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o stoujfyille suntribune thursday nov 18 2004 opinion publisher ian pr0udf00t telephone 9056402612 fax 9056408778 email jmasonyrngcom website wwwyorkregioncom editorial teenagers deserve to vote what would happen if 16 and 17- yearolds could vote in canada what irreparable harm would come to our electoral system to the integrity of our democracy if it were law in the next federal elec tion would they vote en masse all one million of them voting for some radical new party turning canadian politics on its ear voting irresponsibly voting with out conscience its that type of hyperbole that gets tossed around when the subject of low ering the voting age comes up ajaxpickering liberal mp mark holland has sparked the debate with his private members bill earlier this month when mr holland introduced bill c261 in the house of commons nov 4 his reasoning was simple to increase the participation of youth in the canadian electoral system so they can learn to be active electors while still in school its a good reason but only one of many most agree paying taxes gives you the right to choose the taxman youth under the age of 18 the current voting age pay plenty in taxes especially sales tax so why shouldnt they get to vote youth are also the primary recipients of education one of canadas most important taxfunded institutions and just like older voters they have a huge stake in the future of health care the environment and social security so why shouldnt they get a vote voter turnout can only be boosted by allowing more voters and parents who dont vote now may go to the polls when they learn their 16 and 17yearolds are engaged enough to cast a ballot there are other less tangible reasons to lower the voting age youth are always being told to act responsibly to consider the outcome of their actions yet society devalues them by taking away their democratic rights voting will validate their worth as contributing members of society it will boost their confidence the naysayers incredibly there are many youth among them point to lack of maturity as the main reason for- denying the youth vote yet convicts get to vote enough said dont take the pen from my vest 1 need something 10 write tickets with i csf wheelers sumtribune letters to the editor stouffville should twin with northern ontario community i would like to acknowledge the generosity of st marks catholic churchs womens league of stouffville and the stouffville united church outreach project these groups sent school supplies sports equipment books and fun items for the chil dren at jr nakogee elementary school in attawapiskat a cree reserve with a popula tion of 1500 people on james bay how very thoughtful the children are enjoying their new sports equipment and having fun with their craft supplies our family members lives in attawapiskat where both our daughter and her husband who is from attawapiskat are teachers our grandchildren attend the school the students and teachers are working under difficult conditions as the elementary school is closed due to contamination from broken oil pipes aridthe secondary school is closed due to water damage all the students must now share portables the elementary students go to school in the morning and the secondary students go in the afternoon the secondary school may be ready in the spring ontario ltgov james bartleman led a book program last spring andcollected more than 12 million used books to stock school libraries in first nation communities in northern ontario 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 7z5 email jmasonymgcom he announced his next initiative this fall he is encouraging schools in southern ontario to twin with schools in the north schools in the south would stock books in the library he also would like twinning between municipal governments and first nation bands then we get to know each other and learn from each other check out his website at itgovonca for more information on the proposal it would be fitting if attawapiskat and whitchurchstouffville twin both schools and communities the benefits would enrich both communities lets continue the work started by st marks catholic church and stouffville united church and connect with our fellow northern ontarians lovanna sanders stouffville stouffville suntnbune a metroland community newspaper 34 gvic ave 3rd floor stouffville ontario l4a7z5 phone 9056402612 fax9056408778 s classified 18007433353 distribution 9052948244 website wwwyorkregioncom email jmascnyrngcom memberontario community newspapers association canadian community newspapers association ontario press council editor in chief debora kelly editor jim mason reporters joan ransbenyhannelorevoipe sales representative casey weirsarah wilson production manager parh nichols office manager vivian 0neil business manager robert laairko 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 developments distribution dawnaandrews distribution directors barry black lynnpashko classified manager ann campbell general manager york region printing bob dean director marketing partnerships debraweller shows manager yrng events management staceyallen off the top with jim mason playing santa hits home for york region police officer mark lau knows both sides of the tracks in southeastern york region if markham and stouffville appear only as backsplits with three- car garages soccer moms driving imported suvs and 200aplate charity galas they arent mr lau is a constable working for the regional police services commu nity response unit out of 5 district on mccowan road that includes work on everything from traffic to drugs at venues from high schools to santa claus parades the neat thing about policing is that you see all walks of life from the very fortunate to the notsofortu nate the fourthyear officer said so when the police service was looking for volunteers to work on its 2004 toys for tots campaign mr lau stepped forward donate at stores the eighth annual campaign kicked off yesterday and runs through dec 13 residents are encouraged to donate canadian tire money or cash at all canadian tire stores in the region including the outlet on main street in stouffville the donations are used to buy toys for needy children identified by 22 agencies in the region including the salvation army and local food banks new unwrapped toys can also be dropped off at any of the regions five police stations i have a soft spot for kids said mr lau a toronto father himself kids hear other kids talking about all the presents theyll receive and not all of them will get them were in houses where the family for whatever reason cant buy pres ents they have other priorities like having enough money to buy food and clothes the toys will be delivered to the needy homes the week before christmas just to- see the joy in the kids faces that day will be worth it said mr lau jim mason is editor of the stouffville suntribune