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6 Stouffville Sun-Tribune | Thursday, December 29, 2016 | EDITIORIAL |OPINION · OUR VIEW · ABOUT US Plenty to celebrate for Canada's 150th Oh, Canada! Believe it or not, the True North strong and free will turn 150 in 2017. All in all, the nation looks pretty good for its age. In order to commemorate this historic milestone, a number of events have been planned across the country starting with a kickoff party on Dec. 31 that will take place in 19 urban centres including Toronto and OttawaGatineau here in Ontario. Beyond that, you can also wave the maple leaf proudly on Feb. 15, which is National Flag of Canada Day , and take part in National Aboriginal Day on June 21, Canadian Multiculturalism Day on June 27. Naturally , Canada Day , July 1, will be one heck of a party with many of our own local communities also taking the opportunity to up their game when it comes to feting the sesquicentennial of Canadian Confederation. Canada is, if If you're into history , this nothing else, a year will offer plenty of opportunities to delve into nation the past from the dawn of the dominion (before as constantly well, if you'd like) and this striving to do relatively small country's huge contributions in the better, never First and Second World Wars and to more recent content to simply events such as the Quebec rest upon its separation referendum. If taking in our nation's laurels. natural beauty is more up your alley , you're in luck, as Parks Canada is offering free entry to its sites throughout 2017. It's a fantastic chance to explore some of the breathtaking wilderness that exists within our own expansive borders And, while there is indeed much to be proud of, there, as always, remains room for improvement and wrongs, past and present, in need of righting. Canada is, if nothing else, a nation constantly striving to do better, never content to simply rest upon its laurels. So, be sure to take some time over the year ahead to learn more about this land of ours and admire its beauty . Metroland and the York Region Media Group will help you to do just that over the next 12 months with our Canada 150th content that's meant to educate, enlighten, entertain and toast all things Canada. In summation, Canada's 150th anniversary is a celebration a century-and-a-half in the making. Be certain to make the most of it. The Stouffville Sun-Tribune, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 100 community publications across Ontario. The Stouffville Sun-Tribune is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the newspaper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca newsroom@yrmg.com facebook.com/yrmgnews @yorkregion Parade brings gladness and sadness Well the parade has happened and I am both sad and glad. Sad for what was not in the parade. Yes I know, Christmas is sort of owned by the Christians and the retail stores of the world. But there is a bigger message of love, kindness, generosity, brotherhood and peace. Sad that the people of faith in this town - Christians and Messianic Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Judaics and others were not in the parade. Nothing to say to us about the bigger message of the season. We know you are here in town, but you seem to have nothing to say to encourage these finer things in · LETTERS TO THE EDITOR · Christmas if ever l MORE ONLINE Read all our published letters at yorkregion.com humanity; in being good citizens of this community, in being a positive influence on our families. So disappointing, so sad. But also, I was thrilled for what I did see. Glad to see Glad Park and SDS Junior Spartans hurrah for you. Glad to see the Shriners - I love the train truck especially when you sound off the claxon and the horn awesome. Glad to see the marching bands and cadet colour guard. Glad to see all the pets. Glad to see the tiny hockey players; especially the one asleep in mom's arms - that was a picture of there was. Glad to see everyone else; especially those who gave me candy and glad to see the post parade activities on Main Street with Springvale Baptist Church and Muskoka Woods Camp (hundreds went there) and the fun in the park and fireworks - thanks Town of WS, thank you Mr. Mayor, and thank you Kinsmen. And now into the rest of the season we go, grumpy or not - ho ho ho. Ron Boyd Stouffville Thanks for a great Santa Extravaganza I would like to publicly thank David Wilkins, RMT at Cornell Chiropractic Clinic, for hosting another successful Santa Extrava- ganza in Cornell on Dec. 3, 2016. For the past five years, David has put together an increasingly seamless night of wonder for kids, by making a special request of Santa to visit one of the common areas by the Chiropractic Clinic. With his wife and father, he decorates the surrounding area with lights, offers free hot chocolate and marshmallows, music, and snacks. This year he added free photographs with Santa, courtesy of Allan Louie Photography. This is a beautiful, generous way to help celebrate the holidays at a very busy time of year. Thanks, Dave, for organizing and donating your time and energy to help people's spirits stay bright! Chris Hurrle Stouffville CONTACT US yorkregion.com WHO WE ARE Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail customersupport@metroland. com or call 1-855-853-5613. Publisher Dana Robbins General Manager Shaun Sauve Director of Advertising Maureen Christie Editor-in-Chief Metroland Central Joanne Burghardt Editor-in-Chief York Region Lee Ann Waterman Managing Editor Ted McFadden Director Distribution Mike Banville Director Creative Services Katherine Porcheron Advertising Manager Mara Sepe Stouffville Sun-Tribune 580 Steven Court Newmarket, ON L3Y 4X1 Phone: 905-853-8888 Fax: 905-853-4626 Web: www.yorkregion.com Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 200 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters.