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

o stouffville suntribune thursday sept 4 2003 publisher ian proudfoot telephone 905-640-2612- fax 9056408778 email jmasonymgcom website wwwyorkregioncom editorial voters should keep key issues in mind who doesnt want things to change in york region despite our booming economy weve seen our quality of life deteriorate in the past eight years our children are pawns in a system that has become more about winning political battles than providing quality education our healthcare providers endlessly grapple with the ever increasing demand without adequate financial support and resources our seniors iface a dismal future with a shortage of affordable longterm care options social services from daycare to affordable housing remain woefully inadequate after years of systemic under- funding our roads and highways are chroni cally gridlocked many deteriorating at a rapid pace due to cutbacks our remaining greenspace is under attack by urban sprawl and pollution aria local governments continue to chip away at services after the province downloaded responsibilities to meet promises of tax cuts the question facing voters oct 2 is who will best bring about that change thecampaign theme of the liberals under the leadership of dalton mcguinty is specifically about change real positive change the platform clearly outlines policies i for education the environment policing the economy healm care transportation and government accountability ndp leader howard hampton whose party is running a distant third in the polls launched a campaign thats about change too specifically booting the tories from office his message for change includes keeping vital services such as electricity education water health care and auto insurance in the hands of government premier ernie eves in kicking off the tory campaign foajsed on attacking mr mcguintys leadership abilities rather man address any specific issue his priority is cutting taxes the same platform that first swept his party into office under mike harris eight years ago bottom line by focusing on tax cuts once again the tories are appealing to our baser instincts but we sold our souls basically for the price of a cup of coffee weve figured put tax cuts dont pay for themselves whatever the tories claim because in york region weve seen the deep damaging impact of those cuts lets keep that in mind oct 2 letters to the editor town councillor correct on environmental issues i have been disturbed to see two very serious complaints against whitchurchstouffville council member mark carroll in recent issues of the paper the first attacked him for saying pesticides pose a danger to human health and the environ ment the second slammed him for saying motor boats contribute to water quality problems at musselmans lake i believe mark is right on both issues the sci entitle evidence continues to mount on the dan- gers of pesticides they have even been found on the highest glacier in albertas rocky mountains so much for those who say they disappear within a couple of days of being applied- to lawns concerning motor boats mark has drawn a very reasonableconclusion in saying they are contribut- ing to problems at musselmans lake gaspowered motorcraft are not allowed at preston lake precise ly because of the damage they can cause to small and shallow kettle lakes i would like to recognize mark for the consis tent positions he has taken over the years in defence of the environment our council needs the environmental conscience he provides although preston lake is not in his ward he has been a strong supporter of our efforts to keep the lake healthy and has been instrumental in bringing recognition and grant money to our community clyde smith president pride preston lake whitchurchstouffville the stouffville suntribune welcomes your letters all submissions must be less than 400 words and must include a daytime telephone number name and addressthe stouffville suntribune reserves trie right to publish or not publish and to edit for clarity and space write letters to the editor34 ovic ave po box 154 stouffville l4a7z5email jmasonymgcom thomas wrong on gay marriage re blessing the union of adam and steve july 31 suntribune column the ontario court of appeal ruled june 10 same- sex couples had the constitutionally protected right to civil marriage and the debate has raged back and forth through our communities ever since i have followed these debates and have seen many different options however few of them dis turbed me as much as jim thomas column his contention that this decision relates to the future of the missionary church is quite simply misinr formed no one is suggesting churches perform ceremonies for anyone they do not wish to mr thomas refers to his homosexual friends as as normal as you or i what did you expect sir rev geense points out canadais no longer a christian nation i agree we who support this leg islation gay and straight are not as rev geense suggests militants bent on having our demands made law we are citizens asking only for the rights already granted to our fellow citizens under the law but only recently delivered jonibrunton stouffville sffitribune t stouffville sat ametroland community newspaper 34gvicave3rdfloorstourfville0ntariol4a7z5 phone 9056402612 fax9056408778 classified 18007433353 distribution 9052948244 website wwwyorloegioncom email jmasonymgcom member ontario community newspapers association canadian community newspapers association ontario press council editor in chief debora kelly editor jimmason reporters joan ransbetry hannelore volpe retail sales manager steve kane sales representative susanberry production manager pam nichols office manager vivian weil business manager robert lazurko director of marketing promotions debraweller advertising director retail sales flyers nicole fletcher advertising director classified real estate events management gordpaolucci managing director real estate mikerogerson director of production johnfuthey distribution manager barry black sales manager new business development distribution dawna andrews general manager york region printing bob dean managing director york region events management debra welter shows manager stacey allen classified manager anncampbell off the top with jim mason about schmidt doris and putting something back theres a thin line between saturday night and sunday morning jimmy buffett fruitcakes r hey im no movie guy but about schmidt isnt your normal jack nicholson macho fare is it jack plays warren r schmidt who after retiring from a nebraska insurance company realizes he hasnt contributed diddly to his family let alone society as i watched it i realized it aint five easy pieces the last detail or the shining the next morning at a joint service of stouffville united and st james presbyterian churches in stouffville doris harvey sang i want to put something back before i go coincidence the segue was seam less im thinking message from god here big time flashing highwaysized neon signs its like warren schmidt was sitting in the back pew grinning arid waaen and doris timing could nt be better its september in case you wondered why all those kids were walk- tog the stteets every morning and the days were getting smaller its prime time to put something back many folks already do and they should be thanked they deliver meals to seniors coach hockey drive cancer patients to hospitals and act as big brothers fall is a time for renewal people get back to the routine of school work and social calendars is there room in that day- timer to volunteer to put something back when i was a kid my route to school took me past the coolest yard in my home town lawn ornaments humon- gous rocks and finely sculpted shrubs dotted a lawn that looked like it had been transplanted from augusta national the retired homeowner with the permatan was always somewhere on the lawn raking clipping or pruning i dont think he put anything back he did nt have time between the fertilizing de- fungiziding and mulching that was a shame hopefully i wont ruin it for you but in about schmidt waren eventually gets it he puts something back how about the rest of us ifs never too late jim mason is editor of the stouffville suntribune