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6-- ýh Cànadlan'C(hini'oA, %ýMay1, lb*8 *OPINION Box 248, 191 Main St. E., The Canadien Champion, publisited every Taesday and FFnday Milton, Ont. L9T 4N9 at 191 Main St. E., Milton, Ont., L9T 4N9 (Box 248), is one af The Metroland Printlng, Pubiishing & Distribatlng Lld. group of suit- ~ 341 arban companles witicit Includes: Ajax I Pickering News (905) 878 234 Adverliser; Alilston HeraidlCoarier; Barrie Advance; Brampton Guardian; Burlinglon Post; City Parent; Collingwood I Wasaga Editorial Fax: 878-4943 Connection; East York Mirror; Etobicoke Goardian; Georgetown Indépendantl Acton Fre Press; K(ingston Titis Week; Lindsay Titis Advertising Fax: 876-2364 Week; Marlcham Economist & Son; Midland / Penetangaisitene Classfied 8753300 Mirror; Mississanga News; Newmarkel I Anrora Era Banner; Clasifid: 75-300 Northtumberland News; Nort York Mirror, Oakville Beaver, Orillia Ian Oliver Publùsher Today; Oshtawa / Witby I Claringlon I Port Perty Titis Wnek; Peterborough Titis Week; Richmond Hiii I Titomhili / Vaughan Neil Oliver Associate Publis/rer Liberal; Scarborougit Mirror; Uxbridge 1 Stoaffvilln Tribune; BlIi Begin General Manager Today's Seniors. Advertlsing ls accepted on the condition titat, la lte event of a Rob Kelly Editor typograpicai error, ltat portion of tite advertising space occe- Karen Crosa Circulation Manager pied by te erroneous item, together witit a reasonabie aliowance Ter Caas ýorce anaerfor signature, wiii sot be citarged for, but tite balance ni lte TeriCasa OO¶e Maageradvertisement wiii be paid foraI lte appicable rate. Tite pablisiter Tin Colea Production Manager reserves lte rigitt to calegorize adverlisemnnts or decine. Debate served purpose, to size up tbree leaders Whatever one may have thought of the provincial leaders' debate tele- vised Tuesday migbt, it was a watershed in that it offered the only oppor- tunity in tbis campaign to see the trio mix it up live. Perhaps more interesting than the debate itself was the fallout, with Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty vowing to take off the gloves after, in bis opinion, the other two ganged up on him. NDP leader Howard Hampton enjoyed what was seen as a strong showing while Mike Harris lost no ground, which is essentially just what a sitting premier wants if the poîîs are still relatively good for him, as they are. Tuesday's debate may have offered no real policy insights -- every- body, appropriately coached, stayed on message and most voters bave heard it aIl before. But there was an opportunity to evaluate the stature and character, at least superficially, of the tbree leaders. That gives voters more ammuni- tion than they had prior to the event. Tbis is a short camrpaign and the stakes are high. Govemrment in this province bas lurched frore one extreme to another. Let's attempt to sepa- rate the wheat from the emotional cbaff and make an informned choice. *OUR READERS WRITE How about spending extra funds on a skateboard ramp? Dear Editor: (The following letter was sent ta Mayor Gord Kraatz and a copy wasflled with Thae Champion.) I read last week in the Champion that you bave found a surplus of money. How about building that skateboard ramp for thse young people somewheoe? Some of the youths I've talked te say you have been prosiing an anea wheoe they could skateboard and toiler blade. 'ibere ane also, aduls who would like to be able to toiler blade wheoe they'oe flot told to, move on because of the noise. We need some place for both our youlhs and aduits t0 enjoy themselves. Whatever happened t0 our the- atre? Let's build that ramp. M. Coulter Milton That thing wasn't a form letter after ail It' s been a hectic few weeks in thse corner office ever since yours tnaly got conned into judging a national contest for commiunity news- papers. Upon retuming fmmi vacation a while back - well deserved in the mmnd of the recipient, undoubtedly viewed with hostile resentment by certain colleagues -- I discovered what appeaned to be a formi letter in the disarray that is my desktop. It was from a Totonto-based organization ask- ing me to judge circulation category 12,000 to 25,000 in such and such a newspaper competi- lion. I just ignored it, figuring they sent everybody the samne communique in hopes of getting the odd positive reply. A week or so later, a woman called fromn Toronto, bier voice conveying a certain sense of urgency. The conversation went anmething like this: "Sa, you'oe going to judge thse contest, right?," she said. "Weli ... uh, I don't know, 1 mean il was juat a formi letter, wasn't it?" "No," sbe said. "And it's getting late. We're counting on you. You were recommiended." "&Whn oecommended me?" 