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6 stouffville suntribune thursday sept 13 2007 suntnbune 6290 main st stoufiville on l4a 1g7 wwwyorkregioncom publisher ian proudfoot editor in chief debora kelly business manager robert lazurko director interactive media technology john futhey director advertising york region printing distribution general manager barry black bob dean director circulation systems lynn pashko editorial keep public funds in public schools on the surface john torys plan to extend funding beyond just the catholic system to all faithbased schools in ontario appears fair if elected premier oct 10 the con servative leader says he will divert 500 million from the public system to faith- based schools as a start we assume that money would go to schools such as stouffville christian school theres an area twist to the debate eight families with special needs chil dren in york region launched a legal challenge this summer against a pro vincial practice they say denies funding to their children because they attend independent religious schools in one case the province refused to pay for a magnifying device for a legally blind girl who attends an islamic school according to the parents in two other cases families had to remove their chil dren from jewish schools and put them in public schools so they could get the care they say they need it may seem unfair to them that stu dents at catholic schools get special help while students at other religious schools do not but the fact is it is a historical precedent in our country written into our constitution as people of catholic and protestant faiths came together to create our country religion has long since been removed from the curriculum at our public schools making them accessible to all to begin extending funding to every group that operates a religious school to have taxpayerfunded assistants and equipment in schools run privately is simply asking too much of the ontario taxpayer it opens a door that may never be closed parents of deaf blind and learning disabled students do have an option that is to send their children to an open inclusive and publicly funded system where they can get the care they need under the authority of elected school boards and ministry of education for our society to flourish we need to bring young people together in our schools we also need to ensure our tax dollars are spent in schools that meet provincial standards in the fneantime the province can do more to help youngsters of all faiths with special needs as it stands children already in the public school system who need help do not always get it doing more to help these neediest of students while encouraging parents of special needs students to turn to our public school system for help will be the best solution for all concerned its called tai chi not tight cheeks letters to the editor york region removing large trees for stouffvillearea road widening re treeclearing by developer irks town resi dents aug 16 in my old dictionary irk is defined as to weary or trouble to annoy bore vex do you know what a developer has planned for the stretch of the vivian road from hwy 48 to durham road 30tenth line the developer is to widen the road and take out towering hardwoods with garths the size of bushel baskets and so no one is inconvenienced great detours are planned during the project taking out even more trees this stretch of road is in the beautiful oak ridges moraine called by mp lui temelkovski an ecological treasure it is something that should never be compromised well who is our developer none other than york regions roads department does this class c the greatest destruction to the environment the environmental studies report gives irk me no turn the dial to the highest possible try incense which my dictionary defines as to enkindle or excite as a passion to inflame with anger madden want to protest write to your councillor our mayor mpp frank klees york region roads mr temelkovski environment minister laurel broten premier dalton mcguinty or prime minister ste phen harper please be more than irked one of the big trees gives off enough oxygen daily for four residents to breathe write phone blog or email every day david suzuki will love you me too helen spring stouffville suzukis comments on parents children ring true outside stouffville schools re respect for nature lias to start at home col umn by david suzuki sept 8 mr suzuki notes children are becoming increasingly housebound and sedentary specifically suzuki was reproofing parents for their failure to connect that problem as well as other environmental challenges with the lineups of suvs and minivans several blocks long outside schools every morning and every afternoon mr suzukis musings are more than accurate for stouffville parents i shot a photograph of a traffic- jam a week ago wednesday at 807 am on millard street at glad park avenue despite the new sidewalks crossing guards and bike lanes on millard street so many parents still choose to drive their children to school mr suzuki is asking the right questions of par ents at the start of a new school year if we dont change our ways first what incentive do children have to behave more responsibly for the 200708 school year i encourage fel low parents of schoolaged children to take up the challenge and walk the children to school even as we nudge our schools to plant more gardens and develop better outdoor education curriculum arnold neufeldtfast stouffville off the top with jim mason whitchurchstouffuille has embraced terry foxs legacy the spirit of terry fox fiercely lives on in wmtchmchstouffville youll see it on the streets of north stouffville sunday hundreds will fill the roads and sidewalks walking running cycling and inlineskating in the name ofterry few if any would ever have seen terry let alone met him but that terry fox passion and grit affected so many just like cancer the disease the terry fox run is attempting to eradicate wwtchurchstouffville is far from the top 10 of ontario communities popula tion wise but this town raised 109000 for the run last year the 10th highest of the 250 runs across the province from the first events of the early 1980s run out of latcham hall to todays larger runs from the stouffville arena and track the terry fox run is a tradition its entrenched as a rite of fall right up there with buying school supplies pulling out the hockey equipment and closing the cottage barb and doug todd know their todd pools squad has taken part in the corporate and family side of the run since 2002 raising 44357 along the way look for an even larger contingent of todds and friends when particpants congregate sunday at 1 pm on the track also look for the large crew of volun teers headed by run coordinator sandy schell kennedy a small town doesnt crack the top 10 without a superb team effort terry fox was never in stouffville before his death in 1981 but his family knows of this town and its love for all things terry his parents roily and betty visited one year later brother darrell fox now national director of the terry fox foun dation was here for the stouffville run they get it so does whitchurchstouffville take a bow jim mason is editor of the sun- tribune letterspolicy the suntribune welcomes your letters all submissions must be less than 400 words and must include a daytime telephone number name and address thesuntribune reserves the right to publish or not publish and to edit for clarity and space letters to the editor the suntribune 6290 main st stouffville on l4a ig7 jmasonyrmgcom editorial editor jim mason jmasoiiyrmgcom interacttve media marketing advertising manager dawna andrews itandmvsyrmgcom advertising retail manager stacey allen saucnynngcom classified manager ann campbell acamplkllyrmgcom assistant classified manager bonnie rondeau broiuicauyrmgcom production team leader sherry day sdayyrmgcom fdsjtf canadian circulations audit board mntf qcab editorial 9056402612 fax9056408778 advertising 9056402612 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