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New recycling fee step in right direction Thanks to The Sun-Tribune for support- ing this fee, which is at least going in the right direction. Re: New recycling fees annoying, but needed, editorial, Aug. 7. My grandchildren, if they were old enough to know what was going on, would thank you, too since it's their world and they will especially which will feel the dev- astation of what previous generations have done to the planet. Last week, we wrote about the federal Sustainable Development Act and how all the political parties put aside their differences to sup- port this important new law. Making people pay a little extra if they’re using things that hurt the planet is a way of reminding us to be aware of the cost in terms of the environment. One way to ease the burden of the extra costs is to use less by making things last longer. A world famous economist who spoke not so long ago in Canada alerted 'us to the fact that if we don’t pay to make things different now, we will end up paying way more in the future. We won’t like this higher price on things harmful to our world, but we can realize it’s the only responsible thing to do. Another way of looking at it is to say to ourselves, “We’re paying a little extra so that re Canadian politicians finally paying serious attention to the envi- onment? Recent events and announce- ments give us reason for optimism. We’ve also seen a lot of progress lately on the part of some provin- cial governments regarding global warming. The Ontario government’s recent commitment to protect 50 per cent of its intact boreal forest oflers further hope governments are getting serious about protecting the planet. ' On July 14, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty committed to preserving 225,000 square kilomeâ€" tres of northern boreal forest under the province's Far North Planning Initiative. That’s an area 1.5 times the size of the Canadian Maritimes. It's a significant commitment and it's something more than 1,500 of the world’s scientists had asked for, including us. The Sun-Tribunv welcomes your leners. All submissions must be less than 400 words and must include a daytime telephone number, name and address. The Sunwmmmereserws thc right to publish or not publish and m cdi! for clar lETTERS P0ll(Y “fiat Stouflvillc Sun-'Ifibunel Saturday, Aug. 16 2008 jmasonOynfig.com Leners to (he Editor The Sun-Tribune 6290 Main St. Stouflvllh. ON MA ME] Protecting half of forest may not be enough ity and space lETTERS TO THE EDITOR .gfee . HAVE YOUR SAY. dlrectwn WHITBHURcH-STOUFFVILLE INTERACTIVE MEDIA Marketing Advertising Manager Dawna Andrews dandmusfi’yrmgmm jmasonfi’yrmgcom EDITORIAL Editor lim Mason touching almost every province and territory and covering 35 per cent of the country’s total land mass. It represents about one-third of the world's circumpolar boreal system and one-quarter of all intact forests remaining on the planet. The boreal forest stretches across the northern part of Canada, touching almost every province and territory and covering 35 per cent of the country's total land mass. It represents about one-third of the world’s circumpolar boreal system and one-quarter of all intact forests remaining on the planet. The region supports three bil- l:nn m:m§nfiv nnnnkern nr‘r‘ mnm The region supports three bilâ€" lion migratory songbirds and more than 200 species of animals, includ- ing dozens of threatened or endan- gered species such as woodland caribou, grizzly and polar bears, wolverine, lynx and white pelican. The announcement is signifi- cant, not just in terms of conserva- tidn, but also because it marks the first time a government in Canada has explicitly recognized the role nature conservation must play in combatting global warming. The boreal’s forests and peat- lands absorb and store massive amounts of carbon, making them a hedge against global warming caused by emissions from human activity. Scientists estimate Ontario’s nonhem boreal alone absorbs 12.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide The boreal forest stretches our children and their children can have a world even remotely as good as the one we have.” Surely we can afford that. People in time of war sacrificed greatly since they knew their lives and the values they held dear were in peril. Many see the situation we're in as much the same; we're fighting to save our world as we know it. Look at in this light: this fee is the least we can do. Most of Europe is far ahead of us in making the shift to a more sustainable world and has been using these kinds of fees to encourage ‘greener’ behaviour and greater personal and corporate responsi- bility for years. b Whatdoyouminkofmeseiswesmomers? E-maillettetstoeditoUimMasonatjmason@ yrmcomfleaseindudeadaytimetelephone numbelfowedfication. Let’s get on with it. Classified Manager Bonnie Rondeau hrnndmufiyflngrmn ADVERTISING Retail Manager Stacey Allen SEW-Tribune PUBLISHER Ian Proudfoot 6290 Main St. SmufMfle, ON. MA 167 www.yofl<region.com LTHOMAS RICHMOND HILL It’s one of the last places on Earth where human activity hasn’t yet upset critical predator-prey relationships, natural fire regimes and hydrological cycles. emissions a year. It’s diflicult to describe the glob- al significance of Canada’s boreal forest. ‘ And economists conservatively estimate that the ecosystem ser- vices provided by the boreal, such as water filtration, pollination and carbon storage, have 2.5 times the economic value of market resourc- es extracted each year, such as oil, minerals and timber. PRODUCTION Team Leader Sherry Day sdqug. aim David Suzuki 4. ¢ rid”! \ul1oylllrd Bum Manama Robert Lazurlco Dnncmn [NI-mum Mmu a. Tmowcv lohn Ruhey WLWBWG You REGION hummu- DISTRIBUTION Guam MANAGER Ban), Black Bob Dean As significant as the Ontario government's announcement is, we have to be cautious in our opti- mism. For one thing, we don’t know if protecting 50 per cent will be enough to conserve the region’s biodiversity, particularly species such as caribou that depend upon vast tracts of intact habitat. And we have yet to learn what areas will be put all limits to development. Fortunately, the government has committed to working with First Nations in the region to develop comprehensive land-use plans. We must also ensure that the government doesn’t use its announcement to protect the sparsely populated and largely unthreatened northern boreal as justification for further expansion of industrial development in the southern boreal, which is far more attractive to industries such as forâ€" estry and mining. Already the southern boreal h: been heavily fragmented by log- ging, mining and roads, leading to steep declines in populations of some sensitive species such as caribou. assmr DISTRIBUTION 905640â€"2612 ADVERTISING 905-640â€"26l2 imi: 1-800â€"743-3353 x: 905-640-8778 EDITORIAL 905-640-2612 x: 905â€"640-8778 A York Region Media Group community newspapct The Sun‘Tribune, published every Thursday and Saturday. is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd. a wholiyaowned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. Metroland is comprised of 100 community publications across Ontario The York Region Newspaper Group includes 1he Liberal, sewing Richmond Hill am Thornhill, Vaughan Citizen,The Eraâ€"Banner ( Newmarket/ Aurora). Markham Economist Sun. Georgina Advocate. York Region Business Times. North of the City. yorkregioncom and York Region Printing. WHAT I LIKE”, Dnncron. Cmcuumou Symms Lynn Pashko {Sii‘fiiTribune The areas not slated for protec- tion under this plan â€" in both the northem and southern boreal â€" must be managed in a sustain- able way based on sound scientific principles. Furthermore, the government should reverse its recent decision to give the forest industry a one- year exemption from new habitat- protection regulations under the province's Endangered Species Act Still, with this announcement, Ontario has taken an important and courageous step, one we hope other provinces will follow. For example, Quebec has pm- tected less than 5 per cent of its own boreal forest, and although it has plans to increase this, it has yet to make a commitment as visionâ€" ary as Ontario’s. The recent attention govern ments have been paying to the environment are positive signs. But successful conservation efiorts can't be limited to aspira- tional goals announced at news conferences. We all have a respon- sibility to make sure governments live up to their commitments. and