The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

It’s not a cheery subject, but sadly, it's very timely. Carbon monoxide, dubbed ‘the silent killer,’ has already claimed the lives of six people from two Ontario families. In November, two people died in their Kingston home from the poisonous gas, and that same month at Woodstock OPP oflicer, her husband and two children were tragically killed by the same odour- less, tasteless, invisible fumes. In the wake of these high-profile deaths. homeowners are realizing what our local fire departments have been telling us for years. Just like smoke detec- tors, CO detectors are necessary in every home and they do save lives. Neither home was equipped with a carbon monoxide detector. Carbon monoxide can be produced from any fuel-burning appliance â€"â€" a furnace, water heater, fireplace or natu- ral gas stove. The worst part is, victims are completely unaware they are being affected. Because the gas has no smell, it can cause people to lose consciousness without being aware, especially at night when they are asleep. The problem is worse in winter, when our homes are completely sealed to outside, fresh air. With colder weather upon us and more people turning to fireplaces and other heaters to keep warm and cozy, the tragedies could increase. Even if someone has symptoms of headache, nausea or drowsiness, they are too often explained away as having the flu, a bad day, or simple being tired. If you suspect one of your applianc- es isn’t woddng properly and have any unusual symptoms, oflicials from our fire department urge you to leave the house immediately, call 9-1-1 from a neighbour’s home and don’t go back into your house until oflicials at the scene say it’s safe. All homes built in Ontario since 2001 must be equipped with carbon monox- ide detectors. But, still, too many homes aren’t equipped with this simple, inex- pensive device. Yet how many other life- saving items can you buy for between $30 and $60? Too many well-meaning and safety- conscious homeowners don’t realize a CO detector is needed on every floor where there is a sleeping area â€" espe- cially vital in split-level homes and baseâ€" ment apartments. So if you're wondering what to buy the homeowner who has everything, how about buying a new carbon mon- oxide detector for the holidays? It may not be fancy, but it could be the most important gift they ever receive. Even if their home is already equipped with this device, another detector may be welcomed. LETTERS POLICY The Sun-Tribune welcomes your letters. All submissions must be less than 400 words and must include a daytime ‘elephnnc number. name and addms. The Sun-THhune mscrvos the right to publish or nm publish and to edit for clarity and space. Stouflvifle Sun-Th'buneI Thursday. Dec. 18. 2008 Editorial You can fend off ‘the silent killer’ lmnson.yrmg.com Letters to the Editor The Sun-Tribune 6290 Main St. StoufMlla, GM LM IG7 PINION INTERACTIVE MEDIA Marketing 8: Advertising Manager Dawna Andrews dandnvu rsfi‘yrmg. mm mammafiyrmgrom EnrmmAL Editor Ii m Mason Hopefully, MP and PM learned from mistakes during ’mean-spirited’ act Re: Coalition would be disaster, MP says, Dec. 4. and Disgusted by coaltion, letter to the editor by A Adams, Dec. 1 1. First, Mr. Calandra, our new MP, incorrectly called it a separatist coalition. In doing so he distorted both the facts and the truth. I expect him as our representative to at least be objective. Last week, A Adams calls it an abomination. He is so disgusted with the concept that he feels spending another $300 million on an election is justified. I’m neither enthused nor frightened by the con- cept which I suspect would have enough checks and balances to prevent any radical change in direction. I’m hoping Mr. Harper who precipitated the whole crisis with his mean-spirited attempt to shaft the Opposition parties, has learned some- thing about leadership. We certainly need it in these troubling ecoâ€" nomic times. Stouffville’s sidewalks horrible during, after early-winter storms As a dail ning throug Classified Manager Bonnie Rondoau I )mndonufil‘w mg. mm dmahonng.mm Anvmmsmc Retail Manager Dianne