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6 WM-Tnbunel'lhursdaxlanmm York Region has put its best“gteen" foot forwardwifliitsphntobuildflueegarbage andrecyclingdepotsâ€"mefirsthmL whidwouldbegpenassoonasSeptember, with Markham and Richmond Hill next in lineformefadlifies Butlet's'getonemStmightitisnei- theralamlfillnoratmnsferstationlt'sm dilfexentthanhavingaseoondâ€"hand stone downthestreet. Billed as a community environmental oenuethisnewservioewillmakeiteas- ierforresidentstodisposeofgarbagem exoessofthe city's mmbaglimit, haul old sofas and refi'igerators for recycling dmp Asitstandsnovmtogetridofthatbroken toilet that overflows every time you flush, youhavetogetmyourvehicleanddfivefor about 45 minutes to GeOIgina. the nearest facilityofiefingsuchdisposalsewices. Is it any wonder you sometimes see wastesuchasthisdmnpedillegallyonme sideofdleroadinruralpartsofVaugl'lan? mebestofmtenfiomflieyamsfillgemmt- ing too much rubbish. Rather than ship- ping it off to dwindling landfills, doesn’t itmakesensetodivertasmuchofitas possible? That’s why we don’t understand some residents’ objections to the waste depot slatedforanindusuialareamconooldat Hwy.7andCreditstoneRoad.Itseemstobe adassiccaseofNIMBYismmotlnMyBadt Yard). For Richmond Hill and Markham. similar industrial sites should be consid- Thedosestneighbours atKeeleSneet andI-Iwy7,wholiveatleastonekilomeue away from the proposed depot, say this is a necessary facility, but they ate con- cerned about noise, unpleasantsmellsand increasedtraificandtheydon‘twantitm theirneighbourhood. Similarly, a few years back when this depotwasproposed fortheDufl’erinand Centre streets area, residents of Beverley GlenBoulevaldsucoeededmnmningitout oftheirbackyaxd But not before the legion made con- cessions in the look and feel of the facil- ity, including pennanenthcahopies over the dropâ€"off binâ€"swand a smaller building more suited to community standards The region tookastep in the right direc- tion by seeking public input Now it should go ahead and build the depot in Concord and launch a massive public awareness campaign that includes the message that NlMBYism, at best, is an impediment to progiess and, at worst, as dangerous to the environment as plastic bags Garbage depot good, objections bad lE'I'TERS POLICY The Sunflflbune welcomes your letters. All submissions must be less than 400 words and must include a daytime telephone number. name and address. The Sun-THbune reserves the right to publish or not publish and to edit for clarity and space. Laden to the Editon The Sun-Tubal” 6290 M St. W, GM LM IO? jmason.yrmg.com Editorial lmmmvn MEDIA Marketing In Advertising dandmwanngfiom Dawna Andrews EnrmmAL Editor lim Mason jmasonOynng.mm Turn headlights on and slow down when conditions are foggy I’d just like to remind drivers in the region to turn on their headlights during the foggy condi- tions we have been having this week. Too many drivers are driving with their vehicles’ daytime running lights or no lights at all. 'Ifwe can’t see you in the fog. you are going to be the cause of an accident. ‘ Remember, having your daytime lights on doesn't turn on your marker or taillights. One other thing. slow down. A combination of no lights and excessive speed will kill someone. Whitchurch-Stouffville showed spirit throuqh Christmas basket gifts The community of Whitchurch-Stouffville has once again come together to demonstrate the true spirit of Christmas. Through the Christmas basket program, many families in our community had a brighter and more enjoyable Christmas. This is the real spirit of the season. On behalf of the Stouffville Lions Club, thank you to all of the residents, businesses, service clubs and Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville for generously PATWHEELEKJbs SUN'TRIBUNE ClasslfledMnnaget MM! Ann Campbell ammpbellOynng.mm Retail Manager Stacey Allen Anvmmsmc; 'SfiW-‘Ii'ibune “Q25 2% 92 «.63 ~20 zQSSmmm mm$> 52 >2 