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During the recent federal election, in the middle of the economic meltdown mostly south of the border. politicians were continually asked what they were going to do to protect Canada in these troubled times Media types and financial gurus asked what policies they’d enact to limit the damage here and whether they’d allow a deficit. Editorial It’s lime to manage our own debt10ad Ontarians are also anxiously awaiting a provincial budget. wondering if tight- enm' g provm' cial pulse stnn' gs will affect them and hearing we’ve already had a ‘small’ deficit situation in August. Even before the American mortgage crash and Wall Street turmoil this fall, the non-profit Credit Canada organization warned that the average Canadian was living far beyond their means and carry- ing record levels of debt Very low interest rates and aggressive marketing by banks and corporations have encouraged many Canadians to ‘buy now and pay later‘. Instead of waiting and hoping for vari- ous levels of government to deal with a worsening economy, what are you doing to protect your family‘s financial situation and reduce your debtload? Last year, accbrding to Maclean’s mag- azine, for every $100 in take-home pay, Canadians carried $128 in debt Whatever happened to the idea of sav- ing up for big-ticket items? Those who are careful with money prefer to pay at least half â€"â€" or a significant portion â€" of a new TV or home renovation project, and only finance a part of it Of course that’s harder to do with a home, which everyone agrees is usually the largest purchase an individual or cou- ple will ever make. But saving or scraping up every dollar for the largesbpossible down payment continues to be the most prudent way to buy a house. Maybe you’re not among those Canaâ€" dians feeling the pinch of the market downtum or worried about your pension. But maybe you’re getting calls from credi- tors, or using one credit card to pay off another, finding it harder every month to make ends meet. Ifyou want some help or advice, con- sider the non-profit Community Credit Counselling Services onork Region. Try answering the six short questions ‘where do you stand debt wise?’ on their website communitycreditcounselllingca. It will help confirm whether you are man~ aging your debt, on the edge of trouble, or in a deep financial crisis. We should stop depending on govem- ments to solve our problems. While it may sound old-fashioned, now is a perfect time for each of us to return to the thrifty, penny-pinching days of past generations, and retire or pay down our own debts. lETTERS POLICY than 400 wands and must include a dayfime ‘elephone number. name and address. The Sun-Tribune the right to publish or not publish and to edit for clarity and space. The Sun-'mbune welcomes your Imters. All submissions must be less Stouffville Sun-Tribune I Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008 lmason.yrmg.com Letters to the Editor The Sun-Tribune 6290 Maln St. StoufMlh. ON I.“ IS? lmmcnva MEDIA Marketing Advertising Manager I )awna Andrews dandnm ’sfi'yrmg. mm jmamn®yrmgmm EDITORIAL Editor lim Mason Stouffville 'anything but one of the best places in Canada to walk, cycle’ Re: We’re great place to walk, cycle, award says, Sept. 25. ' It was with great interest and astonishment that I read thatYork Region has received an award for being one of the best places in Canada to walk or cycle. I am a resident of Stouffville and it is anything but one of the best places in Canada or, for that matter, the region to walk or cycle. I am particularly interested in cycling and except for a few new multi-use paths installed in the new subdivisions, there are virtually no places to safely cycle around this town. The only place I have found that is remotely safe is Bethesda Road, and then only on weekends, because the number of trucks that use that road during the week make it a very dangerous endeaâ€" vour. This is in spite of the fact Bethesda Road is designated “No Heavy Trucks”. Also getting there from the centre of Stouffville makes for a very perilous trip as Hwy. 48, Ninth Line, Tenth Line and Main Street are anything but safe or easy. I feel that the wonderful cycling opportunities that seem to be available to other residents of York Region have somehow been overlooked here. I have also had a look at the region’s master plan and