Peterborough Public Health has identified the first blacklegged tick of the season carrying Lyme disease.

“The public health lab confirmed this week that a tick submitted recently by a local resident tested positive for Lyme disease,” says Atul Jain, Manager of Environmental Health programs.

Jain notes that the precise origin of the infected tick is not known, but it is believed to have come from either southern Peterborough County or northern Northumberland County.

Peterborough Public Health is closely monitoring for evidence of other infected ticks in the area and encourages residents to submit ticks.

“Ticks can be as small as a sesame seed and their bites are usually painless,” Jain says. “So this serves as a good reminder to be on the lookout for ticks and to bring in any ticks you find on people to Peterborough Public Health for identification.”

When bringing a tick to Peterborough Public Health, only ticks found on humans will be submitted for identification and testing. Any ticks found on pets or other animals should be taken to a veterinarian.

What to do if you find a tick

If you do locate a tick on your body, use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to your skin as possible and pull the tick straight out.

Save the tick in an empty screw-top bottle or zipper-closed bag and take it to Peterborough Public Health at 185 King St Street in downtown Peterborough between the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from Monday to Friday. The tick will then be sent away to a public health laboratory for identification.

When submitting a tick, you will need to provide the following information:

• The full name (including middle initial) and date of birth of the person to whom the tick was attached
• The location on the body where the tick was found
• The approximate length of time the tick was attached
• Where the tick was acquired, along with recent travel history
• A record of any symptoms experienced by the person to whom the tick was attached
• The name and city of practice of the healthcare provider of the person to whom the tick was attached.

Lyme disease is gaining the attention of health officials because cases in Ontario are increasing. In 2016, residents submitted 114 ticks to Peterborough Public Health, and of the three that tested positive for Lyme disease, one of those came from the local area. So far in 2017, 68 ticks have been submitted to Peterborough Public Health for examination, including the one that recently tested positive for Lyme disease.

Lyme disease is a potentially serious illness and growing health risk across Ontario. It is caused by the bite of infected blacklegged ticks (also known as deer ticks). While not all blacklegged ticks carry Lyme disease, populations of infected blacklegged ticks are spreading throughout Ontario. Some areas close to the areas served by Peterborough Public Health, are already considered endemic with infected blacklegged ticks.

How to prevent tick bites

The best way to prevent Lyme disease is to avoid getting bitten by ticks in areas where they live, such as tall grasses and wooded habitats. Before heading out, wear long, light-coloured clothing and tuck pant legs into socks. Spray an insect repellent containing DEET on your clothes. Check for ticks when you return from the outdoors, and it’s a good idea to shower after to wash off any ticks that may be crawling on your body.

The signs of Lyme disease can be categorized in three stages. However, the first sign is usually a circular rash in the shape of a bull’s eye. Other additional symptoms include fever, chills, headache, muscle and joint pain, fatigue and swollen lymph nodes.

For more details on precautions and symptoms of Lyme disease, visit www.peterboroughpublichealth.ca/my-home-environment/my-environment/lyme-disease/.

For more information on tick submission or general inquiries about ticks, contact the Vector-Borne Disease Program at Peterborough Public Health at 705-743-1000, ext. 240.

The Trent-Severn Waterway is now fully open for the 2017 navigation season.

All lock stations, from Lock 1 in Trenton to Lock 45 in Port Severn, are open to boat traffic.

For boaters travelling through the Kawartha Lakes, there’s an added bonus: free WiFi is available at Lock 32 (Bobcaygeon), Lock 34 (Fenelon Falls), and Lock 35 (Rosedale). The WiFi project was completed by Cable Cable Inc., based in Fenelon Falls, with the assistance of local supplier Lindsay Broadband.

To celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday, Parks Canada is offering a free 2017 seasonal lockage permit. The permit allows free passage through the lock systems on all of Parks Canada’s national historic canals throughout the entire 2017 navigation season, including the Trent-Severn Waterway.

