Heather Reid, Director

Heather has been a cottager in Haliburton her entire life and moved here permanently in 2005. She has a Bachelor of Recreation Management and a Masters in Education, both from Acadia University. Heather started at U-Links as Program Coordinator in November, 2005 and took on the position of Director in August, 2007. She also volunteers as a board member for Places for People Haliburton, a local housing organization. Heather enjoys living on a lake and all of the outdoor activities that offers.

Sonja Marx, Program Administrator

Sonja grew up on the shores of Lake Huron and loves living in a small community. She and her husband moved to the Minden area in February of 2003 and in January of 2010 they had their first child. Sonja graduated with a Tourism Diploma from Seneca College and has worked for a local resort as the Rooms Division Manager for many years before joining the U-Links team in July of 2011.

Emma Horrigan, Community Researcher

Emma was born and raised in Toronto and moved to Haliburton County in April 2011.She received a M.Sc. in Plant and Microbial Biology, and B.A. in Forest Conservation, both from the University of Toronto. Emma conducted her Master’s research in the Canadian Arctic, with a focus on the impacts of snow geese on a variety of habitat-types.Emma is a passionate ecologist and naturalist, and has been involved in several initiatives within Ontario that encourage citizen and community involvement in science.

Meet our Committee

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Jack Brezina, Co-Chair

Jack is the former publisher and editor of The Times, Minden, (1979-2001). Presently he is the Chair of the Highlands Summer Festival and member of the Minden Hills Cultural Centre Foundation. Jack produces a weekly radio program about the Arts in the Highlands and serves on a number of community committees including U-Links, Highlands Media Arts, Medical Professional Recruitment Committee and Haliburton County Community Co-Op among others.

Jim Blake, Co-Chair

Jim resides in Haliburton, Ontario where he works as a facilitator, consultant, project manager and educator. He is currently Community Economic Development Consultant for the Haliburton County Development Corporation, Curator of the Haliburton Sculpture Forest, the Program Consultant for the Arts Council ~Haliburton County, and a part-time faculty member at the Fleming College, Haliburton Campus with the Haliburton School of The Arts. Jim also works as a facilitator and consultant for organizations and businesses throughout Ontario.

Jim is the co-founder and president of the Haliburton County Community Co-operative and co-founder and co-chair of the management committee member of the U-Links Centre for Community-Based Research in Haliburton County. He served as a member of the advisory committee for the Haliburton School of The Arts from 2006 to 2009. In the spring of 2007, Jim was awarded the Fleming College Fellowship in Applied Education.

From 1977 to 1992 Jim worked as a manager of recreation and social services and of camping, outdoor and environmental education facilities in Ontario and British Columbia. He was active on the boards of the provincial camping associations in both provinces.

Jim is a professional storyteller who, over the past twenty years, has performed at festivals and venues across Canada. He served as the Chair of the Storytellers School of Toronto from 1997 to 2001 and as the Director of the Toronto Festival of Storytelling from 2001-2003. He served on the executive of the board of directors for Storytellers of Canada/Conteurs du Canada from 2000 to 2008.

Jim studied fine art at University of Guelph, York University and the New School of Art and exhibited his work as a visual artist from 1976 to 1984. He holds degrees in Psychology and Education from York University.

Norm Thomas

Norm is a retired United Church minister having come to the Haliburton area six years ago. During his career, Norm participated in a variety of community development processes, and gave leadership to the formation of the Riverdale Community Organization. Norm began his ministry in Northern Ontario (Swastika) and continued to serve the Church in Edmonton, Alberta, Toronto, Ontario, and Calgary, Alberta. During the last twenty years of his work, Norm was hired as a New Church Developer. Since his retirement norm has served the church in a variety of interim appointments. Since coming to Minden, he has involved himself in a variety of Boards and Committees, and hopes to continue to contribute to the Haliburton community development process as the opportunities arise. Norm has been a member of the U-Links Committee for the past two years.

