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tisf yt j c j sa4 vnesdayyjanuakvl9 1 rj ipsflbite pme official tree i by ron reid federation of ontario naturalists ouick how whats ontarios official flower almost everyone must recognize the trillium as our floral emblem since its three white petals so often serve as a symbol for the provincial government not so many are aware that ontario also has an official mineral amethyst now the ontario forestry association has proposed that we become the first pro- vince to designate an official tree f ollow- ing the practice of most states south of the border the choosing of a new symbol is a sensi- tive matter so the ofa undertook its selection with the appropriate degree of pomp and circumstanced an ontario tree council was formed representing more than thirty organizations from in- j dustry groups to the federation of ontar io naturalists the sole purpose of this body was to choose one species of tree from among the 22 previously nominated for recommendation to the minister of natural resources on the second ballot after a complex series of weighted votes the winner was decided the white pine no other tree is so tied to the heritage of ontario as the white pine even though the species is not hardly enough to grow in the northern reaches of the pro vince it 1 was the pine that first attracted lumber men to southern ontario tall straight jpine for masts in the queens navy squared pine timbers floated downriver in great rafts locally sawn pine for cabins and for early furniture it is this white pine too that forms the focus of so many group of seven paintings and that shades many a rustic cabin in cottage country although the fa voured habitat of white pine is dry sandy ridges it can sur- vive as well even in the water sodden peat of a sphagnum bog if the white pine is endorsed as the ontario tree the ofa has suggested a series of activities to promote its status antique pine furniture for example might boast a special provincial tag or schools might plant white pines on arbor day to celebrate our natural heritage if all goes well the bicentennial of ontar ios first major immigration of settlers in 1984 may be the occasion for the unveiling of our new official tree you said he is president annum- wectin maskhna ivfjgsj james thomas editor wrthunt established 1888 barry w wallace pubisher joe anderson advertising manager edrtorlal deft jim holt jim irving display advertising dept bryan armstrong classified adveht1singcirculatkn joan marsh man office manager doreen deacon national sales representative motrotand corporate sates 4931300 i published every wednesday at 54 main st siouffvillo ont tot 6402100 single copies 35c subscrip tions 1500 per year in canada 4500 elsewhere member of canadian community newspapers associa tion ontario weekly newspapers association ontario press council and suburban newspaper of america second class mail registration number 0896 the stouffville tribune is one of the metroland printing publishing ltd group of suburban newspap ers which includes ajaxwhitbypicfcering news advertiser aurora bannernewmarket era tho bolton enterprises brampton guardian the burlington post the burlington weekend post tho etobicoke adver tiser guardian the georgetown independentacton free press markhamthomhilt economist and sun milton champion the mississauga news the mississauga news wcokend edition the north york mirror oakville beaver oakville friday beaver oshawa this week oshawa this weekend the richmond hill thornhill liberal the scarborough mirror the woodbridge vaughan news jv a vvjwijwm ltfcroamingarp by jim thomas- 6402100 we dont create news we only report it the responsibilities placed on the shoul ders of an elementary or secondary school teacher are great both during the learning process and later would you believenineteen years in va rious educational institutions before one is sufficiently trained to take over a class its true and it doesnt stop there the teacher is continually encouraged to add to his her qualifications through seminars and courses much like a doctor dentist and other profes sional people the updating of knowledge and information never stops this brings me to my question what qual ifications are required to be a sunday school teacher think about it a minister for instance like the elementary and secondary school teacher spends a quarter of his her life as a student this supposedly makes him her qualified to teach adults how much more important then is it to have qualified persons to teach our children i thought about thisa great deal last week after alan powell the sunday school super intendent at stouf f villes st james presbyte rian church asked me to take over a class of twel vetofourteen year olds for one day only in the absence of the regular teacher on one hand by agreeing to take on this task i was displaying some integrity while on the other i was committing an injustice for who am i to offer advice and instruction at such a level what are my qualifications its been thirty years since i last served in such a capacity the occasion was at st andrewsdpresbyteriah church in markham i rode the threemile distance by bicycle with sunday school starting at ten and continuing through to eleven i must have been only a substitute because after about six weeks i was somehow re placed i dont recall anyone telling me to leave nor do i remember anyone asking me to come back i do recall an act of indiscre tion that obviously irritated one or two pa rents as in most ss classes this one was all boys there were a couple of lads who were hard to handle to maintain their interest and persuade them to do a little homework i paid each twentyfive cents to learn a pre scribed segment of the books of the bible this practice worked wonders with my troublemakers theyd do just about any thing including their memory work to obtain this prize their moms and dads however werent so impressed considering it a form of bribery and one father told me so a short time later i was back in the con gregation with the rest of our family and someone else was taking my class while my knuckles have fully recovered from that subtle rap the memory still rings clear i wasnt about to make the same mis- takeagain the second most pressing problem was my right to conduct a class at all although an elder in the church i dont possess a bbi bachelor of bible information degree nor am i fully acquainted with all basic doctrines we trueblue presbyterians are supposed to follow regardless i accepted the challenge and i studied burning the midnight oil satur day long after jean had crept under the covers brother did i lean a lot things id long forgotten as a kid the truth is i found the lesson all about jesus visit to the temple so interesting i didnt want to stop nor do i intend to ive considerable catching up to