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6 stouffville suntribune thursday aug 21 2003 publisher ian proudfoot teieph0ne9056402612 fax 9056408778 email jmasonyrngcom website wwwyorkregioncom editorial residents lash out at energywasting businesses in york the phone calls rolled in at our news paper offices across york region this week a compilation of the negative calls would go somethinglike this businessx not its real name has its neon signs flashing and the airconditioned air flow ing out of its open door were in a crisis what a waste what can we do about it this is crazy there were even a few on the positive side business y was the only one on the block with most of its lights off premier ernie eves toured power plants earlier this week and asked ontario business owners and residents to voluntarily reduce their use of power and water some listened some didnt as our readers noted the provinces electricity system has been balahcarigprecariously since power started flowingto yorkregion users again last friday many people suddenly forgot what it is like to live without electricity perhaps they didnt believe the pre mier when he threatened rolling black outs could darken homes arid businesses for twohour blocks others put personal comfort and sales goals above the needs of others while senior citizens lived in apart ments without running water or elevator service people were turning on the ac or washingrears- on other side of an ontariocdmmumty people on openline radio shows and in news stories said they had meriglit to use pcwerbejcause they were paying for it how selfish short of sending out the electricity pouce to pufl put extension cord plugs and flipswitches whatcan we dp the premier says we should tell irre- sponsible businesses what we think of their waste of power the proymcedid lose come credibil- ifyvyheri it was rioted sprinklers and spotlights remained on at queerispark and certainly we crewam busi- nessesand good corporate citizens by bringing our business to them 5 while businesses arid corporations draw vast arribunts of energy frpiri our embattled power grid joe citizen must also do his share dont think it can happen again just crank up the ac flip all the light switches get the machinery rolling and go wash cars york region letters to the editor bill could muzzle churches n name of freedom re blessing the union of adam and steve jim thomas column july 31 for the past 10 years the mennonite church in ontario has wrestled with issue of homosexuality our churchs position is twofold trying to hold a tension between gods ideal and gods grace ji first puyrfaith tradition teaches- that sexual relations i and mariiageshould happen between a mariaridawoman second our faith tradition stresses we must stand m relationship and dialogue with all mar- iginalized persons due to jesus and new testarnent teachings r aepfcfifejiwpfolc stance our church experiencesmuch discussion over how inclusive arid accepting the church should be jtoward prac ticing homosexuals who desire church member ship brdmatioh arid now sarriesex marriage personally as pastor of qirrmrunity mennonite church i firid myself in a simflar place with the jssuesf samesex marriage i culd ribtrwith a clear conscience marry two people of thesamesexto do so would proclaim tws relationship reflects gods ideal somethirigl do not believe at this timer on the other hand if a close homosexual friend invited me to attend his rilarriage ceremony i would attend despite its awkwardness as an expression of pur friendship the bigger issue for me right now is riot same- sex marriage but the changes being proposed by bill c250 to the current hate literature statute while prime ministerjean chretien has promised the stouffville suntribune welcome your letters all submissions must be less than 400 words and must include a daytime telephone number name and addressthe stouffville sunttribune reserves the right to publish or not publish and to edit for clarity and space write letters to the editor 34 gvic ave po box 1 54 stouffville l4a 7z5email jinasonymgcom churches will be allowed to maintain their current teachings arid j3ractices around marriage the addition of the tegory sexual orientation to the hate literature statute would take that freedom away with this bill any htefature or teachings on sexual ririentatiori that cbuld hurt homosexual people would be seen as illegal potentially this bill could iriuzzle churches that do not see hprhosexual behavior as a moral behavior along with scientists and psychologists who are trying to research the various dynamics thatshape sexual orientation thechurchmmepasthasoft fordjtotmgitsviewpfrhoraify howe if bill c250 is passedthe shoe could beorljfeojherfpot- fear the religion of political correctness would dictate to others what they should believe and what actions are appropriate all in the name of freedom but is this really freedom it seems we need to promote a different type of freedom in our culture arid our churches a freedom that nurtures diversity healthy dia logue and respect gordalton pastor community mennonite church stouffville sunlhbune a metroland community newspaper 34 civic ave 3rd floor stouffvilje ontario l4a 7z5 phone 9056402612 fax 9056408778 classified 18007433353 distribution 9052948244 website wwwyorkregioncom email jmasonymgcom r membenontario community newspapers assertion j canadian community newspapers association ontario press council- y editor in chief debora kelly editor jimmason reporters joan ransbeiry hannelpre volpe retail sales manager steve kane sales representative r susan berry production manager parnnicholsr i office manager vivian oneil business manager y robert lazuriio advertising director retail sales flyers nicole fletcher advertising director classified real estate events management gord paoliicd y managing director real estate mikerogerson sales manager new business developments distribution dawna andrews director of production john futhey classified manager ann campbell distribution manager banyblack general manager york region printing v bob dean managing director york region events management debraweller shows manager allen off the top with jim mason lost art of fun rediscovered during crisis we may have lost the contents of the fridge a shift at the gm plant or our thursday night fix of reality ty but many think we may have gained something by living without electricity for 25 hours late last week while the chocolate ice cream rhythmically dripped from the freezer to the floor a pack of neighbourhood kids played board games by candlelight in our family room they later discover the joy of star and planef gazing hud dled under blankets on lounge chairs out on the deck cflforgorren out on the street a father and son dusted off the football for a game of catch you be brett favre and ill be so much for the cfl here in the shad ows of argoland up and down the crescent families were lounging on their front porches and back decks it looked like a norman rockwell painting call it return to the basics no nintendo no www and no everybody loves raymond gottaioveit how ironic was it that moonlight madness night in downtown stouffville thursday was exactly as advertised sorry if the humour was lost on the merchants who planned the big night over the last year the plug was literally pulled on the entertainers and store owners who depend on shoppers to enter their shops a few merchants toughed it out selling goods or dis pensing snow cones by natural light on the sidewalk others laughed it off as the freak sit uation it was excuse to talk in another part of town neighbours of five years discoveredtheir first excuse to finally meet and talk theyre now work ing on a street party or at least a multi- family barbecue for later this summer back at our house the kids have mastered monopoly and are moving on to risk theres talk of a seance maybe dusting off the ouija board and if nec essary resorting to charades no one is whining about the unwatched movies that had been rented for thursday night if this is a crisis kids sure laugh a lot in tough times jim mason is editor of the stouffville suntribune