A seasonal overnight mooring permit is also available at a cost of $9.80 per foot. The seasonal mooring permit is valid for overnight mooring at seven national historic canals (including the Trent-Severn Waterway), two national parks and one national marine conservation area. The seasonal overnight mooring permit is valid for the entire navigation season. Mooring is on a first-come, first-served basis; no reservations are allowed.

Visit the Parks Canada website to order a free seasonal lockage permit and the seasonal overnight mooring permit. The free lockage permit is also available at any lock station on the Trent-Severn Waterway.

Whether you’re a boater or not, if you want to visit Canada’s national parks, historic sites, and marine conservations areas, admission is also free for 2017. The 2017 Discovery Pass will provide free admission for the entire year to Parks Canada locations across Canada.

Find out more about the 2017 Discovery Pass and how to order it at the Parks Canada website. Note that some fees still apply, including camping, special events, firewood, and more.

The City of Peterborough’s Public Art Program is continuing its efforts to make Peterborough the public art capital of Ontario with two new calls for proposals for projects in downtown Peterborough: a new mural at the YES Shelter for Youth and Families on Brock Street, and artwork for the new plaza at Aylmer and Simcoe Streets beside the renovated Peterborough Public Library.

As a result of previous calls for proposals under the program, two murals have already been installed under the Hunter Street Bridge (by Toronto artist Kirsten McCrea and by Edmonton artist Jill Stanton), and another mural has been installed on a building on Simcoe Street near Aylmer (by Peterborough artist Alex Bierk).

Another proposal was issued this past April for a UN Peacekeepers monument to be installed at the new Charlotte Street Urban Park at the Louis Street municipal parking lot (where the Peterborough Downtown Farmers’ Market is held during the summer months). The finalist for that project is expected to be announced this month.

The mural project at the YES Shelter for Youth and Families is the first of two public art competitions to create outdoor murals this summer. It’s the second phase of a five-year initiative, conceived in partnership with the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA), to commission public art murals on private sites in the city’s core. The projects are intended to generate and continue interest and awareness of public art in the downtown.

The first mural by Peterborough artist Alex Bierk, “Passing Cloud” was installed last year on a building near the southeast corner of Simcoe and Queen Streets in downtown Peterborough.

The YES mural project, which has a total budget of $19,500, is open to professional artists working in Peterborough, Northumberland, Durham, Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton, Hastings, Lennox & Addington, Frontenac, or Prince Edward Counties.

The application deadline is midnight on Friday, July 14th, with the mural scheduled for completion and public launch in September. For more details and to submit proposals, visit publicartprogrampeterborough.submittable.com.

The public art project for the Aylmer and Simcoe Plaza is open to professional artists and designers who are permanent residents of Ontario and has a total budget of $50,000. The submission deadline is midnight on Thursday, July 13th, with the project expected to be completed along with the plaza itself in the fall of 2017.

Details of the call for proposals are available at akimbo.ca/107625. All proposals must be be submitted at publicartprogrampeterborough.submittable.com.

When Canadians coast-to-coast-to-coast reflect on how their country is viewed beyond its borders, terms such as diversity, inclusive, and welcoming come to mind quickly for many.

Well they should. Since the 36 original Fathers of Confederation affixed their signatures to the document that brought Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick together to form Canada on July 1, 1867, this country’s doors have been laid open to those seeking fresh beginnings in a new home, both by choice and as refugees fleeing war, famine and other calamities in their respective homelands.

So it that when Peterborough’s Canada 150th Anniversary Celebrations Committee sat down to map out the city’s June 29 to July 2 Celebrate At Home festivities, it was a no-brainer to fully include the annual Multicultural Canada Day Festival in the mix.

First staged in 2004 with New Canadians Centre (NCC) as the sole organizer, the celebration of all things international has been well ahead of the local Canada Day party curve for some time, last year delighting some 11,000 people in Del Crary Park.

On Friday (June 2) in Millennium Park, organizers rolled out a lively preview of this year’s 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. festival, highlighting its theme Bring People Together as well as two of the event’s enduring main attractions: international cuisine and live entertainment.

