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Pierre Trudeau supported bilinâ€" gualism, but never biculturalism. He wanted a Canada where ethnic- ity would no longer be used to rank Canadians, with the descendants In 1982, this advance was con- solidated in Section 27 of the Char- ter of Rights and Freedoms, which instructs the courts to interpret ‘ the Charter “in a manner consis- tent with the preservation and enhancement of the multicultural heritage of Canada”. ontrary to popular per- ception, Canada was always legally diverse. The 1867 British North America Act recognized three racial, religious and linguistic collectivities: aboriginal peoples, French and English. Canadian multiculturalism is an evolution of that revolutionary model and car- ries with it similar challenges, only on a larger scale. In 1971, Canada became the first country in the world to adopt an official multiculturalism policy. In 1982, this advance was con- solidated in Section 27 of the Char- ter of Rights and Freedoms, which of some groups regarded as found- ers and everyone else as add-ons. “Multiculturalism,” he told the House of Commons, “can form the base of a society which is based on fair play for all.” In this respect, fair play for all is what is at stake in Quebec’s debate ‘over “reasonable accommodation”. The Charter gives primacy to universal values such as liberty . and equality, but it also balances these with the virtues of diver- sity, as interpreted bySection 27. Immigrants come here because of the protection of the Charter: they value the rule of law it upholds and the tolerance that forms its core. A health study reported there was no real cause for concern. Monitoring of the site continues and there appears to be no danger of ground contamination. The dumpsite was closed only after a mountain 'of garbage had been dropped, the quota had been reached and the concerted eflort by Concerned Citizens prevented expansion and closed it. thln 400 words and must Include I dlytime telephone number. name md addms. The Sun-mbunmsenres thr right to publish or not publish and to edit for rlar Re: Revisiting an ugly but necessary chapter in Stoufliliue history, column by Jim Mason Dec. 13. Maybe I worry too much. I’m on well water and have it tested three or four times a year. I trust the government reports. I also think it best to let the sleeping giant rest and not forget we created it. BOB LEWIS WHIT CH URCH -S TOUFFVILLE There were oil ponds 20 to 30 feet in diameter, including solvents, paint cans, 45 gallon drums with DND printed on the outside and batteries. The first group formed to close the dump because of concern about water quality and thus the Preserve OuxWater gmup or POW was formed. There is no doubt it was a toxic dump. The waste I now take to Roddick Road for disposal was common at our local dump. I think of it is a Stoufi’ville legacy and it should not be ignored because it might frighten newcomers to town. I do not believe Mr. Mason went far enough in the column referring to the now-extinct dumpsite on Hwy. 48. lETTERS POLICY 6 WSW-Tubmle 5,2008 Let’s not forget dump mess The Sun-Tribune welcomes your Imam. All submissions must be less lmasonflyrmgxom tenets to the Editor, mo Sum’Mbune 6290 Mel» St Stouflvlllc. 0N LM IG7 ity and space Does multiculturalism work? Yes, I say it does lmmcnvn MEDIA Marketing 8: Advertising Manager Dawna Andrews dnndmmflfyrmg.mm fmacon®ynng.mm EDITORIAL Editor Iim Mason Wearing a turban, a hijab or a yarmulke, for example, is simply a matter of individual choice and takes no one’s freedom away. While upper-case Multicultural- ism is an official policy, it has taken most of the succeeding generation for native-bom Canadians to fully realize most of our population comes from neither of our found- “Multiculturalism,” he told the House of Commons, “can form the base of a society which is based on fair play for all.” If some of us question the existence of poverty inYork Region or are unaware, how can we contribute to eliminating it? 2008 has just begun, I hope individually and as a community we make eradicat- ing poverty part of our New Year’s reso- lution! Through a recent survey I conducted with my classmates, I was able to con- clude only 