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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2016-02-18, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 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 1H0 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 Anything is possible Nothing, save perhaps a lasting peace in the Middle East, could have surprised local residents more than the announcement last week that the Township of North Huron and the Municipality of Morris-Turnberry had reached an agreement to share services. As Huron East Mayor Bernie MacLellan told Huron County Council, no two municipalities in the county seemed less likely to enter such a co- operative agreement as these two neighbours. Readers of The Citizen are familiar with the fractious relationship councils of the two municipalities have experienced, with concerns on North Huron's part that it was providing services being used by its rural neighbour without proper compensation to taxpayers, while Morris-Turnberry thought it was being gouged for fire protection. The relationship reached its lowest point when Morris-Turnberry proposed to set up its own fire service while North Huron threatened not to provide water and sewer services to new highway commercial and industrial development in Morris-Turnberry on the edge of Wingham unless it received a portion of the tax revenue the projects generated. Cooler heads prevailed in these disputes and somewhere along the way the municipal leaders went beyond just getting along to the point they explored sharing services such as public works and building inspection. Will it work? Initial projections show a substantial saving for the taxpayers of the two municipalities. Who knows whether there are long-term savings to be achieved. Over the years there have been many examples where actions taken in the name of efficiency have ended up either with empire building that actually swelled the workforce, or managers being paid more because of greater responsibility. But savings aside, the big gain is that these two close neighbours are now working together instead of feuding. That change in relationship holds huge potential for growth and for a better community. — KR Imperfect justice Sadly — too often — justice is imperfect. Such is the case of the recent sexual assault trial of former CBC radio star Jian Ghomeshi. During the trial there was widespread revulsion at the cross- examining of Ghomeshi's accusers by his lawyer Marie Henein, questioning that often made it seem as if the three women were on trial, not Ghomeshi. For his part, Ghomeshi admitted to so-called "rough sex" but argued these incidents were with the consent of his partners. Henein's questioning brought out the fact some of the women changed their stories while others maintained a relationship with the famous radio host even after he had perpetrated the acts they felt were coercive. The fear is that the grilling these women received will deter other victims of sexual violence from coming forward. This would undermine bringing justice for victims. On the other hand, what's the alternative? Are we to accept that any man who is accused of sexual assault is guilty and should not be able to question the veracity of the evidence against him? No doubt the vast majority of accusers are telling the truth but we can hardly jump to the conclusion that all women are telling the truth. The days when a mere accusation equals conviction should have been left behind in the days of witch hunts. Once again, justice is imperfect. No matter what verdict the trial judge brings down when he delivers his decision next month, Ghomeshi will remain a repugnant character and his accusers will have been abused once more. Still, every accused person deserves a defence. — KR Let's hope we're good guys The Canadian Navy's HMCS Fredericton was sent to the Aegean Sea by NATO last week to stop the smuggling of migrants from Turkey to Greece. Here's hoping our navy is fighting the right battle. There's no doubt the people who are making a fortune assisting refugees to flee Syria and other northern African trouble spots are despicable. Often once they have their money they care little whether the refugees arrive safely in Europe or not. At the same time European countries, for good reason, want the flow of refugees stopped. Many feel they can't handle any more. Here's hoping the real motive is to halt the victimizers, not the victims. — 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. Looking Back Through the Years February 18, 1959 George W. Pelton of Blyth was named reporter and business manager for the Canadian Bowman Archery magazine in the County of Huron. Pelton was a former district representative of the Huron County Federation of Agriculture and the Federation of Agriculture of Ontario. Hunters near the village of Auburn reported that foxes and rabbits were scarce, although, north of the village, a few rabid animals had been shot in the weeks past. Rev. Harold Snell, the minister of James Street United Church in Exeter and, prior to that, at Knox United Church Charge in Auburn accepted a call to start a pastorate at Oakridge Acres United Church in London starting July 1. Two local business owners, one dealing with meat and another propane gas, found themselves worse for wear after taking a toboggan down an icy hill, only to hit a soft spot in the snow. The tobaggon stopped, however the local merchants kept going, injuring themselves in the process. February 19, 1970 The Huron County Federation of Agriculture weighed in on fire protection with four suggestions that were presented to Huron County Council by federation representatives. Among the recommendations were suggestions that no farmer should be without the protection of a fire truck and tanker unless a fire truck with at least 1,500 gallons of water was within range and that trucks and tankers should travel no more than 15 miles under normal conditions. It was also suggested that county council request the provincial government to allow the Fire Marshal's office to conduct county fire protection surveys instead of township or town surveys as to make it a part of county planning. The planning committee for the World Day of Prayer was disappointed that only 70 women from the Brussels area attended the short service of prayer. February 12, 1986 Huron County Council approved taking the first steps in trying to dissolve the Huron County Library Board. Council had hoped that recommending dissolution of the board to provincial lawmakers, a Private Members Bill could be introduced that would dissolve the board and have council replace it. Council voted 25 to six for the recommendation which Reeve Tom Cunningham of Hullett and then - chair of the Huron County Library Board, said would not change the day-to-day operations of Huron libraries. "Each and every elected representative will be responsible to see that the library service is strengthened and maintained," he said. The board had functioned as a committee of council, according to Cunningham, until 1984 when "pressures of certain individuals" changed the way the board operated and followed proceedings set out in the Library Act. The motion was a means of legalizing the way the board had been run until 1984. Despite the change, Huron County chief Librarian William Partridge said he would continue to remain an employee of the county as he had vowed previously. February 20, 2002 Blyth was chosen as one of 35 locations announced to be a possible site of a Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) `agency' store. A press release from the Ontario Ministry of Consumer and Business Services announced that Blyth, and four other locations, could see a LCBO agency store open, but not until after Dec. 3 of 2003. Interested retailers were set to be part of a competitive process that would eventually choose the agency partner. The Blyth Midget Bulldogs captured hockey greatness with a Western Ontario Athletics Association (WOAA) championship win. The team swept Lion's Head in three games over the weekend of Feb. 15 to capture the illustrious championship. On Saturday, Feb. 16 the Blyth squad managed an 8-2 win with Rob Archambault leading the way with four goals. Markers were also earned by Kirk Stewart, Nick Courtney, Shaun Henry and Matt Bromley. On Sunday, the Bulldogs travelled to Lion's Head for game three of the series and, despite falling behind early, the team managed an impressive 8-1 victory. Goals were scored by Micah Loder with four, Archambault with two and Courtney and Cole Stewart each earning a single goal. The Bulldogs moved into the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) semi-finals as a result of taking the series.