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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2017-03-09, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2017. Editorials Opinions Publisher: Keith Roulston • Associate Publisher: Deb Sholdice Editor: Shawn Loughlin • Reporter: Denny Scott Advertising Sales: Brenda Nyveld • Heather Fraser 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 So much for `smart advice' In a desperate move to try to head off certain defeat at the polls next year, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne last week announced a cut in electricity rates which have been the flashpoint of opposition to her Liberal government. The move is not quite as opportunistic as her predecessor Dalton McGuinty's expensive cancellation of two unpopular gas-fired generating stations west of Toronto during the 2011 election campaign, but like that move it attempts to deflate anger by pushing today's cost off until the future. The irony for the government is that, aside from that billion -dollar boondoggle of the gas plants cancellation, most of the things that have gotten the government in trouble over hydro rates have been the result of listening to "smart" people and trying to be visionary. For rural residents, the symbol of the mess in electricity stares back at them everywhere they look in the form of forests of wind turbines. Green energy was/is supposed to be the way of the future. The province under McGuinty, bought into that idea. The Liberals also were convinced by these smart people that the best way to encourage green energy was to pay a feed -in tariff attractive enough to make companies want to erect wind turbines or solar -electric panels. Green energy proponents also said being proactive could create a new industry with companies building turbine components and making solar panels so the government signed sweetheart deals to attract manufacturers. All these deals helped drive up electricity rates. The government wanted to move as quickly as possible so favoured huge companies that were already involved in other aspects of the energy business, which led to sprawling wind farms. Planning rules were skewed to prevent opponents from rallying their local municipalities against wind farms. The result was a sense of impotence and frustration that led to the Liberals being wiped out across rural Ontario in the last two elections. Now, in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the government has accepted the advice of those who support a cap and trade scheme to put a price on carbon. Thanks to this policy, Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk predicted last December that electricity bills will rise by 23 per cent for homeowners and 14 per cent for industries by 2020. Who knows, 20 years from now these "smart" people the government listened to may be proven right. Right now the result has probably doomed Wynne's government. — KR We need more women involved On Wednesday, International Women's Day, an interesting initiative took place when young women between the ages of 18 and 23 from every federal riding in Canada spent the day on Parliament Hill, taking the seats of their MPs. The project called Daughters of the Vote is sponsored by Equal Voice Canada in an effort to increase women's participation in politics. Huron - Bruce's representative is Regan Preszcator, a fourth-year student at the University of Ottawa who is studying English and Business Administration with the hopes of studying for her law degree. The goal of the movement is important. Currently only 26 per cent of ridings are represented by women. We've recently set a record for the number of women premiers of provinces, but that's still only three. There are lots of reasons given for the scarcity of women MPs and MPPs, from the reluctancy of party constituency leaders to recruit and support women candidates, to the reluctance of younger women with families to commit to so much time away from home. But these barriers don't apply at the municipal level which is close to home and where just about anyone can put her name forward for a council seat. Yet today we probably have fewer women councillors than we had 20 or 30 years ago. There's only one Huron County municipality (South Huron) headed by a woman. So any initiative that encourages women to run for office at all levels is to be applauded. Women bring a needed variety of viewpoints to deliberations. Here's hoping at the next municipal election in October, 2018 many more women will step forward offering to serve. — 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. gay... Ilow about this year, jou go IN, and I'll go OUT? • MARCH Enter Yeah! It'll freak em out! 7 e Seaar-etn l 5 • (-r 1i % e -r eM. Jok€S TN NATVR'E Looking Back Through the Years March 8, 1944 Because production of butter had been down throughout the country, rations had been cut in order to accommodate the slow months of November, December and January. W. Harold McPhillips made the announcement, saying the reduction would be made effective by postponing the dates that butter coupons 54 and 55 would be made valid. Alternately, however, residents were told to expect a larger amount of cocoa, chocolate and coffee in 1944 than they did in 1943. Four pounds more of coffee and a half - pound more of cocoa beans would be allocated for each civilian. A large number of farmers were present for a special meeting of the Massey -Harris farmers group in Brussels. The meeting included the screening of several informative films Brussels Clerk George Martin was seeking gravel tenders, asking for locals to bid on the crushing, hauling and spreading of approximately 7,000 yards of gravel over the course of the coming year. March 9, 1967 Linda Wilson of Brussels was awarded with the Dr. McKibbon trophy at the Royal Canadian Legion's centennial public speaking zone competition held in Wingham. Wilson, a Grade 8 student at Brussels Public School, was named the top speaker for Grade 7-8 students in the zone. Rev. C.A. McCarrol was set to be inducted as the new minister of the congregation at Melville Church in Brussels and Knox Church in Belgrave. The special ceremony was set to take place at Melville Presbyterian Church in Brussels on March 16. Gordon McGavin of Walton was elected president of the Huron Liberal Association at the organization's annual meeting that had been held in Exeter on March 3. McGavin took over for William Elston, who would continue to serve as the organization's past -president. March 11, 1981 Blyth Village Council decided to approve a grant of $2,000 to the Wingham and District Hospital. The money would go towards im- provements such as enlarged labs. The Huron Federation of Agriculture hosted a special panel on how it could get more young farmers involved in the world of agriculture. The problem, just as it was with any other form of business, was money to start up a business. Bill Bearss of the Royal Bank was one of the panelists at the event in Blyth. He was joined by Bill Gunn, an accountant at Price Waterhouse. Members of the Huron County Board of Education faced the public and attempted to justify the cuts that were being made from the curriculum at Central Huron Secondary School, which included shop class that would result in savings of $50,000 per year. One member of the audience said that if members were looking to cut costs, instead of cutting courses, it should work to cut the salaries of teachers and other support workers throughout the school system. Board member John Jewitt said that before he became a member he might have made a statement like that, but now that he was on the board, he felt differently. "When you get involved with board business, you can't really believe it. A statement like that is irresponsible," Jewitt said. March 12, 1997 Members of both the Blyth and Brussels Fire Departments spent hours battling a blaze in Morris Township at the home of Tom Miller on Concession 6. Blyth Fire Chief Paul Josling said that fire was pouring out of every window of the house when firefighters arrived. The damage was estimated to be between $50,000 and $60,000. Tom Cunningham, reeve of Hullett Township, and Bill Mickle, reeve of Exeter, were both critical of Huron County's financial disclosure to councillors, saying that they felt money originally intended for capital projects was now being used instead for operation expenses. Cunningham said that it was simply the county's good luck that it was in a good position and didn't have to drastically raise the mill rate as a result. Robert Loree, an accountant with Ward and Uptigrove, told Brussels Village Council that it would be finishing the financial year over $100,000 in the black, letting councillors know that the village's finances were in good shape. The Blyth Atom Bulldogs won the Western Ontario Athletic Association (WOAA) crown after defeating their counterparts from Stephen Township on March 6. The locals had gone into the third game of the series tied at one game each, but they then took control of the series and cruised to victory. The Blyth Bantam team defeated a team from Lion's Head by a tally of three games to one to also capture the WOAA championship and move on the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) semi-finals, in which they would take on a team from Bothwell.