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6 Ww-WlmMmm We do have three entrances into our oenuafiomnomeastandsoummatis anopportunitytoinstallsixfighfiflueefor incomingandthreéforoutboundu'alfic. Most visitors have a high school diploma and they visit the library for additional edu- cation; others try to pursue a healthy lifestyle. They are all using common sense I assume they’ll do when parking at the centre. lamly. it seems theTown ofWhitchuIch- Stouflvifle’s engineering/planning depart- mkhmflingmoreandmommadsigns at our famous Lebavic leisure Centre in southStomfville. Ahnosteveryweeklfindnewouesexect- éd,whidlleadstooonfusionforeve1yonein acarofbuan abomlmsqmmmeuml fowndmomflngSsigrmwhichmakmme dfinkdletownhasasurplusofmem. Onesigmdirectingcarsatthetraflicdrcle, isconu'atfictorytoothers'lhreelitdemund- abmxtsigmmuldhavedoneit. May we have seasonal fruits and vegetables year-round, 24- hour TV channels, and bottled water shipped halfway around the world. And stuff! Mygod,thestufiwecanbuy. We can choose from more than I. E T T E R S T 0 Signs keep cropping up at centre Ifthetownwants to adomourleisune centre/library complex even more, then I wouldreoommenda‘study (ashortonewill do) to erect tmflic lights. too. s I approach my 73rd birthday, I’ve been think- ing about my children and grandchildren and what lies ahead for them. We trumpet the enormous sci- entific advances and technologi- cal innovations of the 20th century, but is the world a better place than when l was born? Reflecting on what we leave to our grandchildren, I have to answer with a resounding no. before it becomes a laughing matter. When I was born, there were no transoceanic phone lines, organ transplants, jet planes, satellites, television, oral contraceptives, pho- tocopiers, CDs, computers, antibi- otics or cellphones. Aha. the ‘one-way’ signs are not work- ingatallasdrivemoomingfiommesouth oreachamotseethmMaybeemcfinga dozenormomemhnlhsignswilldo. Yes, things have changed a lot in my lifetime, sometimes for the better. [ETTERS POLICY The Sun-Tribune welcomes your levers. All submissions must be less than 400 words and must include I daytime telephone numbet. name and address. The Sun-Tribune reserves the run to publish or not publish and to edit for clarity nndspoce. w m lmasonfirmgxom WMSL PINION A grumpy old man pondersthe past our leisure parking lots lmcnvn MEDIA Mm Advertising Dauma Andrews dandmmbyrmg. mm EDITORIAL Editor lim Mason jmasonOyr-mgmm 200 brands of breakfast cereals, and last year’s cellphones not only seem old-fashioned, they’re designed to be thrown away. Pills not only olfer relief from the horror of erectile dysfunction, but they can now be taken daily to make us ready for action at all times This is progress? How quaint my childhood seems today. On hearing me talk about what we didn’t have back then, children stare in amazement that anyone can remember such a primitive way of life. “What did you do?" they ask, strugling to imagine a world withâ€" out television, computers or cell- phones. Yes, mine was an ancient civilization, now extinct. When I was a teenager in the 1950s, I developed pneumonia and was near death when the doctor gave me a shot of penicillin. The next day, l was out of bed running around. It was truly a miracle drug. It’s not that I don’t appreciate many of the advances. My first portable computer in THE EDITOR The Sun-Tfibune reported the Rupert Avenue project between Ninth Line and West Lawn Crescent could be in jeopardy. Residents of the seniors’ apartment build- ing at 465 Rupert Ave. are very concerned. Rer4.9%taxhilcemaans$50nwreper house, Feb. 13. When the new condo complex is built next to us, it will add hundreds ofcars to traffic. When there are sporting events in the adjoining park. both sides of the street are lined with cars. Trying to get into traffic from the parking lot is dangerous business. Many of us don’t drive anymore and find it hard to navigate our shopping carts, especially during the rush hour. I suggest sending a York Regional Police officer with a radar gun to catch Speeders. Too many signs mean nobody reads them Drivers are paying attention to the The street is in rough condition and full of potholes. The Main Stneet construction caused drivers to use this route for a short- cut and many are still using it A lot of driv- ers are ignoring the traffic signs, doing twice the speed limit. Senionwammeetfixedpatmlled Classified Manager Dianne Mahoney Bonnie Rondeuu hmndeaubyrmg.mm Anvmmsmc Retail Manager 'SbMfi-Tribune 6290MS. W.W.LM 167 mWnnxn PUBLISHER Ian Proudfoot WILLIAM KUNNAS STOUFFVILLE JACK VERHOOG S TOUFFVILLE the 19805 allowed me to write and send my columns to the Globe and Mail from all over the world. And when my children went away to uniâ€" versity in the 19903, I could stay in touch by e-mail. When I was a child, back doors would open at 5:30 or 6 o’clock as parents called kids for supper. We were out playing in grassy fields. ditches or creeks. We drank from rivers and lakes and caught and Yes, our world now provides a cornucopia of wondrous consumer goods. But at what cost? Special Events Manager Pam Burgess phmgextfi’yrmg.mm Pnonucnon SherryDay David Suzuki Bum: m Cum Debora Kelty ate fish, all without worrying about what chemicals might be in them. When I was a child, the oceans were still rich with marine life, placâ€" es like the Amazon and Congo were still unexplored ecosystems and nuclear weapons and the arms race were still to come. ‘ Each of us now carries dozens of toxic chemicals embedded within us, cancer has become the biggest killer, and we have poisoned our air, water and soil. When I was born in 1936, just over two billion people lived on the Earth. The population has tripled since then. The human rush to exploit resources or take over territory has devastated terrestrial and marine plants and animals. Yes, we leave to our children and grandchildren 3 world of technoâ€" logical marvels and personal hyper- consumption. but at the expense of community, species diversity and clean air, water, and soil. Idon’trememberfeelingdeprived or bored as a child. My fn'ends were lauificd Fax 905-640-2612 Fax: DISTRIBUTION 905â€"640â€"2612 ADVERTISING 905-640-2612 ‘u-d: 1-800-743-3353 at: 905-640-8778 EDITORIAL Bum Manon Dmme Ammsmc Robert Lazurko a. Dimnw'non Nicole Fletcher A York Region Media Group community newspaper The Sunâ€"Tribune, published every Thursday and Saturday. is a division of the Metroiand Media Group Ltd, a whoiiyowned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. Metroiand is comprised of 100 community publications across Ontario. The York Region Newspaper Group includes The liberal, sewing Richmond Hill and Thomhili, Vaugian Citizen, The Era-Banner (Newrnarket/Aurora). Markham Economist Sun. Georgina Advocate. Vbrir Region Business Times, North of the City. yorirregioncom ondYorirRegonPrinting. Almost all of our food was locally grown without the aid of chemicals. And growing up, we were attuned to the impact of weather and climate; we looked forward to the seasons and the changes they brought. neighbours and our surround- ings were rich with biological trea- sures for us to discover and explore. I know we can't change the past, but together we can create a brightâ€" er future for our children and grandâ€" children. Have I become a grumpy old man who sees only the past as won- derful and decries the modem? I don’t think so, but I mourn the passing of a time when commu- nity and neighbours were a vital part of social and economic life, a time when nature was still rich. We know where the problems lie, and science offers many solutions. Now it’s time for action. If I've learned one lesson in my 73 years. it’s that everyone, includ- ing those in government and busi- ness, must pitch in if we want to change things for the better. 'Suhfi-Tribune You REGION hummus Gm MANAGER Bob Dean