Mahonm y runner, who greatly enjoys runâ€" 1 the streets and neighbourhoods of Sif’fi'i'l'ribune 6290 Main St. Stouffville, ON. MA 167 www.yodueg§on.oom PUBLISHER Ian Proudfoot Letters to the Editor TADA! ‘BAKEDALLTHE COOKIE DECORATIONS \ MYSELF! / R. BLAKE TUFFORD STOUFFVILLE Special Events Manager l Pam Burgess nhu rgessfi‘yrmg. mm PRODUCTION Team Leader Sherry Dav ‘dnwz‘yrmgrmn Stouffville, I must complain about the horrible job the town is doing this year in clearing sideâ€" walks. Since the first snowfall, the sidewalks have been either poorly plowed. not plowed at all or aren’t plowed until well after the snow stops fall- ing. On top of that, there is no evidence of any type of salt or sand, meaning the sidewalks (if they do get plowed), become minefields of icy, frozen footprints. Many sidewalks are far too dangerous to run on. forcing me to the road. Also, I walk my children to school most days and encounter children and adults (with babies in strollers) walking on the road. as it's less dangerous than trying their luck on the sidewalks of Millard. streets north of Main or on Montreal Street (if you can even find that sidewalkll. b What do you think of these issues or others? E-mail letters to the editor to jmason@yrmg.com HAVE YOUR SAY, WHITCHURCH-STDUFFVILLE Fhis is an accident waiting to happen Manta r0819} Avg ~4qu Emma m Camp Debora Kelly DISTRIBUTION 905-640-2612 IfDlTORI/H 905â€"640426 I x: 905â€"640â€"8‘ ADVERTISIIW 905-64026]; ied: 1-800â€"743 x: 905-640â€"87 BUSINESS MANAGER DIRECTOR, Anvumsmu Robert Lazurko n S. DYER 871 )l ’FH'ILH'~ A York Region Media (imup community newspaper The Sunâ€"Tribune, published every Thursday and Saturday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd, a Whollyowned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. Metroland is comprised of 100 community publications across Ontario. The York Region Newspaper Group includes The Liberal, sewing Richmond Hill anr Thornhill, Vaughan Citizen,The Era-Banner (Newmarket/ Aurora). Markham Economist Sun. Georgina Advocate. York Region Business Times, North of the City, yorkregioncorn and York Region Printing. a DISTRIBUTION Nicole Fletcher Back in the day, kids lined up in the cold and snow of Carlton and Church outside the players' entrance to Maple Leaf Gardens to get their autographs. It was pre big-dollar sports card shows, autograph brokers and memora~ bilia stores. When a signature on a hock- ey card or photograph was a memory of a meeting with your hero. not an invest- ment in his future. It was a throwback to simpler times at Boston Pizza in Stouffville Sunday night. Toronto Maple Leafs defencemen Pavel Kubina and Tomas Kaberle signed and posed for the residents in this comer of Leaf Nation. The bar was packed with folks in blue and white jerseys and hats. and 41 â€"year-old Stanley Cup dreams. It's no coincidence the eatery is owned by Leafs assistant coach and lifeâ€" long Stoufiville resident Keith Acton and his family. The pair of Czech teammates and tight friends have been on Keith since the place opened a year ago about donating their time for a signing. They hit upon Sunday, with the Leafs on a mini break. All was cool, until ads went in this paper promoting the visit. “Can’t make it now, Woody," they would say, tongues firmly in cheek. as recently as Sunday‘s practice. They even e-mailed regrets 90 minutes before the autograph session was to begin. “They’re both great guys,” said Keith. able to laugh after they strolled in. It says something about Keith, too. that the players, who will make $9.25 million between them this season. pushed for the date. If the rebuild in Leafland continues as expected under Brian Burke, elder statesmen like Sunday's designated sign~ 005 could end up elsewhere in the NI lli. For now. they were kibbitzing with fans, especially while drawing for autoâ€" graphed sticks and leaf tickets. Post-signing. they retreated to the dining room to eat unintermpted. } low small-town, 1 low eiw‘lized. lust like back in the day. [I'm Mason is editor of The Sunâ€" Tribune. SfiWTribune Czech mates meet their fans old-school style with Iim Mason Off The Top GENERAL MANAGER Bob Dean