Peterborough Blogs
A Peterborough Man Uses Unique Homeboni For His Backyard Rink
/When it comes to backyard rinks, everyone has their own DIY way of building and keeping that ice nice and smooth during Canadian winters.
Peterborough’s Sion Hughes has been making homemade backyard rinks for eight years now for his family to enjoy. “I just buy the liner each year, and I do my best to repurpose the liner to minimize waste,” he tells PTBOCanada. “My backyard is sloped, so I build it up with a platform made of steel and pallets to reduce the amount of water needed and ease the pressure on the boards.”
Sion Hughes working his Homeboni in his Peterborough backyard rink
Family fun on Hughes rink of dreams
To keep that ice bump-free, there are all kinds of homemade Zamboni-type designs and contraptions rink builders MacGyver. In Sion’s case, he rigs up what he calls a “Homeboni”—which almost resembles a giant Swiffer on ice or something.
Photo of Sion’s Homeboni
Sion says the Homeboni is a hose attachment, welded to copper pipe, which has a series of small holes. It is then strapped to a squeegee which he wraps with a towel.
”Full disclosure, this is not my invention,” Sion tells PTBOCanada. “A family friend actually found it in a garbage in Toronto a couple years ago and saved it for me. It works wonders.”
Photo of Sion’s Homeboni
Photo of Sion’s Homeboni
Watch the video below of how Sion works his Homeboni magic on the Hughes ice (and speaking of magic, maybe the Leafs will work some this year—”I was 4 years old when they last won the Cup,” Sion, a Leafs fan, tells us)…
Do you have a backyard rink and unique Homeboni of your own in Peterborough and the Kawarthas? Email us pics to tips@ptbocanada.com or tag us on Twitter @ptbo_canada.
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UPDATED: The First Positive Case Of COVID-19 In The Peterborough Area Confirmed
/This is a developing story… Check back for updates.
[UPDATE (March 16): The confirmed case of COVID-19 has been associated with Trent University's Peterborough campus. Read the message sent to all students, faculty and staff by Trent President & Vice-Chancellor Leo Groarke here.]
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On Sunday (March 15th), Dr. Rosana Salvaterra, Medical Officer of Health for Peterborough Public Health, confirmed the first positive case of COVID-19 in the Peterborough area.
Peterborough Public Health reports that on March 12th, a male in his 30s presented himself at Peterborough Regional Health Centre's emergency department with a travel history to Spain and Portugal. As per established infection prevention and control protocols, the patient was cared for at the hospital using all appropriate precautions, including being isolated as he was tested for COVID-19. The man was discharged home the same day and, per protocols, went into self-isolation where he remains with follow-up from Peterborough Public Health. The patient experienced fever, dry cough, and headache.
Peterborough Public Health is actively engaging in contact tracing and case management, including following up with the individual and his close contacts.
“Having a confirmed case in our area is not unexpected given the transmission of this virus around the world,” says Dr. Salvaterra. “As a community and as a health system, we have been preparing for COVID-19. Hopefully this news about the first local case helps reinforce the importance of public health measures in place such as school closures and event cancellations, as well as personal precautions like social distancing and regular handwashing.”
HOW PRHC RESPONDED
"The team at PRHC responded quickly and professionally with the appropriate precautions and protocols to ensure the safety of those in the Emergency Department and the hospital," adds Dr. Lynn Mikula, Chief of Staff and Chief Medical Officer of PRHC.
"Beginning Monday, March 16th, patients and visitors will see additional active screening measures, limited hospital entry points and restrictions for visitors and volunteers, and we continue to ask people to delay coming to the hospital for any non-urgent appointments, procedures or visits. Thank you in advance to the people of our community and region for their cooperation and diligence, including practicing excellent hand cleaning and social distancing, as we work to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and keep our patients, visitors, healthcare professionals, staff and volunteers safe."
IMPORTANT: If you suspect you have symptoms of COVID-19 and have recently travelled, contact Peterborough Public Health at 705-743-1000, ext. 401 or covid19@peterboroughpublichealth.ca Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., or Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For medical advice after these hours, contact Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000 (TTY 1-866-797-0007).
Be sure to mention your symptoms and your travel history, including the countries you visited. If you are ill and must visit a health care professional, call ahead and tell them that you have a respiratory illness. If you need immediate medical attention, call 911 and mention your travel history and symptoms.
