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6 stouffville tribune saturday march 25 2000 s stoufmlle tribune a metroland community newspaper 9 heritage rd markham ont l3p 1m3 opinion telephone 905 2942200 416 7987624 fax 905 2941538 email newsroomeconsuncom publisher jan proudfoot general manager alvin brouwer editor in chief brenda larson director of advertising debra welter deputy editor debora kelly classified manager ann campbell editor julie caspersen retail sales manager stephen mathieu production director cherikay inside sales manager stacyallen distribution director barry goodyear business manager margaret fleming online publishing manager brian kirlik office manager vivian oneil letters good samaritans from ballantrae helped motorist after accident on the morning of sunday march 12 before 6 am i was going to oshawa general hospital for a day shift from newmarket it had been snowing since the night before and the roads were completely covered in snow on hwy 47 near the hamlet of goodwood i lost control of my vehicle and ended up in the ditch upside down while i was shaken up i was not physically hurt while i was waiting for durham regional police a couple stopped their minivan and were a great deal of help to me they let me sit in their van while waiting for the police to show up in the short time that i spent with them i learned their names were larry and karen im not sure of the spelling of karens name as the pronunciation was like carin they are both teachers larry is near retirement and karen is in visual arts they had three boys i didnt get their names and were starting their march break by driving to quebec for skiing additionally i remember they had mentioned they were from balantrae i did not get their names upon leaving since i wasnt really thinking straight since i knew of the area they lived i thought a letter to a local newspaper would be a good way to say a big thank you i wanted to convey how grateful i was that they stopped they did a great job at calming me down and warming me up the kindness is probably the thing ill remember most about my accident im glad there are people like them out there mika nonoyama newmarket veterinarian says dogs running free are at risk of injury as a veterinarian i thought that your read ers might appreciate my thoughts in regards to a story entitled unleashed dogs a problem for fitness buffs in the economist sun march 14 although i am an owner of two retired grey hounds and love to watch them run off leash as an avid runner and father of two young fw for best performance by an actor in a supporting r0lethm oscar goes to fe martin mmm wj boys i recognize the need to keep all parks safe and happy dogs do require a lot of exercise they enjoy it tremendously and it helps to maintain their healthy weight and to lower the risk of cancer diabetes heart disease and arthritis dogs that are loose however can frighten andor injure children and adults and even the friendliest of animals can do so accidental ly while playing dogs that run free are also at risk for getting lost cutting themselves on sharp objects or crossing streets and being hit by cars all towns and cities would benefit by having fencedin leashfree zones but until then if you do let your dog off the leash be sure that heshe is well trainedbehaved fully vaccinat ed and microchipped if an unforeseen accident does occur please be cooperative and stay calm you will be surprised how understanding others are if you prove how responsible a dog owner you are dr cliff redford markham joggers almost run down those of us who like to take a stroll re unleashed dog a problem for fitness buffs march 14 how many michael siegels are around complaining they cant jog in peace i have another problem every time my friends family and neighbours want to take a nice stroll we are nearly run down by joggers panting toward us some so confused that they often do a dance around us to avoid us this is jogging on the sidewalks in our parks you name it one day i was walking down the street and a jogger came up behind me with no intention of slowing down luckily i moved had i not an accident would have happened for sure talking of accidents what about joggers on the road how many times have we had to swerve to avoid these fitness buffs from my experience and others many why cant these joggers go to the many institutions that provide tracks for their type of thing now to get to the dog issue dogs need to be allowed to run free they need their exercise just as we do it is a natural thing for most dogs to run after something moving quickly ie a car in some cases and in this case joggers if a dog senses fear from the jogger sometimes they get excited and bite im not saying this is right but why do these joggers put themselves in such a position when there are other places to run leashfree parks are successful in many american cities why cant we have them too york region should try this wonderful con cept this is being kind to those who cannot speak for themselves and the fitness buffs out to jog away their frustrations mary eustace markham letters policy stouffville tribune welcomes your letters all submissions must be less than 400 words and must include a daytime telephone number name and address the newspaper reserves the right to publish or not publish and to edit for clarity and space write letters to the editor 9 heritage rd markham ont up 1m3 email ietters0tconsuncom stouffville tribune serving the community since 1888 33zb dde canadian circulations 1 audit board member ontario press council stouffville tribune published every tuesday thursday and saturday is one of the metroland printing publishing and distributing ltd group of newspapers which includes the ajaxpickering news advertiser alliston heraldcourier barrie advance barrys bay this week bolton enterprise brampton guardian burlington shopping news burlington post city parent collingwoodwasaga connection east york mirror erin advocatecountry routes etobicoke guardian flamborough post georgetown independentacton free press kingston this week lindsay this week midlandpenetanguishene minor milton canadian champion milton shopping news mississauga news newmarket- aurora georgina erabanner northumberland news north york minor oakville beaver oakville shopping news orillia today oshawawhitbyclaringtonport perry this week peterborough this week richmond hillthornhinvaughan liberal scarborough mirror stouffville tribune todays seniors oxbridge tribune and city of york guardian phone 95 2942200 fax 905 2941538 classified 18007433353 distribution 905 2948244 tracy kibble province will legislate the behaviour we havent been teaching it looks like our poor parenting skills are spilling into the classroom apparently weve being doing such a lousy job the government will have to legislate manners into school boards across ontario bad behaviour in our schools is becoming such a problem our childrens safety and learning abilities are at stake premier mike harris said this week his solution a strict code of conduct that will put bad kids or thugs in their place should parents consider this a failing grade of our disciplinary skills or should we be downright insulted that the ministry of education feels it needs to step up efforts where we have failed parents need to find a balance when it comes to discipline but as we all know it is easier said than done some believe the more rules they set the more wellbehaved and protected their children will be others prefer to overindulge their kids inadvertently teaching them to be selfabsorbed disrespectful brats methods havent changed much since i was a kid and i feel lucky that my parents took the middle road they set certain basic standards that my brothers and i tried to follow use your manners clean up your room be responsible treat people well and try hard in school we respected our parents and they in turn allowed us some leeway as we got older my parents were not considered overly strict by any means we were allowed to attend parties go to the drivein and hang out with friends and for the most part we knew our limits and the difference between right and wrong we liked our parents and they respected our feelings through the years i met kids who grew up in strict homes there was no music no parties no dancing and endless lectures about smoking and drinking some girls were subjected to morn ing clothing inspections and had their bags checked for makeup and ciga rettes ironically a good many of these kids were the worst behaved when out of the grasp of their parents watchful eye the girls who couldnt wear makeup plastered it on twice as thick most of them got drunk at parties and smoked their brains out i knew other kids who had absolute ly no discipline and did whatever the heck they pleased somewhere along the line our kids have lost the message in the provinces eyes parents have just had an interim report our grade f