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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2017-02-23, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2017. Editorials Opinions Publisher: Keith Roulston • Associate Publisher: Deb Sholdice Editor: Shawn Loughlin • Reporter: Denny Scott Advertising Sales: Brenda Nyveld The Citizen is published 50 times a year in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $36.00/year ($34.29 + $1.71 G.S.T.) in Canada; $160.00/year in U.S.A. and $205/year in other foreign countries. Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, only that portion of the advertisement will be credited. Advertising Deadlines: Mon. 2 p.m. - Brussels; Mon. 4 p.m. - Blyth. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40050141 Canada RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPT. PO BOX 152 BRUSSELS ON NOG 1H0 email: info@northhuron.on.ca We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada. • The Citizen P.O. Box 429, P.O. Box 152, BLYTH, Ont. BRUSSELS, Ont. NOM 1 HO NOG 1 HO Ph. 519-523-4792 Phone Fax 519-523-9140 519-887-9114 E-mail info@northhuron.on.ca Website www.northhuron.on.ca AOCna tom. Member CCNA Member of the Ontario Press Council CMCA AUDITED We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are m Copyright How can we battle hatred? It was truly sickening and disheartening last week to hear that Mississauga MP Iqra Khalid had received more than 50,000 e-mails in response to her private member's motion calling on the House of Commons to condemn Islamophobia "and all forms of systemic racism and religious discrimination". Many of the messages were filled with hatred and direct threats to her safety. One of the more printable messages said: "Why don't you get out of my country? You're a disgusting piece of trash and you are definitely not wanted here by the majority of actual Canadians." Others called for her to be shot, beheaded or raped. Khalid said she has asked her staff to lock the door to her office for their own safety. But in the long run it's the quantity (50,000!) of those expressing hatred that's even more disturbing than the vitriol the messages contain. Canadians must face it, we have many, many ignorant, hate -filled people in our country. We probably know some of them. Following the shooting of six innocent worshippers in a Quebec mosque last month, a man was overheard in a store in a neighbouring town saying the killer's big mistake was that he hadn't killed more. We should probably have grasped the size of this barely underground movement by watching the number of candidates for the leadership of the Conservative Party who are either courting this constituency or are afraid to be too strong in their condemnation for fear of having these people turn their venomous wrath on them. How does our country deal with a problem like this? Facts do no good. This kind of person twists facts to fit their own warped reality. Right-wing websites have somehow made this simple motion by a backbencher, which has no power to create any law, into a "dangerous" bill that would go so far as impose Sharia law in Canada. How do you teach empathy? How do you get people to put themselves in the place of others? How can you make people see that fearing/blaming all Muslims because of a few dangerous extremists would be like blaming all Protestants for the extremist violence carried out by Protestants in Northern Ireland, or Roman Catholics for the terrorist activities of the Irish Republican Army? For some, Khalid's motion has been turned into an attack on free speech. Everybody's big on protecting their freedoms but with each freedom comes a responsibility. Just as the freedom to drive a car brings the responsibility to drive carefully so as not to harm other drivers or pedestrians, so to does freedom of speech require a responsibility not to harm individuals or groups of people. As well, while the vast majority of these angry, hating people will only vent their rage behind the anonymity of social media, they'll share blame if they encourage another Alexandre Bissonnette, the killer of those mosque worshippers, to take violent action in answer to their urgings to strike out. The reality of Canada, ignored by people like those who sent Khalid hateful messages, is that we have had a remarkable record for hundreds of years of welcoming waves of immigrants of different backgrounds, races and faiths and having them, for the most part, settle peacefully side by side and adopt the open-mindedness that has made our country a model for the world. We must find a way to prevent these hateful bigots from undermining this magnificent experiment called Canada. — KR People shouldn't freeze Ontario Energy Minister Glenn Thibeault said last week that he had asked local electrical utilities to stop disconnecting customers who were behind on their hydro bill during the winter. He shouldn't have to ask. A law preventing disconnection in cold -weather months has been tied up as part of a larger bill introduced last June that's still awaiting passage. Yet even without winter disconnection being outlawed, utilities should know better. In a cold country people being left to freeze because they can't pay their electricity bill harks back to the hard-hearted Victorian days Charles Dickens skewered with Ebenezer Scrooge. Certainly