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k9c9s9 moh 6 eccmomid sun stouffvmelribimuiesday july 61999 mm mtiinil stouffvilletribune a metroland community newspaper 37 sandiford dr suite 306 stouftvilie ont l4a 7x5 publisher- ian proudfoot general manager- ahin brouwer editorinchief advertising director business manager brenda larson debraweller margaret fleming regional editor classified manager office manager brian fsrlik stephen mathieu vivian oneil opinion editor ttacykibble distribution director barry goodyear safety k parents and dhdidren now that summer has officially started school might be the last thing on the mind of many young sters however a safety program being tested next september as a pilot project for york region is well worth taking some time to think about jts an injury prevention program for elementary school children and keeping kids safe is a yearround job galled risk watch the program is aimed specifical ly at reducing preventable injuries and deaths among children risk watch has identified the eight leading causes of childrens injuries and they fall into the following cate gories motor vehicle accidents fires and burns choking suffocation and strangulation poisoning falls firearm accidents bicycle and pedestrian hazards water hazards khowmg what me dangers are is the first step to pre vention while its great that risk watch supported by a coalition of public and corporate groups including police municipal fire departments the board of edu cation and the york region health department is mak ing the move to educate kids the greatest burden of responsibility still rests with parents since parents cant be with their children all the time they must teach safety at a young age however having those safety lessons constantly reinforced in school will help the message hit home the key to risk watch is stopping the injuries and deaths that can be avoided sadly in some situations all the safety precautions in the world wouldnt have made a difference those situations though are rare by far most injuries can be avoided if your child knows basic water safety rules the chancesof them drowning decrease the same is true of how to escape a fire when risk watch was launched school children were encouraged to practice their stop drop and roll techniques it was all good fun on a sunny afternoon as uni formed police officers and firefighters watched the youngsters go through their paces the fun and games though may help save the lives of those very children if they are ever caught in a fire 4a the other great thing about risk watch is that the children who participate can take what theyve learned home to encourage their parents to think about safety making an escape plan for a fire is something the whole fantuly should do together we should be thinking safety at all times as we head into the busy summer season many families will be travelling hiking and spending time nearwater a discussion with the childien about basic safety procedures will go a long way to making the holidays memorable and avoiding tragedy cheers to all those who worked so hard in our immunities last week to help us celebrate canada day in style stouffvilles strawberry festival brought but huge crowds over the weekend and was a great success as always in markham the canada day com mittee did an outstanding job organizing the picnic and fireworks display for residents in milne park best of nease letters to the editor paper needs comics and crossword puzzle my name is denise gameau and i am 11 years old i have a suggestion for your newspa per that might make it better not that there is anything wrong with it now to make it appeal to kids even though kids already read it you could add some comics and maybe a cross- word puzzle these additions would make it appeal to more people kids and adults i hope you will take my suggestions into consideration thankyou denise garneau pesticides ruining mankind and no one seems to care heres a little riddle for you what does celebrated rock drummer jeff pprcarp and this average mother of two who was jiist tfyirigto take her children for a walk otia lovely june day have in common our lives have been dramatically altered by the harmful effects of airborne pesticides in porcaros case he died at the age of 38 from cardiac arrest after an allergic reaction to a pesticide he was spraying in his garden t he left behind a wife children and an amazing career playing with such musi cal talents as bruce springsteen dire straits boz scaggs michael jackson and a host of others what a senseless waste that was 1992 the same year that i had three miscarriages i have a malformation of my repro ductive system that occurred during the first trimester of development this type of birth defect is strongly linked to the hormone estrogen mim icking qualities of selective broad leaf herbicides you know the kind you might have just sprayed on to your own lawn arid the children pets porches toys and lungs of your neighbourhood in an attempt to force it into some kind of false standard i have to admit that before i began looking into this issue i was a proponent of weed killers i thought that it was real ly amazing that homeowners could have a lawn that looked like a golf course sometimes ignorance is bliss i would walk over lawns oblivious to the little signs that dot our landscape i didnt care i was in my mid20s no responsibilities nothing phased me ow things have changed today the familiar feeling of my throat beginning to swell up alerted me that there was a problem i took one look at riiy children sitting innocently in their wagon trustingme to protect them and i bolted for home we were the victims of yet another chemical assault on our neighbourhood after i rushed my children inside stripped them down and scrubbed them off in the shower i just sat and cried i cant believe how few rights we have to keep bur children safe and healthy im afraid to take my children outside and i only open my windows when it is letters continued raining because ive known too many people and animals who have become sick as a result of pesticide exposure something has got to change all my children wanted was to get some bubble blowing liquid at the store so they could have some fun in their backyard if youve ever watched a bubble blow through the air you will know that the wind carries it over property lines and wherever it pleases if you feel the risk of pesticides is worth it to your family fine bathe in it if you wishbut dont ruin my childrens health as it drifts into their little bodies find another method of applying them if you must it will eventually get to us through our ground water and its effects on the environment but at least well be able to open bur windows i challenge all home and business owners in the auroranewmarket area to start caring about our community and to stop spraying pesticides into our air i also challenge anyone who has become sick as a result of pesticide exposure to speak up if your child began to vomit or devel oped diarrhea after playing outside letit be known if you or your childs asthma was trig gered after exposure to spraying dont keep it quiet if your pet began to wheeze or cough up blood after the friendly neighbour hood spray truck paid a visit bark it loud and clear i also challenge the doctors and vets of our community to learn more about the known health concerns associated with pesticides and to take a stand against this pervasive public health problem enough is enough it is time that we cared enough to make our community enjoyable and safe for everyone i think porcaro would agree mmacdonald equestrian facilities should be resonsible for safety i am glad to see that an equestrian facility has been held responsible for the safety of its clients as a parent and horse owner i feel strongly that it is the responsibilty of both the ownersoperators of a riding facility and the employees to ensure that every possible safety precaution is taken and mat the risks relating to this sport be made known i have ridden since i was sixyears old so when my child asked to learn to ride i was well equipped to select a good school it was not an easy task and even though the school that we finally select ed was an excellent facility with a good reputation me helmets supplied for new students were not approved as a parent horse owner and com petitor i would strongly support ran dom inspections of these facilities by an independent body david hutton fox farm stables stouffvil 1 serving the community sincel888 the stouffviile tribune published eveiy tuesday thursday and saturday is one o the metroland printing publishing and distributing ud group of newspapers which includes the ajavpickering news advertiser ailiston heraldcourier barrie advance barrys bay this week bolton enterprise brampton guardian burlington shopping news burlington post city parent collingwpodwasaga connection east yb mirror erin advocatecountry routes etobfcote guardian flamborough post georgetown 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