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Fill the void with vour y vote in the Waterleo municipal tion And that‘s the motive to get out and vote ... otherwise the void our absence of attention creates is often unfilled. It has been said that democracy is based on the conviction that there are extraordinary possibilities in ordinary people. Where is everyâ€" ones We start to watch where our money goes when we start to pay taxes â€" then we get mad, stomp our feet and watch the money we wanted to use for payments on our new Lexus go down the drain. That‘s how youth create the "voter void." Unfortunately, it isn‘t until we start to pay taxes and see the cost of things getting higher and higher that we start to pay attention. n my youth 1 assumed, as most Iyoulh do, that the grown ups would take care of everything ... including reading the newspapers, paying attention to politics, paying the bills and voting. Let‘s fill the void Therefore it is imperative that we vote in those people who will best represent our needs to the It is also evident that the lowerâ€"tier governments do not have the resources necessary to carry out this mandate. Faced with the growing demand and increasing water scarcity in our region, it is clear that it is everyone‘s responsibility to ensure that future genâ€" erations have access to clean water. We believe there also exists an identifiable bias in the planning process where development trumps source groundwater protection. We have seen considerable progress fl in the last few years, but the present approvals for development on sensitive f groundwater recharge areas of the WEL Waterloo moraine in the west corner of Waterloo do not reflect the best planning practices to date, and are based on outdated infor mation. Our region is also facing a legacy of water pollution, as evidenced by the cloâ€" sure of the Greenbrook Wells and the chemical contamination of Elmira‘s groundwater. This has lead to the region‘s search for new sources for future wells, and most recently the drilling of test wells in the Erbsville area of the northwest corâ€" ner of Waterloo, close to the newly desigâ€" nated Laurel Creek Environmentally Sensitive Landscape. Water restrictions are already in place and, according to the Region of Waterloo, the "decline in water yields at several municipal supply wells and operational issues in some well fields has necessiâ€" tated the need to begin the process of augmenting groundwater supplies in the region." (The IUS Proâ€" ject Part D1 Water Supply Exploration in the Erbâ€" sville Area, Region of Waterloo). he provincial government has slated Waterloo I Region to grow by hundreds of thousands of people over the coming years. This population increase will put more stress on our community, which is already experiencing water problems, of which water supply is of signifiâ€" cant concern. Clean water is everyone‘s responsibility th your votes LETTERS TC Jan Purvis Waterloo ur By determining how a city grows, the official plan shapes economic development, determines the nature of our neighbourhoods, defines population density, and gives identity to its core. or the City of Waterloo, the Fnext election matters since the men and women that we will elect to serve on city council will be called upon to decide how this city will be developed for the next 20 vyears. Every20 years or so, the official plan for a city‘s development is reviewed and revised. Why does this election matter? MHSI On Nov. 13 exercise your right to vote, and use it to get politicians in office who have expressed comâ€" mitment to the preservation of the moraine. COMMENT Most people are unaware of the hidden costs of destroying water recharge areas. Besides the adverse human health impacts of continuing VID to degrade our remaining groundwaâ€" AUSER ter r(?charge areas, there is a real ecoâ€" nomic cost. Not only will it cost billions of dolâ€" lars to build and maintain a pipeline to Lake Erie, but Lake Erie is an inferior source of water when compared to our existing groundwater supplies. Water is a precious commodity, therefore it is important that we elect water guardians who will take control of the future today to ensure that genâ€" erations to come wili have access to safe local drinkâ€" ing water. Protecting sensitive groundwater recharge areas on and adjacent to the Waterloo moraine is paraâ€" mount. regional, provincial and federal governments. As spokesperson for Waterlooians.ca, a grassâ€" roots organization dedicated to protecting the longâ€" term social, economic and environmental health of our community, I have personally knocked on hunâ€" dreds of doors and delivered information to more than 1,000 homes on problems associated with Waterloo city council‘s approval of draft plan of subâ€" division #DSâ€"06â€"16, which would see the developâ€" ment of three subdivisions at the south end of the Wilmot Line, part of the Waterloo moraine. This is only one of a number of locations slated for development within environmentally sensitive areas of the Region of Waterloo. To date our volunteer campaign has circulated masam more than 12,000 educational flyers, Te and we are closing in on our goal of SÂ¥ 15,000. In our conversations at doorways, it has become evident that our municâ€" ipal and regional governments need to do a better job