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I. l' “2 .M) I". .~ l‘ 5” ‘ :‘ )‘.‘\~ 6 Wufl‘fibmwlflwsdmhlyizm It’s normally the plight of one-industry townsmNormemOntafio orfishingvil- lagesmNewfoundland. Themainbmlemplayerisonme verge of going belly-up and a lot of people fearflxeyareabomtolosemeirjobs. h1somecases,govenunentwilloome alongandofferhelpâ€"ataxbreakagmnt togetthatbminessfluoughfllehard times,aloantoretoolandrelaunchin some other more profitable form. Butfllosestoriesalm’tjustfi'omme northortheeastanymore. g InDeoeInbenNewmarket’s'Ibnatmn- ‘8 icscloseditsdoors. 'I‘heemployerof380 peoplemadeantetmasystemsforme autosectoninchldingslumpingGM 'IheCanaccabinetmaldngplantin Maddmn,whichemplayedl,200work- emeloseditsCamcfianoperationsm MayvicfimofflierisingCanacfiandoIlar anddropindemandfrommedismalUS. housingmatket InVaughaumgtessiveMoulded Pmductslxdmmakerofdashboardsfor the auto business, locked out 2,400 work- ers citing financing prdblems and tmuble in the auto industry. For the former employees of these companies and other businesses in the manufacturing sector in York Region, these are very tough times. Loss of a job can mean upheavel in the home, mental health and drug and alcohol issues, trou- ble making mortgage payments, difiiculty enrolling children in sports or music les- sons or summer camp. The region has lost thousands of manufacturing jobs the past few years, according to a regional report, meaning thousands of people are in this precarious position. Unlike the north or the east coast, there arestilljobs outthere, but theyareinthe service sector and don’t pay as well Are our federal and provincial ministers aware that these kinds of closures are happening right here, close to the big A federal minister the region last week said new laws will protect those losing their jobs by ensuring they get paid what theyareowedwhen afirmgoes under. While that may help in the short term, people in this position will need a lot more. Retraining programs will be the key for many of them to find good jobs that keep them living above a subsistence level. Propping up sectors that can’t survive rarely works in the long run. But certainly the many businesses that rely on the auto sector may soon need help to transition to the $1.50-a-litre world that’s on the horizon. There will be tough choices ahead about whether or not we let these firms sink or swim, or throw them a life raft. lETTERS P0ll(Y The Sun-Tflhune welcomes your letters. All submissions must be less than 400 words and must include a daytime telephone number. name and addms. The Sun-Mbune reserves the right to publish or not publish and to edit for clarity and space. To ugh times for factory workers |mason0yrmg.com Letters to the Editon The Sun-mum 6290 Halo St StoufMflo. 0N LM I67 Editorial lmmcrma MEDIA Marketing 8: Advertising Millage! Dawna Andrews dandmusfifvrmg.mm EDITORIAL Editor lim Mason jmnsrm (n‘vrmg. mm Did politicians consider health, safety when approving added truck traffic? It would appear that my efibrts to curb con- struction traffic on Hoover Park Drive in southern Stouffville are a waste of my time. IwaslnformedlastWeektheTown ofWhitchurch- Stouffville, more specifically, the mayor and my councillor, approved the use of Hoover Park Drive for the transport of soil to a building site. I now understand the work has been stopped, the trucks halted and the route is being re-examined. I further understand this was the most “cost effective" route to use. Did they consider the health costs of the original decision? They were willing to expose the residents of this area to the diesel exhaust fumes of some 200 trucks per day for a lS-working-day period. These trucks were to be traveling through a high density residential area, in the peak of summer, as children were outside playing or in a nearby park. It is a known fact that diesel fumes are carcinoâ€" genic. I wonder what the soot particle per cubic meter was when these trucks passed through our community earlier this week? We moved here, to this “country close to the city” environment to get away from the city. For the past 10 years, we have lived in nothing but construction. We have experienced more construcâ€" tion here than we ever experienced in our former community. It has always been my stand that the develâ€" opment revenue generated by the builders is extremely important to