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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2017-09-14, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 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 It's about time! Last week Ontario Education Minister Mitzie Hunter announced she's considering delaying the age at which students choose whether to take "academic" courses that could lead them toward higher education or "applied" courses which will limit their educational options. It's about time — in fact it's decades too late. Currently students and their parents must make the choice about which "stream" to take when they enter Grade 9. They are being asked to make a decision which can affect the rest of their lives when they are only 13 or 14 years old. A new study from Social Planning Toronto concludes that, "Without the maturity and support to fully grasp the weight of these decisions, some students are unknowingly following a path which inhibits them from reaching their full potential." This misconceived policy has been in place for nearly 25 years, forcing young people to make life -altering decisions at a time when they're still trying to figure out their dreams and goals. Students who are late -bloomers, those who may have had to deal with learning disabilities or children of immigrants who had to overcome learning a new language may reach Grade 8 without the academic accomplishments of their classmates who have had a smoother path. Streaming, and particularly having to make a choice so early, has always been a problem. What apparently got the Education Minister's attention is accumulating information that there are a disproportionate number of low-income and Black kids in the applied stream. Well, if that's what it takes, parents of all students who are not ready to make a life -defining decision at age 13 or 14 should be grateful if it means this stupid policy is finally ended. Perhaps Minister Hunter could also look at the worth of the entire streaming policy. — KR It's hard to tell the good guys The tragedy of more than a quarter million Rohingya refugees fleeing their homeland in Myanmar (Burma), is proving once again how hard it is to find real heroes. The persecution of this Muslim minority in a predominantly Buddhist country has shone international attention on the lack of action from the country's leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient and honorary citizen of Canada. Until recently Suu Kyi was widely admired in western countries for her prolonged battle against the vicious military dictatorship and her 15 years under house arrest before she was released. Subsequently her party won a huge majority in the 2015 election. Now there are calls for her Nobel Prize and her Canadian citizenship to be revoked because she has done nothing to stop the burning of Rohingya villages which has driven people across the border into Bangladesh. Suu Kyi has denied ethnic cleansing is taking place. Also badly tarnished in this terrible affair is the Buddhist religion. Western celebrities in the past have converted to Buddhism as a peaceful religion, supposedly unlike Christianity. But experts say the persecution of the Rohingya (whose right to citizenship was revoked under the military rulers) is a manifestation of Buddhist fundamentalism that is surging in countries from Sri Lanka through Myanmar and Thailand. The main focus of the world should be on what can be done to help the Rohingya people and to stop the violence, but at the same time the situation with Suu Kyi enlightens the ongoing debate in Canada about who deserves to be honoured with statues or buildings named in their honour. Good guys can become bad guys so quickly. — KR Weathering the storms Nobody can prove that Hurricane Irma, the strongest storm ever seen in the Caribbean and Hurricane Harvey, which dropped more rainfall on Texas than has ever been seen before in the U.S., are products of climate change. It could be that two historic storms within a week is just pure coincidence — but what are the odds? While these storms are pounding the southeastern parts of North America, western areas from Los Angeles to British Columbia, and Manitoba are suffering through heat and drought that has triggered wild- fires — including a record-breaking wild -fire season in B.C. Meanwhile here in eastern Canada, the weather has been so cool and wet that crop experts are worrying that an early frost could kill corn crops before they are fully mature, greatly reducing yields. The jet stream has been stuck all summer, sweeping warm southern air up through B.C. and into the Yukon while funnelling cool air into Ontario. But wait a minute, climate change deniers say, doesn't our cool summer disprove "global warming"? For people like U.S. President Donald Trump, one and one makes two when it comes to climate. It's more complicated than that. Our weather is like a recipe where you change one ingredient and the result is totally different. Too much warm water in the Caribbean can increase wind strength. Warmer air can hold more moisture leading to more rain. Weather is a complex recipe. — KR - And then, Math class was cancelled, so we could go on a field trip to tear down a statue of John A. Macdonald! Looking Back Through the Years September 13, 1944 William T. Abraham, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Abraham of Wroxeter was chosen as the winner of the Massey Scholarship for Huron County. Abraham was a student who was entering his second year at the Ontario Agricultural College and he was the first-ever recipient of the scholarship, which had just been enacted by Huron County Council that year. The winner of the scholarship received $50 when he entered college and then another $50 would be presented to him at the beginning of the new year. The barn of James Michie in Morris Township was destroyed by fire, along with all of the year's crop, on the morning of Sept. 10. The fire was said to have started as a result of sparks from a gasoline engine. The fire spread so rapidly that efforts to put it out had to be abandoned. Michie's adjoining garage also fell victim to the blaze, and while the house was in danger, it was able to be saved. September 14, 1967 The first meeting of the Cranbrook Girls Club was held at the home of Fran Bremner and 13 members attended. Bonnie Fischer was named president of the group, while Marie Velch would serve as its vice- president. Sharon Fischer would be the club's press reporter and secretary, while Bonnie Bremner would be the treasurer. The Brussels Horticultural Society was set to hold its regular meeting at the Brussels Library on Sept. 18 and Ken McDonald was slated to be showing pictures at the meeting. September 9, 1981 A 60 -year-old Fordwich man had been charged with attempted murder after an incident that took place in Morris Township. While details of the incident were unclear, an RR2, Blyth man had been admitted to Wingham Hospital with bullet wounds to his hip and shoulder in connection with the incident. Despite the two bullet wounds, the man, 45, was said to be in good condition. Large crowds made their way to Auburn for the second annual slo- pitch tournament. The demand for playing space was so high, in fact, that the ball diamond in Benmiller was employed to play host to games as well. The Belfast Boys won the tournament's A Championship, while the West Huron Junior Farmers took home the tournament's B Championship trophy. The Junior Farmers beat the Londesborough - area Allboro Farms team on their way to victory. Blyth was in the midst of preparing for an influx of threshermen as the stage was set for the 20th annual reunion of the Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association. The Huron County Federation of Agriculture held its regional meeting on Sept. 3, with all of the organization's directors returning for another term. In the Huron North East region, Gerry Fortune returned for another term as provincial director, with Brian Jeffray, Mary Beth Mann and Jack Stafford all putting their names forward as delegates for the coming year. September 17, 1997 With just over three weeks remaining to file nominations for the upcoming municipal election, very few had indicated their intent to run in the coming weeks. Of the two villages and six townships covered by The Citizen, just four nominations had been filed for a potential 40 seats. Mason Bailey, the incumbent, had filed again for the position of Blyth reeve, while Robin Dunbar of Grey Township, who was at the time the deputy -reeve, had filed that he would be running for reeve. In West Wawanosh, Reeve Bob Hallam was running for the position once again, while Walter Elliott was running for deputy -reeve. Brussels Clerk -Treasurer Donna White said she felt the slow start to the election could explained by a change in the requirements to run in the election. While in the past, White said, candidates needed 10 signatures to officially run, they no longer needed anything, except to fill out just a few minutes' worth of paperwork, meaning that potential candidates could leave filing their nominations until much later in the process. Ninety participants took to the streets of Brussels all in an effort to raise money for cancer research through the annual Terry Fox Run. The village raised over $4,600 for the cause thanks to those who participated. The 90 participants was a big step up for the village, which played host to just 71 runners the previous year, who raised just over $4,100 through the run. Kari -Anne Nicholson, the 1996 Brussels Fall Fair Ambassador, reached the end of her reign as she was called upon to crown Lee Ann McDonald, who won the 1997 Brussels Fall Fair Ambassador competition. McDonald would represent the Brussels Agricultural Society in the upcoming fall fair.