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1 t t r 4 r p ecohohiutsunnnbuntkursd stouffviue tribune a metroland community newspaper 9 heritage rd markham ont l3p 1m3 opinion telephone 905 2942200 fax 905 2941538 email newsroomeconsuncom publisher ian proudfoot general manager alvin brouwer editor in chief brenda larson director of advertising debra welter 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 editorial we must all share the blame for teen violence just to be people thats all its a very short answer but thats all that was olga baranovskis simple yet thoughtprovoking answer when asked how we can put an end to the kind of teen violence that killed her 15yearold son matty she and her husband elliott korczak were guest speakers at a forum monday in vaughan her simple plea for people to just be people reflects the struggle many parents face while trying to comprehend the senseless and inhu man actions of her sons killers who viciously kicked him in the head simply because he refused their demands for cigarettes unfortunately what her plea fails to recog nize is that the teens who attacked her son were people just being people a sad reflec tion of a society increasingly besieged by vio lence intolerance and insensitivity not surprisingly mondays forum touched on many of the traditional lightning rods for people concerned about teen violence the young offenders act the media movies tele vision and video gamesalthough all are valid concerns to varying degrees none are relevant in the baranovski murder all of these lightning rods are nothing but easy targets and scapegoats for a much more troubling reality our society is increasingly failing to instill a sense of values respect and responsibility in our children that was the nottoosubtle message from two experts on teen violence at monday nights forum both of whom work with chil dren in new york city their message was clear teen violence and other antisocial behaviour almost always begins at home but parents arent alone in this when a teenager kills we all share the blame as mattys father pointed out more police arent going to solve the prob lem its just a stopgap measure he said we need to think about the things we can do indi vidually to make things better everybodys got to get involved that may not be as simple as banning video games censoring movies or rewriting the young offenders act but it is the only real solution if we truly want to stop teens from spinning out of control letters to the editor leadership to make changes lacking in 905 area re eyeopening report should spur may ors editorial jan 20 the kind of leadership required to make changes necessary in the 905 area has been sadly lacking if other mayors are unhappy with the recent report by the mayors weve heard from they should come up with something better and soon until very recently the government has said that the dithering and infighting in our area must come to a close by the end of 1999 or an adviser from the provincial government would step in and make the decision for us i believe tony clement is now prepared to give us a few months grace certainly not the four years aurora mayor tim jones claims he will wait heaven help us if they do as far as the dis abled elderly homeless and public transit- reliant are concerned the mess they find themselves in has been caused by govern ment cutbacks in the first place just at a time when the population in markham vaughan and richmond hill has increased alarmingly accessibility buses and taxis are requiring longer booking reservation waiting periods bookings must be reconfirmed and one still cant count on getting to appointments on time or back home before scheduled atten dant appointments there simply arent enough vehicles there has been an uproar about the york region situation not only in local papers but as far afield as major toronto dailies and tele vision stations some of the politicians are blatantly indulging in namecalling i hope they remember that we voters are making notes for the upcoming municipal and the next provincial elections martha shultz thornhill greed breeds faster than coyotes re the hungry season dec 16 i am returning the photo from this article and i have circled the paw from this dead coyote that was killed if i am correct this coy ote was caught and killed by a leg hold trap which is inhumane what if someone walks through that exact area and loses their foot this is upsetting to me because all of nature is being killed does this mean any thing to some people out there i read that the coyotes are breeding fast to tell you the truth i think that developers and peoples greed are breeding faster as for me i would like to have a lot of nature left by the time i hit 40 tristan bergauerfree 12 unionville letters policy stouffvilletribune 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 letters to the editor 9 heritage rd markham 0n13p1m3 email ietters0eeonsuncom stouffvilletribune serving the community since 1888 fffh canadian circulations audit board member die ontario press council canadian publications mail product sales agreement 1403419 subscription rales by mail 1 year 6955 tuesdays only stouffviue tribune published every tuesday thursday and saturday is one of the metroland printing publishing and distributing ud group of newspapers which includes the ajaipictering news advertiser alliston heraldcourier barrie advance barrys bay this week bolton enterprise brampton guardian burlington 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 qakvdle beaver oakvihe shopping news orillia today oshawawhitbyclaringtonport perry this week peterborough this week richmond hillthomhiuvaughan liberal scarborough mirror stouffvilletribune todays seniors uxbridge tribune and city of york guardian phone 95 2942200 fax9052941538 classified 18007433353 distribution 9052948244 daveteetzel travelling farther for health care is best way to cut costs the real challenge in reforming the healthcare system is to take into account that the clients are real people who are in a vulner able frightened position thats the lesson we ought to learn from newmarket resident gerry lebel he was taken to york county hospital with an apparent stroke which turned out to be a neurological condition called millerfisher syndrome this required him to attend an out patient program but this service had been cancelled at york county long ago instead he has to go to markham stouffville hospital regularly to receive care that story is likely to become more and more familiar as time goes by as hospitals start to specialize and become regional health centres york central hospital for example has the regional dialysis program york county is the cardiac care centre its a good strategy even if it means people have to travel a bit for help given that the financial crush in health care means its impossible to pro vide outstanding facilities for every con dition in every hospital you have a choice do you want the best care or do you want it in your back yard if im having cardiac problems im willing to travel quite a way to get the best care and the distance from newmarket to markham is not a long way to go for medical care in this country by the stan dards of northern ontario for example its downright convenient in york region its becoming less and less necessary to travel even as far as toronto for specialized care its a good news story but sometimes the human element is falling through the cracks lebel discovered he had to go to markham stouffville but became frus trated because there was no mechanism in place to follow up on his condition in newmarket he had to find the program at markham stouffville on his own if health care is to be provided on a regional basis the hospitals or the regions community care access centre should be helping people get those ser vices whether ifs answering ques tions or providing transportation call it bedside manner on a large scale sure this would cost money and money is in short supply but public confidence in health care is at stake you can say the system is efficient and providing a higher standard of care but when someone you care about is waiting what seems like forever for surgery or being pushed to take med ication by a doctor who is too busy to answer questions all those good news stories are hard to believe