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ADVERTISING 9054404612 . Classified: LBW-7433653 Fax: 905-640-8778 The Sun-Tribune welcomes your let- ters. All submissions must be less than 400 words and must include a daytime telephone number, name and address. The Sun-"Imam: reserves the t to. publish or not publis and ” edit for clar- Itymdm. mm I flit Blur. ' York Region Media Group community newspapers The Sun-Tribune. published every mursday and Saturday, ls'a of the Metroland Media Group L1d., a molly-mined subsidiary of Torstar across Ontario. The York Region Newspaper Group . also includes The Liberal. sewing Richmond Hill and Thomhill, Vaughan Citizen.1he Era-Banner (Newmarker/Aurora), Markham Economist - Sun, Georgina Advocate,Yon( Region Business Times, North of the City, yorkmgionmm and York Region Printing. (Sag-Tribune . Boimie Randal}; brome Carrie MacFarIane 1 IM 00‘! Jmuoniyrmgmom Milne Banuille Dawna Andrews dandmwséynngrom 905480-2612 Pu: 905-640-8778 Carbfifrfionnanv ' Dlsnummon Jim Mason jmasonfiyrmgoom lETTERS POLICY Anvmmsmc PRODUCTION DISTRIBUTION 905-640-2612 Waco": EDITORIAL 0 Ifyou aren’tfamiliarwiththeacro- nymHS'Ilyouwillbé. Slated to take efiect this July in Ontario, the new harmonized sales tax (HST) willshifiiesponsibflity of thePST from in g to consumers, adding anadditio 8percenttothecost of everything from buying a house to ordering pizza. Premier Dalton McGuinty says he will make the blended tax consumer friendly. There are some good signs Rebates will be available on lower-end homes. The Canadian Automobile Dealers Association says car prices will drop thanks to the streamlined tax. The extension of the Spadina subway line into Vaughan should take many more Vehicles 03 our roads and offer new service to residents of the legion. quustwhatwillmwhaveinstore forus?: 0 We know the economy is showing signs of coming out of its recession, but there’s that record-high $56-billion federal deficit. Look for spending cuts when Finance Minister Jim Flaherty introduc- es a budget in March. Speaking of taxes, might the Tories revisit its cut to the 681‘ to raise more money? They may have some to time work with this one. For the first time in recent memory, the Liberals aren't threatening to force an election. 0 They won’t help immediately, but two large projects will proceed this year and should pay handsome dividends by the middle of the new decade. The MOO-million redevelopment that will see Markham Stoufi‘ville Hos- pital more than double its capacity by 2014 is making program Shovels should be in the ground next fall. Mr. McGuinty better get this one right. The next provincial election isn’t until 2011, but voters won’t likely forget the health care scandals and HST ifit doesn’t go their way. 0 There will be at least one elec- tion this year. Voters will elect mayors, municipal councils and school board trustees Oct. 25. Political hot spots in York Region movearoundlikeagameofmusical chairs Markham, King. Georgina and Whitchurch-Stoulfi/ille had their day. Now, the headlines over disharmony and ethics come out ofVaughan and Aurora. Here’s a NewYear’s resolution: attend a municipal council meeting. Few do, until they are forced to by a neighbour- hood problem or larger issue. A ground-breaking forfile 83-Ho- metre extension took place last month angjhe line is set to open in 2015. HS]: elections come with 201 0 Happy New Year? Editorial NI N Wm We had no idea what to expect in terms of numbers and the corner of Church and Main was a sea of excited onlookers. I.would like to offer a big thank you to all our volunteers, from the town crier in the horse and buggy on Main (Marcel Bossi, Iustin Altmann and Conrad Black) to the flag bearers outside in the cold, which included local service clubs and organizations, to the many who helped inside the Lebovic Centre for Arts and Enter- tainment Nineteen on the Park, to the Olympians themselves, Karen Cockburn, Mike Harris and Irene van Fleet. It was a great display of support for the Olympics and of community spirit. I had to hold my camera up high to get a shot of the procession over all the heads in front of me. I under- stand the rest of the way along Main Street was just as busy.“ An event of this size cannot hap- pen without help and we had a great response to our call for v'olunteers. In true Whitchurch-Stouffville fashion, members of our community came forward eager to help and be a part of the exciting day. A special thank you to the Com- mittee who worked on making this an extra special day in our town. What a great experience for our town to have the Olympic torch relay pass through our streets. It was so inspiring to see the com- munity out in full force, wearing their red and white and cheering on the torch runners. We had great support for what turned out to be a wonderful day. Legacy of Olympic torch relay lives on at Games, schools Letters to the Editor The excitement will continue as volunteers and councillors go out to visit local schools with Olympic vid- eos and an opportunity for students to have their picture taken with our official Olympic torch, still sporting soot from the flame. Thank you, Sun- Tribune reporter Sandy Bolan. You can read letters, columns and storiwfivm The Sun-Wane at yorkreâ€" gionaom Heather Andrews, Scott Clubine, Rebecca Mustard, Ruth Leblanc, Ste- ven Foster, Linda Mainprize and Kym Pyke. Everyone is invited to come out to Nineteen on the Park to watch the Olympics Live in February and don’t forget to have a look at the torch on display at the box office. Thank you, everyone, for making the day a special one for us all. All the schools in town came out for this event and I am sure all the children left with great memories and Olympic dreams. Only 43 more dayspntil the flame reaches Vancouver to begin the games. ' 6290MSL SUMJMLM 167 WWW-00m PUBLISHER Ian Proudfoot b What do you think of these issues or others? E-mail letters to the editor to jmason@yrmgcom MICOLE ONGMAN MANAGER, RECREATION TOWN OF WHITCHURCH S'DOUFFVILLE HAVE YOUR SAY, STDUFFVILLE Emma IN Cum Debora Kelly Robert Lazurko The standard holiday greeting we spew out every December is not one-size-fits-all. One of our family's traditions involves loading up the SUV for Christmas Eve service at our church, followed by a tour of the entries in The Sun-Tribune/ Stouffville Lions holiday decorat- ing contest. Post church last Thursday, we nibbled on cookies, got lost in a new subdivision and soaked in the lights and December snow. We remembered when we had to load the kids into car seats instead of wondering which one would take over the driver's seat. But it wasn’t all large laughs. Maybe I’ve been doing this job in this once small town for too many decades. We drove past too many houses I know are hurting. Count your blessings. Remem- ber your neighbours during these holidays. It's not all bright lights and good times. Iim Mason is editor of The Sunâ€" "Ilibune. Not everyone is allowed to have a merry Christmas and a happy new year. Too many people have been taken from their families and communities far too early, leav- ing scars for relatives and friends to deal with for the rest of their lives. They were teenagers and young parents killed in accidents involv- ing cars and recreational vehicles, in workplace mishaps or by dis- ease. It's no wonder there's a grow ing number of “Blue Christmas services for the survivors. A few more were taken from us in 2009. They are remem- bered on bumper stickers, tattoos and tombstones featuring their names. They are in many heavy hearts, too. Busmnss Happy holidays? Not for all of us, Stoufiuille with Jim Mason Off The Top Dmcmn, Amsmc, Dls'nununou Nicole Fletcher OPERATIONS Barry Black Dmncmn.