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\The Waterloo Chrouicle is published ‘ every Wednesday by the Fatrway Grmup. owned by CityMedia Gtoup llm a subsidiary of Forstar Corp. The ccoontent of this paper is protected by i copyright and may be used only tor | personal nunâ€"commercial purposes All other rights are reserved and ‘ commercul use is protubited T make use of this matertal you must first obtain the permission of the ‘ owner of the copynght WATERLOO CHRONICLE editonialorwaterloochromcle.ca sports@waterloochromicle.ca sales@waterloochromcle.ca composing@waterloochromcte c 279 Weber St., North, Suite 20 Waterloo, Ontario N2J 3H8 Phone 886â€"2830 Fax H86â€"9383 The views of our columnusts are their own and do not necessarily represent those of the newspaper Bob Leuschner Dwayne Weidenidort Group Publisher | Group Sales Directar/ Associate Publisher Special Projects Manager mt fidl Ts 210 Retail Sales Advertising Manager, Ext. 230 Sales, Ext. 223 {necoutiumal Standard Settal Nuniber Advertising Sales Exi 222 Andrea Kalex Bob Vrbariac Edtor. Ext, 215. Sports Editor, Ext. 229 ww watedloochronicle ca inadian Patibcations Ma Saues Prod us t grcentient Suciier Gerey Mariine Letters Policy 5% SNKY 2 ISSN 0832â€"3410 40050478 Special Projects 2k 3050, far 2ilk fhll Entmitee Advertising Sates, Lxt. 228 Normal yoa Sudited l Â¥ AWAYAD Canadian péu;ife were snug in their beds; with dreadâ€" ed election promises dancing through their heads. So when out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, we didn‘t pause for a moment to see what was the matter. We knew the miniature sleigh with eight tiny reindeer, couldn‘t compete with all of the jeers. A sleigh full of toys was nothing it seemed to a politiâ€" vian with goodies and majority government dreams. So when that jolly old elf came down our chimney with a bound, we knew it was just Paul. Stephen, Jack or Gilles trawling around. Bah Humbug to all federal politicians sas the night before Christmas and all through the I house, not a creature was stirring but some federal louse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, filled with campaign literature with no room to spare. Their eyes, how they twinkled, their dimples quite merry when they figured their promises would be forgot ten come January. And how their round bellies shook as rach of them taughed, what‘s $400 miltion in etection spending cash? A wink of an eve and a twist of the head gave us nothâ€" ing but dread, especially alter what Justice Gomery said. Â¥et they still doled nut the goodies and turned into |l‘l“\\ What‘s a few mure dollars lor the old public works? So they sprang to the hustings and gave theu etechion teams a whstle Who cares d the people would rather cat thustles And we hesucd themoexihume as they drove eut ot sight. Happy C hnnstmas to all and don‘t forget to vote on election night! "Fitty per cent of our new [HIVâ€"positive people in the past five years) are actually through heterosexual transmission." * 1RA LKE RNNNG AWAY AND JONING THE CRCUS, BUT MIQ WANTS TO BEA _ Strong words Mark Roberts Region of Waterioo Public Nealth VIEWPOINT e e e ESL ruling will affect all of us pponents of the OEn\-‘ironmemally Sensitive Landscapes (ESL) proposal for the Lauâ€" rel Creek headwaters could use a few classes at the Dale Carnegie school of winning friends and influencing people. If they were trying to make an impression on regional council with hardâ€" luck stories about what the designation could do to their future earning potenâ€" tial, and the obvious retireâ€" ment nest eggs some farms have become for farmers, they weren‘t getting very far. Especially _ with the almost slanderous comâ€" ments they were making towards regional staff and council that got people like Regional Chair Ken Serling and Coun. Claudette Millar hot under the collar. They made no headway either hy suppgesting council and staff were in a conflict ol inferest position, and nme of them seemed to want to take up Seiling and prove those wecusations in a cnurtocd But it diad speak to the emation of the imsuwe oft des rgnatimg more than 5.006 acres in northwest Waterlon and â€"the â€" townships oof Wilmot and Woolwich as a special | emaienmental abmest The sanme sizeurs thi efi ed Marter/on ies deearstem eal l acttect net caids propmenty emoners Ires hout thaur Inoetihroods specaad â€" emeenmentd resemn e qsith aghter testiu ons et vchat could hbe done sath orke Limd mow and n the fururme The ind massas HW meoas anid Jn Lind muss is iE sizeurs Ahi and you can understand the farmers‘ lament of how they are already overâ€"regulated. Uhat‘s why it came as no surprise that they‘ve formed their own group to fight this moave by regional govern ment to create a greenbelt around Waterloo and Cam bridge where the province failed to do so. The organization, known as the Environmentally Sen sitive Properiy Owners, have a point. saving they‘ve already partircipated in stewardship _ programs sponsored by the region and are, particrpating m enmvuren mental pactices that some ot the most ardent supports ot the cdesignation hamen‘t BOB VRBANAC ditional emphasis on the common good comes in. What these landowners do with their properties affects not only them but the majority of us that draw our groundwater from the Waterloo Moraine. They say they shouldn‘t have to subâ€" sidize urban dwellers wantiâ€" ng to preserve some parâ€" adise when they have already paved over theirs, even â€"though Waterloo Region falls behind even Foronto in terms of its amount of greenspace. And the problem will grow more acute, says the province‘s environmental czar Gord Miller. as populaâ€" tion growth in this region looks to outstrip our local infrastructure‘s ability to handle that boom over the next 40 years. So though the region has jumped late into the game ol water preservation, the protection of the Waterioo Moraine and its rich well frelds im the St. Agatha area, something must be dane to hold the country line against the nban sprawl we see on the west side of this CHv Phar‘s why the needs of the many in this region jist might outweigh the meeds ut the tew affected Lindexn es amder this plan Butats nod unds thear Tubuge that‘s a cunmcenm. If s Ours Many be Waterbso Reyiai deesn‘t heast te madtin at heerage teaties ut the Nig waia d i aiprment ind asint a Unated Natins prodiee td United ~ hesptuca ibsons dn yOR LaAtE W+ 1N