'I dan't remember. What does it matter? you're going ta do it, anen't you? Et will be real- ly' "ely inconveuaient if yau don'L." It turns out this ittle exercise can take top to 20 bouts. But backed into thse comner of the comner office, 1 really had no baiiout position. It was too late to start coughing into the phone and mumi- bling about comning down with anmething. I couldn't really piead other commitiments, since il would have been too transpanent a lie by that juncture. So I said, "Well, okay, E guess," or somte mopey acquiescence to that effect. They sent out a giant wad of stuif by couriet a couple of weeks later, 40 newspapers in ail, two copies for each of the 20 entras. Remember how nice last weekend was? Sunshine dripped like honey over bath days. The test of Milton went out 10 play, if they had any sense. I stayed indoors plowing through ail those papers, marlcing them in 11 different categories, I think, and jotting down notes for the 350-word essay I arn supposed ta submit with my leamned judgement so they can publish it in the awards book. Actually, to tell you the truth 1 snuck out a few times to mosey actoss the street, site of a popular local pub. Conanling myself with a brace of Blue Lighls, I teviewed my scoring system and jotted down notes ta make the awards essay anund as if 1 had made thse maxI reasoned choice possible, to keep the whining frais the losers down 10 a duil roar. I have ta send ahl thse stuff back ta Toronto by today (Friday). Already, I'm getting faxes ing for sponsorships to help out the hospîtal. Somne of them plan on running the full 10 kilo- mettes. Some wiII do the 10 kilometre in fine skate, others are taking part in thç four and six Ro b If aparticipanat asks you for a donation, I hope K y you will setiously consider giving a smali sum. 1 K ly have neyer, ever ron across anyone who didn't think supporting the hospital was a worthy ____________________________________cause. markd -rgen' foin he atioal ewspper Altemnatively, you couid drop by yourself for a mak"rgenzain romdnme the ational ne spae sttoU, a skate or a non. Ail kinds of people take duaea. n eidn m htte rtqeo part, many of whom wouid neyer drearn of run- I would really like to know who recoanmended ning 10 kilometres. They do their part by taking me fr tis.lber ar soe firlystrng us-a walk and making a donation of some sort. The pects, who would neyer acknowledge havong mon aes nd e wac at 11 p.m. fm thein-ie spita done so, of course. So maybe Ill make iltmy no n h ak t1pm rn h optl business to get even with ail of them. Because if And please, if you're going 10 tay the mun or they didn't do it, you can bet they did something skate, don't worry about looking silly. Last year else,~~ ~ ~ ~ fotue nwy an two kilometres farther than I should have ... because I started before the course was properly Next weekend -- on Sunday, May 30 to be set Up. exact -- Milton District Hospital is staging ils At thse end, 1 was an whacked I coliapsed by a annual Hike for Health. En an alarming tum of ditch, I think. The hospital vice-president, Allan evenls, they have asked me to be die honourary Halls, walked over, peered dlown solicitously whatever-it-is who stands around doing things and aaked, "Are you okay, Rob?", thiniking ail they tell me to do. A sort of aanbassador-figure- the while about calling paramedics, no doubt, head, token symbol guy, which pretty much "Fine, just fine," I repiied deliriously whiie sumas up my day job description anyway, an it's desperateiy scoping around for an oxygen mask.- no surprise they asked me, really. So hey, it'Il be fine, and an wili you. Anyhow, there ane iota of people arouind look- Hope you can make il. 41 -~ f3 ~