At more four thousand kilometers in size, Haliburton County is home to just as many
stories. Every person living here has issues, interests and life lessons and CanoeFM is
here to share them. County Close-up. Bringing the stories in Haliburton County to life!
Ryan Van Lee recently was named as one of three fan favorites in the Samsung True North Tunes Top 3 and while that fame might seem sudden, it represents years of the Haliburton native putting in the work. He beat out 2,000 other singer songwriters in the Samsung True North Tunes Contest recently is sure to give him the much-needed boost to pursue his musical dreams going forward.Van Lee's career to date reads like a movie script. He was born in Haliburton County, raised for many years in West Guilford, or West G as he likes to call it, moved to town, went to school at Hal. High with loving parents Wilfred and Shelley and family who believed in him. In fact, had it not been for his mother catching him playing a toy guitar in his bedroom, Van Lee might not have become the country music artist he is today.Paired with the inspiration he found when his grandmother who took him to see legendary performer Johnny Burke, and you have the makings of a heartwarming story of a homegrown local boy finding success. For him, it's all about taking risks and swinging for the fences.Van Lee sat down with CanoeFM recently to talk about his career to date and the advantages that come with being from a small town.
26 Oct 2026
Rotary's Reach For The Sky
Three years ago, the Haliburton Rotary reached out to the Ministry of Transportation, who owns the land at Skyline Park, which originally opened in 1958 as a highway rest stop. As club members pointed out, over the years, the park began to show its age. With the approval of the MTO, the club began working on improving pathways, removing trees and shrubs to improve the view, repairing the broken concrete on the existing viewing platform and building picnic shelters.For its part, MTO agreed to the replacement of port-a-potties for a year-round permanent washroom building as well as improving the fencing around the site.The Haliburton Rotarians pitched in and now they're asking the community to chip in to complete the project. Canoe FM sat down with Ursula Devolin about the project and how locals can help.
26 Oct 2026
Advanced polling turnout bodes well
Advance polling in Haliburton County is amping up optimism for increased voter turnout overall in the 2026 Municipal Election.As of today, advance polling in Algonquin Highlands is at 17 per cent, while Minden Hills is 15 per cent, Dysart et al is at 17 per cent and Highlands East is at 12.9 per cent. Canoe FM spoke with Lindsay Jones, Executive Director of the Associations of Municipalities of Ontario earlier today.She said so far, voter turnout is trending upwards in most regions across the province, with Toronto having the largest number of early voters since its 1998 amalgamation. She is pleased that the AMO's Healthy Democracy Project, which has worked particularly hard in Haliburton County to engage residents in local government, seems to have had the desired results.Jones says she's gratified to see growing diversity in candidates. For example, the number of female candidates have increased compared to 2022 with 2,103 or 32 per cent of females running, compared to 1,913 in the last municipal election. Online voting seems to be winning the favor of voters as well, Jones says, with 66 per cent of municipal governments using internet voting, up 52 per cent from 2022.For those elected, AMO is launching Local Leadership Foundations, a new practical learning program designed to help new and returning municipal elected officials build the knowledge and skills needed to begin the 2026–2030 term effectively. The program covers topics including governance, decision-making, municipal finance, civility and integrity, community engagement and leadership.
Who has been a guest on County Closeup
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Haliburton Writers Write group members
Amanda Rowden
Ontario SPCA spokesperson
Turtle Guardians
Joy Webster
Podcast Authority Score: 43 / 100
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