, some residents may be looking to have their driveways repaved which could set them up to be scammed.

The Ontario Provincial Police says fraudsters are "persistent, persuasive, and, sometimes, aggressive" hoping to trick you into using their services.

Brooklyn Harker, media relations for the Central Region OPP, recommends researching contractors online by seeing if they're registered with your area's chamber of commerce or looking for reviews on a reputable website.

She adds they may have professional-looking information to show you like a flyer.

"It is advisable to exercise caution when opening your door to unexpected visitors or solicitors offering items or services," says Harker.

When they show up at your door, they may ask for payment upfront in cash and say this can be done "today only."

"Most contractors will know how much material they need for a job, so if they show up at your door saying they have "leftover" from another job, be cautious," continues Harker.

She says the scammers may look for elderly residents.

"If an offer seems too good to be true, chances are it is and it's someone trying to scam you out of your money," summarizes Harker.

The post Police warning of paving fraud appeared first on My Haliburton Now.

Officials with the Township of Lake of Bays say Hwy. 35 between Birkendale Rd. and Seabreeze Rd. in Dwight has reopened.

They say repairs are continuing so there may be occasional single-lane closures.

The stretch of road had been closed in both directions since lunchtime on Monday because of a washout.

The MyHaliburtonNow.com newsroom has been sent multiple pictures and videos of flooding that has caused the stretch of highway to seemingly split in half.

The post UPDATE: Hwy. 35 reopens after washout appeared first on My Haliburton Now.

The 2024 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games start next week in Calgary with a few from our area joining Team Ontario

Haliburton's Rick West is a coach on the 5-pin bowling team.

He's joined by Almaguin's Cheryl Atkinson, who will serve on the mission staff.

Huntsville's Mark Cheek is the only athlete from our area competing at the National Games. He is one of the 17 athletes on Ontario's cross-country skiing team.

Meanwhile, Cindy Blake will also represent Muskoka as one of the coaches on the cross-country team.

Other competitions at the National Games include curling, figure skating, floor hockey, snowshoeing, and speed skating.

The National Games take place from Feb. 27 to March 2.

With files from Bob McIntyre

The post Haliburton coach heading to Calgary for Special Olympics Canada Winter Games appeared first on My Haliburton Now.

A new report by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce says 53 percent of the province's businesses are "expecting to grow" despite ongoing challenges.

However, the eighth annual Ontario Economic Report from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce cites high inflation, interest rates, and housing costs are "driving pessimism" in the province's economic outlook.

Officials with the Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce explain the report contains "regional and sector-specific data on business confidence and growth, public policy priorities, regional forecasts, and timely business issues such as supply chains, employee well-being, diversity, equity and inclusion, economic reconciliation, and climate challenge."

The report references growth in the mining industry but Mark Bell, president of the Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce, says that industry has little impact locally with the biggest industries in the county being construction, tourism-related work, retail, and healthcare.

Adding to what's said in the report, Bell says bringing skilled labour continues to be a challenge locally, adding it's compounded by the lack of housing in the area.

He points out that's an issue facing many - if not all - businesses in Ontario.

"We're seeing some steps," he says about potential projects on the horizon but notes it will take a while. He mentions Dysart et al council buying a 90-acre property for just under $2 million in Oct. 2023 for possible development and Haliburton County council recently making it easier for additional dwelling units to be constructed.

Amanda Conn, executive director of the Chamber, teases projects coming in the "next couple of weeks."

"I think that there is some level of concern and people they see some challenges with the economy and kind of what's been happening locally, however, I would say our businesses in Haliburton County have always proven to be very resilient and very agile," says Conn.

"Keep the faith," adds Bell.

He hopes businesses "continue to look at creative opportunities" to broaden what they offer.

Conn boasts the Chamber, located at 195 Highland St., has an open-door policy and can simply be someone to bounce an idea off of or help a business get connected with supports in the community.

"While there's a challenge, our businesses they are looking for a really positive path forward and we're looking forward to optimism," she says.

The post Haliburton Highlands Chamber ‘looking forward to optimism’ appeared first on My Haliburton Now.

An episode of a new CBC mini-series will watch over a group of wolf pups in Algonquin Park as they fight to survive.  

Dugald Maudsley, executive director of Secret World of Sound, says the episode is one of three. The episode focuses on Algonquin Park with shots of Muskoka sprinkled in. It airs on Feb. 29 on CBC at 9.m. and will be available to stream on CBC Gem the day before. 

The goal of the mini-series was to detail how animals live in their most natural state, which is why Maudsley says they focused entirely on sound. 

"It allows us to look at all these animals and their behaviour in a totally different way because all of a sudden you realize they're communicating with each other, they're protecting themselves, they're ensuring they can get their prey, whatever it is, and they're using sound to do that," he explains. 

Maudsley says he learned about how wolf packs will often leave pups at rendezvous sites during the day. He explains the pups are too big to stay in the den but not quite ready to hunt. 

They spend the day playing with each other and learning how to howl. 

