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- OPINION 6" ~ "I'M * m Perhaps Health Minister George Smi- therman said it best when introducing the govemment’s plan to put patients and the community at the centre of a new model to deliver health care ser- is where the rubber hits the road," said Mr. Smitherman in a speech about the creation of Local Health Inte- gration Networks in 2006. Well, the rubber that’s hitting the road in the south part of York Region is our seniors, and others, who will now have to spend more of their hand-eamed cash on transportation to get cataracts removed. That’s because eye surgeries once performed at York Central Hospital will move north to Newmarket and south to North York, leaving residents in Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Markham, in partic- ular, in the dark. The network, which is charged with delivering local health services to the tune of millions, says taking the surger- ies out of Richmond Hill and centraliz- ing them will allow hospitals to perform a higher volume of these procedures, which, in' turn, will lead to improved service. Eye surgeries move short-sighted We’re all for efficiency, don’t get us wrong. But nowhere in the rationale to move eye surgeries do we see an acknowledgment of the extra hardship patients will endure by undergoing eye surgery far from home, especially our most vulnerable citizens. Readers told us hopping on public transit and going, say, from Vaughan or Richmond Hill to Newmarket is too costly and diflicult for them to manage. Can you imagine someone trying to get on a bus, post-surgery, with an eye ban- daged? Or being stressed about ordering a taxi in both directions because it won’t leave them enough money for the basics, such as food and rent? What’s more disturbing is the trend to centralize health services. While it may save money, it casually dismisses the strain it will put on people whose com- munities are on the losing end of the deal. It is simply not fair to expect some citizens to accept “a little inconvenience here and there," as Richmond Hill MPP Reza Moridi said in this paper last week. Rather, our local politicians would do better to ensure the needs of their most vulnerable citizens are met, instead of rationalizing what many see as a bad move. lETTERS POLICY The Sun-Tribune welcomes your letters. All submissions must be less mmmmmdmum lncludendlyflme ne number.an mamflhbunem theflghtmpubfldiornot publhhtndmedltfordndty “A In unnumbeom Editorial lmmcnvn Mum W W WI. C! M An" Campbell 7 mmpbollermgcom Enrmm Editor lim Mason jmasonOyrmgxmm Former reeves would be humbled by having streets named after them I would like to take this opportunity to say how thrilled I was to see the names of the former reeves of Stouflville being honoured by having streets named after them. I speak from personal experience because my grandfather, John S. Dougherty, and my dad, Ken- neth N. Wagg. were former reeves. They both took great pride in this town and how it developed. They would be honoured and humbled to know that a sheet was named after them. There are other men, including Ken Laush- way, Gar Lehman, Wmn Tunbers, Wilf Morley, AV. Nolan and A. Weldon. All these men gave of themselves, leaving their footprints for us to follow, making this a better place to live and grow up in. YEM,-â€"WEDO HAVE A CAR, #3 SOME- WHERE UNDER THERE! /’\\ Musselman’s Lake doesn’t need another waterfront park Re: Lake residents. have your say on plans fiJr park. March 6 We would like to encourage all lake residents to share their opinion by filling out the town's survey at townofwscom before March 17. It’s your com- munity, have a say. our family supports the town’s effort into look- ing into the feasibility of having a local park(s) where resident kids and their parents could pursue Auvmmsmc Stacey Allen sallenOyrmgcom 'SbWfi-Tribune B290Ma|n8t WMMLMIG? WWW-com PUBLISHER Ian Proudfoot Letters to the Editor MARCIA WAGG STO UFFVILLE Assistant Classified bmndmuoynngoom Bonnie Rondoau Pnonucnon outdoor recreational activities. However, we are strongly opposed to having another waterfront park Unlike a park in a subdivision, a waterfront park is likely to attract people from outside the commu- nity and we will find that our ‘community’ park. is swamped by non-residents, further stressing the delicate ecology of our lake. We already have a problem with primarily non- residents using our Churchill Beach waterfront park. Instead of paying for water access at Cedar Beach Park a waterfront facility that has all the amenities, they use our community park and leave behind their garbage, human excrement and diapers. What this community perhaps lacks, is a large- scale park. such as the one at Ballannae, one where proper equipment can be installed and utilized and one that hopefully could be maintained to the standards of the in town parks versus what we are now seeing at Churchill Beach. A possible improvement to our already existing waterfront park could be the installation of a prop- erly built play area. Ul UlUull Perhaps this enhancement would encourage w 0 u] d di local families with small children to utilize what The ‘ they already have, lake access that is perfectly suitâ€" moume; ed for swimming and launching small watercrafts Vi cti m and one that provides the perfect setting to enjoy ' 3 beautiful sunsets and the lake’s aquatic wildlife. WhX CHRISTINE LAING 8: FAMILY Ii m MUSSELMAN’SIAKE Tribune b What do you think ? E-mail jmason@ynng.com Bum Manon Robert LazurIco WWW Enmlmcluu .â€".._â€"â€"_v_. HAVE YOUR SAY 905-640â€"261 2 Fax: 905â€"640â€"8778 ADVERTISING 905-640-2612 Classified: 1-800-743-3353 Pu: 905-640-8778 DISTRIBUTION 905-640â€"2612 A York Region Media Group community newspaper We Sun-Tribune. published every Thursday and Saturday. is a division dime Metroiand Media Group Ltd, a wnoiiyowned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. Metroiand is comorised of 100 community publications across Ontario. The York Region Newspaper Group includes The Uberai, serving Richmond Hill and Thomhiii, Vauoian Citizen.The Era-Banner (Newmarkei/Aurora). Markham Economist Sun, Georgina Advocate, York Region Business iimes, North of the City. yorkregionoom and York Region Printing. EDITORIAL Dawn-.mc Yogic R3010! annuc It’s a blight on this remarkably still tight-knit commynity. v That its small-tom charm may be going the way of the VCR is for another day. We’re talking the downside of smallâ€" town life, where everyone knows everyâ€" one’s business, glowing. sordid or indifâ€" ferent. Where your ex-spouse or sibling commits a crime or wins the lottery and the little whispers follow you from the bleachers of the hockey rink and the legion bar, to the frozen food aisle and the drive-thru. Might as well brand you with a scarlet letter. Where sudden death smacks like a freight train running at full throttle. The passing of Pat Madigan, unof- ficially Mr. Hockey in Stouffville, this winter brought it all back into light for far too many of us. Not a’week goes without someone in a hockey jacket or an ATM line-up stop- ping me. “'Hey, MaSOn, did you know what Paddy did for our family?” the stories begin. The legend lives on with tales of Paddy driving two hours round-trip to personally deliver flowers to a friend. No FID on him. When a family new to hockey asked for equipment-buying advice, Paddy went shopping with them for the day. Just to make sure. The memory of too many taken far too early lives on through the families, friends and neighbours. The honour roll includes Court- ney Trempe, Dan McNeil and Morgan Fitzgerald. There have been many others. Through the 19805, it appeared an annu- al rite that a student or recent graduate of Stouffville District Secondary School would die in a car accident. The school wept. The community mourned. If you didn't know the young victim, you were close with someone who did. A community keeps crying. lim Mason is editor of The Sun- SUE-Tribune A black mark on the joy of small-town life with Iim Mason Off The Top Gm MANAGER Bob Dean