OPINION Depths of despair Being a parent awaiting the gruesome discovery of a mur- Sdered child's body is an unimagînable horror no one should Shave to endure. Knowing that one of those charged in connection with the disappearance and death may hold the key to, the recov- ery of your beloved child must be sometbing far worse than a living hell. It bas to be psychological torture of an intensi- ty tbat even a country at war would condemrn. While most of us are blessed toi neyer corne close to suf- fering this level of agonizing heartbreak, every parent, aunt, uncle or grandparent of a child can sympathize with the :Î nightmare the parents of Victoria Stafford must be facing every moment of each day ber remains go undiscovered. Few could begin to fatbom tbe deptbs of despair being f felt by this little girls parents seven weeks after their sweet and vulnerable daughter walked away - seemingly volun- tarily - from ber Woodstock sehool witb a woman in a wbite coat. Tbere was no cbance for this motber and fatber to say goodbye or toi offer one last hug, kiss or an 'I love you.' 'Numb' harely scratches thc surface of tIse attack on body and soul these parents must be suffering. Wbetber or not homicide investigators and the Crown attorney feel theres sufficient evidence to obtain convictions in a trial of those helieved responsible for Victorias death is secondary right now The time to avenge tbis little girl's mur- der - through the swift and hopefully forceful application of our countrys laws - will, for now, bave to wait. Before Tara McDonald and Rodney Stafford can hegin to heal, they need to be reunited with their daughter and say their final goodhyes to ber. We find it extremely difficult tu believe that anyone tbat experiences this amount of emotional torment can ever truly find closure. Our only hope is that the searcb for Tor-is body will soon end and that she will finally be laid to rest and bier life celebrated in remembrance by ail whose lives she touched. To help make that happen, police late fast week appealed to anyone living within a 50-km radius of Guelph to check their property for anytbing suspicious. Anyone with any information that might belp police locate Victoria Stafford can caîl Crime Stoppers toîl free and anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Upfront MAKING TRACKS: Nathan, baby Ryan and Ashley Mitrovich show a copy of the Champion while visiting Sand Key National Park in Ciearwater, Florida. Take your commu- nity newspaper on your nest vacation and send your 'Champion Tracks' photos toi edito- rial@miltoncanadianchampion.com. Be sure to include destination information and everyone's name. Readers Write__ E-mail letters to rehronal@nimnfocanadianchamnpion.om. Letters, whsch may be edt- W, must include the wrters name, addrs and phone nw r. If assistance is required, simply ask for it DEAR EDITOR: This is in response to tbe letter wnit- ten by Isabel Skalski entitled 'Lack of help by fellow shoppers was shameful.' Skalski wrote that she had heen shopping with bier son when bis nose started to bleed profusely. She complained tbat none of the otber shoppers stopped to ask if bier son was okay or offer belp. She stated, "Those people should be ashamed of themselves." Although a show of concemri would have heen nice in this situatton, 1 don't helieve that people should he ashamed for not stepping in. Oftentimes, its bard to tell whether intervention from srrangers would be welcome or would just complicate 9see MANY on page A7 lZ~be QEtmbtan Cbarnpionî Miton's Comnmunity Newspaper Since 1860 555 Industnial Dr., Milton, Ont. L9T 5E1 905-878-2341 Editoriai Fax: 905-878-4943 Advertiaing Fax: 905-876-2364 Classified:905-875-3300 Circulation: 905-878-5947 www.nitoncanadanchampion.com V.P. - Group Publisher Neil Oliver General Manager David Harvey Editor in Chief Joli Davis Managing Editor Karen Miceli Advertising Director Debbi Koppejan Production Manager Tim Colos Circulation Manager Charlene Hall Office Manager Sandy Pare The Canadian Champion, published every Wednesday and Friday, in a divinion of Metroland Media Group Ltd. Advetisrg os accepteS on the cniion than, n the event of a rpographicai error, tan porn ofînhe advrrn ring spae occupiea by the reffno itema, nogether coith a reasonabie aiiawance fin signature, wnii nor be charged for bat the balance of the advertiseoen will be pai fna ai the appicable rate Tine pubioier reserons the rignt ro categoriae adrnnnentsoc or decline. CCAB Audited Recoooznnifii eroolcceby Aavei Ontario Communiry AocS ""Newpapers Asoniation Canadian (Cm mucouy C NA Necoopaper ocito U Subcrban Necoopaper S M of rnerica Fhp cinda Caipo s .A c U r e s -s i j a l o U nfi c r Addessngconcern about. recreational opportunities 1 A-.whale bock a Champion letter writer Milton and mnany conununities of compara- for A ages," said jennifer Reynolds, Director I4ICO E% liddcreoed sone concernas about recreational ble size don't offer Town-run programas for of Community Services. "Tbe Town does not joes un apportunities in town tbat I believe warrant sports like say basketball, voîleyball anngd see itefasteolypoidrobeepo ;orne f.eedîback. gymnastics. gramns and services." Whether or flot this will help is certainly Thse Town works in partnersbip Now toi be fair, i certainly )peus fordebate, but here goes. witb privately-operated clubs in : apprciat tbtnt i itoin First off, thse Milton mnom is certainlv rioht thno. -A.a k IL---~ ... - urcaeta o Mloin FMLO mn stating d2at Towný-run atlsletic programas are severely llrnited for seven and eight-year- olds - an age bracket bier son now fluds himiself in. 0f course swimming and kids yoga aren't quitle tbe only options available to, tbese youngsters; tberes also recreational skating. Once kids bit nine, tbere's an awful lot more to, do - and thats clearly because of the numbers game. 0f course thatis also a primary reason wby .-y ~ ~ E F1L1 would it be financially feasible to start its own programs and essen- tially compete fgainst more-estab- iised clubs? Highly unlikely in mnany cases, especially in a still largely affluent community like Milton. Tbe numbers just wouldnt support it - at least not yet. "The Town works wftb many community organizations toi ensure theres a range of recreation, leisure and sports opportunities h 'I are weIl-to-cto, and enrolling kids r . in sports tbese days is certainîy a major financial strain or inveat- - ~ ment - depending on who, you talk to. - ~ Witb that in mmnd, it bares not- ing that there are a number of pro- Sgramns available toi offer parents a fmnancial assist (no pun intended) toward their childrens athletic endeavours. Many Miltontans may not be aware of -se. PLENTY on page A7 MILTON SANTA CLAUS PARADE àCANADA DA ATHFNA Ao.«rdo GA " ;A %s~A wrd 'D