Haliburton County Voices

Our Story

HC Voices

Our group first came together when we discovered that Council in Algonquin Highlands was about to pass a bylaw called the License of Occupation. Those of us who were directly affected by this new bylaw, were only first made aware of it in a trivial article on page 4 of our local newspaper on July 27th 2023.  It was not a trivial matter for those affected because of the financial and restrictive ramifications that the new bylaw would impose.  

Our group had less than 2 weeks to educate ourselves, submit a delegation request and put together the content which was presented to AH council at their next council meeting on August 17th. The hope was to get them to pause the signing of the bylaw that would have taken place that day. Luckily, we did get the pause we were looking for, which gave us more time to research the issues and organize our response in a second delegation. Despite these efforts, the bylaw was signed on November 2nd, 2023.


Ensure everyone
in Haliburton
County has a Voice

Remember
there is strength in numbers

For our group, this process was a rapid education about the true nature of municipal government legislation and procedures. The most significant observation we made is that the current structure of municipal politics does not allow for meaningful and productive public involvement in local government. This is partly our fault for not being watchful of any proposed legislation. As we discovered, if you are at the stage of creating a delegation to oppose any proposed form of legislation, you are already too late to sway council in your direction.  

Our well-meaning and hard-working councilors are part of a political structure that does not allow them to effectively do the job that we elected them to do. Councilors rely heavily on municipal staff for the facts about the requirements of any new or proposed change to existing legislation and therefore get only one viewpoint. We feel that this incomplete process would be better served by some level of communication between Council and the people who will be affected by their decisions.

 We believe the existing procedures our elected officials operate under are flawed. They are heavily skewed to give government, whether municipal, provincial or federal, the ultimate power to make decisions about how we are to be governed with little to no input from the average citizen. As issues come and go, so do the individual groups opposing the way that Council has dealt with them.  We continue to meet people who have become frustrated  and given up trying to get their voices heard. 





There are many individuals in our community with the skill, knowledge, and experience that can help improve the quality of life we all enjoy as residents of Haliburton County. Our goal is to unite these groups of individuals, to become more active in the political process and have influence in the creation of legislation that affects our daily lives. There is strength in numbers.

HC Voices is a professional group that respects our community and its elected officials. We want to see our influence grow across Haliburton County and allow individuals with issues access to the knowledge and influence of a larger established group of citizens. We want to ensure community input into any new or updated legislation being proposed by our councilors, making sure that they get all the facts and viewpoints needed to make an informed decision. The system discourages our participation because it slows down the process. Without our involvement, needless and ineffective bylaws are created that leave citizens and councilors equally frustrated with the results. We want to educate the public about the roles and responsibilities of our elected officials and staff, ensuring they are held accountable for their actions.

HC Voices was established to share our experiences and expertise so that everyone in Haliburton County has a Voice!



Empower
your community for a
brighter future

Go to our YouTube channel and Facebook page for more information about the License of Occupation in Algonquin Highlands as well as other issues that will affect our communities in Haliburton County