To the editor,
There was a recent publication in TBnewswatch titled: ‘Grass-cutting reduced in some city parks and green spaces.’ I would like to share with our readers that perhaps costs, naturalization and ecology may have taken more precedence than public health. I make this comment for one reason and one reason only. Caution!
In 2019, I visited a friend in Thunder Bay where her family was vacationing out of town. Needless to say that the lawn was starting to grow at lengths that would require mowing. I helped with her family’s lawn care beautification at an expense. Not realizing that the Thunder Bay District Health Unit has made media publications about the infestation of deer ticks in the Neebing area, I failed to properly clothe myself when cutting their grass.
When I returned home the following day, I learned that I was not alone - I had a hitchhiker clinging to my clothing. It was a deer tick. That night, I was bitten by this unwanted menace. Fortunately, the deer tick was not infected with Lyme disease. However, the bite was very painful.
During additional media coverage from the health unit the public was once again made aware of the infestation of deer ticks and their habitat in areas of tall grass. This time, I paid more attention to their warnings.
The moral of this story is: at what price are we willing to pay for health security versus cost savings and naturalization in an urban environment?
Ed Dunnill
