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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2016-04-14, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 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 How did we get fouled up? The fact that both Huron East and North Huron Councils are even contemplating closing local arenas shows how fouled up rural municipal government is these days. A big part of the problem is beyond the control of local councillors. Way back in the late 1990s the shuffling of responsibilities between the province and municipalities imposed policing costs on rural areas that had never had a police force previously. Rural areas were forced to pick up the cost of Ontario Provincial Police without any ability to control those costs. Basically they were forced to sign a blank cheque that just keeps getting more and more out of control. At the same time, the current Liberal government has been cutting financial support to many rural municipalities. An additional problem for arenas is that the Liberals have permitted soaring electricity rates and electricity is a major cost in making ice. But before we throw up our hands and blame the problem on somebody else, we also need to remember the attitude changes we've accepted in our own communities with the growth of government. When villages like Brussels and Blyth first built arenas they were constructed through community fundraising and operated often with volunteer labour (there might be one winter -only arena manager who worked long hours). When those original arenas were replaced with today's facilities 40 years ago, staff began to grow but until municipal amalgamation people in each community still felt they had to step up if they wanted an arena — the kind of effort still seen in places like Belgrave and Belmore. Municipal amalgamation distanced people from the sense they had a responsibility if they wanted facilities like arenas in their community. Weary volunteers were happy to step back and let paid municipal staff take over. It's part of the professionalization of rural society, a move to make rural areas more like urban centres, whether we can afford it or not. We saw the same evolution in education from community-based school boards to larger and larger boards which eventually told communities they couldn't afford to give them schools anymore. As municipalities grew, so did the number of staff, and so did staff remuneration. Councils, afraid to lose staff to other municipalities who were also spending beyond their means, made sure employees got raises every year – at a very least a cost of living increase. As they did so municipal salaries became more and more out of line with the salaries of the taxpayers who are paying them. Now councils start their budgetting process knowing they must find more money for staff salaries each year at a time when other costs are going up and provincial support is declining, so they start looking at cutting the services that make our communities our communities. We have all lost our way. One of the strengths of rural communities has long been the ability to work together as volunteers to support services, like arenas, that we couldn't afford if we tried to live like urban areas. When we stop working together, when we decide that government can pay for everything and that the people running government should be paid more than the citizens who pay the bills, we're going to find we can no longer afford the lifestyle we used to live. – KR Tax cheating is a plague The giant leak of documents last week from a Panamanian law firm that sets up shell companies to help the world's wealthy to hide income from tax collectors illustrated again there are different rules for the rich than for the rest of us. Money buys privilege. Desperate people risking their lives to escape war in Syria may be blocked at borders but money travels freely, thanks to trade agreements that are often initiated at the request of, and for the benefit of the ultra -rich. But the exposure of how the rich play the rest of us for suckers, hiding their immense income and letting the little guy pay the bill, threatens to undermine our very society. In countries like Greece and Italy, ordinary people, tired of being played for suckers, began avoiding taxes too. It left their governments unable to pay their bills. If ordinary Canadians taxpayers decide that they have as much right to cheat the government as the wealthy we will build an ugly, impoverished society. Governments must stop this plague of tax cheating before it spreads. – 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. 1 Ont. government to spend $60 Million on 'Renewed Math Strategy' TRY TO KEEP UP••. 14" Looking Back Through the Years April 15, 1959 Anne Phillips McCreary of New York, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Phillips, received her graduate assistantship in elementary education from the School of Education at Cornell University. A graduate of Stratford Normal School, McCreary had taught school in a number of locations across North America, including Ottawa, Iowa, Manitoba and New York. A brass altar rail, a gift from the Diocesan Chancel Guild, was dedicated at the Blyth Anglican Church by Rev. Robert Mealy. It was said to greatly enhance the beauty of the church. Church representatives said they were indebted to Jack Nethery, who volunteered to put the altar rail in its new position. April 16, 1970 The Brussels Lions Club held its annual ladies' night at the Brussels United Church. The meeting was presided over by President Cal Krauter and included a meal served by the women of the United Church. The Majestic Women's Institute held its annual dinner meeting with 43 members in attendance. The special guest for the evening was Mrs. Lyle Murray of Clifford, president of the East Huron District of the Women's Institute. The Grey Central Home and School Association met at the local school, where a number of initiatives were approved. The group approved sending two delegates to the annual meeting of the Home and School Association, which was set to be held May 5 in Toronto. The Belgrave Men's Choir was set to hold a special evening of music at East Wawanosh Public School. Adults could take in the show for $1 each, while public school students would have to pay 50 cents each for the pleasure. April 9, 1986 Thanks to a new agreement with Morris Township, garbage disposal costs in Brussels were potentially about to double. The additional costs came as a result of using the Morris Township Waste Disposal site. The cost to Brussels the previous year, in which Brussels paid 55 per cent of the cost, was $6,200. With the Ministry of the Environment imposing stiffer rules against waste burning, Morris Township Council had budgetted $20,000 for operation of the site, which, under the previous agreement, would mean Brussels' costs would be $11,000. In addition, Brussels was being asked to pay a greater share of the cost, which would raise potential costs to $12,000. While councillors were disappointed with the rising waste costs, they realized that it would cost much more to find a new site and Councillor Dave Boynton said the additional cost was worth it to have a good relationship with the village's neighbours. Controversy over the yet -to -be - built Brussels swimming pool continued to swirl as Brussels Village Council was asked to approve a recommendation from the Brussels Lions Club regarding tenders for construction of the pool and a new building. Deputy -Clerk Ruth Sauve said that while there was no formal agreement between the village and the club, the club had written a letter to council pledging to pay back all of its pool -related debt, plus interest, in the next three years. April 17, 2002 For the first time in a great number of years, Ontario's Minister of Agriculture would come from Huron County. Huron -Bruce MPP Helen Johns was sworn in as the province's Minister of Agriculture and Food as part of Premier Ernie Eves' new cabinet. Huron County Federation of Agriculture President Charles Regele said the move was extremely positive for Huron County agriculture. He said that Johns' understanding of agriculture had certainly improved in recent years. The issue of policing in North Huron was again on the table, but council decided to maintain the status quo with its local police force. The decision came as the result of correspondence from the Ontario Civilian Commission on Police Services, which rejected the North Huron -wide OPP contract. "Accordingly, we regretfully do not consent to the termination of members of the Wingham Police Service for the purpose of abolishing that force," the decision stated. The Citizen placed first in the Best Editorial category of the Ontario Community Newspaper Association's annual awards. Topping the province's editorials for the year was a piece written by Publisher Keith Roulston on the downloading of the tax burden. It was chosen first of 88 entries in the category. The judges called Roulston's work "brilliant" saying it was balanced and analytical. Challenges at budget time continued for Huron East Council, which found itself nearly $200,000 short of a balanced budget, despite a proposed increase of seven per cent to the municipal portion of the tax levy.