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6 stouffville suntribune thursday nov 11 2004 opinion publisher ian pr0udf00t telephone 9056402612 fax 9056408778 email jmasonyrngcom website wwwyorkregioncom editorial police vaughan should team up on new facility once again explosive growth has reared its ugly head in york region regional politicians who ironically always seem surprised at the ramifica tions of growth they approved nearly fell off their chairs when york regional police chief armand la barge requested more than 122 million in capital expenses over the next 10 years the police budget forecast approved in principle by the police services board calls for 55 million in new buildings including a combined investigative and support services facility 24 million training centre 10 million sixth district 10 million and communications cen tre 10 million investigators are using decades old communications equipment he said adding hightech facilities will mark a major change in the way we do business it is estimated these new facilities will have a direct cost to taxpayers of about 8 million over the next five years 16 mil lion a year to cover the debt load heres a suggestion to help reduce the costs of building riewfacilities for a grow- ingforce which will have 1373 officers by 2008 build the new police facilities alongside vaughans proposed 89-mil- lion civic centre it makes financial sense to team up with the growing municipality it admit tedly needs to find ways to fund its new civic centre plans and already has a 10- hectare site at major mackenzie drive and keele street the southern part of the region already has the largest population con centration and with the greenbelt plan limiting development in the north that trend is likely to continue and vaughan is the fastest growing municipality in the region it only makes sense to put the police headquarters where the majority of the population is the policeforce could build its most crucial facilities as part of vaughans 277000squarefoot building which already plans to rent part ofthe site to its hydro and library boards as a funding option its a viable solution that deserves investigating and a great way to accom modate the needs of two major corpora tions its the best use of taxpayers money and that should be first and foremost in everyones mind because we allstop at eleven oclock to remember the soldiers that died zn but mommy do i remember wm suntribune letters to the editor disabled vehicle permits misused the stouffville accessibility advisory committee would like to draw residents attention to the chron ic and illegal misuse of disabled parking permits the other problem is blocked parking spaces making it difficult or impossible for people to exit their vehicles these specially designed vehicles need extra space to allow for exit ramps and over sized chairs and scooters snow is not an excuse for i cant see the marking on the parking lot a sign is posted on the curb for each designated spot parking permits are issued to an individual and are to be used in any vehicle the person is travelling in parking permits are being fraudu lently used when the person issued the permit is not in the vehicle or the person has no intention of leaving the vehicle these permits are not meant for a fast trip to grab an item at the grocery store when the per mit is no longer needed it is to be returned to the ministry qualified users when confronting vio lators often face verbal abuse the fine for the inappropriate use of handicap parking spaces is 300 as posted think before you place your vehicle ina desig nated disabled space people needing these spaces are our neighbours and friends lets try to place others before ourselves we want people to view stouffville and its residents as friendly and welcoming heather andrews stouffville accessibility advisory committee the stouffville suntribune welcomes your letters all submissions must be less than 400 words and must include a daytime telephone number name and address the stouffville suntribune reserves the right to publish or not publish and to edit for clarity and space write letters to the editor 34 civic ave po box 154 stouffville l4a 715 email jmasonymgcom residents support firefighters community safety village the stouffville volunteer firefighters association would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the residents of whitchurch- stouffyille for making our charity car wash such a huge success at station 51 on main street the solid procession of cars through the wash as well as the generous donations of passing motorists dropping money into the fire boot showed much appreciated support for both the association and the beneficiary of our efforts the york region community safety village the event was successful in raising almost 2000 that will be used to purchase equipment to bring the village ait bruces mill conservation area up to operational status kevin darcy svfa president r stouffville 4 mouffvllle mmm f suntnbune a metroland community newspaper 34 civic ave 3rd floor stouffville ontario l4a 7z5 phone 9056402612 fax9056408778 classified 18007433353 distribution9052948244 website wwwyorkregioncom email jmasonyrngcom member ontario community newspapers association canadian community newspapers association ontario press council editor in chief debora kelly editor jim mason reporters joan ransberryhannelore volpe sales representative caseyweir sarah wilson production manager pamnichob office manager vrvjanottep business manager robert lazurko advertising director retail sales flyers nicole fletcher advertising director classified real estate events management gord paolucd director of production interactive media john futhey managing director real estate mikerogerson sales manager new business v development distribution dawna andrews distribution directors barry black lynnpashko classified manager ann campbell general manager york region printing bob dean director marketing partnerships debra welter shows manager yrng events management stacey allen off the top with jim mason a veteran of the war at home ruth law will attend a remembrance day service this morning in her stouffville seniors building she remembers the sights sounds and smells of war time stay with you mrs law who turned 89 last week wasnt overseas during the second world war but she was there she sat proudly in her apartment on main street monday night a poppy front and centre on her yellow sweater a photo of her husband and the navy ship on which he served are framed above her with regalia from his uniform when fred law was sent to nova scotia to serve with the royal canadian naval volunteers reserve on the hmcs fleur de lis in 1941 his family followed ruth and daughter sharron stayed on the coast visiting with lt law on leaves only returning to toronto for 15 months for the birth of another child stephen there was not only a shooting bombing war going on ruth recalls there was the roller coaster of emo tions waiting for her husband to return from another mission of hunting german submarines on the atlantic then saying goodbye again and again there was the night an enemy sub was spotted in the straits near their cape breton hotel nurses on leave were ordered not to return to the mainland and instead shared rooms with the ten ants including the law family i still cant look at a sub to this day she said theres just something about them that bothers me the smell of fuel wafted over the coast a sure sign another allied tanker had been blown up by a german torpe do when she hears bagpipes she flashes back to the troops she saw piped onto a train in rural nova scotia headed for halifax and likely the front you had to wonder how many of them would return if any she says ifs still very emotional when i hear them lt law always returned finishing war duty working the sub gates in halifax harbour the laws moved back to toronto then lived in markham for many years before retiring to rural uxbridge mrs law moved to buckingham manor three years ago thankfully our family didnt lose anyone she said but good friends of ours lost two sons both to accidents in england ill always recall the lives lost today jim mason is editor of the stouffville suntribune