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economist suntribune thursday aug 29 2002 stouffville tribune a metroland community newspaper 34 civic ave stouffville ont l4a 7z5 publisher ian proudfoot editor in chief debora kelly director of advertising debra welter 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 officers death leaves questions unanswered when an alcona man jumped in his suv to chase a pickup truck driven by a thief who helped steal his motorcycle last week the results were horribly tragic while the details of the civilian chase have yet to be made public its ramifications are all too well known veteran south simcoe police const alan kuzmich was killed after he was struck by the suv while preparing to stop the suspect with a tiredeflating spike belt meanwhile the driver of the suv who undoubtedly had justice in mind when he took to the chase must live with the everlasting hor ror of accidentally killing a much loved police officer who was simply doing his job if the clock could be turned back theres lit tle doubt the driver of that dodge durango would have made a different decision allow the thief to flee and call police but civilians often receive conflicting mes sages from the media and police about how far they should go when assisting officers in the apprehension of criminals eyebrows raised when we learned const kuzmich was killed by a theft victim chasing a fleeing criminal the case takes on an even more disturbing tone if that victim heard and understood a police dispatchers demand to stop his pursuit its understandable if one seri ously questioned the victims decision to give chase in the first place we certainly did often police will caution the public about becoming involved in a pursuit even after a member of the public has successfully helped arrest a criminal its the medias duty to make sure that caveat is part of all hero stories although its often not included police and the media need only point to the sad results of the chase north of bradford last week as a reminder pdlice work should be left to the professionals in almost every case of course criminal charges against the dri ver of the suv in this case would cement that point in the publics mind while it may seem harsh to charge someone who accidentally killed someone while attempting to apprehend a criminal if that per son knowingly disobeyed a police order to stop the chase criminal negligence charges should be considered certainly the entire scenario surrounding const kuzmichs death is ripe for a coroners inquest after any criminal issues are dealt with civilians chasing criminals is an issue that must be probed by a coroners jury when the time is right opinion wm and monet fvs is no object- ffsondemnl o tfr ejsamcqkf letters to the editor no system can remove cigarette carcinogens re heaths nosmoking curbe ball misses strike zone aug 22 i am honoured the economist suntribune ran an editorial about my call for the abolition of designated smoking rooms dsrs in bars one point was correct i was on the regional nosmoking bylaw task force and remain proud of the advisory committees work it included many local councillors and dissolved in 2000 here lies your confusion there is another committee regional councils health and emergency services not only was i not present when a ventila tion system trial was proposed to the region i didnt know about it this is not yet approved but if anyone can build a ventilation system that removes 100 per cent of the carcinogens and gets health canadas approval ill eat my hat total removal is impossible elimination of dsrs is the only answer lets review the bylaw in january 2001 dsrs in places of work other than hospitality businesses were abolished in june 2001 restaurants and bowling alleys went no smoking but dsrs were per mitted in june 2004 bars and bingo halls follow with the same proviso so smoking will still occur in public indoor spaces to discourage canadas most preventable lifethreatening agent we need a target date to remove the loophole dsrs readers will ask why didnt you include a dsr phaseout good question one impor tant principle was a level playing field for the hospitality industry the york bylaw originat ed in peel and then toronto neither contains a phaseout the definitions incremental steps and target dates were deliberately stan dardized no business could claim to be losing cus tomers because of bylaw variations correcting a different treatment of bingo halls across steeles avenue was this principle in action any major change would have met serious opposition from the gta hospitality industry and jeopardized passage yorks next step must be with our partners we cant go it alone york chairperson bill fisch should hold a nosmoking summit with toronto mayor mel lastman and the chair person of peel region to discuss our mutual bylaw ottawa went 100percent no smoking without dsrs so have kitchener peterborough cambridge and california they adjusted and so will the gta june 2004 looks good but the summit may decide 2006 would give the hospitality industry a reasonable adjustment period jack heath councillor wards town of markham visit our website for news and information across york region wwwyorkregioncom 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 ont l3p 1m3 email letterseconsuncom stouffville tribune serving the community since 1888 hhfh dde canadian circulations 1 audit board member ontario press council subscription rates by mail 1 year 6955 itiursdays 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 barrfe advance barrys bay this week bolton enterprise brampton guaidian 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 midlandpenetangulshene 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 hillthomhlllvaughan liberal scarborough mirror stouffville tribune todays seniors oxbridge tribune and city of york guardian phone 905 6402612 fax 905 2941538 classified 18007433353 distribution 9052948244 distributioneoonsurixom telephone 90529422004167987624 fax 9052941538 email newsroomeconsuncom debora kelly habitat volunteers build homes hope quick whats your answer would you want to live beside a habitat for humanity house was no the first word that popped into your head unfortunately its a negative reaction that persists for some residents of our communities beyond that first second in aurora for instance an informa tion meeting was held this week for res idents up in arms about a plan for a local site aurora resident john volpe a pas sionate volunteer for habitat for humanity york region is doing his best to put to rest any concerns and raise support across the region he wants to reassure residents habitat for humanity homes arent group homes or institutions hardworking families but in need of a hand will be their neighbours it doesnt cost tax money it isnt a freebie the simple decent homes are pro vided through interestfree mortgages to deserving families who would other wise only dream of owning a home unfortunately the term affordable housing hasnt exactly been embraced in york region an affluent community abrim with big homes and big rents on suddenly realizing diversity in housing is key to the enduring prosper ity of york region the regional govern ment is making strides to meet the need but its a long process and provincial programs are a flop only 7 million of the 50 million set aside this year has found its way to impoverished tenants 8000 families and single people were slotted to get help 2500 did while its obvious our governments must embark on more effective initia tives in the meantime people like mr volpe and newmarket mayor tom taylor a driving force behind the local program are stepping up to the plate but we are absolutely clear we are not the only solution mr volpe added the grassroots nonprofit program has the lofty goal of eliminating the poverty cycle by building homes in partnership with families in need the building cycle is fueled by a revolving fund into which the mort gage payments volunteer labour including the partner families sweat equity and taxdeductible dona tions of money and materials are deposited were moving as fast as we can mr volpe said but its hard to raise money its hard to get land and its hard to get volunteers its not so much about building homes but building hope one house and one family at a time for more information to volunteer or to make a confidential application call 9057132245 or write to 614845 yonge st suite 118 aurora l4g 6h8