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é {Wfibune ADVERTISING 905-640â€"2612 Classified: l-W-743-3353 Fun 905â€"640-8778 York Region Media Group community newspapers The Sun-Tribune, published every Thursday and Saturday, - is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. Metroland is comprised of 100 community publications across 0mm. me York Region Newspaper Group also includes me Liberal, sewing Richmond Hill and Thomhili, Vaughan Citizen,The Eraâ€"Banner (Newmarket/Aurora), Markham Economist The Sun-Nbune welcomes your hat ters. All submissions must be less than 400 words and must include a daytime telephone number, name and address. The Sun-Nbune reserves the no publish or not publi and to edit for clarâ€" Ity and space. Langston-m, man-mm 6200M4$L Sun, Georgina Advocate.Y0tk Region Business fimes, North of the City. yonuegoncom and York Region Printing. Bonnie Rondaau ‘ Carrie MacFarlane Awmsmc Retail Manager Mike Banm’lle . mbanvilleOynng.oom bmndxuoyrmgmm “A '87 lmuon.ym¢.com 905640â€"2612 ' Pu: 905-640-8778 Dawna Andrews dandrews@yrmg.com cnormaneynngmom Carolyn Norman DISTRIBUTION Iim Mason jmasoneyrmgoom LETTERS POLICY Pnonucnon DISTRIBUTION 905-640-2612 Enmnuu EDITORIAL MEDIA What was not long ago a collection of small communities north of Toronto has grown into a suburban metropolis. More than one million people now callYork Region home and, according to growth estimates, another 500,000 will live here in about 20 years That’s a lot of people headed to work, school and elsewhere, using a transpor- tation network that. in many bases, is crumbling under the pressure of our population There’s no doubt we’re going to gmw. Heck, the province’s Places to Grow Act has decreed it This document set out unprecedented goals for development in the Golden Horseshoe area, ruling York must make room for 80,000 to 85,(X)0 more housing units between now and 2031. ' ‘ But how will these people â€" and others passing through the region â€" get where they’re going! Rapid bus routes are part of the solu- tion and Vrva is well on its way to making thesearealityWorkisbeginnmgthis year on dedicated lanes on major routes, including Davis Drive in Newmarket and Hwy. 7. More, however, is needed ' We require a subway line into the region and new highways, such as the Hwy. 404 extension and the Bradford bypass as, like it or, the automobile is here for the foreseeable future. In the south, the region has complet- ed planning on the line that would bring the TIC subway from Finch Avenue to Hwy. 7, but without funding to proceed with engineering work, there is nothing more to be done. Everyone recognizes these simple facts, so why can’t our various levels of government get their acts together? When the province announced its $11 billion transit commitment in 2007. there were hopes the federal govem- ment would ante up a further $6 billion, but this hasn't happened. Why not? Can the bureaucrats in Ottawa not recognize a need when they see it? Have they not read Places to Grow? An integrated planning â€" and fundâ€" ing â€"â€" program involving all thnee levels of government is the only way to ensure our region grows properly, with the nec- essary supports available. This Current process of ‘one level planning a project, then holding out a handtotheotherslnsearchoffimds, simply isn't effective. With varied prion.- mmndinglsdoledoutonapieoemeal basis, often, at the whim of Whichever partyismpmver. Get together to get us around York Editorial I live in a new section of Stouffville off of Ninth Line below Main Street. In search of a sharpener As do most of my neighbours, I cut the grass and trim the growth around the property from time to time. As most of us are aware, lawn mowers and clipâ€" pers have sharp edges to help in the process of trimming and cutting. I thought recently my gardening devices needed some sharpening after three to four years of use,'and even more for the clippers. ' I called “Canada’s Hardware Store”, Canadian Tire, and asked if it provided such a service. I was told there might be an itinerant “blade sharpener" somewhere -â€" call a “hardware store” and maybe they can help. Huh! I tried Schell Lumber, where now Home Hardware is a partner. It has a guy who comes from Goodwood, but he only does lawn mowers if I remove the blade and leave it there Fridays. Went to Home Hardware in Uxbridge, as I used to live in the area. It, too, has somebody who only does lawn mowers, when he shows up. I was given the name of another organization in Uxbridge to call through Home Harware. Turns out the person who ran it died many years ago and the organization no longer exists. ' We actually had a man who trav- elled up and down the concession road we lived on in Sandford who did such things. Is there nowhere in this area where one can go and get his blades sharp- ened? I am sure most of us would pre- fer such a service to throwing away the lawn mower when the blades get dull and buying a new one. Letters to the Editor GARY REID S'IUUFFVII.LE 'SfifiW-Ti'ibune PUBLISHER Ian Proudfoot Do you do any research into topics before you write about them or do you just spew out ideas regardless of how ignorant or ridiculous they are? I’m just wondering because I’m not a writer of columns; I’m a teacher of Grade 1. Columnist should do homework My colleagues and I usually Spend a considerable amount of time research- ing how children learn. Re: Four-yearâ€"olds need less time in kindergarten, not more. column by Ber- nie O’Neill, lune 20. You may be surprised to know that there is an entire body of research on this topic because some people think that ofiering children the best educa- tion possible is really important. They found that the human brain is developing and growing at a more pro- found rate in younger children than it is in older teenagers. So adding an extra year of public education for a fourâ€"year- old would make a lot more sense than adding an extra year for an 18-year-old. This is the year 2009. It's a lot dif- ferent from 1959 when parents and grandparents could stay home and go to the park to look at bugs. and whatâ€" ever other fairytale ideas you mention about childhood in your column. In 2009, mom and/or dad have to work not because of taxes, but because the cost of living has gone up while their incomes have not. I understand you're very busy. You insinuate that being employed in the private sector is so much more incred- ibly demanding than any govemment job could ever be. But since you are writing in a public forum you may want to try a bit of research so that you could appear informed instead of just angry at everyone from Dalton McGuinty to government employees. 6290 Main St. W, ON. L4A IGT www.mgionmm KELLY DHARAMSHI MARKHAM Emma IN (lunar Debora Kelly Busmass MANAGER Robert Lazurko Every June, I get to phone two Whitchurch-Stouffville residents on behalf of The Sun-Tribune and inform them they have been selected as citizen of the year or sports person of the year. They are my favourite calls of the year. The response is pretty predictâ€" able. Choose from: 0 “What, weren't there any other nominees this year?" 0 “What kind of judging panel do you have down there?” 0 “Picking from the bottom of the barrel this year. eh Mason? Everyone else declined, right?" The recipient then gets a little teary (as best as I can imagine. without a video phone). We talk about the presentation ceremony. They ask about their colleagues who nominated them. We talk about what a great place this is to live and to get involved. I wait another 365 daysto make the same calls. The truth is, this may have been the toughest year to select the eit- izen of the year in my time here. We asked for detailed resumes and letters of support. We got them. Big time. My inbox and file folder run- neth over with amazing stories of our neighbours doing extraordi- nary things to help. Not to benefit their family or business. but to help others and makeWhitebureh- Stouffville a better place. And not to win awards. But Citizen of the year Diane Ward and 2009 sports person Mike llumphreys will be on the receiving end Wednesday at the opening ceremonies of the Strawâ€" berry Festival. Drop by. lixtend a hand and give them a hug. Say thanks. On behalf of a eommtinity. Iim Mason is editor ofThe Surr- Wibune. Bumper crop of nominees for top citizen with Iim Mason Off The Top DIRECTOR, ADVERTISING, Dismnunon Nicole Fletcher Dumcmn, Ovammous Barry Black