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economist suntribune opinion thursday july 4 2002 politicians not paid to walk out on meetings theres a first time for everything ive witnessed a politician being thrown out of a meet ing a mayor being carried out on a stretcher with a life- threatening brain aneurysm and a councillor who could nt make a meeting because he was in jail up until june 25 id never watched a politician storm out of a public meeting because she didnt like the rules of procedure whitchurchstouffville ward 6 councillor sue sherban abandoned a standingroomonly crowd protesting the way mayor wayne emmerson conduct ed the event councillor sherban said she refused to stay because in her opinion the proce dure used by the mayor muzzled her what councillor sherban failed to point out was the method used is not a made- inwaynesmind procedure when the mayor took over the chain of office he adopt ed a procedure used across ontario ive sat at the press table in nine municipalities the method used at this meeting was used in all nine its dull its tedious its dem ocratic and it works this meeting reviewed subdivi sion plans made up of townhouses and single detached homes with lot sizes ranging from 20 to 50 feet most people attending dont like the plans heres the drill step one andrew mcneely a manager in the towns planning depart ment outlined what each developer wants to build its the developers plan its not the towns plan and its not councils plan step two members of council keep quiet and the public asks questions and makes comments about the developers plan its the publics chance to get information its staff and councils chance to hear from the people of course it gives the developer the opportunity to find out what the people think of his plan if a devel oper thinks he can high roll it into town and build cook- councillor sherban missed the mark on this one she was not being muzzled she was being asked to listen to the people joan ransberry iecutter matchbox houses without a peep from the people he has another think coming one of the gems of step two is the politicians have to keep their mouths shut a quiet politician is like a drink of spring water simply refreshing step three the developer defends his plan step four members of the public keep quiet and members of council ask questions of the developer and comment on the plan giving the public and the developer insight into whats on councils mind step five everybody goes home this is my favourite step the public meeting is the start of a long process its a crit ical part of the planning proce dure its especial ly important that members of council be pres ent be attentive and be open- minded councillor sherban missed the mark on this one she was not being muzzled she was being asked to listen to the people every once in a while the politician is expected to close the mouth open the ears and pay close attention to the one who pays the freight after all the taxpayer does factor into the scheme of things since you cant talk and listen at the same time step two is needed members of council are elected to attend meetings from beginning to end the public including the media can come and go councillor sherban was not elected to walk out of meetings especially those held to deal with major land developments if she cant live with the rules of procedure then per haps she should keep right on walking arrive alive please dont drink and drive tm nxsuft brought to jeo o a community mnfct o th economist t surtributw our fresh raspberries come from california this week youll be able to make your own pie without going broke buying the berries or you can just enjoy them with a touch of sugar or ice cream theyre a taste from heaven container peaches our nectarines of last week were a huge hit treeripened fruit being more delicate a bit more difficult to handle and having less shelflife is the best way to enjoy great fruit short of having your own tree this week weve bought a load of treeripened large size peaches which have great flavour and juiciness from california extra large size chhj out our soup feature this week is cantaloupe honey mint its available in our freezer section you serve it cool on warm evenings like were having 1 l size ea shepherds one thing weve learned over the years is that people love homemade comfort food the more homemade the more comfortable we use sauteed onions our medium ground chuck and freshly peeled idaho or pei potatoes mashed you just need to warm it ps we had a couple of our customers say that they would have liked more in the meat layer of the pie r ffi weve increased it by 13 p hn u so enjoy even more reg 1095 ea serves 34 off this week and for dessert well be featuring our complete selection of crisps these need to be baked during or before dinner to be warm for serving the flavours are apple cranberry- apple with orange zest blueberryapple sour cherryapple peargingerapple orchard berry my favourite includes strawberries blueberries cherries raspberries cranberries strawberryrhubarbapple jsik these should be baked in a 350 oven j f l off cranberries these have been so expensive in the best which has made them difficult to promote things change and in this case for the better not only are they a great snack au naturel a great baking ingredient but also theyre great to cook with carol my sister inlaw and a great cook has compiled a few recipes which will be available one is for a cookie another for a pilaf another for scandinavian pancakes and yet another is for a rib sauce and yes the cranberries are a great price too m m this product of ontario week for 1 hour and voila a beauty dessert reg 995 ea this week sage onion sausages our weekly sausage feature is our venerable sage onion sausage we make them with fresh pork salt pepper and sage as well as you guessed it sauteed onions this is one of iilk jfflf a the few sausages we make l without garlic l 11 tms reg 399 lb week balsamic vinegar this vinegar genuine article is the its made in modena italy the same way that it has been made since the middle ages m a a great seasoning jl c ft reg 995 ea jt g 500 ml size w m whats happened outside i weve got some new stock in laurentia rudbechia kalanchoe hibiscus and shasta daisies take a peek cantaloupes we received a shipment of really nice size 9 lopes this week this size is big they have good colour and they eat really well really nice cheese cakes 95 these are our cheese cakes with mixed berries bakedin and topped with an assortment of fresh berries a great summer dessert size specials in effect until closing sunday july 7 hours mon 1100700 tuesthurs 900700 fri 900800 sat 900600 sun 1000500 548 carlton road unionville 9401770