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Clair Lake Is not a neighbourhood beef s one of the Part 2 order quuesters. we did put forth a roposal that would have allowed remediation of the upstream tour reaches while the fifth reach, Clair lake. was worked out. In fact. this was brought to coun- cil in October 2006, and the city squashed the Man. A . . Our contention is that the envi- ronmental assessment report is flawed, and that the outcomes that were hoped for will not be confi- dently addressed. This is a high-maintenance proj- ect that will see little if any improve- ment without extensive ongoing maintenance that we doubt will occur (historically the city is lax in this aspect). We have done our homework and have science-based evidence that the online pond is a functional asset to water quality and flood con- trol and may need some dredging due to unfettered sedimentation from development. This is n-m an Old Beechwood issue, but a Waterloo Region issue, t's over. Done. No more responsibilities. Our Iyoungesl daughter has graduated from college and turned 21. Somehow, we have shepherded three young women through the minefteld of life to the point where they have all managed to achieve some level of post-secondary education, and are now on their way. we hope, to a happy and productive life. I think this would be a perfect occasion to pass along the helpful parenting tips Diana and l have managed to pull together over the past 26 years of child rearing. These an; tips, I am sure, you will find absolutely golden in making all the challenges of raising chil- dren just melt away. _ _ ok. The truth is the whole process is still rather a mystery to me. _ - A Personally, I'm surprised our oldest child is able to function at all since she was the guinea pig for our parenting skills. Diana and I were children ourselves when she was born, just 22 and 20 years old. We really didn't know which end was up. although we soon found out both c nds were capable of causing trouble. Be honest, We have always told our oldest child, since we didrit know what we were doing, that she can blame us if she turns out a complete mess. This. I think, is both convenient and - comforting for her, although so far she hasn't had to use it too often. Spread out thc time between your children. lde ally, I think the gap should be about 20 years. Any thing less than that brings the kids into competi tion. One thing you don't want to hear is. "You like her better than you like me" If that does happen, I always found the answer. "Of course I do. Can you blame me?" a fairly effective counter attack. Get your sleep, However. be careful when you nap or you could end up with one of your children seasoning your steak with orange juice. Or running around outside naked, And that was just last week, But we leémed a few thirigs along the Passing the parenting test as water quality is first and foremost the issue here. Joint facility will be great for the west side e survey signs have gone up I at Laurelwood Drive and Bearinger Road as the future home for the proposed library and YMCA facility. The project has two compo- nents: the site at the intersection of Laurelwood Drive and Bearinger Road on the University ofWaterloo's north campus where the joint city- owned YMCA/library facility is to be built. and the 15-20 acres just south ofVWstmount Road -- land current- ly used as a comfield with an "envi- ronmental reserve" designation. In late Febmary the environmen- tal assessment addendum was pre- sented to city council. This assess- ment came back favourably for the allowance of any use between a "pastoral meadow" and "FIFA style" soccer fields. Not everyone agrees with what to BRIAN BOURKE COMMENT Take time to learn new things. For example, dads, enrol all three of your daughters in dance at the same time. You will learn how to braid hair (badly). You will also discover the joys of new music, played 25 per cent faster so the dance steps will And you will rind out what it is like to sit in a roomful of mothers waiting for their daughters In other words, you will experience true solitude. And if you put your children in enough activities, you won't have time to find out how tired you are until it's too late. Be patient. Oh. I dont mean the usual patience idea when it comes to being a parent. I mean. be patient. You will have your chance for revenge. It comes at certain times and provides a _ huge amount of pleasure. A“ You know. when kids are growing ‘RKE up, we always try to see how much of each parent comes through in them, But we're all looking at the wrong time You can only really see that when they become adults. Thankfully, ours got the best parts of their mom Her heart, her caring and her engaging personality. They've also overcome the bafpdris of me they picked up. They overcame all the chstaclcs we pre- sented. We are intensely proud of all three women and really couldn't ask for better children. . Hear mom of Brian's thoughts on life with the KOOI. Morning Crrur any weekday momingfmm 6 to9am on Wamioo rodiostatitm 105.3KO0L FM, Waterloo We made lots of mistakes, I'm sure, as we went along. Unfortunately. there's not really anyone to tell you that. and there is sure no formula out there for raising good children. I think we did OK though. They are all bright, independent. interesting young women. who have a slightly twisted view of the world (where did that come