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l a as economist sunv stouffitmbuntwisday dec 24- 1998 re t i- mettblantj community newspaper v j 37 sanchbrd dt surte306 stotifivbe oat l4a 7x5 i v s j y puibusr ian proudpoot i jf ft i i t e new rmlenriiurh its at this time of yearthat people pause to reflect on their lives they relish their accomplishments review their mistakes take stock of their blessings vow to resolve conflicts and cor- ect bad habits as we approach a new year its not a bad idea to measure ourselves against bur goals we live and weleam each year- becoming better people with each experience we have this new year will be marked with a heightened desire to achieve and improve and grow think about it for a moment were talking about how we live the last year of a millennium i individually we can work on the goals personal and professional weve been putting off we can strive to be better people we can do more for our families and our communities j- arid our elected officials can make 1999 a special year for york region by doing the same thing f- taking stock of a few problems and addressing them for us- theofficial plan report card process an assessment by the public of how the region is meeting its planning goals has given politi- ciaris and administrators some idea of whats important to residents j green space or lack of it is a riiajor concern for residents report card partici- plants repeatedly noted disappearing green space as a matter that needs to be addressed in our developmentdriven communities y residents want planners to preserve the environment include pedestrian pathways in urban areas set aside land for parks and play areas in residential developments keep as much green as- possible while carefully planning our regions growth l in 1999 regional officials can make green space a priority in development projects for the future transportation or perhaps gridlock has residents fuming do something about the horrid transportation options commuters plead the highways and regional roads are jammed each day at rush hours seamless public transportation within the region is still a dream what can officials do work in 1999 to developacohesiv pohation network buseswithput6orders scl to speak thatmll carry- residents from- onecorherofthe regiontothe othereffi- ciently v w- better- community design is also a key point for residents in york region the majority of residents who participated in the survey would prefer to see in futuie devel opments a mix of housing types sizes and densities respondents felt that all the houses built in the 1 970s and 80s in york region look the same these respondents also praised the design of communities such as cornell angus glen and bayview wellington which incorporate a community feel i in 1999 our regional government can actively pursue this dream and wise devel opers will do likewise if homebuyers want acommunily feeling theyll purchase their homes from builders who provide it the region can effectively police density and style developers can pro vide what buyers are looking for economic development is a concern for residents many respondents told the region that it should continue to invest in initiatives that support economic development twentyfive percent of the participants in the survey indicated the region should work to attract more business in 1999 our regional government can continue its economic development process actively marketing york region to investors around the world inviting busi nesses to make york region home develop ing multimedia programs to boost the regions public image and encourage busi ness to look closely at what we have to offer i there are many other challenges the region faces in 1999 and thereafter delivery of human services that is social health police hospital and education is an issue for residents regional officials must make sure all of those involve under stand the publics concerns our changing multicultural face also poses some problems for ourgovemment ensuring all residents have equal access to services as they make york region their home is an important issue ultimately residents have to recognize that our rapidly growing region is experienc ing some growing pains but the report card process helps prepare administrators and politicians for the work that lies ahead and thats what 1999 should be about as itrcflects on the successes and failures of 1998 regional council has theopportunity to lay the foundation for a bright new millen nium lets make 1999 a springboard to the future marijuana plants must have been on steroids regarding your story on the huge marijuana bust in markham last week i cannot sit here and read any more of this propaganda and not saysomething since when has a doors or indoors been called a lab were these peopledoing scientific studies if so why were they arrest- ed the media was given a tour of one home to view the elaborate operation this lab consisted of equipment you can buy at your cornerstore nursery i use it to grow herbs in my basement the dill is yummy and so is the sage i basil and chives as for the 6million street value i dont think so i grew marijua na once i confess my calculator says 6000 plants multiplied by a quarterounce of- clean dried twig and lumber and seedfree bud equals 1500 ounces sold by- drug dealers on the street for the top buck in toronto of 260 an ounce that equals 390000 a far cry from 6 mil lion i dont know how york regional police arrived at their fig ures lets do the math backwards just for fun if the 6 million is divided by 6000 plants it equals 1000 for each plant clones in toronto go for 10 the 1000 of dope from each plant divided by 260 equals almost four ounces of pot from each plant tliose plants musthave been on steroids or radioactive or something to produce such a high yield then a police spokesman said the effects of dmgs on the community is immeasurable is that because our system of arrest and incarceration for harmless pot smokers is a losing war i have never seen any harm caused by cannabis have you i havent seen any hemp bar fights and hemp hitandruns or hemp deaths these people seem to sit quietly with weird music in the background and a pizza box attached to their smiling faces then the police spokesman says its gratifying to know 6 mil- lion worth of drugs is off thestreet why id rather have my kid smoke pot than drink booze or do other drugs like cigarettes cocaine or heroin v many pcoplcusc marijuana as medicine very effectively is it right to deny these people something organic that works for them in spite letters of pots prohibition i think its time we all realized that cannabis is here to stay its only been around for thousands of years foi many its the responsible drug of choice stephen john vandekemp bradford laenji should end impeachmentmadness merryj christmas america thanks for hastening to plunge the world into chaos piesident bill clinton commit ted an immoral behaviour for which god already forgave him so why do you persecute him the presidents accusers are like the scribes and the pharisees wolves in sheeps clothing and i might add with skeletons