The Telling Our Stories Speakers Series, in cooperation with the Haliburton Highlands Healthy Democracy Project and with the support of Places for People, has planned a “pop-up” presentation in advance of this year’s Municipal Election. Dave Meslin author of Teardown: Rebuilding Democracy from The Ground Up, will be our guest speaker.

2026 is an election year for Haliburton County and we’ll have the opportunity to elect our municipal councils in Minden Hills, Algonquin Highlands, Dysart et al and Highlands East. Local elections present an incredible opportunity for local residents to make their voices heard about important issues such as housing, conservation, health services, economic development, road safety, tax spending and more.

Sadly, the vast majority of citizens don’t tend to participate. Municipal voter turnout is often below 30% and the 2022 elections in Haliburton even saw some positions “acclaimed” – which means there was no election at all.

Dave Meslin has spent the last 25 years researching and experimenting with ways to boost civic participation, especially at the local municipal level. Through stories, Dave will remind us why it’s important to get involved: Not just to vote, but to get engaged earlier as a volunteer or even as a candidate! Dave’s ideas and proposals will help us build a culture of engagement in 2026, across the County.