do since those days when we sat around the farm kitchen table and read from aunt charlottes stories of the bible but did my kids learn anything thats the important thing i really wish i knew anyway i found them attentive know ledgeable and willing to participate which is more than i can say for my class of 53 but then again perhaps in thirty years their substitute teacher has learned a little too the media and this includes the tribune has come in for its share of criticism from town council and others with respect to pub licity related to the landfill site and associ ated issues chastisement of this kind cuts no ice with the toronto dailies most radio stations and national tv they we suggest couldnt care less for unlike the staff of this newspaper theyre far removed from any contact source but not so we here at the tribune we know them and they know us theres no escape however using the media as a scapegoat for whitchurchstouffvilles ills is no solu tion its merely something to hide behind 1 thetribuneisntthecreatorof landfill hor ror stories we simply report whats said- by the mayor members of council the con- i cerned citizens regional health unit staff and the environment ministry the adverse publicity some say is hurting the town and theyre right the towns being hurt badly and will continue to be hurl until the site is closed and the controversy ends this we readily admit was our main reason for demanding the dumps closeout as of june 30 1983 as promised by the minis try now it seems well have this monkey on our back for at two maybe three more years critics of the media would have us paint a rosy picture create a silk purse out of a sows ear this isnt possible why because polluted wells potential health hazards and public protests are dirty business dirty busi- ness that will be cleaned up when politi cians give people not dollars top priority viewpoint- seeing the other side had reason for ecstacy a positive feeling pervaded the annual meeting of the markham and east york agri- culturalsbciety wednesday night and no wonder with an income balance sheet eclipsing all previous totals the directors and members had every reason to be ecstatic for it was a totally successful fair apart even from the shirtsleeve weather and the financial report there were innovations in the- fair of 82 that we liked one of these being the strong accent placed on agriculture this theme was obvious at every turn abridging the gap as- 1 president bill walker put itbetween urban and rural producer and consumer- y- to this end president walker himself must take much credit he obviously influenced the board in this direction and it worked to the overall success of the show we see little likelihood of this atmos- phere changing in 83 the new president i barry little is just as steeped in agricul- ture as his predecessor not a professional auctioneer but certainly a professional far- mer undoubtedly he willwant to continue and perhaps add to the rural environment r that proved so successful last fall av vthetown of markham is indeed fortunately tohavesuchan institution in its midst and the personnel to maintain its standing as one tof thetop fairs in ontario s my car which is much younger than i but which seems to think im the one who should be pro viding the power let me know the other day it was in no mood to travel that meant a return to the richmond hill garage whose resident physician only recent ly had pronounced it sound of body and as it turned out renwewed problems and costs the latter werent enormous but had i gone to church that sunday i would have had to bend over and tiemy shoe laces when the collection plate came around so i was angry angry impatient and in tolerant of any explanation they might give for something i thought should have been co vered a couple of weeks before i argued strenuously with the service man- interrupting him in mid sentence and over riding any of his attempts at explanation with my outbursts but of course i eventually had the work done paid for it and left uttering the worst deprecations i could and in every kind of key it made the ride home a joyous one for i j was happily calling them everything in the book of illfound phrases until suddenly i realized id heard that harangue before very recently too and what a dead end it was where was it ah yes at town council when the concerned citizens dropped in for teathe same sort of anger petulance and disregard for the others right to speak i hadnt wanted to believe what the service man had wanted to say no matter how reaso nable and i wasnt going to he was wrong and always would be the citizens were of the same bent fran sutton and her husband doug speak ers for the group are not the easiest people to listen to she demands she doesnt ask sometimes she threatens when she receives answers she doesnt want or that might show her to be wrong she changes the subject by asking another question her husband doug seems to want only to antagonize his delivery is sardonic his tone contemptuous he seems unwilling to listen just as i at the garage the verdict has long been in and nothing will change it how a little politeness all around would have helped mayor eldred king not always the most patient listener handled this session most admirably i thought at least he did until he indulged in that pettiness about the press the press is there only in such moments of tension forgetting that local coverage is constant that his own picture appears in the tribune shaking hands cutting ribbons more times than the editors name that naturally such outfits as cbctv are only interested in national stories does the mayor think they by jim irving j should be there every week to hear applica tions for severances mayor king has everything it takes to be a leader he is handsome intelligent articu late personable and capable but there is an insecurity in him that seems to make him uneasy about anyone who isnt with him 100 per cent instead of welcoming one who might provide a healthy balance to his extreme con servatism he seems to look on such a possi bility as a threat a longtime friend of mine now a welltodo businessman in argentina once told me that when he interviews job applicants he looks for someone whoaims for his own that way i know im getting the best one he said are you listening mr mayor mayor king asked mrs sutton to try to see both sides of the question a most reasonable request now if he can only turn the page of his newspaper and see whats on the other side then maybe the next time council the concerned citizens and the press get together at least meet in the same room thcycan pack up their paranoi in their old fit bag and pretend its the firsttime around 4 theres still hope for a peaceful settlement at the last meeting the suttons brought their tinybaby he slept through it all c lft83a- rv- ia r wa igsff