Youth noise and news
by Kaitlyn Blair

So the election is over, the signs have come down and Council has been announced. First of all I would like to take the chance to congratulate all of the members of our newly elected Council and wish you good luck in your endeavors over the next four years.

Innisfil is made up of several quickly growing communities. Each community is different and has unique needs. After living in Innisfil for several years, however, I have noticed that it is very segregated ... not only geographically but also mentally.

Each community plans its own events, and offers to its own residents. Of course, there are town wide events and strides have been taken to make our town one - but is it enough?

So, how do you bring Innisfil together- A community that is separated in so many ways? There has been talk of Barrie trying to take over Innisfil for the past several years. I know for many of us, however, becoming part of a large city simply is not something that we want to do. By becoming part of Barrie we loose our small town feeling, probably much of our agricultural land and historic sites- are those things that we really want to give up? And we'd be losing those things for what real gain?

What about the new Recreation Centre? A great building and a much-needed part of our town, but will it bring communities together? Many people have been questioning it's location since the beginning. It is a geographically perfect area,

as it is in the middle of all or most of Innisfil's smaller communities, but many people feel excluded. Some Innisfil residents will have to travel almost 40 minutes to use the new centre and other residents will simply never get there.

That brings us to another important issue that has been a growing concern over the past several yearspublic transit. With the new recreation centre becoming a reality before our eyes and the vast expanse of land that is Innisfil, it is natural that residents would need some type of public transit system. Unless they have a vehicle of their own, many students, and residents in general, are unable to take part or travel to the different areas of Innisfil and beyond for health reasons, employment or leisure. As Innisfil continues to grow, transportation will become ever so much more important, and as the recreation centre grows from the sunflower field that it once was to a something bigger, it becomes a more pressing issue.

Employment is another issue that seems to face many. Although we want to keep our small town atmosphere, many also want to grow economically. Jobs are necessary in any area. Like the high school has begun to do, available employment, may bring communities together and bring employers and commuters to Innisfil as well which would be healthy for our economy.

So how do we bring our town together?

To everyone who sees these issues as concerns for yourselves or your neighbours, you too need to speak up. Nothing will change overnight, and we can't pick up several communities and bring them closer together, but we can work together to create a better Innisfil that has the services necessary to support it's residents.

All you teens out there who recognize the problems you have read about in this article are things you face every day -- you are the future of this town. You need to take initiative and action in fixing some of the things that we commonly discuss. Talk to your parents, talk to your member of Council and get involved. If you want solutions to your problems you have to step up!

The solution starts today with one voice.

Speak up!