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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2016-02-11, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2016. Editorials Opinions Publisher: Keith Roulston Editor: Shawn Loughlin • Reporter: Denny Scott Advertising Sales: Lori Patterson & 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 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPT. PO BOX 152 BRUSSELS ON NOG 1HO email: info@northhuron.on.ca The Citizen P.O. Box 429, P.O. Box 152, BLYTH, Ont. BRUSSELS, Ont. NOM 1H0 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 Canada ..ocna CCNA Member of the Ontario Press Council We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or Department of Canadian Heritage. photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright CMCA AUDITED Caught in the middle For one glorious week in mid-January local restaurants and gas bars enjoyed the financial boost that comes with the snow in Huron County, then the snow vanished and with it thousands of dollars in benefits to the county's economy. This is the double-edged sword of climate change. Whether this winter's mild, mostly -snowless conditions are a result of climate change or a one-off impact from the El Nino weather effect, things certainly have been different. If climate change predictions are correct, we can expect more of this middling weather — not really winter, but not really not winter either. The economic impact could be serious. If you can't count on the weather, it's hard to plan. After several milder winters earlier this decade it appeared there might be a reduced future for winter activities like snowmobiling or cross-country skiing in Huron County. Then came the last two severe winters to remind us we're still in the snowbelt. Drivers hated it. Outdoor sports enthusiasts loved it. So did those businesses that served snowmobilers and other outdoor sports participants, creating jobs and making businesses more viable. This year the mild weather returned, saving money on snowplowing and salting, but bringing 90 layoffs at the Sifto Salt Mine in Goderich, leaving snowmobilers wondering why they bought trail permits and insurance, and outdoor -related businesses bemoaning lost business. And yet at the same time, because we can't count on easy driving conditions, we can't make plans requiring travel. Promoters would be foolish, for instance, to book expensive acts into Blyth Memorial Hall from December through March because we still may get winter storms. So climate uncertainty means we lose out on being able to take advantage either of winter or not having winter. Oh well, at least we can appreciate the smaller heating bills and better driving conditions. — KR Me too! Me too! The National (as in national U.S.) Football League's Super Bowl game was held on Sunday and the good news for Canadian television viewers of the game is that this is the last year they'll be "deprived" by not being allowed to watch the game's much-discussed advertisements that seem to be as much of an attraction as the game itself. Recently, responding to public outrage that the same ads aren't available to Canadian viewers, the Canadian Radio -television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) ruled that beginning next year, the U.S. ads must be left in the broadcast. On other programs Canadian broadcasters are allowed to substitute Canadian ads in broadcasts originating in the U.S. if the show appears simultaneously on a U.S. and Canadian channel. The goal is to protect the advertising revenue of Canadian channels so that we continue to have those stations. Bell Canada, which owns the CTV network which bought the rights to broadcast NFL games and the Super Bowl, has challenged the CRTC's ruling in court. But beyond the legalities and the money involved, there's the pathetic attitude of Canadians who feel they're on the outside, noses pressed against the window of the Canadian border, missing out on all the fun our big brothers/sisters to the south seem to be having. Missing out on commercials? Really? Usually viewers are trying to skip commercials. It's a little sad Canadians are so insecure that even missing out on an advertisement can make them feel second class. — KR Who knows what's right? The criticism of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's decision to pull Canadian bombers out of the battle against ISIS began even before his announcement, Monday. He has made himself an easy target for all those who think he's being too soft on the terrorist group. Sadly, there's no right answer to how to fight ISIS. Yes, the bombing of ISIS positions by planes from Canada, the U.S. and other nations seems to have helped the group's opponents slow its expansion. Still in the long run it's going to take ground troops to eventually defeat ISIS and Canada's new mission is to train more of these. As well, we have no idea how many civilians have been killed or wounded by the bombings and how many angry, potential ISIS recruits may have been created. In time Trudeau may be proven to be wrong but anyone who claims right now to know the right course of action has a simplistic view.— 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. 2016: 'YEAR OF THE MONKEY Looking Back Through the Years February 11, 1959 In a special column for The Blyth Standard, John Hanna, the community's Member of Provincial Parliament reported on the return to the Legislature, which began on Jan. 27. "It is anticipated that the session will be a long one with considerable legislation to be enacted and a very determined effort by the opposition to make or find issues for the general election, which everyone anticipated in 1959," Hanna said. The politician planned to file a weekly report on the goings-on of the provincial legislature. Blyth Village Council held its first meeting of February and Fire Chief Irvine Bowes was present to give council the Blyth Fire Department's annual report. The East Wawanosh Federation of Agriculture held its annual meeting at the Belgrave Community Centre, where one of the evening's guest speakers was Colin Campbell, the assistant farm reporter for CKNX. February 12, 1970 The annual bonspiel sponsored by Brussels Livestock was held on a very cold day and the end result was said to be so close that plenty of math was necessary to determine a winner. Hugh Pearson had his hands full figuring out the event's winner, who ended up being Jack Bowman and his team, with three wins, plus eight. Bowman's successes were followed by James Smith, Neil Hemingway and Murray Hoover and their teams. Lloyd Vallance, runner-up in the recent Brussels Public School's public speaking competition was the guest speaker at the Brussels Lions Club's recent meeting. The young man performed his award-winning speech, entitled, "Believe It or Not". Also at the meeting, it was reported by The Brussels Post that Tail Twister Gordon McGavin was a busy man, levying a number of fines that resulted in a good amount of income for the evening. February 5, 1986 Grey Township Council announced the end of household garbage burning at the township's waste disposal site. Members of the council met with waste site attendant Tom Williamson to discuss the change, which was dictated after the township received a "strongly worded" letter from the Ministry of the Environment regarding the practice. If burning continued at the site, the letter read, the Ministry would consider issuing a summons for violation of Section 26 of the Environmental Protection Act. While much of the population of the northwestern United States and southern Ontario experienced an earthquake that measured a 5.5 on the Richter scale, many local people said they barely noticed. Locals interviewed in The Citizen likened the earthquake locally to glasses shaking slightly on the shelves of stores or as if someone had bumped into the chair in which they were sitting. Due to a new policy at the Canada Post level, customers in Blyth, Auburn, Walton and Londesborough were no longer receiving mail delivery on Saturdays. While local offices were still providing services, it was a change at the London processing plant that had resulted in the change, meaning that virtually no mail was arriving in the community on the Friday night mail trucks. As a result of what The Citizen called an "aggressive attitude" towards development in Brussels, an area industrial commission was in the process of being set up and could become a reality in the coming months. Reeve Hank Ten Pas said that informal discussions with representatives of Morris and Grey Councils that showed those councils were in favour of appointing a commission that would include one or two representatives from each of the three councils. February 13, 2002 The Blyth Venturers group was in the midst of constructing from scratch an ultra -light IS ON miniMax 1100R plane, with the help of leader Mike Scott and Jack Seal. The group, as a result of their aviation efforts, had a number of different opportunities as a result, including a tour of Sky Harbour Refinishing in Goderich, where they were able to see a WWII Mustang fighter, which was in the process of being refurbished to its original condition. The group hoped to see its creation in the air by the summer. The Blyth Festival Singers were in the midst of preparing for their next big show, which would be a presentation of "Music for a Sacred Season" at the Wesley Willis United Church in Clinton. Huron OPP were busy investi- gating the theft of a snowmobile from a Morris-Turnberry home on St. Michael's Road. The owner of the snowmobile said he parked his truck and trailer on the side of the road and went for a ride on one of his snowmobiles, while another sat in the trailer. When he returned from his run, the second snowmobile was gone, he said.