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6 stonffville sun tribune thursday sept 9 2004 opinion publisher ian pr0udf00t telephone 9056402612 fax 9056408778 email jmasonyrngcom website wwwyorkregioncom editorial where are plans for energy conservation it will be 13 months saturday since a blackout rendered ontario powerless lit erally for more than 24 hours the unprecedented blackout left ontario new york and parts of the northeastern united states 50 mil lion people without power aug 11 2003 life was only partially back to normal in some places the next day many people waited three days before hydro was fully restored area businesses lost revenue a weary police force was taxed to the limit hydro crews worked for days on end and raw sewage spewed into creeks and lakes due to backup system failure it taught us a lesson about energy con servation like never before and politi cians urged residents to hang laundry wash dishes by hand leave cars dirty and lawns thirsty for its part the region was making do with generators to operate lights and machines york chairperson bill fisch said at the time the region would set an example by cutting back hydro use significantly and would come up with a report on ways it could practise conservation but more than one year later there is no such report thirteen months have gone by nearly 400 days and still there are no concrete plans on how the region will reduce energy use to the contrary this newspaper regu larly receives calls from residents saying the regional headquarters in newmarket is fully lit at all hours of the day and night one york region staff member who refused to give her name said lights are on at the headquarters full tilt 247 in every room and every office it doesnt sound like efforts are being made when asked about the regions longterm efforts to conserve energy a few weeks ago this newspaper was told a report was in fact being compiled but wasnt complete this must be the wheels of govern ment churning at a snails pace 13 months and nothing to show york region is leading by example to conserve hydro the town of aurora went so far as to post a power outage update in its regu lar newspaper advertisement so far not one of york regions nine municipalities has announced solutions to waste but residents are still being warned of brownouts and blackouts its time governments at all levels lead by example no i went- to school all last year its her turn to go i letters to the editor return of police helicopter eyeopening experience it is 405 am on aug 25 1 am sitting at my computer writing this letter instead of sleep ing because there is a police helicopter circling above rny town it has been going around and around for almost an hour at least that is how long ago it woke me up since this is the second time in a week this has happened i called the only number in our phone book opp and they gave me the york regional police number to call after two calls during which i let the phone ring for two minutes each no one answered i guess they are all up in the helicopter last year the police did the same thing a number of times all in the wee hours when i finally got someone to answer the phone last year they told me not to worry it was a police exercise why were they exercising above a residential area why were they not orbiting around gravel pits or tracts of forest why were the citizens who live directly below this pollution not swamping the police switchboard with noise complaints oh i remember no police are awake at 4 am except of course the ones in the helicopters robert greenwood stouffville the stouffville suntribune welcomes your letters all submissions must be less than 400 words and must include a daytime telephone number name and address the stouffville suntribune reserves the right to publish or not publish and to edit for clarity and space write letters to the editor 34 civic ave po box 154 stouffville l4a 7z5 email jmasonyrngcom terry fox set the course we hope you will join us sept 19 at the stouffville arena for the 24th annual terry fox run registration begins at noon with the offi cial start under way at 1 pm we aim to take our community event over the 500000 mark this year with your help in raising 53000 we can do it please call 6404705 for more information or check out wwwterryfoxrunorg pledge sheets are available at schell lumber stouffville credit union ap stouffville arena stouffville library bank of montreal scotiabank and the lcbo terry fox a remarkable canadian set us on a course we need to complete terry fox ran 42 kilometres every day for cancer research how far will you go sandy schell kennedy event organizer stouffville suntnhune f stouffville i a metroland community newspaper 34 civic ave 3rd floor stouffville ontario l4a 7z5 phone 9056402612 fax9056408778 classified 18007433353 distribution 9052948244 website wwwyorkregioncom email jmasonymgcom member ontario community newspapers association canadian community newspapers association ontario press council editor in chief debora kelly editor jim mason reporters joan ransberry hannelore volpe retail sales manager steve kane sales representative susan berry production manager pam nichols office manager vivian 0neil business manager robert lazurko advertising director retail sales flyers nicole fletcher advertising director classified real estate events management jrgordpaolucci director of production john futhey managing director real estate mikefogerson sales manager new business developments distribution dawna andrews distribution manager barry black classified manager ann campbell general manager york region printing bob dean director- marketing partnerships debraweller shows manager yrng events management stacey allen off the top with jim mason get rich off our land rush of 2004 the fields north of glad park public school off the ninth line have been ripped into something that resembles outer sudbury more giant yellow land machines sit on the tenth line ready to make additional farmland house- fertile so more brick twostoreys can pop out of south stouffville like a junior version of markham brampton or ajax this place is in for a population explosion the developable lots have been snapped up like free christmas turkeys from honest eds and its too late to manufacture the big pipe sewage system in your base- merit and sell it to engineers and con tractors working along the ninth line south of town caterers portable toilets but there must be other ways to get rich off the land rush of 2004 buy a catering truck and stock up on cutrate coffee and coke all of those construction workers must remain hydrated and temperature- adjusted through all seasons buy a fleet of portable toilets see previous scheme say no more invest in a portable dustcleaning vacuum system for the vents of stouffvilles homes have you seen the mountains of material piled north of elm road all of that dirt wont make it under the sod get some more bags for the vacuum cleaner at canadian tire martha get your real estate licence and prepare to help people move if youve backed on to a farm field for 20 years a development full of semis and full- sized homes wont be the same and if they arent moving the oldtime resi dents will want a wall of cedar hedg ing or pressuretreated wood along their back 40 memo to self only buy shares in schell lumber open a store selling childrens clothing minivans playground equipment diapers video games and sports gear if our new neighbours dont have children fact is they will soon after moving into their stouffville dream home take it to the bank kids jim mason is editor of the stouffville suntribune