of keeping our commu~ nity informed on important matters such as the source and protection of our regional water. RONICLE It is the biggest single challenge that will be handed to our next city council. The opportunity of determining our future in this fashion only comes along every 20 years or so. We will need eight men and women with common sense and uncommen vision to take this on. It is an opportunity to develop in a way that better respects our enviâ€" ronment and that also increases the richness of life in Waterloo. This review is an opportunity to shift from a suburban model with unlimited greenâ€"space developâ€" ment to a more urban model where land use must be more efficient and more sophisticated. In overseeing the review of our official plan and adopting a new one, our next council will make decisions that will influence our quality of life, our economic prosâ€" perity and our civic identity. the best and the brightest of our next generation from leaving Waterâ€" loo and how do we provide for them? In short, what is the vision for Waterloo and how do we get there? Bentan Leong Waterioo Marshall Ward is a professor in the fine arts program at Wilâ€" frid Laurier University. Email is welcome at mward@wlu.ca. yearâ€"old daughter‘s love for Elmo has recently giver; wag' 2 am obsession for the Berenstain Bears books. No battgricg, required As with the original Tickle Me Elmo doll, demand for the new toy has given rise to extreme acts already â€" with one perâ€" son being threatened with a gun to hand over the doll in Tampa, Fla. This early shortage of TMX Elmo, and widespread Christâ€" mas chaos that has parents frantically searching for one, has led some analysts to suggest some toy shortages are created on purpose by the companies who make them, ostensibly to drive up the hypeâ€" only to release more in December. _ Regardless, you won‘t be seeing me scrambling amid chaotâ€" ic crowds for TMX Elmo this Christmas. Thankfully, my fourâ€" Last weekend, TMX Elmo was selling way above $100 Cana dian on the auctionâ€"based website eBay. With roughly 45 days left before Christmas, TMX Elmo is scarce throughout the Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo area. Stores like Toys "R"Us, Walâ€"Mart, Zellers and the Bay say they have no informaâ€" tion with regards to when, or if, they‘ll be getting more. Toy experts predict the toy could reach an average bidding price of $1,000 just before Christmas. Rather than simply vibrating like the original, TMX Elmo rolls around on the floor laughing, slaps his belly, smashes his fist on the ground, stands back up, topples backwards and kicks his legs up in the air â€" begging for the tickler to stop. He requires and includes six AA batteries. According to retailer estimates, 250,000 TMX Elmo dolls â€" retail price $50 Canadian â€" were sold within 24 hours of the toy‘s arrival in stores back in September. Few would argue the contest was a clever marketing scheme, and an inventive way to use technology. The Tickle Me Elmo doll became a popâ€"culture icon, appearing in several movies, television shows and one episode of The Simpsons. Tickle Me Elmo even became the subject of an art exhibition at the Ronald Feldman Gallery in New York City in September 2003. Artist Kelly Heaton engineered a vibrating coat out of disâ€" sected Tickle Me Elmo dolls. The title of the show was Live Pelt. This holiday season, on the 10th anniversary of Tickle Me Elmo‘s debut, Elmoâ€"mania has returned with the launch of the new TMX Elmo doll â€" the X stands for 10. The grand prize was a $200,000 cheque towards the purchase of a new house, $60,000 in savings bonds for their child‘s education, a Volkswagen Beetle {decorated in the theme of Elmo}, a new PC computer and a rideâ€" on batteryâ€"operated VW car for the child. Tickle Me Elmo sold for $40 Canadian, but numerous news paper classifieds had him listed for hundreds of dollars. People magazine reported one toy fetched as much a $1,500 US. \ surprise edition of Tickle Me Elmo was issued in the fall of 2001, as W o ‘ part of an elaborate contest to cele I\I‘P\Rb}{‘ALI‘ brate the fifth anniversary of the toy ARTS It was announced that on Jan. 9 ‘002, five of the surprise edition Elmos / would stop laughing. and instead _ . would announce to the people . Tok @ge. Y squeezing them that they had won a § ‘ prize i I + ts Due to the unexpected demand, stores sold out quickly, leaving parents desperate to get their hands on the hottest doll since the 1983 Cabbage Patch Kids fad. Bright red and furry, the Sesame Street muppet character would chortle and giggle when squeezed. After a few consecutive squeezes, Elmo would begin to shake and laugh hysterically. The clerk had one in his hand, and every parent in the gang wanted it. It‘s been 10 years since the Tickle Me Elmo craze swept the nation, becoming the mustâ€"have toy of Christmas 1996. On Dec. 14, 1996, a crowd of 300 stampeded into the Walâ€" Mart in Fredericton, N.B. The mob encircled a store clerk like sharks in a feeding frenâ€" zy, then attacked from all sides. They mauled and trampled the clerk, tearing away pieces of his clothing. He suffered a pulled namstring, a concussion, broken ribs, and injuries to his back, jaw and knees. So what had sparked the gang attack? Elmo. Tickle Me Elmo, to be exact. Tickle me too much ds