it must be frustrating for utilities managers when people don't pay their bills and no doubt some people will take advantage of this policy but a few extra months of non-payment by some freeloaders is far better than people left in the cold by having their power cut off. Whether by law or common sense, people mustn't freeze. — KR Letters Policy The Citizen welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be signed and should include a daytime telephone number for the purpose of verification only. Letters that are not signed will not be printed. Submissions may be edited for length, clarity and content, using fair comment as our guideline. The Citizen reserves the right to refuse any letter on the basis of unfair bias, prejudice or inaccurate information. As well, letters can only be printed as space allows. Please keep your letters brief and concise. %WEED OP! THAT'S WHAT WE rHouGHr.,. ,11.44016. t7 Looking Back Through the Years February 23, 1944 A large crowd of friends and family filled Union United Church on Feb. 20 for the memorial service for Warrant Officer Willis Machan. Machan had been killed in an operational flight on Dec. 13 in the Azores. Rev. S.H. Brenton conducted the service and was assisted by the church's former pastor, Rev. H.J. Snell of Auburn and Rev. G. Hazelwood of Walton. The Ladies' Guild of St. John's Anglican Church in Brussels held another successful pancake supper in the Sunday School room of the church. The guild raised $50 from the supper. February 25, 1981 Murray Elston, a 31 -year-old lawyer from Wingham, won the nomination for the Huron -Bruce Liberals on the evening's fourth ballot. Elston, who was raised on a farm in Morris Township, stepped up when Liberal Murray Gaunt announced that he would not be seeking re-election. Over 1,400 people attended the meeting and casted their votes. Over 100 young people participated in the Blyth Skating Club's annual figure skating carnival. Forty of the 100 participants were enrolled in power skating. Rachel Battye of Blyth and Lori Bromley of Londesborough were honoured for their writing prowess by the Royal Canadian Legion. Battye, a Grade 12 student at Clinton Secondary School, submitted her poem to the Clinton Legion as part of a class project and it would then advance to the provincial level. Bromley, a Grade 7 student at Hullett Central Public School, wrote an essay about her great-uncle that placed second in the Zone Cl competition. February 26, 1997 The Hullett Central Public School Student Advisory Council was busy focusing its efforts on bringing back students from the past to celebrate a 30th reunion for the school. Kittie MacGregor, a member of the committee organizing the event, said the event would take the form of a one -day fair, rather than a large reunion. MacGregor was also on the hunt for old graduation pictures she could have on display in time for the reunion. On Feb. 19, Women's Institutes around the country held special celebrations to help mark the 100th anniversary of the organization being formed. Locally, members and friends of the Majestic Women's Institute in Brussels celebrated at the Brussels Library with a special historical presentation and a performance of the Women's Institute's special centennial song by Alice Brothers of Brussels. Dalton McGuinty, leader of the Ontario Liberal Party, was set to be in Seaforth on March 3 to meet with the Huron -Bruce riding association. Joe Hogan, president of the local riding association, said that McGuinty would be speaking to the local supporters about the problems associated with the Mike Harris government. Hogan added that as the new leader of the Ontario Liberal Party, McGuinty wanted to hear Huron County residents' concerns on topics such as health care, education and the economy. A Wingham woman announced that she would be seeking the local federal Progressive Conservative nomination ahead of the upcoming election. Colleen Schenk, a resident of the riding for 20 years, was well known throughout the community for her work with Mothers Against Drunk Driving and as a trustee on the Huron County Board of Education. In The Citizen, Schenk said she felt change was necessary because the Liberal government's record of inaction had slowed economic growth throughout the country. February 25, 2016 The front page of The Citizen trumpeted that a "major announcement" would be made in Blyth that night. The story then directed readers to The Citizen's website later that night, where it was revealed that David, Steven and Grant Sparling had announced a destination craft brewery project to be constructed at the southeast corner of Blyth and London Roads. The brewery would be called Blyth Cowbell Brewing Company, it was announced at a special event called The Home Opener. They said beer production would begin shortly and that they would break ground on the future site later that year. At Huron East Council's Feb. 16 meeting, Paul Josling, who had served as Huron East's chief building official for a number of years before taking a medical leave, had officially retired, making way for Brad Dietrich to take over the position. As part of a special fundraising hockey game to raise money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Central Huron Secondary School hockey team took on the OPP Ice Hogs at the Central Huron Community Complex.