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6 stouffville suntribune thursday june 2 2005 0btouflvwemm suntribune a metroland community newspaper 34 civic ave 3rd floor stoufrville onua 7z5 publisher ianproudfoot editor in chief debom kelly business manager robert lazurko director production interactive media john futhey advertising director distribution director marketingpartnerships retail flyer sales nicole fletcher advertising director classified real estate events management gordpaolucci circulation barry black director circulation systems lyhnpashko director debra weller york region printing general manager bob dean editorial grits should invest in home care former provincial health minister elinor caplan wants the ontario govern ment to invest in home care big time she tabled a report monday calling for 100 million in spending to revamp the system which uses a patchwork of agen cies to provide medical care to clients in their homes the price tag is certainly a bitter pill to swailow and at the end of the day will likely be pared significantly if premier dalton mcguintys government acts on her report but the thrust behind ms caplans 70 recommendations are sound particular ly those that deal with new standards for contracts our home care system as it stands has been plagued by strife surrounding the way contracts are issued and how workers are treated while at first glance you wouldnt think this would have much of an impact on patient care that wasnt the experience for chats clients in york region late last year the majority of the agencys workforce was laid off after the community care access centre didnt renew its home care contract the move threw clients into turmoil over the fact they lost longtime caregivers with whom they had developed strong bonds key to ms caplans proposal is the establishment of a central body to set and monitor standards for the more than 800 agencies providing care the agency would determine and measure the quali ty of care clients receive as well as create a new procedure for awarding contracts its similar to the provincewide cur riculum established by the former tory government bringing uniformity to a system that serves some of ontarios most fragile residents the plan is getting the thumbs up here in york oh the whole the report is good said bill limes executive director ofyorks community care access centre the recommendations will improve quality and contain price its very posi tive for both providers and clients as our population ages demand for home care will grow as will the cost of health care in ontario with hospitals seemingly incapable of keeping pace with demand combined with residents growing desire to stay in their own homes as long as possible overhauling the system makes sense taking care of people costs money if the price tag to reform this essential sys tem is 100 million the government should make that investment theres few things more important than health and wellbeing letters to the editor beware of baby bunnies nesting in your yard who would know that the barely visible tufts of loose fur woven into a grassy bowlshaped hollow in the niiddle of your lawn could be a nest full of baby rabbits the bunny nest is about the size of a cereal bowl covered with balled up clumps of torn grass and bits of fur and if examined closely can be seen to move up and down as the occupants breathe and wriggle ever so slightly and strangely enough its often found in open yards and fields so mysterious were theseways of nesting bun nies that my neighbour inadvertently upset the whole bunnycaboodle by merely attempting to keep his yard in order and mowing his lawn the nest was under a climbing unit the move ment of which prior to mowing likely resulted in its dismantling bunnies bunnies everywhere but not a one made its presence known until the kids came out later to play inadvertently spooking away the mother who may have been trying to gather her little ones and reassemble the nest my neighbour called me to assist with the res cue when she and her daughter found the first shivering bunny we wrapped it in a blanket and i took it home within 10 minutes the phone rang again and it appeared that there were more bunnies in need of rescue the last phone call informed me i had managed to miss another three bunnies two of the seven bunnies froze to death before we found them luckily for us arid the remaining 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 editor34 civic ave po box 154 stouffville l4a 7z5 email jmasonyrngcom bunnies the mother did not reject her human-inter- feredwith babies after we had warmed them up and returned them to their nest we reconstructed some quick internet research by my husband revealed there is a risk of abandonment if the bun- nies are handled and they are virtually impossible to surrogate mother when they are in the nesting stage normally the bunnies will just sit tight in the nest keeping warm until the mother comes to tend to them a couple of times a day the critical betweenthelines rabbit read here is this if you stumble upon such a nest in the mid dle of your yard dont touch the bunnies soon bunnies will be hopping about to your delight or dismay but if you mess about with the nest it could be a sad story all round if youre unhappy with the little hoppers once they have permanently vacated the nest relocate them or- contact the spca or ah animal sanctuary if you find a nest remember to set your mower to the longest cutting length or leave the patch alone if you dont want bunny bits all over your- yard cindy bongard stouffville editorial editor jim mason jmasonyrngcom administration office manager vivian ojneil voneilynigcom events management manager bonnie rondeau brondeauyrngcom production manager pam nichols pnicholsyrngcom advertising classified manager ann campbell acampbellyrngcom retail manager jstacey allen sallenyrngcom managing director new business flyer sales dawna andrews dandreivsyrngcom new business manager stevekdne skaneyrngcom managing director real estate mikerogersdn mr6gersonyrngcom editorial 9056402612 fax9056408778 advertising 9056402612 classified 18007433353fax 9058531765 distribution 9052948244 canadian j ontario nufahmn press audit board member co suntnbune a york region newspaper group community newspaper the suntribune published every thursday and saturday is a member of the metroland printing publishing and distributing ltd a whollywned subsidiary of torstar corporation metroland is comprised of 70 community publications across ontario the york region newspaper group includes the liberal serving richmond hill and thomhillvaughan citizen the economist sun markham the erabanner newmarketaurora stouffville suntribune georgina advocate york region business times north of the city yorkregioncom and york region printing off the top with jim mason cruisers alert garage sale wars back in town excuse me if i cut you off last weekend the etiquette required for such a social situation escaped me there was more cutting in going on than in lap 498 of a nascar race and more deal brokering than in an episode of the apprentice welcome to garage sale season in whitchurchstouffville where the rulesof the road are thrown out the window of your sedan gotta love the driveby shoppers who cruise your culdesac with no eyes on the road and all eyes on the card tables that fill your driveway theyre only looking for freddy fender eighttracks or that missing floral plate from aunt blanches din ing room setting circa 1946 one couple took the unusual move of hot bothering to close their car doors as they proceeded from sale to sale along rupert street saturday already hectic beat up and abused as an alternate route to light- laden main street rupert didnt need cars parked on both its sides to create a hazard the cruisers are beaten only by the dude trying on a pair of illfitting cowboyboots in your garage who has the nerve to ask you got these inloandahalf extra narrow let me look around the stock room pal would you take them in white or maybe its the woman wonder ing about a warranty on your 25- yearold crock pot retailing for 2 or perhaps the folks who will be on your doorstep more than an hour before any advertised time for your sale others think theyre in a caribbean market not accepting the retail price as reality theyre looking for a cutrate deal on items already discounted the big prize winners have to be those taxpaying homeowners who turn their suburban yards into a flea market every other weekend the added traffic noise and carnival atmosphere is no doubt welcomed by the neighbours trying to plant their garden to the sounds of puccini or practise yoga on the patio beauty do us all a favour and move to the commercially zoned side of town and dont forget to keep those doors closed during the move jim mason is editor of the sun- tribiihe