Chacho’s Bakery and Tre Ristorante — new food vendors this year — provided food samples while D’oh See Doughboyz — Curtis Driedger and Ken Brown with caller Ben Wolfe — pumped up its effort to lead Peterborough’s largest-ever square dance on the park’s Fred Anderson Stage.

“I think there’s something very magical about being in a space like Del Crary Park on a day like Canada Day with all your friends in the community,” said Yvonne Lai, NCC’s Director of Community Development, noting recent events south of the border surrounding immigration policies makes an inclusive event such as the festival even more poignant.

“In this community the response (to newcomers) has been overwhelmingly positive. We’ve seen more than 300 Syrian refugees welcomed, about 200 government-assisted and 100 through private sponsorships. The number of people that have stepped forward to help them is more than 400. We did a calculation of the number of hours of volunteer time people have put in. It’s about 40,000 hours. In light of people wanting to do something that has impact in the face of this global wave of negativity, Peterborough has been a shining example.

“I think people have an impression that Peterborough is one dimensional and it’s really not. Newcomers are everywhere in all walks of life, in the classroom, in the workplace, and they’re sharing the experience of being a Peterborough resident with you.”

In addition to food vendors serving up Thai, Greek, Greek, Caribbean, Bangladeshi and other international delicacies, the noon to 2:30 p.m. stage show will feature performances by Wshkiigomang Women’s Native Hand Drum Singers, Curve Lake drumming group IR-35, singer Serafin Lariviere performing music from his bilingual music project, the aforementioned D’oh See Doughboyz, a martial arts demonstration by Shifu Rupert Harvey, and a number of cultural music and dancing performances representing Syria, India, Sri Lanka, Latin America, Africa, and the Caribbean.

And for the fitness-minded, interactive demonstrations of cricket, Tai Chi, para-sports, Jiu Jitsu and Zumba will return, being staged from 10 to noon.

Also back is the popular mock Canadian citizenship test as well as the popular Kids’ Zone, presented in collaboration with the Art Gallery of Peterborough.

With some 130 volunteers involved in staging the festival, there remains a need for more help. Visit www.nccpeterborough.ca to sign up.

Also scheduled for Canada Day proper is the Peterborough Canada Day Parade, Peterborough Musicfest with headliner Kim Mitchell, and the day-ending fireworks display over Little Lake presented by the city’s two Rotary clubs.

Terri Lynn Johnston of the City Recreation Division also spoke Friday, reminding all that while the parade starts at noon from City Hall, activities begin much earlier at 9:30 a.m., including a free pancake breakfast, live music, and the Decorated Bike Contest. She noted there’s still room for parade entries. To register, visit www.peterborough.ca.

And Rotary members promised an extra special fireworks display following Mitchell’s performance, all in keeping with the significance of Canada’s milestone 150th birthday.

Sponsoring this year’s Multicultural Canada Day Festival are Canadian Heritage, Ontario150, the City of Peterborough, Peterborough Community Savings, Darragh Moroney of RE/MAX, Ricart Promotions & Recognition, and Rocky Ridge Drinking Water with media sponsorship from Corus, CHEX TV, Fresh Radio, The Wolf, Energy 99.7, and Country 105.

Eight years after community members came together in 1979 to sponsor refugees fleeing Vietnam’s Communist regime, the New Canadians Centre formed as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting immigrants, refugees and other newcomers in the Peterborough and Northumberland regions.

With a mission to “empower immigrants and refugees to become full and equal members of Canadian society, and provide community leadership to ensure cultural integration in a welcoming community”, the centre has identified respect, diversity, partnerships and dedication as its values.

To that end, over the years since, centre staff and volunteers have strived to offer programs and nurture partnerships to better meet the language, educational, employment and settlement needs of new Canadians. Located at 221 Romaine Street in Peterborough (at Aylmer Street), the centre’s services and resources is a lifeline for some 800 new Canadians annually.

To find out more about the New Canadians Centre and for updates on the Multicultural Canada Day Festival, visit www.nccpeterborough.ca.

For more information and updates regarding Peterborough’s Canada 150th celebration schedule, visit www.peterborough.ca/ptbo150 or www.facebook.com/PTBO150.