| Haliburton County | |
| Official Name: | County of Haliburton |
| Settlement Type: | County (upper-tier) |
| Seal Size: | 200px |
| Seal Type: | Logo |
| Seal Alt: | Logo |
| Shield Alt: | Coat of Arms |
| Motto: | Watch Weel |
| Image Map1: | Map of Ontario HALIBURTON.svg |
| Map Caption1: | Haliburton County's location in relation to Ontario. |
| Coordinates: | 45.0833°N -108°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Type2: | Region |
| Subdivision Name2: | Central Ontario |
| Seat Type: | County seat |
| Seat: | Minden |
| Parts Type: | Municipalities |
| Parts Style: | coll |
| Area Code: | 705 / 249 |
| Website: | www.haliburtoncounty.ca/ |
| P1: | Algonquin Highlands |
| Area Land Km2: | 4076.08 |
| Population Total: | 18,062 |
| Population As Of: | 2016 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Density Km2: | 4.4 |
| P2: | Dysart et al |
| P3: | Highlands East |
| P4: | Minden Hills |
| Timezone: | EST |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
Haliburton is a county of Ontario, Canada, known as a tourist and cottage area in Central Ontario for its scenery and for its resident artists. Minden Hills is the county seat. Haliburton County and the village of Haliburton are named after Thomas Chandler Haliburton, author, statesman, and the first chairman of the Canadian Land and Emigration Company.
The county borders Algonquin Provincial Park on the north.
It was originally organized in 1874 as the Provisional County of Haliburton.[2] The county's economy has historically been based on the lumber industry, with the first sawmill officially opening on December 18, 1864. The Canadian Land and Emigration Company later opened in the 1870s and operated until 1892. A third sawmill was constructed in 1903 by the William Laking Lumber Company. All three of these mills were constructed on the Drag River, an important river in the county in the center of Haliburton Village used to send lumber downstream.[3] The county was created from townships that were withdrawn from other counties and districts, including:
| Transferred from | Townships | |
|---|---|---|
| Victoria County |
| |
| Peterborough County |
| |
| Nipissing District |
|
It became Haliburton County in 1983,[5] and consists of the following municipalities:
Communities in the county include Haliburton, Dorset, Minden, Wilberforce, Gooderham, Irondale, Cardiff, West Guilford, Eagle Lake and Fort Irwin.
Haliburton County is dubbed the "Haliburton Highlands". The Haliburton Highlands region is also one of the higher points on the Canadian Shield,[6] ranging from 1066feet at the Haliburton/Stanhope Municipal Airport[7] to 1450feet above sea level at Sir Sam's Ski Resort in Eagle Lake.[8]
Haliburton County is spotted with many rivers and lakes, including endorheic lakes fed by natural springs. Some of the major lakes are as follows:
As a census division in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Haliburton County had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of 4009.47km2, it had a population density of in 2021.[9]
Haliburton County's economy is dominated by tourism. The ratio of properties occupied in the summer months, to properties occupied year-round is about 3 to 1. Employment primarily caters to the needs of this seasonal cottage country population, including residential construction, resorts, services and retail.[11] One particularly successful resort at the time was the Wigamog Inn Resort. Years ago it catered to hundreds staying on site during the summer months, and was a prime location being only a minutes walk from the lake. It closed permanently around 2009 - 2010, with a new owner buying the property in 2016.[12]
The Haliburton County Development Corporation (HCDC) is currently working on a project called Innovative Haliburton to bring attention to the creative economy in Haliburton, as well as, partnering with HCDC to advance the creative economy in eastern Ontario. In 2009, HCDC formed a creative economy committee to look at ways to: encourage innovative people who already have an attachment to the area to move and run their business here, support new and existing businesses in the county that work in the creative economy, showcase local businesses that are successfully engaged in the creative economy, and support our local governments to engage in planning that will help attract new businesses. In 2013, The Creative Economy Committee's name was changed to the Economic Innovations Committee to better describe the roles of the committee as a seed organization, helping the county to prosper through innovation and enabling the youth of the county to better understand the opportunities that are being created in the new economy.[13]
The county is serviced by hospitals in Haliburton and Minden; both are administered by Haliburton Highlands Health Services.
Highway 118 runs through the county, passing near the community of Haliburton.
