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1 economist suntribune tuesday feb i 2060 stouffville tribune a metroland community newspaper 9 heritage ra markham on l3p 1m3 opinion thephone 905 2942200 fax 905 2941538 email newsroomeconsuncom publisher ian proudfoot general manager alvin brouwer editor in chief brenda larson director of advertising debra weller deputy editor debora kelly editor julie caspersen production director cheri kay distribution director barry goodyear online publishing manager brian kirlik classified manager ann campbell retail sales manager stephen mathieu inside sales manager stacey allen business manager margaret fleming office manager vivian oneil letters mayors stand on gay rights signs represents moral majority re complaints registered on gay billboards jan 27 i agree that as a community we are to accept help and guide individuals out of dis orientations such as homosexuality and les bianism however there are organizations that want main line society to also accept the act of homosexuality as natural and normal this seems to be the case of parents and friends of lesbians and gays pflag looking at the human anatomy alone should tell you that this act is not normal or natural we live in a fallen world withjnany destruc tive tendencies such as pedophilia gambling and drunkenness as well as homosexuality these tendencies must be curbed not pro moted just driving down the road with its speed limits stop signs and traffic lights shows that society must restrain itself to survive removing restraints can only lead to disaster the billboard further states its not a choice thousands will tell you otherwise ones who have come out of this lifestyle through exgay organizations such as exodus international and new direction as for markham mayor don gousens removing his support for these signs at last a politician who listens to the people and is not afraid to admit he made an error in judgment he recognizes where the moral majority in markham stands martin legemaate markham ctv used anchors mistake to promote its multiculturalism re the firing of ctv anchor avery haines canada the true north strongand free a country built on the principles of equality and mulnculturalism these principles are what set canadians apart from anyone else in the world avery haines was a talented anchor for the ctv she has a husband and a son she stuttered on some of the words during a newscast one day and made a mistake she joked about it to hide her embarrassment wbs woo w 4 sure ill domateto the fbuce unions true blue wai6h when doi 6et wwauercarp and windsheild m sticker 3 much like what most of us would probably do in her situation the newscast was reshot but the original tape was accidentally aired later the boss decided to fire her on the basis that her remarks were racist and sexist the only reason she was terminated was as an example the ctv wants to tell the canadian people what a multiculturalfriend ly station it is for the ctv the cost of this cam paign was free however haines lost a chance at a promising career and had every major newspaper in mis country ridicule her i believe haines made the remarks not because she was racist or sexist but because she was not with ease she was able to say something so sensitive by media standards and turn it into harmless humour this signi fies her acceptance of equality and multicul- turalism into her everyday life and speech this tragic incident should never have hap pened and those responsible should be frowned upon how can we terminate some bodys career for something we all do every day telling jokes victor ng unionville music mania thankful for ongoing support from community music mania would like to express sincere thanks to all the people who donated items for the music mania new years eve party at cedar beach pavilion your generosity enabled us to host a suc cessful and fun evening more than 300 people braved fears of the y2k bug to enjoy the company of our friends and family donated items were given as door prizes and auctioned off to help defray some of the costs of our show rehearsals have already started for our 40th anniversary show still crazy after 40 years to be presented april 27 28 and 29 at sdss sharon and david baxter publicity directors music mania 2000 stouffville calendar and faith column welcome features in newspaper i wish to express my appreciation for two particular sections of your newspaper on saturdays the focus on faith section contains insightful and encouraging informa tion in an attempt to balance the more dis tressing everyday news the tuesday edition features the community calendar which announces local events and meetings of nonprofit organiza tions as a member of one such organization i know firsthand the benefits our club has received from this form of public awareness residents of markham and stouffville are delighted to find we exist since advertising or even a telephone listing would be beyond our budget thank you for including these important community listings and by doing so con tributing to the personal triumph of individu als and the success of nonprofit groups tina marie bachand markham letters policy stouffville tribune welcomes your letters all submissions must be less than 400 words and must include a daytime telephone number name and address the newspaper reserves the right to publish or not publish and to edit for clarity and space write utters to the editor 9 heritage rd markham on l3p 1m3 email letters9econsuncom stouffville tribune serving the community since 1888 ee3 ape canadian circulations 1 audit board member ontario press council canadian publications mail product sales agreement 11403419 subscription rates by mail 1 year 6955 tuesdays only stouffville tribune published every tuesday thursday and saturday is one of the metroland printing publishing and distributing ltd group of newspapers which includes the ajairpickering news advertiser alliston heraldcourier barrie advance barrys bay this week bolton enterprise brampton guardian burtington shopping news burlington post city parent collingwoodwasaga connection east york mirror erin advocatecountry routes etobicoke guardian flamborough post georgetown independentacton free press kingston this week lindsay this week midlandpenetanguishene mirror milton canadian champion milton shopping news mississauga news newmarket- aurora georgina erabanner northumberland news north york mirror oakville beaver oakviue shopping news orillia today oshawawhitbyclaringtonport perry this week peterborough this week richmond hillthornhillvaughan liberal scarborough mirror stouffville tribune todays seniors uxbridge tribune and city of york guardian phone 905 2942200 fax9052941538 classified 18007433353 distribution 9052948244 frank daggett it shouldnt take a law to get us to sign organ donor cards im one of the guilty ones although i did so while in high school i have not signed an organ donor card in more than 10 years its not that im apathetic to the plight of those waiting for organ transplants now more than 1380 in ontario i simply have not taken the time to sign a card and being in the media i would have to all but bury my head in the sand to not be aware of the issues of organ donation we face in canada right now the canadian rate of transplant is 145 donors per million people while demand for organs has doubled in recent years the us rate of donation is 50 per cent higher than ours and in spain the rate is double that of canada while people who neglect to sign organ donor cards such as myself are part of the problem there are other rea sons why canada has one of the lowest rates of organ transplant in the industri alized world federal and provincial governments are now trying to better coordinate organ donation premier mike harris said coordination is the central compo nent of the provinces plan to double ontarios donation rate by 2005 health minister allan rock said last october a council will be established to develop a comprehensive and integrat ed strategy for canada unfortunately since a parliamentary committee report which studied ways to improve the organ donation rate in canada was handed to rock in april 66 people died waiting for organs before his announcement it is time not only for individuals such as myself to do our part it is also time for the government to do its part by estab lishing a national network to replace the existing hodgepodge of organ donation systems individually consider the tragic yet triumphant story of 14yearold sabrina gotman the mississauga girl received a double lung transplant last april only to lose her battle jan 17 to an infection and her bodys rejection of the organs despite her death the gotman fami ly takes joy in the fact that sabrinas death was not in vain because of her selflessness she gave others a second chance by donating her organs her message of the need for organ donation will continue one of her requests was that filling out an organ donation card be mandatory it shouldnt take a law forcing people to sign donor cards to increase the rate of donation it should be an act as self less as sabrinas the words of her moth er linda say it all organ donation is the most impor tant and precious gift you can give but how can you ask if you are not willing to give