Connecting Lake Simcoe's Community

Lumbar disc bulges and herniations are without a doubt one of the more challenging conditions I see in my office.

May is a BIG Opening Month for Lake Simcoe Anglers May 10 — the second Saturday of the month — is huge on Simcoe! Lake trout, whitefish, northern pike and walleye season all open. For those who can’t wait and want to wet a line before then, they can fish Simcoe’s yellow perch, sunfish, rock bass, brown bullhead, bowfin, black crappie and even common carp as they all have a year round open season. These fish are found in good numbers – both in the lake and her many tributary rivers.

I usually introduce myself as a exercise-based chiropractor, but what does that really mean?

Are you not sure what to do about the shoulder injury you have? Or the recurrent sprained ankle?

Winter's leftovers

Let's see how many people this next sentence resonates with:“I'm ___ years old now, there's no way I can _______”.

Anyone travelling along Highway 11, Yonge Street, north of Newmarket, can't miss the signs of progress.Over the winter months, the forest on the northern side of the hill between Newmarket and Bradford has been stripped of trees, the logs piled, then taken away.Many driving this route have seen the deer wandering through the barren acres, seeming puzzled, looking for food and the familiar forest.At dusk tonight, a herd of about eight or nine filed one behind the other down the hill, through the snow, glancing over at the double row of northwest-bound headlights, cars headed for Bradford and beyond. I watched with sadness and dismay, hoping they would not try to cross, tempted by the wooded areas on the other side of the road. I don't know what is going to be built on this land. Houses? Roads? Industrial buildings?What does it matter?In all the planning, surveying, designing, there was no plan for these deer and the other creatures who called this forest home. Where will they go?

The first day of my March Break was March 8, so I ushered it in by driving the roads west and north of Newmarket in search of local birds. 

On Boxing Day of 2012, my husband and I did our yearly tradition of sitting down by the docks at Sibbald Point Provincial Park and drinking coffee.

There is a long history of animosity between the Chiropractic and Medical professions.

For some reason that I will never understand (Oh, to save money...?), when the Ontario government sliced up the tourism pie a few years back, parts of the Lake Simcoe Watershed were put into three different RTOs - Regional Tourism Organizations.

 On Sunday, Feb. 9 at 2 p.m., an Olympic Party took place on Lake Simcoe.

If you were out in the snowmageddon blitz the other week, and are finding yourself with low back pain, there is some good news.

Did you hear birds singing today?With the sun shining most of the day, birds seemed to come out of their hiding places to start singing and looking for food.So many days this year have been cold and windy — and bereft of any wildlife. The only sound for many days was the wind howling mournfully through bare tree branches.Even the fields where I walk with the dog, there were no tracks for the longest time.Now there are tracks from the occasional rabbit, squirrel and even what appeared to be a mouse. There are tracks outside the beaver den. And there's something that appears to be a dog roaming on its own, so more likely is a coyote.In the March-April issue of Lake Simcoe Living Magazine, Ron Fleming talks about the first bird songs of Spring. Which bird "confirms that Winter is leaving and Spring is on its way?" I'm sure most of us will think of the red-breasted robin.Not so, Ron says. It's the red-winged blackbird.You can read more about the birds of Spring in the March-April issue. We're working on that issue now, and it should be available the first week of March.

I learned this week that a Trumpeter swan has about 35,000 feathers and 2.5 centimetres of down. That's how Trumpeter swans get through the winter — even the severe temperatures and heavy snowfall we have had this winter.Where they spend the winter is another question, and Ontario Trumpeter Swan Restoration, an organization started in 1982 to restore the majestic birds to their former range, would like anyone who sees a Trumpeter swan to help with the answer.Please report the sighting by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre website — http://www.wyemarsh.com/conservation/swansightings.php, or on the Facebook group page Ontario Trumpeter Swans. Please include the date, location (GPS co-ordinates), wing tag number or leg band number.Ontario Trumpeter Swan Restoration was initiated by retired Ministry of Natural Resources biologist Harry Lumsden. He began a captive breeding program that has since released 584 captive-reared swans in 54 locations around Ontario. There are now an estimated 800 to 1,000 birds in the province.The Ontario Trumpeter Swan Restoration says if swans need to maintain a diet of natural wild forage. If you do feed them, provide clean, "untreated" dry corn — not bread.Anglers are asked to help in swan restoration by using lead-free tackle so swans do not ingest a lead sinker while feeding, and by retrieving any lost lures so these are not accidentally ingested by swans and other wildlife.

You have been shovelling this endless January snow for hours and your back hurts. You ask: Are you going to X-ray my back?

There's more fun in Cannington this weekend than you can throw a snowball at, as the town hosts the 10th Annual Cannington Dog Sled Races and Winter Festival.In addition to the dog sled races both Saturday and Sunday, there is competitive skijoring — competitors wearing cross-country skis are pulled along by their dogs — and a full slate of fun, family-oriented activities, from Metis music and dancing to ice carving, an outdoor marketplace and horse-pulled wagon rides.On Sunday there's a pancake breakfast, beer garden with live entertainment and spaghetti dinner.Simply follow the signs when you get to Cannington, just east of Highway 12.

One of my greatest pleasures is driving around Lake Simcoe, and as publisher of Lake Simcoe Living, I get to do that quite a bit - meeting people, going to events, delivering magazines, and taking photos are just some of the activities my role requires.But increasingly I am aware that my trips around the lake come at a cost to the environment. I drive a small, energy-efficient car, but it burns gasoline. And the more I learn about the detrimental effects of capturing, transporting and burning fossil fuel, the less I enjoy my time on the road.So it's time to find a vehicle that will do less harm to the environment. At the same time, it should be easy to load and be able to carry a few hundred magazines. Do I look for a hybrid? Or an electric car? What is going to do the least harm, and still allow me to do my job? Do you have any recommendations to help in my search?

When I was growing up and spending every summer at our family cottage on Lake Simcoe, I spent a lot of time in Innisfil Park.

Have you been to the new Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, next to the CN Tower in Toronto?