Event Type : Speaker Series

Tammy Rea, along with Midori Nagai spent 20 years with Sticks and Stones recording and sharing stories about Haliburton County.

A look back at the stories around some of the videos, from the mysterious,Highland Wheeler (the ghost on a bike), to the comical (Haliburton Highlands Museum) to the poignant (Minden Pride). And of course, just like Woodstock, can you say you were there – in minus 25 degree weather – for the outdoor screening of “There’s Something in the Water?”

Years before that Kris Kadwell and Al Sumpter with frequent host Barry (Bazza) Hayward, created and produced CHTV, pioneering television for the Haliburton Highlands. The shows ran one evening each week in Minden and Haliburton from 1994 to 1999.

Enjoy an evening of looking back at the county’s unique and colourful people and events, and some of the stories behind the stories.

What does it mean to love a forest?

In this talk, Ethan Tapper, a forester, bestselling author and content creator from Vermont, will draw from his work as a forester and his book How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World to discuss what it means to care for forests and other ecosystems at this moment in time. How do we respond to the harmful legacies of the past? How do we use our species’ incredible power to heal rather than to harm? How do we reach toward a better future? In a time in which many believe that “protecting” ecosystems means protecting them from ourselves, Ethan argues that humans must take action to help ecosystems heal and to move into a more abundant future, and that to do so is an act of care and compassion – of love.

Ethan’s message is at once compassionate and pragmatic, clear-eyed and hopeful, sobering and inspiring – a powerful new vision for how we can build a world that works for all of its ecosystems and all of its people.

From his early days in the pages of Maclean’s, to stints at the Toronto Star, Ottawa Citizen, National Post and most famously from his perch on page two of the Globe and Mail, MacGregor was one of the country’s must-read journalists. While news media were leaning increasingly right or left, he always leaned north, his curiosity trained by the deep woods and cold lakes of Algonquin Park to share stories from Canada’s farthest reaches, even as he worked in the newsrooms of its southern capitols. From Parliament to the backyard rink, subarctic shores to prairie expanses, MacGregor shaped the way Canadians saw and thought about themselves—never entirely untethered from the land and its history

Immerse yourself in Watersheds Canada’s inaugural conference where inspiration leads to action! Taking place May 1-2, 2025 in Haliburton, ON, this event will bring together fellow lake and watershed enthusiasts for an engaging experience that takes you beyond the conference room and into the field with hands-on stewardship project demonstrations and interactive seminars.

Network with passionate lake leaders and environmental professionals, share innovative success stories, and discover science-driven practical solutions. Leave empowered, connected, and ready to make a tangible impact on Canada’s watersheds and your own community!

John Turner was the prime minister of Canada in 1984 for only 79 days. But that short stint in no way reflects the commitment he made to his country, or the impact he had. Steve Paikin takes us through the life of a man who wasn’t born in Canada, but gave so much to it.

Steve Paikin is the host of TVO’s flagship current affairs program, The Agenda with Steve Paikin. He co-hosts the weekly provincial affairs #onpoli podcast and contributes columns to tvo.org. Paikin was born and raised in Hamilton, which explains his love of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Toronto Maple Leafs. We’re still trying to figure out his obsession for the Boston Red Sox.