20 per cent knew poverty was even an issue in York Region. Why don't drivers show more patience, especially when traffic is heavy? Lots of car accidents could be prevented. We can eradicate poverty Growing up in York Region my entire life I was unaware of poverty being such a major issue until recently. The only one to blame for my igno- rance is myself, however, I believe the lack of government support and aware- ness has enabled me to live my life unaf- fected for so many years. I find myself trying to reduce speed, especially when entering a side street, only to have a car honking its horn behind me and the driver sometimes even showing me the finger. Why not slow down? We hear about so many car accidents lately, especially in this winter weather and the cause most often is speeding. Classified Manager Ann Campbell ammphrllfiyrmgmm ADVERTISING Retail Manager Stacey Allen ANDREW IOHNSTONE MARKHAM SW-Tribune PUBLISHER Ian Proudfoot AASIYAH KHAN MARKHAM 6290 Main St. sum, GM. LM 167 myoflaegonmm The first widely reported exam- ple of “reasonable accommoda- tion" happened when Sikh RCMP recruits were allowed to wear turbans instead of the traditional Stetson hats. Since then, many branches of civic and municipal services have accepted, to varying degrees. professional attire that It took the shock of the mid- 19803 Air India crash and the 9/11 disasters for the general population to come to grips with the “others” in our midst. ing cultures. Assistant Classified Manager Bonnie Rondeau hmndmuébyrmg. mm Pnonucnon Team leader Sherry Day sdanw-mg. mm Ibrahim Hayani HIM dig“! ",1 Busmnss MANAGER Robert Lazurlco Burma IN Cum Dm- DIIBCIOLADVBIDSING You Ramon Pun-nun Debora Kelly 1m“ Mn)“ [I WON GBNBIAL MANAGER a Wanna Bany Black Bob Dean nusmnss Munoz: lohn Phthey The proportion of immigrants who become citizens is higher in Canada than anywhere else. The fact is, we’ve always been multicultural, ever since “others” were brought in to do the danger- ous and demeaning jobs avoided by those of British or French ances- try. Our colonial multiculturalism was also, for the most part, sys- temically racist. But what makes Canada so difierent, according to pollster Michael Adams â€"â€" president of Environics Group and author of Unlikely Utopia; The Surprising Tri- umph of Canadian Pluralism â€" is we somehow never degenerated into a cultural “war of all against all," as seems to have happened in the American melting-pot assimi- lation (at all costs) scenario. As Mr. Adams contends in his book. the multicultural model has been a great success and Canadi- ans know it, even if critics don’t. respects the cultural identity and dignity of some groups. las‘ifio ADVERTISING 905-640-2612 «fie-d: 1-800-743-3353 Fax: 905-640-8778 EDITORIAL 905-640-2612 Fax: 905~640~8778 DISTRIBUTION 905-640-2612 A York Region Media Group community newspaper The Sun-Tribune, published every Thursday and Saturday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary otTorstar Corporation, Metroiand is comprised of 100 community publications across Ontario. The York Region Newspaper Group includes The Liberal, sewing Richmond Hill and Thomhiii. Vaughan Citizen, The Era»Banner (Newmarket/ Aurora). Markham Economist Sun, Georgina Advocate, York Region Business Times. North of the City, yorkregioncom and York Region Printing. Dmncmn. CIRCULATION SYSTEMS Lynn Pashko GUT-Tribune Ibrahim Hayani is a member with York Region Media Groqp's Community Links pane/i In a keynote speech at the ninth annual Gala dinner of the Inter- national Development and Relief Foundation, Mr. Adams said. “I apologize for all this good news" regarding the triumph of Canadian multiculturalism and diversity. He offered his “apology” with a typical Canadian understatement. Mr. Adams dismisses the oft- expressed dismay over ethnic enclaves, noting we’ve always had them and they can bring social and economic benefits. Canadian Muslims, number- ing about 800,000, share impor- tant traits with other newcomers: optimism, enthusiasm and to be treated fairly. Canadians also increasingly see multiculturalism as an important element 9f their Canadian identity. The proportion of MP5 who are foreign-born (13 per cent) is higher than in any other country.