When the time comes once again for Haliburton County residents to head to the polls next fall to choose their local politicians, a grassroots community group is hoping to inspire a higher voter turnout in the Haliburton Highlands.
That’s one goal of the steering committee behind the new Haliburton Highlands Healthy Democracy Project (HHHDP). The group of community members is working to create a home-grown initiative to strengthen local democracy and promote higher levels of civic engagement.
Through a series of events beginning in the fall, the HHHDP steering committee is aiming to encourage and prepare residents to get involved in their community and make a positive difference, both inside and outside of local politics, according to a media release.
Steering committee member Lauren Hunter shared more details with kawarthaNOW about the impetus behind the new initiative.
“In the last municipal election, our community, like so many across Ontario, saw a number of council positions acclaimed rather than elected,” Hunter said.
“In fact, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario has documented that acclamations are on the rise. While we have still benefited from strong local representation, we think it’s important that voters have choice during local elections and that collectively, we do our part to help give people the tools, knowledge, and encouragement they need to get more involved in growing and governing our community.”
The HHHDP will launch this fall with the first two information sessions of a four-part series called “Voices & Votes.”
The first session, called “Partnership in Action: Community + Council,” will feature Jessica Slade from Civics with Slade sharing information about how government works and how people can contribute to community development by working with local governments to make positive change. She’ll highlight local success stories. The session is from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 16 at the Haliburton Legion at 719 Mountain St. in Haliburton.
The second session, called “Finding Your Why: The Big Picture,” will feature former Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MP Barry Devolin and former Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef speaking to why people should get involved in running for office, supporting a political campaign, or being an informed community member. This session runs from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 7 at the Lloyd Watson Community Centre at 2249 Loop Rd. in Wilberforce.
The final two sessions — “Behind the Scenes of Municipal Leadership” and “Understanding Campaigns: How Success Happens” — will take place in the spring.
All the sessions will be free, non-partisan, and open to everyone. Community members can choose to attend one or more of the sessions, and the steering committee is working to ensure the sessions are recorded for those who can’t attend in person.
“Community organizations and municipal governments benefit when more people, especially younger folks and those who haven’t traditionally been involved, become active participants around committee and council tables,” Hunter said in a statement.
“We know that local democracies are under strain, that fewer people are voting and running for office, and that it’s harder to build connections and community. This project is one way we can try to change that here at home in the Highlands.”
HHHDP is hoping to “make waves” through the initiative and stimulate local democracy.
“Of course, we hope to see more people from all walks of life seeking office in the next municipal election,” Hunter said. “But even more importantly, we want to spark conversations about the importance of a healthy local democracy and help break down some of the barriers to access local politics.”
She added that the group would also like to see more people “getting involved in making positive change in our community” by supporting an election campaign for municipal office, voting in municipal elections, and getting involved in local grassroots organizations.
“When we lower the barriers to participation — when we give people the tools, the knowledge, and the encouragement — they don’t just get involved, they lead,” said Slade, who is also a member of the HHHDP steering committee, in a statement. “And that helps build a stronger, more resilient Haliburton Highlands. With municipal elections coming up in the fall of 2026, we want to give as many people as possible the opportunity to get involved.”
The other members of the HHHDP steering committee are Sean Pennylegion, Barrie Martin, and Carol Moffatt. HHHDP is a project of the Haliburton County Community Co-operative. It is financially supported by the Haliburton County Development Corporation (Local Initiatives Program) and the “Telling Our Stories Speaker Series.”
For more information and to register for the first two sessions, visit hhhdp.ca.