Susan MacInnes

Susan MacInnes has been a year round resident of Haliburton County since July 2007 and a cottager in the Highlands for 22 years. She retired from A&P Food Stores in June 2007 where she was Vice President Food Safety and Loss Prevention and a member of the Executive Committee. She managed a staff of 24 and a budget of $ 3 Million.
She is a Past Chair of the Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors National Food Safety Committee where she worked with Industry Peers, Government, Academia and Industry Experts. Susan has a M.Sc. (Masters of Science) from the University of Guelph and is a R.M. (Registered Microbiologist) Susan and Paul have two daughters. Jennifer is at the U of Guelph in her last year of Veterinary Medicine. Heather is married and is the Communications Manager for the Beef Information Centre.
Since taking up full time residence in Haliburton Susan and Paul have become very active in the community. They want to contribute to a community they love and to work to make it an even better place for future generations. Susan has been an active member of the U-Links Committee since May 2008.

Tom Whillans

Tom Whillans has been a member of the U-Links Management Committee since its inception. Between 1989 and 2003 with John Wadland he created the Haliburton Bioregional Project -- a senior Trent University course that served as the foundation for U-Links. Tom has been a professor at Trent University since 1983, nine of those years as as Chair of the Environmental and Resource Science/Studies Program. He works on community-based engagement with wetlands and fisheries, ecological restoration, Great Lakes environmental management, and was involved for 10 years in the development of an Ecuadorian/Andean network on integrated watershed management.

Marie Gage

Marie Gage joined the U-Links Management committee in 2000 and has remained connected to the committee since that time in roles of member, Chair and more recently as the official link between the Trent Centre for Community-Based Education and U-Links. Marie steps down from the TCCBE board this year but continues to be a member of U-Links Management Committee. Marie and her husband, Don, owned Willow Beach Cottages from August 1996 to November 2009. She graduated with a degree in Occupational Therapy in 1976 and Masters in Science (Occupational Therapy) in 1992. Until May 2008 she also practiced in her professional capacity in Haliburton County. Marie is now officially retired but, looking for new opportunities to contribute to the community.

Janis Parker

Janis grew up in the printing industry - as a child playing in a company started by her grandfather. With sights set on teaching she earned her degree in Phys. Ed & Geography and hoped to teach Outdoor Education. Following a year of supply teaching, back in the late 70's (when there was a surplus of teacher's) she joined Howell Printing and started gaining experience outside her family's business. She brings 30+ years of experience to the printing business, joined Parker Pad in 1994 and today Janis is 3rd generation owner of Parker Pad & Printing Ltd. Regarding Haliburton - long time cottager, elected to municipal politics in 2006 - as Ward 4 Councillor in Dysart.

Mark Skinner

Mark Skinner, PhD, is Associate Professor of Geography, Trent University. He is a health, rural and social geographer, with particular interests in the evolving role of voluntary organizations and volunteers in aging rural communities. Featuring community-based research in Canada and internationally, his work contributes to the fields of rural aging, health geography, social gerontology, community development, and health and social welfare. His current projects focus on aging resource-dependent communities; voluntarism in Canada, France and New Zealand; social determinants of rural health; and participatory research with caregivers and volunteers. Mark has been involved with U-Links and Haliburton organizations since 2007 through his role as faculty supervisor in the Community-Based Education program. He joined the U-Links Management Committee in 2011. Along with co-instructing the successful honours seminar on Community-Based Research in Human Geography, he incorporates community-based research opportunities into his undergraduate courses on Geography of Health and Health Care and Qualitative Methods in Geography and Environmental Studies, and he is collaborator on several rural health research projects in the County. For more information, visit the Health Geography Research website at http://people.trentu.ca/markskinner.

Larry Clarke

Larry is a Councillor with the Township of Minden Hills, and self-employed (part time) as a business services advisor, helping companies improve management of their expenses, assets and operations.  Larry’s background includes project and general management in support of development and change for financial, legal and government clients. This has included technology strategies and project management in support of business operations and administration systems; professional services coordination and management and systems and business contingency planning and development.  Since moving to the Minden area, Larry has been an active member and director with the Chamber of Commerce, and enjoys participating in community and cultural events.  Larry has a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo, and has also received certifications in Project Management and IT Service Management.

Lisa Schell

Township of Minden Hills - Representative of Council