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economist suntribune thursday april 4 2002 stbufmelribune a metrolanti oommunity newspaper 9heritage rd maiwiam ont l3p 1m3 publisher ian proudfoot editor in chief brenda larson director of advertising debra welter deputy editor debora kelly editor jim mason production manager patn nichols distribution manager barry black electronic communications manager john futhey classified manager ann campbell retail sales manager stephen mathieu inside sales manager stacey allen business manager robert lazurko office manager vivian oneil editorial alternative medicine broadens base of care ontarios healthcare providers face an enormous task when it comes to the provision of services and we have heard on many occa sions from york regions three hospital presi dents the demand is forcing them to take at times drastic measures to ensure continued quality care for the residents they serve demand will only grow and providers will continue to fret about their ability to serve thats why it is to a certain extent reassur ing to learn 70 per cent of north americans are turning to some form of alternative medicine from drug store supplements to holistic health treatment centres many north americans are saying theyre tired of traditional medical responses that primarily include drug treatments and inva sive surgical remedies theyre looking to alternative practitioners to determine how to address and eradicate the cause rather than treat the symptoms traditional doctors are correct in caution ing their patients to be informedj to investigate an alternative practitioners credentials and to work handirihand with their family physi cians to ensure their own safety but the process is making for better informed more involved patients and that can only improve the level of treatment and care if ill people can find treatment from alter native health practitioners it broadens the base of available care eases demand on the traditional system and develops the type of partnerships where doctors nurses alterna tive providers work together forthe benefit of the patient one enormous question remains should ohip cover alternative treatments especially in light of its review of existing services after a critical examination of the extent of the use of alternative treatments it may well behoove the government to consider such a system once the costs and tangible results are assessed are alternative therapies a replacement for traditional treatments absolutely not are they a consideration for treatment of some chronic conditions or illnesses certainly should they be part of the health care partnership process why riot how they should be recognized however jnvesuspauseforseribulm nation ofr use and results is worth considerar tion as we continue to manage our system letters to the editor driving seniors not licensed to disrespect peoples property re plan to ensure drivers safe behind wheel strictly common sense by brenda jjarson march 19 just like ms larson i think my story is funny now but at the time i was very upset a few months ago i watched a little old lady trying to park between two cars on the first try shehit one of the cars backed up and tried twice more to squeeze into the parking space i waited for her to get out of her car to offer my assistance in leaving a note all i got was a shrug she bent down to look at the dent and scratches she had put in the beau tiful car and said it was only dust i told her i saw and heard her hit the car but she gave me a vacant look and entered a store since it was a small strip mall i managed to locate the owner of the automobile who also happened to be an elderly woman she gave me a smile shrugged her shoul ders and left me wondering what gives elderly people the right to disrespect other peoples property getting old does not mean you can cease b be responsible for your actions if it had been a young person we would be up in anriand aemandpluhmenti byroecken schomberg region must be vigilant in maintaining quality of life it seems quite some time ago i filled but a survey ranking the most important charac teristics that make up a community the idea was encouraging but what ben efits do york region residents stand to gain crime is on the rise in some areas road rage is a factor of daily commuting life and some residents already feel the pinch of inconsiderate individuals please do not let this plan be another bandwagon upon which to jump this will only provide band- aid solutions to bigger societal problems rs fleming newmarket join our online discussions atyorkregioncom your opinion is important to us on our let ters to the editor pages and on our website we invite you to join the ongoing discus sions at yorkregioncom and youre welcome to launch your own discussion there too the site serves readers of the york region newspaper group which includes the economist sun stouffville tribune t citizen newmarketaurora erabanner georgina advocate and stouffville sun letters policy stouffville tribune welcomes your letters all submissions musftje 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 markham0ntl3plm3 email letterseeconsuncom stouffville tribune serving the community since 1888 phf11 canadian circulations audit board member ontario press council canadian publications mail product sales agreement 1403419 subscription rates by mail 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 ajavpickering news advertiser alliston heraldcourier barrie advance barrys bay this week bolton enterprise brampton guardian burlington shopping news burlington post city parent collingwoddwasaga connection east york mirror erin advocatecountry routes etobicoke guardian flamborough post georgetown independent acton free press kingston this week undsay this week midlandpenetanguishene 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 oshawawhitbyclarihgtonport perry this week peterborough this week richmond hillthornhillvaughan liberal- scarborough mirror stouffville tribune todays seniors uxbridge tribune and city of york guardian phone 95 2942200 fax 95 2941538 classified 18007433353 distribution 9052948244 distributioncconsuhxom telephone 905 2942200 416 7987624 fax 905 2941538 email newsrobmeconsuncom dave teetzel there seem to be two economies there are it appears two york regions in one york a healthy econ omy and sunny outlook have sales of big ticket items such as homes and cars at levels unseen since the boom days of the 1980s in the other a devastated economy has led to a71percent increase in food bank iise by twoparent families in the latter half of 2001 all this information appeared in this newspaper within the past month i know the writers of these stories and they arent making therri up and yet the contradictions are glaring explaining the amazing 1407 new homes sold in york region in january regional officials said the local economy now provides enough jobs for all employable residents explaining an alarming increase in the number of working poor food bank officials said in the wake of sept 11 many workers in minimumwage jobs had their hours cut explaining how automakers had sig nificant sales increases in january and february a car dealer said the trend will likely continue due to consumer confi dence and a strong economy but shelters were filled to overflowing this winter whats going on is there a growing gulf between the handful of wealthy people and working class who can barely make ends meet are some of those car arid home pur chasers living in a fools paradise buying into a lifestyle they cant really afford will the wads of cash in the home market which traditionally drives york regions economy trickle down to those workers whose hours were cut im afraid all i can do is ask these questions i have no answers its sad to watch provincial and local officials play hot potato with the poor for example the region is angry the province is cutting its wqrkfare subsidies by up to 2 million while asking for almost 1 million more in spending after the budget has been finalized a big chunk of that increased welfare spending is to enhance the snitch line the good economic news is the number of people on welfare in york regionhas dropped from j0000 to 3qqmthe passeyenyearethebad newsis now that we may have pared the welfare rolls down to legitimate cases mere may not be 1 million worth of fraud left in the local system to cope the region will continue a hiring freeze meaning longer waits for people who need social assistance maybe our booming economy will catch up with them while theyre wait ing for their welfare applications to be processed but if in fact we are enjoying an economic boom while a small but growing group are watching the gravy train pass by does this situation not merit a more effective response than boosting spending on a snitch line 1 i i i k v v v i