February 2026
Happy February! January was truly one of the most disjointed (no pun intended!) months in our practice with weather changes. It is hard to believe how much snow we actually had in the month of January. On the bright side, it has been a great year for skiing and tobogganing. More on this later…
Karen will be travelling to Curacao from February 19 until March 20th!
Dr. Johnston has been enjoying her family ski membership at Mansfield this year. Her girls are catching on quickly, even testing out little jumps in the terrain park! Alexandria celebrated her 8th birthday on January 25th with a snowstorm. Her birthday celebrations spanned a whole week as her birthday party had to be postponed with the storm.
Dr. Leguard has enjoyed a less chaotic month after her family’s trip to Portugal, and is looking forward to skiing at Tremblant with friends. February will be family and friend’s birthday celebrations and lots of skiing.
Carleigh enjoyed a week in Mexico with her family, with her highlights being both children conquering fears while zip lining and cliff jumping! Louise is spending two weeks in the Dominican Republic with her husband Chris. Julie is headed to Cuba with her sister for a week in February. Debra and her husband, John are heading to Mont Orford for a few days with Chloe while she is home for reading week. In a similar vein, Carolyn has enjoyed having her cataracts done in January and February. Almost like vacation, right?
We will be closed for Dr. Johnston’s birthday on February 16 (coinciding with family day).
Both Dr. J and L will be taking a few days off over March break (March 16-20) but our clinic will remain open with one of our doctors ready to care for you every day that week.
Safe Tobogganing
With the exceptional amount of snow that we’ve had this year, we have also had many young patients with tobogganing related injuries. Remember - we wouldn’t allow our kids to ride a bike down a hill without a helmet or other safety guards in place.
Here are some tips from Sick Kids hospital about minimizing risk while enjoying tobogganing:
1.Wear a helmet! While there are no laws mandating this, much like skiing 20 years ago, we may look back at those not wearing helmets and wonder why we were taking this risk. A ski or hockey helmet is ideal, but even a bicycle helmet could prevent some degree of injury.
2. Sleds that can be steered are likely safer than lightweight plastic sheet sleds or other types.
3. Avoid hills with trees, fences, poles or other obstacles and stay clear of hills that have city streets or bodies of water (frozen or otherwise) at the end.
4. Avoid wearing long scarves or loose clothing that can pose a safety risk if caught on obstacles.
5. Ensure children are developmentally and physically ready for the type of sled they are using and teach children how to use their feet to brake if required.
6. Children should never be towed on a toboggan by a car, ATV or other motorized vehicle.
7. Toboggan on a clear day, when visibility is good.
8. Always toboggan feet first.
9. Children should always be supervised by an adult.
