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As outlined in previous letters, Waterlooians.ca once again requests immediate action be taken to address development failures in Waterloo Region resulting from forced growth. We suggest immediate action be taken to fast track Wellington and Simcoe Counties, Waterloo Region, and Grand River Watershed greenâ€" belts to address these existing marâ€" ket and political development failâ€" Furthermore, on behalf of the next seven generations of the Waterâ€" loo Moraine we request the Region of Waterloo be directed to remove the pipeline to Lake Erie from it‘s official plan. It appears to be underâ€" mining local conservation efforts. Environmentalists call for immediate action from province Both previous communications highlighted the release of Waterâ€" looians.ca‘s Provincial election alert, "Agricultural, water, and natural herâ€" itage protection", community educaâ€" was. Politicians have to do what they say Hardly a ringing endorsement. Fewer people turned out ... and voted for the Liberals. It‘s either a signal everyone was ridiculously happy with the way things are, or just another deterioration in the public perception of the system. Your _ â€" call. es Dalton McGuinty, some might say, now has four years with very few conâ€" crete commitments hampering him (Seriously, can you come up with more than the most vague of promises from him? Seems he learned that lesson}. McGuinty and his Liberals really did get a free ride during the campaign, largely because of John Tory‘s decision to bring the lightning rod issue of religiousâ€" school funding into the mix. But that is where it just begins to get fascinating. The issue of funding two school systems is now on the table. Perâ€" haps it won‘t be dealt with in the next four years, maybe not even the next ten years, but make no mistake it is now very much up for discussion and sooner or later there will have to be some resoluâ€" tion. in the last couple of years, governments have latched on to the idea of fixed election dates and this was the first one for Ontario. Under the old system there were complaints govâ€" ernments controlled the agenda and could decide when to hold an election based on the best scenario for their party. That hasn‘t changed too much. The McGuinty government figured out fairly quickly that while it couldn‘t control the date, it could decide how some issues could be handled. The best example is the property tax assessment problem. The government conveniently managed to put off that discussion until after the election was held. It‘s a big issue if you remember the comâ€" es laints of le a couple of years especially in fhe Torom':)e:r‘::a. bso ago especially Brian Bourke, a member of the 105.3 KOOL FM That, however, will be returning to the forefront morning crew, can be reached by email at in the next few weeks. bbourke@koolfm.com. ow that the election is over, it should be an interesting four years. Much more interestâ€" ing, I might add, than the campaign ever tion pamphlet, of which, tens of thousands were delivered door to door and electronically throughout the Grand River Watershed and Ontario during the course of the Provincial election campaign. We request that the newly elected government of Ontario please interâ€" vene directly in protecting our agriâ€" cultural, water, and natural history from urban sprawl. There are several immediate steps that can be taken to help conâ€" tinue the healing from federal and provincial government decisions of the 1990s. Our areas mounting infrastrucâ€" ture deficit, combined with our legaâ€" cy of industrial water pollution, are posing significant challenges to our collective future today. Conservation is an investment in the future.Our community can no longer leave questions of long term sustainability to the proâ€"developâ€" ment biased, quasiâ€"judicial, Ontario Municipal Board. On behalf of future generations we ask the provincial government to demonstrate leadership on these BOURKE COMMENT So too will the native land claims issue. The occupation in Caledonia has been running for some two years, and now there‘s more discussion of the claim that natives control the land 10 kilometres on either side of the Grand River. The longer the issue remains unresolved the more difficult it becomes. And with the election results now in, there will be talk about the future of all the party leaders. McGuinty has been Liberal leader for 11 years. ommasmames . Expect a move to get some other peoâ€" M j â€" ple to the forefront since his time may EOF | well be up. RKE And of course there is the continuâ€" ing questions about our political sysâ€" tem. Barely half the people who were eligible to vote bothered to turn out. I‘m told by many people there are a number of complex reasons for that. Piffle, I say. More and more people are convinced politicians and the political system are irrelevant. _ It takes too much time to get anything done and there‘s so much manipulation of the issues it has destroyed any faith many of us might have had. _ Tell us the truth. Act quickly and decisively. Make a promise and keep it. _ . _ â€"It all those thinés we‘ve tried to teach our kids. But somewhere the lesson got lost. John Tory‘s future is also in quesâ€" tion