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

6 - "WEEKEND STAR" FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 2001 PUBLISHER.., GEN. MGR...... Don MacLeod . CEE IRN BUSINESS OFFICE: Judy Ashby, MANAGING EDITOR.. Jeff Mitchell ; TTT 7 TAN T° Vrs A Member OFFICE MANAGER.... Gayle Stapley Aocna AVY; E EK EN |B) STAR Canadien Kathy Dudley, Jane Rabin, sis) Wes ADVERTISING MGR... Deb McEachem AE = tid Z Community QW CNA ADVERTISING: Ginni Todd, Cindy Jobin, REPORTER rerteererrerianss Chris Hall Member Ontario Community = "AAT Rly Nr Nr -- Association Gail Morse, Linda Clarke, Janet Archer, Lisa Freelance : Heather McCrae, John B. McClelland, Rik Davie PHONE (905) 985-7383 FAX (905) 985-3708 E-MAIL: editorial @portperrystar.com advertising @ portperrystar.com Newspaper Assoc. ~~ \ Published every Friday by the Port Perry Star Company Limited, 188 Mary Street - Port Perry, Ontario - LOL 1B7 Distributed free in the following communities: Port Perry - Uxbridge - Sunderland - Little Britain - RR Lindsay Janetville Oakwood - Manilla - Seagrave - Greenbank - Brooklin - Ashburn - Columbus - RR Oshawa Zephyr - Udora - Leaskdale - Sandford - Caesarea - Blackstock - Raglan - Nestleton - Yelverton - Prince Albert bom oY; Opinions expressed by columnists, contibulors and ete wrers re not necessary hoss of The Port Perry Sta Laters must bo signed and 1 tlephon camber (which wit not be Monk PRODUCTION MANAGER: Pamela Hickey Production Staff: Trudy Empringham, Daryle Wright, Arlene Cheel, Richard Dre published) included. Requests that a name be withheld will be honoured only i there is a compelling reason 0 do so. Errors Convecion it ay seem oape ediosatonton. We reseve the ight 0 edi of fuse publcaton of any malar) submited. ADVERTISING POLICY: Tha publisher not bl o Sh changes omen a pe Sau sts al nae bo withheld wil bo The publisher is not liable for other errors or omissions in Connection with any advertisement in any subsequent issue of tha refund of any monies paid fo the advertisement. AY clams of erro in publication must be mada by Wednesday, noon, prior to the next week's publication, and, if not made, will not be considered. No claim will be allowed for more than one insertion. OPINION A work in progress Canada Day arrives this weekend, and there will no doubt be lots of celebrating going on; the first long weekend of the summer, fireworks, the nation's birthday, and all that. There are many reasons to celebrate Canada, and being Canadian. The country is consistently judged to be among the best places to live in the world, and has an international reputa- tion for tolerance, freedom, and progressiveness. - And most of us realize how good we have it. It's hard to think of many other places in which it would be preferable to live. But that doesn't mean Canada is perfect. There are lingering issues and future challenges looming that must be met head- on. Child poverty, the economic disparity among regions, and the protection of public institutions such as health care and education top the list. There are also regional tensions that continue to simmer, albeit at low burn right now. It is quiet in Quebec, and the ani- mosity and anger that gave rise to Western separation sentiments has begun to ebb. All of these issues are ones that can be addressed and dealt with successfully by a strong, forward-thinking government, backed by a people that is giving of its opinions and commitment to change. That's the kind of country Canada is, and can continue to be. So here's to you and the rest of us on Canada Day. Here's to living in the best country in the world. Now, and forever. PHOTO OF THE WEEK - Anita Haden of Uxbridge sent in this photo of sons Garrett and Michael fishing on a quiet summer's day. If you have an interesting picture we could use for Photo of the Week, please drop it by The Star office, or ByWalt Radda | pleeserint sora: LETTERS Le YOU UP TO? OH... HEE HEE! T 13; MICHELLE! WHAT'RE SAI Leave the diamonds where they are FIRING A FIRE ) (v. CRACKER PROTO" To the Editor: diamonds." TYPE T'M WORKING THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION? DID You JUST SHOOT DOWN gtrade.com /hometeam I was very interested to read the letter to the editor from Kay Langmuir dated Friday, June 22. Ms Langmuir feels that the ball dia- monds create parking congestion in the Water Street area, and because Palmer Park is also overcrowded she suggests that council remove the diamonds to create more park land, including more room for the Millennium Project's trail. [ have only lived in Port Perry for four years and | was unaware of the controversy over the lakefront ball diamonds. In fact | was under the distinct impression that these dia- monds were quite renowned throughout the province for being an incredible atmosphere in which to play ball. | have even heard council members refer to them (the lakefront dia- monds) as the 'gems of the Port Perry water- front.' This is more than a clever play on words, but it really does describe these two uniquely placed playing fields. I can't imagine any business owner com- plaining, knowing that these diamonds are bringing no less than five tournaments (scores of teams) to town this year, and due to their unique location, these visitors are being drawn to the downtown along with their wal- lets. Last summer we had some friends come up to visit our beautiful town, and when we took them for a walk in Palmer Park area the comments were: "What a great place for ball If Ms Langmuir and others feel that Port Perry needs more park land, perhaps they should approach council and look into devel- oping Birdseye Park which is also a prime piece of land and is a very short distance away. Perhaps the impending Millennium Trail will help facilitate this. These diamonds may not benefit Ms Langmuir (and others who would support her opinions) directly, but they are used by many in our community (approximately 600 ball players of all ages this season) and plays host to hundreds of others. Most of the people who are playing ball on these diamonds have a love for the game which you may not share. I suggest that you rent a movie called "Sandlot" to gain at least some glimmer of what these youngsters (of all ages) feel for the game. During the Canada Day fireworks I always look at the diamonds and think about the kids from that movie and their passion for the game of baseball. In my opinion, relocating these playing fields (and assume the tennis courts too) would not only take away a bit of the charm which brought my family to this community, but it would be detrimental to many local businesses, especially those in the Water Street area. Rick Lepp, Port Perry