While cute for us to watch, Maudsley says this is a tumultuous time for pups and many don't make it. As they're learning to howl, they can attract predators. 

"There is this whole kind of tension going on with these pups, many of whom don't make it a year for this reason," he continues. "Can they get past this very dangerous moment? Can they learn how to use their howl?" 

Along with the wolves of Algonquin Park, Maudsley says they viewed 20 other animals across 11 countries. He explains it took between 20 to 30 days to find the subjects and get enough footage to tell their story. 

While we, especially in Cottage Country, run into animals on a day-to-day basis, it may come in the form of a turtle crossing Hwy. 11 or a deer grazing in our backyard. Maudsley says it's what we don't get to see that inspired him to go on this journey. "It's this realization that there's all this stuff going on under the surface," he says. 

While the episode on Algonquin Park airs on Feb. 29, the series' first episode is being shown on Feb. 15, followed by episode two on Feb. 22. 

The post Algonquin Park to be featured as part of CBC show appeared first on My Haliburton Now.

Students with the Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) are having one of their days off moved. 

The Professional Activity (PA) Day is being moved from Friday, March 1 to Monday, April 8 for elementary and secondary students. 

"The reason behind this move is to support student and staff safety," says Wes Hahn, director of education for TLDSB. "A solar eclipse is anticipated to take place across the board on April 8, with the peak of the eclipse occurring during school dismissal time when individuals are more likely to be outdoors." 

Hahn explains the change does not add a new PA Day. 

Multiple school boards, including Toronto's, are making similar moves in the name of student safety. 

According to exclipse2024.org, a website endorsed by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), around 3:21 p.m. is when "the maximum amount of the sun's disk is covered" over Haliburton. However, only close to 97 percent of the sun will be covered. 

According to a chart created by the CSA, the duration of the eclipse will range from just over one minute in Summerside, P.E.I., to almost three-and-a-half minutes in Sherbrooke, Que. 

If you're planning to view the rare occasion, CSA officials say it's "essential to wear special glasses with filters designed for watching solar eclipses." 

The post Upcoming solar eclipse forces changes at Haliburton schools appeared first on My Haliburton Now.

Warm temperatures have caused many lakes to freeze slowly or, in some cases, not at all in parts of Ontario. 

Derek Hebner, president of the Ontario Conservation Officers Association, says anglers need to be cautious.  

“The lack of ice coupled with heavy snowfall recently has caused many lakes to have excessive slush," he says. "This snowfall and slush will slow further ice formation and cause travelling on the ice to become very difficult until colder temperatures arrive. I encourage anglers who are planning a fishing excursion to check the ice conditions often, plan ahead and be prepared. By following some simple safety measures, it could save your life or the life of someone else.” 

Hebner suggests checking ice thickness and condition frequently. 

He explains clear ice should be at least four inches thick for walking and ice fishing, five for one snowmobile or all-terrain vehicle, between eight and 12 for a car or small pick-up truck, and 12 to 15 for a medium-sized truck. 

“For many anglers, ice fishing can be the highlight of their fishing year,” says Hebner. "But if the ice conditions are not safe, we suggest holding off on heading out until ice conditions improve." 

The post Slushy, unfrozen lakes posing problems for ice fishing appeared first on My Haliburton Now.

Environment Canada days the temperature could dip as low as -30 degrees overnight.

It won't be any better when you wake up.

The weather agency says the temperature will stay around -30 up until the afternoon when it will warm up to -19.

Hayley Redman, a paramedic with Parry Sound District Paramedic Services, explains frostbite happens when your skin freezes. It usually happens to exposed skin but Redman says it can happen even if you're covered up. She gives the example of someone whose gloves get wet while they're shovelling.

Frostbite starts with frostnip.

Redman says you will notice a tingling, prickly feeling that may progress to numbness. She explains the best thing to do if you suspect you're dealing with frostnip is to "gently warm" the area rather than completely submerging that part of your body in warm water.

"As you warm those areas up, it will be quite painful," says Redman.

If you notice the area is numb, hard, white, waxy, or blisters start to appear while you warm up, Redman says to seek medical attention.

The most important thing you can do is "take it easy," according to Redman. While staying inside is the best idea when it's extremely cold, if you have to go out to shovel, for example, she suggests taking frequent breaks to warm up.

The post Overnight frost bite risk in Haliburton appeared first on My Haliburton Now.

Finding a way to capitalize on the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) was one of the goals of Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation, and Trade, who spent time in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

“At the show last year, I may have heard ‘AI’ five times,” he says. “This would have been five times every minute this trip. Everybody is realizing the power of AI and we need to be positioned to make sure that our students that we’re training, our employees that are being trained understand the power of AI and how it’s going to change the future.”  

One example is how vehicles will be in the not-so-distant future.  

“I saw the examples of these autonomous vehicles that sort of do the thinking for you,” he says. “It scared the pants off me but it’s there and we need to be ready for it and find out how to capitalize on it for Northern Ontario.”  

The post Ontario keeping an eye on artificial intelligence appeared first on My Haliburton Now.