in tlieir closets he will be your second presi dent of the two most popular pres idents to leave office in an untime ly manner the first being piesident john f kennedy why add to turmoil already awaiting us all in tlie year 2000 i am very disappointed in your poor judgment america please end this madness now fferguson markham scouting group says thanks to supporters ttiesth markham venturers would like to sincerely thank a number of folks for all tlieir help in getting our float into the markham santa claus parade we are indebted to jeff mittman for the guidance teaching and sup port tie provided toa group of- beginner carpenters arid artists we would also like to thank mittman carriers inc for the space tool use and supplies that were so generously donated jeffs dedica tion to scouting and the markham community were so evident in this years parade we arc also grateful to our other supporters who helped with paint the stouffville tribune welcomes your letters all sub missions must be less than 400 words and must include a day time telephone number name and address wc reserve the right to publish or not publish and to edit as necessary write letters to the editor- 37 sandiford dr suite 306 stouffville orit l4a 7x5- and wrapping paper the maikliam kinsmen santa claus patade is truly a community effort supported by many people thank you to everyone who helped make it so special the 5th markham venturers illegal dumping not being taken seriously for years municipalities shrugged off their responsibility on the illegal dumping for garbage if a citizen saw or caught a per son dumping garbage illegally any where he or she did not know where to call if they called the police tlie answer would be that is private property and the police cannot do anything about it the police said it was a civil matter not a criminal matter if a person stole a candy bar from a store it is a crime but if that same person who stole the candy bar went and dumped his or her garbage on private property on a public road causing tlie owner of that property an expense worth 50 times greater than the cost of the candy bar it is not considered a criminal act property owners arid citizens should sue york regions munici palities and the police force for not taking their responsibility on this matter seriously this irresponsible behaviour by the municipalities and the police must stop immedi ately they must start upholding the law for illegal dumping by prose cuting and imposing heavy fines and jail time for repeat offenders steve puakes st0uffviuc christmas message causes chuckle i received something other than christmas cards this december and i wanted to share it with your readers i got quite a chuckle from it my security company advised me that york regional police would not respond in the event of an alarm at my home unless i am registered to register i must pay an annual licensing fee of 45 in the enclosed postage paid enve lope funny i thought thats what taxes were for happy holidays to all readers especially york regional police- jantomunson markham ihowld reach us m phone905 6402100 fax 905 6405477 dougdevine year had more lowlights than highlights despite york regions soaring econ- omy and phenomenal growth 1998 hasnt been a very stellar year for local politicians and other leaders from our mpps to our former police chief from local councillors to bylaw officers york regions 1998 has been filled with far more lowlights than highlights although i suspect premier mike harris still has more supporters than detractors in york region there can be no denying his governments actions over the past year have done more harm than good here harris has received and deserves most of the blame for tlie labour bat tles with york regions teachers the continuing financial woes of our hos- pitals and the massive tax hikes faced by many residents and small business- es he has also downloaded many costs and services that will have a long- term negative impact on the regions finances including social housing welfare public transit and an annual bill for what he says is our share of torontos social costs which cost york region taxpayers 93 million this year or about 500 per household i the four tory mpps york residents elected to represent them have done nothing but spout the party line and try to unfairly shift the blame to local politicians and bureaucrats the four tory mpps york region residents elected to represent them have done nothing but spout the party line and try to unfairly shift the blame to local politicians and bureaucrats unfortunately our mayors and i politicians with the possible excep- lion of markham mayor don cousens i have done an even poorer job rcpre- j senting the residents especially regional chairperson bill fisch who has displayed a total lack of leadership i during this time of massive change while the megacitys mega- mouthed mayor bellowed convinc- ing queens park to both subsidize toronto and pool social costs across j tlie gta fisch has done nothing to i fight the massive tax shift that is now j threatening tlie very existence of many york region businesses j of course any argument he may have had about york region politicians being more frugal and responsible than the fatcat city leaders went out tlie windowearlier this year when the region newmarket and richmond hill i councils jacked up their salaries newmarket councillors deserve special mention for their despicable act of approving 30per cent pay hikes before tast novembers election but conspiring to keep it quiet until they had all been safely reelected and what did newmarket residents get from their much higherpaid coun 1 cillors a year of spatting with their neigh- bours in east gwillimbury over annex- i ation plans a thinly disguised attempt to steal a megatheatre planned atli yonge street and green lane j even if newmarket correctly argued it is better suited to control that devel- opment the only thing accomplished- by all the bickering between tlie towns i was that amalgamation cant coineij soon enough in york region and both aurora and newmarkets councils set new standards for hypocrisy as they joined the fight- j against being hooked into the toronto j water that already feeds the three southern york region towns of markham richmond hill and vaughan this from the same people who have been approving massive growth in their towns for the past decade heres hoping 1999 will be a better j year for leadership in york i stouffville tribune serving the community since 1888 o a1wn brouvektceneammvik brituursonedilof iricwrf brian hrmk- regional editor tracvwbblieditor nffirayn advwtidiretlof qmym marget lemixc mngr canadian circulations audit board member tmsurffctemumpimsameybesdtim4smuib tl week mm cmopfce bomftto gaun tattty stop nftrt sobipoo poa tvmctckxa1lmp vxwclton fjy kxv mkiot urn aaeetucomtty ftoatei cumcofce gonoaa fumtonofi i fbss gmqctoim mnoc km cmmta oumpim m smceinf ncm minkimp nrrt nemmttcmaoo ctafr tnttntxt fwythfcwkfwojtovwftaiivno mwaitfccreimcamm t am in lwkt mtmf h phone 90s 6402100 cterffied 18007433353 fioc90s640s477 tr ema3ihetribeimarca dutrfbution 905 6402100 i