Visit peterboroughpublichealth.ca to learn more about COVID-19 and how you can prepare. Future positive cases of COVID-19 will be reported on www.peterboroughpublichealth.ca as well.
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Peterborough Getting A Facelift Around City
/As Peterborough turns 115 this year (since it was incorporated as a city), many aspects of the city are getting a facelift. Here are some examples:
Y Lofts is renovating the old YMCA building to create condo-style rental suites and it is set to open in 2021…
The Scotts Mills Dam at Lock 19 is starting to show its age, so a new dam that retains its historic look is being constructed in its place…
The United Canadian Malt building (which was built in 1931) at the corner of Lansdowne and Park is being torn down to make way for high-end apartments…
Sears (which opened here in 1954) is being demolished to create new retail spaces…
King’s Crossing Tap & Grill at the corner of George and Dalhousie street has been demolished to make way for a new three story building housing a medical clinic…
Millennium Park To Take On Jurassic Park Feel For Raptors Fans On Game Nights
/Mayor Diane Therrien is hosting the live broadcast of the Toronto Raptors NBA Finals games with a large, outdoor screen in Millennium Park, starting Friday, June 7th, with Game 4 (tipoff is at at 9 p.m).
The live broadcast viewings in Millennium Park (located at 130 King St.) under the stars are free to attend. Bring your blanket for the ground or chair, and join as the community—like other Jurassic Park-type outdoor public viewings across Canada—cheer on the Raptors together as they seek their first NBA championship title.
Mayor Therrien at Jurassic, er, Millennium Park
“We are excited to be able to offer this opportunity to bring the community together to celebrate Canadian sports,” says Mayor Therrien. “I hope to see everyone there. Go Raptors!”
Toronto Raptors Live broadcast viewings in Millennium Park (130 King St.) are as follows…
• Game 4 – Friday, June 7, 9 p.m.
• Game 5 – Monday, June 10, 9 p.m.
• Game 6 – Thursday, June 13, 9 p.m. (if necessary)
• Game 7 – Sunday, June 16, 8 p.m. (if necessary)
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Peterborough Ranked One Of Most Active Cities In Canada
/Expedia has ranked Peterborough one of the 21 most active cities in Canada.
Some of the factors Expedia looked at in compiling their list include: average number of marathons and hiking trails; access to bike paths, trails, and races; per capita gyms; and abundance of outdoor activities such as kayaking, canoeing, etc.
Photo by Neil Morton, PTBOCanada
"To paraphrase Salt-N-Pepa, you’ve got to push it when you’re in Peterborough, Ontario," Expedia says of Peterborough.
"This means pushing your endurance along Trent Canal when you’re riding your bike next to dozens of pros. Pushing your body up just a little higher off the safe ground at Rock and Rope Climbing Centre. And pushing your paddle skills on Little Lake to one day earn a glittering spot at the Canadian Canoe Museum in town."
Help Peterborough's Mark Steel Get A New Prosthetic Leg
/On October 4th 2017, Peterborough's Mark Steel was diagnosed with Osteogenic Sarcoma, the same type of bone cancer that Terry Fox (his hero) had.
Due to the size, aggression and location of the tumour, Mark, 21, had his right leg amputated and now requires a prosthetic leg. Even though he's getting some help from the government to pay for it, there's still a long way to go to cover that cost.
Mark Steel
So Mark has set up a GoFundMe page to help raise funds for a new leg. His older sister, Jamie, tweeted about it here...
Mark used to love running in Terry Fox runs as a kid, and now hopes to run across Peterborough some day—and perhaps further—with a new leg and do his part to raise awareness for cancer research.
Watch his heartfelt plea below in a video he posted to YouTube, and please give what you can here...
Pokemon Go Allows People Of All Ages To Explore Peterborough In New, Unique Ways
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It's fun, it's active, it's great for discovering your city
Read MoreIs Uber Coming To Peterborough?
/There has been buzz in the community lately about the possiblilty of Uber coming to town.
Uber—which connects riders and drivers using their own vehicles through a smartphone app—has been expanding aggressively around the world (it is now available in 68 countries). That expansion includes here in Canada, where it is already available in cities like Toronto, Montreal, Hamilton, Ottawa, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Calgary, Kingston and more.
The service is not yet available in Peterborough, and when PTBOCanada asked Uber Support whether it will be coming here, they responded: "We're expanding quickly. So stay tuned for any changes! You can keep up to date with our cities on uber.com/cities."
Picture via Uber.com