from?). are never at a loss for words (really? What a surprise!). and have a little bit of attitude (again, really?). do with the land, so it will be impor- tant for the city's recreation and leisure master plan to be completed so that an informed decision can be made on what the appropriate future use should be. It is equally important that the City of Waterloo hears from the resi- dents on the west side of the city with their input on how best to use the millions of dollars paid in devel- opment fees when our homes were built -- fees that were set aside for recreation and community needs. The 98-plus-year land agree- ment for the YMCA/library and 50- plus years for the (university lands) for future needs... will greatly and positively impact the lives of our residents. A first-class library/YMCA, along with an opportunity for passive recreation. trails and/ or sports fields will be at our doorstep. The best solution for the resi- dents of the west side is to move on with the university partnership. build the joint library-YMCA facility and secure the land for future recre- ation needs, whatever form that may take. hm Butter l Valerloo ihe first time I spoke before the City of Waterloo's elected government was 20 years ago. and the topic that day was pesti- cide use. I teach urban ecology at Sir Sandford Fleming College's school of environmental and natural resource sciences in Und- say, Ont, And I've worked for more than 25 years in one form or another in the hqrticulture industry. Bewhere I go I am asked the question: What do you think {pesticide use on the home lawn? But first a little background. I've found myself involved in the pesticide debate, in one form or another. since 1981. A lot of rain has fallen on the garden since, but the rhetoric around the issues doesn't seem to change very, much. -- _ I've appeared regularly on radio and television. worked for golf courses, garden centres, greenhouses, municipal parks departments, market gardens (farming cauliflower, broccoli, sweet com, cabbage and strawberries), landscapers, grounds departments and in tree care. "I've also held pesticide applicator licenses. and applied or prescribed these chemicals at every professional stop I've made along that joyrney. - A A ._ - l've lectured on the pros and cons of chemical cockroach control in restaurant kitchens. I've conducted research regarding possible pesticide poisoning in poverty-stricken pans of Mississippi where Methyl parathion application rates on cotton are 10.5 times greater than the rest of the state. I've monitored pesticide use at Ground Zero in the weeks following the collapse of the World Trade Center. These pesticides were used to manage New York's notorious rat population after the rats discovered the events of Sept. ll, 2001 resulted in new food and habitat for them. lie knight pekticide safe handling and storage courses at three schools in Ontario - the University of Guelph, Humber Collegerand, oifourte, Fleming _ I've inquired about contraband I "m I pesticides sold in Ontario. Surprised? There is a market for everything illegal, Why would outlawed pesticides be different? Did you think that every 4rgallon drum coming across political borders contains exactly what the label on the outside says it does? Did you think, like so many do. that every member of the agricultural community is ethical? My answer. It doesn't really matter what I think of pesticides. The fact is, more and more Canadians are pushing for a world that includes a reduced level of pesticide use. and they've tar- geted lawn care and the home garden as a place to implement that reduction. Yet. everywhete I go I am aged the same questidn: What do you think of pesticide use or} the home l_awn? _ _ _ _ But to get caught up in the debate is tiring to me. If you lis- ten to some of the people who manufacture or apply pesti- cider. you'll find they have total confidence that the people who developed the product wouldn't release it for public use if it weren't safe. Pesticide debate is tiring They suggest that everyone involved in the application process knows what they're doing and that science has all the answers you'll eye! need. "Tlustysc" they tell gs: _ - In defense of these people who apply pesticides for a living. it must be pretty scary to have a family to ram. clients to please and bills to pay, and know there is a large lobby group threaten- ing your economic existence. "Having said that, I think their argument is naive if they believe it themselves. or a lie told in the pursuit of making a dollar if they don't. A _ -. But if ydu listen to some of the environmentalists who are trying to put these applicators out of work, you'd think that every child who ever died. dies) (“pesticide poisoning. Akain. an argument that simpiy when in set the mun? up for questions around credibility foo I believe these pour-oi-d groups are right about all related issues? No. Are they wrong about all the issues? No. But what I do know for sure is that in these ex:oiogicaily serr sitive times. many Canadians no longer want to take the chance on whether or not these chemicals - created to kill other organisms - are a threat to human health, "ptacuse the precautionary principle," they tell me and they say to their local govemmems They're pushing hard for a worid of less pesticide use David Ward can be reached at dumdefFmdgc,orrca WATEle CHWNICLB 'Wednudly. May 2. 2007 . D