since he didn‘t win a seat in the legislature. I feel bad for him. _ He did the right thing by running in a riding close to home instead of paraâ€" chuting into another area with a safe seat. Such are the dangers of the game. He hasn‘t made a decision yet but it‘s a good bet the party will get a new leader. Howard Hampton? NDP leaders usually last a little bit longer than the others but he has to be close to reachâ€" ing the end of the road as well. issues immediately e time has come for chemical companies to admit defeat, retire gracefully and put their lawn pesticides away for good. People and the environment have been hurt in the pursuit of the perfect lawn. We must now give up this pursuit and work with nature, so that we can have green lawns and also enjoy the outdoors. Many lawn care companies have already done this. The rest must either follow or go out of business as a safe clean environment must count for more than money. We must start to save what we have not already spoiled. Time to change lawnâ€"care practices CHI David Wellhauser Waterloo Waterloo The Emmy Awardâ€"winning comedy series, "The Office, "returned in recent weeks for its fourth season on NBC. Since the first time I saw the hilarious, docuâ€"reality parody that chronicles the lives of the employees at Dunderâ€"Mifflin paper supply company in Scranton, Pa., I‘ve been glued to the television every Thursday night, and it has become my allâ€"time favourite show. Melora Hardin ptays the sexy former corporate manager Jan Levinson, a selfâ€"destructing character now living with blunderâ€" ing regional boss Michael Scott (played by Steve Carell}. l jumped at the chance to speak with Hardin last week and was pleased to learn the actress shares little in common with her tragicomic TV character. "This season, viewers will get some insight into the relationâ€" ship between Jan and Michael â€" and what makes them tick," said Hardin over the telephone from Los Angeles. "They‘ll get to see Jan trying to be the best housewife she can be, but she‘s just not cut out for it. I think with them, it will be revealed what their love is about, and that there are so many dimensions to their love." & With over 30 years in the business, Levinson worked as a child actress, appearing on dozens of shows like "Diff rent Strokes," "Little House on the Prairie," "The Love Boat," and many others. In her 20s and 30s, she appeared on "Quantum Leap," "Caroâ€" line in the City," "Boston Legal," "Monk," and starred as Baby on the TV version of "Dirty Dancing. "For me, one of her most memorable, and _ spicy, guest spots was on "Friends," as the woman who gets Ross to talk dirty. Being part of an awardâ€"winning " e * ooo cast has opened many new doors, Hardin says including a role in the MARSHALL Golden Globe winning film, "Thank WARD You for Smoking" (2006), and has proâ€" vided her with the opportunity to direct her first independent film, "You," completed just last week. "It‘s a love story that ponders the question: What if you lost your soulâ€"mate?" said Hardin, who also acts in the film. "In the story, the man is left to raise his daughter on his own. Both my parents are in it, along with my two daughters." Both her father Jerry Hardin, a prolific character actor, and mother, Diane Hardin, an acting coach to young actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and River Phoenix, inspired young Melora to go into show business. Hardin is also a classicallyâ€"trained dancer and a recording artist, having released two successful albums of sensual and soulful music, Meloradrama and Purt, both available through her website, Melora.com. "Music is another aspect of myself," explained Hardin. "Interpreting the lyrics of a song has similarities to interpreting a script in acting â€" they are both very intertwined for me. When singing and performing in front of an audience, I try to fill every moment. Same with acting." "Maybe â€" that would be quite a surprise if she had a voice like mine," laughed Hardin. "If (the writers} can make it work and make it funny â€" they will. If not, they won‘t." o 1 asked Hardin if she thought fans of "The Office" would ever see Jan sing. s . o Like me, Hardin is a big fan of the show as well, and said she knew from the beginning it had the makings of something speâ€" cial. f "I‘ve done so many pilots over the years and, for whatever reasons, so many of them don‘t work out," said Hardin. "With "The Office" though, right from the start there was this amazâ€" ing gelling that happened, with all the actors and their characâ€" I asked Hardin if she watches the show when it airs on Thursday nights, or if she gets a special preview. "I‘m usually a week behind," she said. "But every once in a while, the cast is invited to (executive producer) Greg Daniels‘ house for a special viewing. And that‘s so much fun." _ _ Given how much fun I having watching it in my own living room each Thursday, i can hardly imagine the surreal bliss of watching it surrounded by the faces of Dunderâ€"Miffiin. Marshall Ward is a visual artist and independent filmmaker, teaching courses in continuing education at Conestoga College. Email is welcome at marshall_ward@hotmail.com. Looking behind the cubicle WATERLOO CHRONICLE * Wednesday, October 17, 2007 + 3