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6 stouffville suntribune thursday june 3 2004 opinion publisher ian pr0udf00t telephone 9056402612 fax 9056408778 email jmasonymgcom website wwwyorkregioncom editorial handson learning key to child safety every eight hours a child dies from an injury in canada ninetyfive per cent of accidents can be prevented through education thafs the math behind york regions community safety village a project spearheaded by york regional police and the regions fire and emergency services departments under construction at bruces mill conservation area in whitchurch- stouffville it will include a multiroom main building and miniature replica of a downtown there will be streets and buildings similar to those in any community when it opens this fall on the surface the vil lage looks like a section of a theme park its as cute as it is beautiful as sup porters and media saw for the first time during a tour tuesday the buildings are up and the roads are in the interiors must be completed but the message is not about enter tainment this is no walk in the amuse ment park its about instilling safety les sons in our youngest and most vulnera ble residents to ensure they arent one of the scariest of statistics safety and common sense it sounds so simple a motherhood issue if you will the lessons should be taught by parents and teachers some might argue but they dont get through even with families schools and community groups preaching safety we know of local accident victims from headlines in this newspaper child struck by car baby rescued from pool- teenager electrocuted the village motto says it all tell me and i will forget show me and i may remember involve me and i may under stand handson learning is the key in one room smoke will be pumped in and students instructed how to stay alive and then exit through a window you cant teach that at home several york region corporations have donated money and sponsored buildings but more help is needed 500000 of the 35million cost of construction its money well spent the village will be open year round and is expected to attract at least 30000 primary school children annually visitors will have an opportunity to learn about safety as it relates to roads bicycles strangers water fire inline skates and skateboards adults too may benefit from future programs letters to the editor cultural centres time has come re whitchurchstouffvilles no camelot let ter to the editor by dorothy giuffre may 27 i agree council members demonstrated cour tesy and respect for the positions they were elected especially with their unanimous vote to go forward and explore the idea ofbuilding a cultural centre in our downtown i would however like to correct two small facts first the arts and culture committee was not there to present a plan of action complete with drawings and a proposed theatre structure for the councils review we were there to ask council to take the lead in assembling this kind of information second the role of king arthur was played by councillor ken ferdinands he made the motion to set up a task force to research the information needed before voting to spend money on a con cept plan complete with drawings and a business plan for building a cultural centre at the old town hall site as for the background information on this long- proposed idea all councillors were given back ground information as well new councillors were contacted to give them the opportunity to discuss their questions supply more background information and provide any other information they might want a simple return phone call provided interested councilors with all the information they desired i would like to thank not only the loud and bois terous crowd but also the many who took the time to email and leave voice messages for their coun cillor council certainly experienced an over whelming demonstration of enthusiasm and pas- the stouffville suntribune welcomes your letters all submissions must be less than 400 words and must indude a daytime telephone number name and addressthe stouffville suntribune reserves the right to publish or not publish and to edit for clarity and space write letters to the editor34 gvic ave po box 154 stouffville l4a 7z5 email jmasonyrngcom sion for an idea whose time has come the task force presents its findings at the june 15 council meeting please continue to showyour support by attend ing if you can and writing and phoning if you can not be at this meeting thank you so much for all the support and enthusiasm pammandich arts and culture committee member what fun do vandals enjoy summer is not yet here but our business has been violated twice in the last few weeks first my barrel was destroyed then to my shock half of my flower bags have been ripped apart leaving an ugly mess they had not been up two days expenses aside it takes a tremendous amount of work to maintain these plants and we do it with pride and pleasure for all to enjoy it is beyond my scope to understand what possible fun there can be in willful destruction oneill funeral home anxiously awaits the fine weather to beautify our building and our cor ner of main street with flowers robin l walsh oneill funeral home suntnbune r stouffville j un- a metroland community newspaper 34 gvic ave 3rd floor stouffville ontario l4a 725 phone 9056402612 fax9056408778 classified 18007433353 distribution 9052948244 website wwwyorkregioncom email jmasonyrngcom member ontario community newspapers association canadian community newspapers association ontario press council editor in chief debora kelly editor jim mason reporters joan ransberryhannelorevoipe retail sales manager steve kane sales representative susan berry production manager pam nichols office manager vivian otfeil business manager robert lazurko advertising director retail sales flyers nicole fletcher advertising director classified real estate events management gordpaolucci managing director real estate mikerogerson director of production johnfuthey distribution manager barry black sales manager new business development distribution oawna andrews general manager york region printing bob dean director marketing promotions debraweller shows manager stacey allen classified manager ann campbell off the top with jim mason new daughter will get time with reporter dad after stanley jermain franklin had it all figured out tsns calgary correspondent and his wife andrea were expecting their first child june 27 no problem the former stouffville resident thought even if the flames make the playoffs theyll be gone in the first round he said lots of time to prepare for the big day maybe put an addition on the house or write a book on calgary flameouts before and during the nhl playoffs wrong on two accounts little micah corine franklin decided to be bom may 1 and the cinderellalike flame postseason lives on into june i havent seen too much of my daughter jermain admitted befoie boarding a flight for tampa and tonights game 5 in the deadlocked final jermain left toronto and the fan 590 radio station in september for the gig in cowtown covering the flames and the cflstampeders its been a wild ride and who would have thought the flames would have gone to the final he said not jermain now 29 he moved from philadelphia to stouffville no culture shock there with his family when he was 12 he played minor hockey here and for the uxbridge bruins juniors before grad uating from stouffville district secondary school after earning a communications degree from the university of windsor he worked at the score rogers television and the fan the flames have given him no short age of material from the always chatty craig conroy to the multistoried red hair of mike commodore all of the flames players are gen uinely great guys he said jarome iginla and the rest are all really good they always have time for you compared to the leafs dressing room these guys are awesome to deal with the season will be over by monday and jermain franklin can take a few days to meet his daughter and reacquaint himself with her mother but there might be a parade to cover he said laughing work commitments will keep him from julys sdss reunion but he and his family plan on visiting family and friends in stouffville later this month jim mason is editor of the sun- tribune