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imm ykwiinwwwrt prtvvovi stouffville suntriburie wthursyrnov292007 dont take peace for granted medallist ymca honours stouffville man with medallion for peace tree initiative staff photosjoerd witteveen whitchurchstouffvilles ranjit kumar displays the ymca peace medallion he received friday at the markham civic centre bydaveteetzel staff writer canada cant afford to take its peace diversity and harmony for granted the winner of the markham ymca peace medallion said wwtchurchstouffville resident ranjit kumar received the award friday morning at the markham civic centre mr kumar spearheaded the york region peace tree initiative which he hopes to grow to become a peace garden at the community safety village at bruces mill con servation area on stouffville road inspired by a film the peace tree is decorated with symbols from various cultures and faiths encouragingyoung people to learn more about one another work in 60 countries mr kumar is founding presi dent and ceo of the foundation for international training a non profit agency working on more than 600 development projects in more than 60 countries he warned in his acceptance speech the canadian cultural mosaic if its not carefully nur tured could become a nation of 1000 solitudes this is why he uses the peace s tree to promote crosscultural bonding he told the crowd how ever he noted the need for more initiatives to integrate newcomers into the workplace our children im sure they will grow up into cosmopolitan citizens however i am more concerned about the adults mr kumar said markham mayor frank scarpit- ti who presented the award along with markhamunionville mpp michael chan recalled working with mr kumar on the towns inte gration planning initiative fountain of wisdom every time he spoke we stood back like there was this fountain of wisdom and we could see why he was so successful in his life mr scarpitti said mr kumar was nominated for the award by former councillor khalid usman the medallion is presented by the ymca annually in recogni tion of peace week to volunteers working to find peaceful solutions to conflict discrimination and injustice other york region recipients were the late const davis ahlowa- lia of richmond hill and wanda bigcanoe of georgina island this year marks the 20th anni versary of recognizing commu nity peace builders in canada by awarding them the ymca peace medallion since 1987 about 900 indi viduals and groups have received ymca peace medallions during ymca world peace week for more information on the ymca go toymcaca asthma we can help call the lung association bereaved families ioa of ontario 1905 york region 8986265 an association of families who have bfoyrbelinetca experienced the death of a loved one wwwbfoyrcom this message brought to you as a community service of the economist sun durham 64251 1 1 852671 1 loose rugs azxxag- broadloom upholstery 3m scotchquard sponsored by the greenbelt foundation greenbelt crucial for clean water drinking lots of water is an 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ninetytwo per cent of poll respondents agree that protecting the natural water systems is one of the top benefits of the greenbelt i like knowing the water my kids and i are drinking and using daily is safe and clean as a mom i have plenty of things to worry about knowing the greenbelt is there to clean our water means i have one less thing to lose sleep over by protecting water at its source the greenbelt provides the essential first step in ensuring ontarians have access to safe drinking water sssg wwwourgreenbeltca ssss watch for your copy inside enter for your chance to et compliments of hbc and win lot 12 500 gift cards sale hours location payment thursday nov 29 10 am 7 pm friday nov 30 10 am 7 pm saturday dec 1 11 am 5 pm sunday dec 2 11 am 5 pm 81 st regis crescent south toronto on cash visa or mastercard only no cheques or interac all sales final no refund or exchanges jack astoffs vwiss i obey trade mart o canadan tn ccfpo urnntd teed under icence unndinn- mire w u thit 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