feel that what is proposed for this area seems inadequate. It was also stated in the article that linking neighbourhoods and communities was an impor- tant issue. I feel that the road work that is being done on Ninth Line and the proposed work on Classified Manager Bonnie Rondeau hmndmufi‘fvrmg. mm Anvmmsmc Retail Manager Dianne Mahoney dmahonpyfi’yngmm Simifli'li'ibune PUBLISHER Ian Proudfoot SORRY, OUR BABYSITI‘ER DIDN'T suow! 6290 Main St. StoufMIIe, 0N. L4A 167 www.yofloegiomoom Letters to the Editor PRODUCTION Team Leader Sherry Dav sdayfi‘yrmgcom Stoutfville Road would be an excellent opportu- nity to link Stouffville to Markham, Gomfley and Richmond Hill with offâ€"road routes or at least cycle lanes. If this was possible perhaps the resident of Stouffville would feel they are more a part of the region. In praise of Lebovic Centre, staff My husband and I worked the advance poll of the federal election at the Lebovic Centre. We would like to compliment all of the staff at the centre, especially the maintenance staff. We were treated exceptionally well. They allowed us to leave the signs on the door (and had to clean around them) and they put out the tables all three days that we were there. We were also allowed to use the kitchen to make our coffee, even though we were in the way of the swimming instructors. It is so nice to have a wonderful facility like this and have the great staff taking care of all of it. Well done. Lebovic Centre staff. b What do you think? E-mail jmason@yrmg.com HAVE YOUR SAY, STDUFFVILLE moo-u Alger!!!“ Burma IN Cum Debora Kelly lassifia ADVERTISING 905-640-2612 ufied: 1-800-743-3353 Fax: 905-640â€"8778 'IX DISTRIBUTION 905-64016” 905-640-2612 ‘x: 905~640-8778 EDITORIA I. Busmnss MANAGER Dmncmn, Anvmmsmc YOEK RBGIOfl PRINTING DOROTHY MOORE STOUFFVILLE SUZANNE LARKIN STOUFFVILLE Robert lazurko A York Region Media Group community newspaper The Sun-Tribune. published every Thursday and Saturday. is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd. a wholly~owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. Metroland is comprised of 100 community publications across Ontario. The York Region Newspaper Group includes ihe Liberal, sewing Richmond Hill and Thornhlll. Vaughan Cltlzen,The Era-Banner (Newmarket/ Aurora). Markham Economist Sun, Georgina Advocate, York Region Business Times. North of the City. yorkregioncom and York Region Printing. a Dwmmrnou Nicole Fletcher Ylppee. You can start nominating communities for the title of Hockeyville 2009 Saturday. But, don’t waste the ink and elbow grease entering our town in the Kraft contest, Whitchurch-Stouffville. We are not puck worthy, neighbours. Sure, this place has its share of freshly crafted championships. A local record three Ontario Minor Hockey Association trophies this year alone. Multiple girls and boys provincial high school titles. Both ice surfaces at the Stouffville Arena have been fully rented for years. There are waiting lists to play minor hockey. Town council knows how popular ice sports, including hockey, are in this growing town. A second twin-pad com- plex will open on Weldon Road in about 14 months. But, if Hockeyville judges cruised into Stouffville Oct. 18, they would not have been amused. There were 92 people in the bleach- ers of the arena for an Ontario Junior Hockey League between the hometown Spirit and Toronto's St. Michael’s Buzzâ€" ers. That’s family, and a few friends, fans. Euchre night at the seniors' club draws better. TWO years ago, the same teams met before bigâ€"time audiences in the final of the 37-team league. Now. not so much. Sadly, the crowd was devoid of chil- dren. No minor hockey teams. their coaches and parents. No buzz. to see a very entertaining game, won by the Spirit in a shootout. Maybe sadder. we are not alone. Interâ€" net hockey forums talk of small crowds in the same league in Newmarket and Aurora. Save for the Oshawa Generals. most junior teams play to seas of empty seats all across the GTA all winter. It’s been sad in many ways, but Town- to (and its suburbs) is not a hockey town. It’s Leaf Nation, no matter how dismal the outlook is for the beloved NI 11ers. And Stouffville is not a Hoekeyville. lim Mason, a former director of the Stoujfville Spirit, is editor of The Sun-Tribune. Hockeyville? We are not worthy, Stoufiuillites {SW-Tribune with Jim Mason Off The Top GENERAL MANAGER Bob Dean