The Victoria Railway (later the CN Haliburton Subdivision) formerly connected the county to the Canadian railway system via nearby Lindsay.[14]
The Haliburton County Rail Trail runs between Haliburton and Kinmount. A rail trail, it follows the right of way of the Victoria Railway.[15] At Kinmount, it connects to the Victoria Rail Trail, which continues on to Lindsay.
Public school education in Haliburton County is managed by the Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB), which runs the following schools in the county:
Elementary
Secondary
The following post-secondary and private schools are also located in the county, but are not managed by the TLDSB:
Post-Secondary
Adult Education
Private Education
The Haliburton Highlands is home to a thriving arts community. The county is dotted by galleries, both public and private, offering events, programs, and workshops to the public. Artists’ studios can be found in almost every community, many offering public demonstrations, small galleries, and classes. There are murals and public sculptures in the downtowns of most communities, as well as in park settings. The county is home to the renowned Haliburton Sculpture Forest, a unique outdoor collection of sculptures by Canadian and international artists.
The Highlands are also home to the Haliburton School of The Art + Design of Fleming College. Students come from across Canada, as well as internationally, to immerse themselves in the unique art offerings of the Haliburton Campus. There are art certificates in glassblowing, photo arts, blacksmithing, painting and drawing, digital image design, jewellery essentials, fibre arts, sculpture, ceramics as well as the visual and creative arts diploma. Haliburton also offers over 300 courses in the spring-summer program which attracts nearly 3000 students of all ages to the area during the busy tourism season. Many local artists are involved in the school as part-time faculty. The Haliburton Campus also offers a post-graduate certificate in expressive arts. The campus also has an emphasis on eco-friendly education and offers certificates in sustainable building and construction, and in sustainable renovation. The sustainable building and construction program was the first of its kind in Canada and its success has had a positive impact locally, as the programs have built the R.D. Lawrence Place at the Minden Hills Cultural Centre, the 4Cs Thrift Store in Haliburton, the Kinark Outdoor Centre in Minden and, in the summer of 2013, the new Library in Wilberforce. The renovation program revitalized the Haliburton Highlands Museum.
Heritage is also a focus in the county, with established museums in Carnarvon, Dorset, Haliburton, Minden, and Wilberforce, as well as many fledgling museums emerging in some of the smaller communities. Many buildings throughout the county are designated heritage sites by the province, and many others undergoing preservation through the interests of the public.
The performing arts also receive much attention. Haliburton Highlands Secondary School has historically had strong drama and music programs, showcasing their talents throughout the year to the public. As well, the Highlands Summer Festival presents a wide array of theatre offerings throughout the summer, showcasing the talents of local and seasonally local actors and musicians. Numerous indie bands perform throughout the county, with open mic events being held at a number of establishments.
Haliburton is also home to the Creative Business Incubator. The incubator provides entrepreneurs with a flexible and affordable space, access to business support assistance and coaching, broadband service, and an environment conducive to entrepreneurial growth.[16] The incubator is a project of the Haliburton County Development Corporation (HCDC).[17]
Haliburton County is also home to the largest Scout Reserve in Canada, the third largest in North America. Haliburton Scout Reserve was founded in 1967.
Haliburton County is served by three newspapers, The Haliburton Echo, The Highlander and The Minden Times, and two radio stations, 100.9 Canoe FM and 93.5 The Moose.
The former Dysart fire tower was erected in 1956 on a hill by the east side of Haliburton village just off Highway 118. Its 100feet frame still stands, but the towerman's cupola has since been removed. It was erected by Ontario's former Department of Lands and Forests (now the MNR) as an early detection to protect the local forests from fire. This tower was put out of use in the late 1960s when aerial detection systems were put in place. It was one of the County of Haliburton's many towers that were part of the former Lindsay Forest Fire District. Other towers included: Harburn, Eyre, Green's Mountain, Harvey, Cardiff, Digby, Lutterworth, Sherbourne (St. Nora), Dorset, and Bruton. When a fire was spotted in the forest a towerman would get the degree bearings from his respective tower and radio back the information to headquarters. When one or more towermen from other towers in the area would also call in their bearings, the forest rangers at headquarters could get a 'triangulation' read and plot the exact location of the fire on their map. This way a team of forest firefighters could be dispatched as soon as possible to get the fire under control. There were Department of Lands and Forests headquarters stations in Minden, Ontario and at St. Nora Lake (later the Leslie Frost Centre), which offered forest ranger training from 1945 onwards.