a municipality, and as such, they turn a “blind eye" to many of the build- ers' activities. Construction traffic is most assuredly one of them. Classified Manager Bonnie Rondeau hmndmufi’yrmg. mm Anvmmsmc Retail Manager Stacey Allen sallvnfi‘yrmgmm SWT ribu n e PUBLISHER Ian Proudfoot 6290 MalnSt. StoufMue, GM. LM 167 mWn.m Letters to the Editor PRODUCTION Team Leader Sherry Day sum I had to tell her that she could not go out and enjoy her garden for 15 days. Congratulations to our winning teams: fourth, The Hot Wheels; third, Team Sauce, second, Team Wayne, first, Anderson Haulage. My wife, a non-smoker, had part of her lung removed a few years ago due to lung cancer. On June 8, we held the Scotiabank Wheel- chair Challenge benefiting Rick Hansen Wheels in Motion in the arena parking lot. The support we received was overwhelming. Sixteen teams took part in the timed relay course, and everyone had an amazing time. Teams are already anticipating the rematch next year. All participants’now have a better imderstandâ€" ing of the challenges an individual living with a spinal cord faces in their day-to-day life. Rid< Hansen event fifth largest in Ontario We would like to thank our wonderful ambassaâ€" dors, Luke Anderson and Wayne Feasby, who con- tinue to inspire us all with their words and actions. A special thank you to our emcee, Sun-"Iribune editor Jim Mason, Janet Geddes from Scotiabank, Mayor Wayne Emmerson and all of our volunteers who helped make the day so successful. A total of $25,877 was raised, making our event fifth in Ontario. In the words of Rick Hansen, “remember to never give up on the power of a dream ‘ anything is possible.” MM Ann-Ink A at “(no Bum MANAGE: 10"" “the! Robert Lazurlco Enmanmnr DeboraKeUy Damon Mm“: Mmm a. Mom Duncan. Ammo You REGION annm a. Dumas Gm MANAGER Ban), Black Bob Dean MARTINA BARTLEY JANE ALDEN RICK HANSEN WHEELS IN MOTION S'I‘OUH-‘VILLE Classified EDITORIAL 905-640â€"26 l 2 Fax: 905-640-8778 DISTRIBUTION 905-640-2612 ADVERTISING 905-640-2612 icd: 1~800-743-3353 1X2 905-640-8778 ANDREW VICKERY STOUFFVILLE A York Region Media Group community newspaper The Sun-Tribune, published every Thursday and Saturday. is a division of the Metroiand Media Group Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. Metroiand is comprised of 100 community publications across Ontario. The York Region Newspaper Group includes The Liberal, sewing Richmond Hill and Thomhill, 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. Dunc-non, Cucuumou Sunnis Lynn Pashko You’re sitting on Main Street watching the fuel gauge plummet like the Leafs’ 2009 Stanley Cup odds. Outside the SUV, dust piles up on the new wax as if a volcano just blew into Rupert Park You add gas station and car wash to list of places to visit. There is plenty of time to safely wn'te as you play stop and go through the west end of the once small town. That T-bone you asked for medium/ rare is drying out on the barbecue at home, and it’s well past well done. The dog has been eying it for 20 minutes. Because ‘fI hit every light between Gormley and Stouffer Street red again, sweetie, honest. I was not at the (insert track, bar, cigar shop or buddy’s house) this time," doesn’t always work. If you needed a new excuse for being late, you’ve got it. An appointment of mine last week blamed tardiness on the construction legitimately, I think. On the bright side, you get a better look at those stores you drive by every day as you race to work The stores that sponsor the Strawberry Festival and pay to have their names on your kids’ hockey and soccer jerseys. Greetings from Constructionville. Main Street is undergoing major reconstructive surgery from the loan Riv- ers league, as if you needed a reminder. Don’t say you weren’t warned. We’ve written about the oncoming construe tion for at least a year. And get used to it for another couple off years, in sections. But, until that massive shovel cuts through the pavement and traffic is diverted onto bumpy, snail-like trails, it means little to motorists. But, try and get home from the groâ€" cery store, all of which are on the west side of town coincidentally, without the burgers and potato salad turning into salmonella, and it hits home. Iim Mason is editor of Tim Sun 7Yibune. We're human. We're like that (SEW-Tribune Slow ride home hits commuters where they live with Jim Mason Off The Top