The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

economist suntribune thursday jdn31 2002 stouffville tribune a metroland community newspaper 9 heritage rd markhaih oht l3p 1m3 telephone 905 294moo 416 7987624 fax 905 2941538 email newsroomeconsuncom publisher ian proudfoot general manager alvin brouwer editor in chief brenda larson director of advertising debra welter deputy editor dlbora kelly editor jim mason production manager pam nichols distribution manager barry black electronic communications manager john futhey classified manager ann campbell retail sales manager stephen mathieu inside sales manager staceyallen business manager robert lazurko office manager vivian oneil editorial balance needed to fix healthcare woes the concern of some york region medical experts about canadas spiralling rate of antibi otic resistance highlights underlying problems with our healthcare system data shows penicillinresistant streptococ cus pneumoniae hit 21 per cent last year despite the fact it dropped in 1999 following a national awareness campaign grace volkening southlake regional health centres coordinator of infection con trol points the finger not only at physicians who may again be prescribing antibiotics as if they were candy but at patients pressuring doctors for prescriptions rtainlyunnecessaryuseofantibioticsisa concern but also of pressing concern are the flaws in a system allowing some patients seemingly unlimited access to prescription drugs the doctor shopping sees them rack ing upcosts without accountability while allowing patients great choice over when and where they are treated isone of the tenets of medicare its time to make some tradeoffs if the system is to continue at all its ironic the system can be abused by some patients and physicians prescribing unneces- sary drugs while on the other hand some people requiring drugs cant afford them some advocates for reform are suggesting a national drngrbuying agency should be estab lished to secure medications at reduced rates through bulk purchases a national drug plan could cover drug costs that reach catastrophic levels for individual patients some say others support a national drug protocol to determine which drugs should be listed for coverage while some say users should pick up more of the costs alberta is taking a different tack consider ing a medical savings account that will effec tively reward people who stay healthy and manage their health care with accountability it may very well be possible to control costs through administrative changes if we follow the example of british columbia which tracks the uses and abuses of prescription drugs by individual patients that would solve the concerns about antibiotic resistance rates again its about finding balance and mak ing tradeoffs given the pressing need to bring some economic efficiency to the system canadians must decide which reform options best reflect their values letters to the editor home more important than school in how boys girls learn re boys might lag behind girls because most teachers are female letter to the editor jan 26 jeff harrnsens assessment of the factors affecting the school achievement of boys is both sexist and simplistic his contention boys lag behind girls in grading because the vast majority of teach ers are female denigrates both the commit ment and craft of women teachers although he might well ask what social factors lead so few men to teach especially in elementary schools furthermore in assessing the impact of modeling the research establishes that the environment of the home is more significant than that of the classroom if more fathers would read to and with their children demonstrate that activities of literacy and numeracy are interesting get involved in the early learning activities of their children rather than waiting until the kids pick up on dads interests and would attend school meet ings instead of leaving that responsibility to mom boys would be influenced by powerful models for academic success the issue is of course much more complex trained teachers attend to a myriad of learning style differences including wide ranges of intel lectual and emotional development in the process of modifying the curriculum while an analysis of the influence of gen der differences can provide valuable insight into the process of schooling it is only one part of a very large puzzle markjefferies markham v learning character attributes will make york region better place re we need you to help build our charac ter community a column by brenda larson jan 26 i would like to compliment both markham mayor don cousens and editor- inchief brenda larson for spearheading this tremendous initiative in our communi ties of york region we at the york region district school board are in the process of implementing character education into our curriculum i believe the partnership between our schools and communities in this arena will pay huge dividends i believe i can speak for the entire school board in saying we will work hard to ensure each child learns about respectresponsibil ity courage integrity perseverance and all the other attributes of a good character york region is a leader thanks to leaders with character- such as don cousens garyunitas trustee yorkregion districr school board unionvillemarkham 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 letters to the editor 9 heritage rd markham ont l3p 1m3 email letterseconsuiicom y ov stouffville tribune serving the community since 1888 e3e1s dde canadian circulations 1 audit board member ontario press council canadian publications mail product sales agreement 1403419 subscription rates by mall 1 year- 6955 thursdays only stouffville tribune published every thursday and saturday is one of the metroland printing publishing and distributing ltd group of newspapers which includes the ajaxpickering news advertiser alliston heraldcourier bame 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 independent acton free press kingston this week lindsay this week midlandpenetahguishene mirror milton canadian champion milton shopping news mississauga news newmarket- aurora georgina erabanner northumberland news north york mirror oakville beaver oakville shopping news orillia today oshawawhitbyclaringtonport- perry this week peterborough this week richmond hillthornhlllvaughan liberal scarborough mirror stouffville tribune todays seniors uxbridge tribune and city of- york guardian phone905 2942200 fax9652941538 classified 18007433353 distribution 9052948244 distribiitioneconsuncom jxr x dave teetzel tory must butt out double standard on addictions lets start by saying smoking is bad for you if you dont smoke you shouldnt start if you do smoke you should quit and if someone you know smokes have a little compassion will you the antismoking fervour in society has become so extreme its hypocritical case in point the policy proposals unveiled by health minister tony clement as he campaigns for the ontario tory leadership lets say a crack addict holds up a convenience store mr clement is proposing the accused be placed in a supervised treatment program as soon as he is charged as an alternative to trial gaming funds would be used to fund treatment for drug addictions mr clement would also like to raise more money for health care he propos es to do this by jacking up the price of cigarettes by 5 a carton deeming this a userpay principle this did not impress roger varley the reporter i assigned to interview mr clement during his recent visit to york region mr varley a longtime smoker suggested this was downright punitive it strikes me as a double standard if you are addicted to illegal drugs arid commit crimes to support your habit you receive ifree treatment if you are addicted to gambling the government happily supports your habit to fund treatment for illegal drug users but if your poison is a legal but high ly addictive drugv tobacco the solution to the problem is to hit you iri the pock- etbook yet again the assumption being smokers will- use the healthcafe system more than pinklunged folk so they should pay more for health care following that logic he might also add a surcharge for alcohol junk food cable tv cars and any other product that could be shown to detract from a healthy lifestyle i feel sorry for the guy who started smoking as a teenager just to be cool as he grew older he heard the health warn ings and knew he should quit but didnt and over time became deeply addicted then one day he couldnt smoke in his office then in his favourite restau rant then at the bingo hall he was a pariah of society mr clement wants to enhance smoking prevention and cessation pro grams hopefully hell make them avail- able free and use provincial resources to monitor the antismokers progress of course if our smoker were to rob a liquor store and tell the arresting officer he needs the money to support his increasingly expensive cigarette habit i guess mr clement would then offer hini a full medically supervised stopsmote ing program free- gratis in lieu of jail time r v tk4ll hotciix j- simnifpjh si orfv