Ems. . . .dmoomm >32 PUBLISHER Ian Proudfoot 6290MainSt. StoufMle,0N.L4A 167 Letters to the Editor Assistant Classified N. SUMMERS CLAREM ONT Bonnie Rondaau brondeauOyrmg.oom Pnonucnon \< contributing to our 2007 Christmas basket pro- Skaters, cancer don’t rest during Christmas season A busy day at the peak of the Christmas rush saw more than 250 skaters take to the ice to raise money for cancer research at the Stouffville Arena. Thank you to the Whitchurch-Stouffville‘ Minor Hockey Association for hosting the Terry Fox Skateathon Dec. 23. The event attracted skaters of all ages and abili- ties who, in turn, raised more than $1,100 for can- cer research. Special thanks to Janice Auld of minor hockey and Beate and John Barnett for their leadership and enthusiasm and the Town of Whitchurch- Stoufiville for turning over the public skate time for the event. ' Cancer doesn’t take a rest during the holiday season. We are appreciative of our wonderful com- munity-spirited residents who joined us for an afternoon of fun. l CLARE PALMER 8! JOHN RELPH CO-CHAIRPERSONS CHRISTMAS BASKET PROGRAM STOUFFVILLE LIONS CLUB A rt rldl‘ Fl; 44w" ’1 Busmnss Mamas: Robert lazurko 801101 [N CHIEF Dmn Debora Kelly 1mm Mann 1. Wowsv Lusmnss MANAGER 10"" “they ADVERTISING 905-640-2612 Classified: 1-800-743- 33 53 Fax: 905-640-8778 DISTRIBUTION 905-640â€"261 2 SANDY SCHELL KENNEDY (IO-ORDINATOR STOUFFVILLE TERRY FOX RUN 905-540â€"2612 x: 905-640-8778 EDI TOR M L A York Region Media Group community ncwspapcr The Sun-Tribune, published every Thursday and Saturday. is a division of the Metroiand Media Group Ltd. a whollyâ€"owned subsidiary ofTorstar Corporation. Metroiand is comprised of 100 community publications across Ontario. The York Region Newspaper Group inciudesihe Uberai. sewing Richmond Hill and Thornhili, Vaughan Citizen,'ihe Era-Banner (Newmarket/ Aurora). Markham Economist Sun, Georgina Advocate, York Region . Business Times. North of the City, yorkregioncom and York Region Printing. Dumcmn, Clncuumon Svmus Lynn Pashko Damn-.Wsmc You Ramon Plummu .‘ ammo“ (Ema/u. MANAGER Barry Black 30b Dean ITALY - It would have been safer and wiser to have been in Stoufiville Memo- rial Park on New Year’s Eve. A round of hot chocolates and a few pyrotechnics with a couple of thousand of our neighbours before calling it a night. The fireworks are the sideshow to thousands of 20-somethings roaming the ancient streets, a tall bottle of liquid courage in one hand, leaving the other free to toss ultra-loud firecrackers at any- thing that moves, including yours truly. _They live a little more dangerously in Florence, here in Tuscany, on the eve- ning of Ian. 31. spend two weels here during the holidays and you notice things. You can buy a bottle of wine for $1 (Cdn) in Italy, but gasoline will cost you about $2 a litre. Maybe it all evens out. That explains why Smart cars and their tiny ilk are the rule, not the excep- tion. They don’t look like beer cans on wheels in Europe because mini SUVs are the largest vehicles on the road, aside from buses. Then again, you probably couldn’t fit your pimped-out Escalade land yacht through some of these centuries-old roads. ’ That public transit thing works pretty well here, too. Prices are reasonable and schedules convenient. From the land of cheap wine, fireworks and pricey petrol In Rome, a train runs between the international airport and downtown train station every half hour. Toronto can’t boast of that. Pity. It's hard enough finding hockey scores, let alone a game, here in soccer central. “Hockey? It’s not part of our tradi- tion," the woman at the Milan tourist authority office says dismissively. The owner of a tony restaurant in Florence speaks better English than his visitors from Stouffville. “You’re American?" he asks. “No, Canadian," we respond. “Even better,” he says. But, can you get us the Leafs' score? Iim Mason is editor of The Sun Tribune. SEW-Tribune with Jim Mason Off The Top