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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2016-04-28, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 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 Are we weak? Or strong? At the annual convention of the Ontario Community Newspaper Association last week in Toronto The Citizen picked up two more awards, but we keep reminding ourselves around here that in some cases the sad state of the newspaper industry these days means it's easier than ever before to be judged the among the best. The Citizen won third for general excellence in the under 1,999 circulation category and third for best website for newspapers under 10,000 circulation. Earlier we had been notified that we had placed first in our category in the Canadian Community Newspaper Association contest for general excellence, front page and editorial page. (Why the difference between the national and provincial placements? Different issues of the paper were judged by different judges.) The sad fact is, however, that there just isn't as much competition as there was in decades past. Many formerly independent newspapers are owned by a small number of chains which, except for their large papers in the suburbs of cities, don't devote many resources toward serving their communities through putting out first-class newspapers. The actions of the chains reinforce the public's general perception that newspapers are in trouble, but in a session at the convention reserved for publishers of independent newspapers, there was frustration with that notion. One by one each publisher reported that sales were generally healthy for his or her paper and they weren't fretting about the future. Earlier, Heather Wright, publisher of the Petrolia Lambton Independent, a paper she started because the chain -owned newspaper in her town was serving the community so poorly, argued that newspapers that have strong editorial coverage are vital to their communities. Certainly community newspapers, including The Citizen, face demographic challenges in convincing younger residents that news about their community, gathered by professionals, still matters, but for those who care about their community, right now there's no alternative to a good community newspaper. — KR Let's be fair Ontario Health Minister Eric Hoskins, himself a former doctor, increased the ante last week in an attempt to hold down health care costs, by revealing the fees billed the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) by some doctors. What gets lost in the publicity is that OHIP billings do not equate to personal income for many doctors. Hoskins said that 500 doctors billed the government health care system $1 million or more. One ophthalmologist topped the list with billings of $6.6 million — the kind of number that gets taxpayers' attention. What's not known about this doctor, or any of the others, is what his/her expenses were. How many staff do these doctors employ? How much specialized equipment might they need to buy and for how much? What's the overhead on their offices? Without these costs we can't get a clear idea of how much the doctors actually take home. On the other hand, Hoskins has a point that just because doctors provide an invaluable service doesn't mean taxpayers should write a blank cheque for whatever they want. Health care, education and policing — none of these can be allowed to become unaffordable because the people who work within these systems are so well rewarded there's no money left for anything else. — KR Making the rules look stupid When it comes to the outcome of the Mike Duffy trial last week in which Senator Duffy was acquitted of all 31 charges, perhaps the words of Charles Dickens, spoken by Mr. Bumble in Oliver Twist apply best. If the things Duffy was accused of didn't break any laws then, in Bumble's words, "the law is an ass — an idiot". If a Senator can charge taxpayers for his personal trainer, if he can claim a housing allowance on an Ottawa home he's lived in for decades because he says he really lives at his cottage in Prince Edward Island and there's no law to prevent this, then the law is an ass. The Senate must clean up the rules if it wants to maintain any respect. The only good thing about the Duffy affair is that it should make Senate financing reform inevitable. We can hope, anyway. — 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. Canadian dollar revives to a 9 -month high... Looking Back Through the Years April 27, 1959 The Blyth Lions Club held a paper drive in the village, looking to gather magazines and paper for a worthy cause. The drive was heralded as timely for the those looking to clean out their year's supply of reading material during spring cleaning. The Blyth Fire Department gave Blyth's main street is spring bath after the street gang completed sweeping it and taking away the winter's worth of dirt and grime that was on the road. A crop report indicated that seeding operations were progressing well and that some farmers were already finished. Howson and Howson Ltd. purchased the farm of Jack Clark and renovated the barn for an experimental poultry project. The farm was planned for Irvin Bowes, an employee with the firm, who planned to move out to the site with his family to oversee it. April 30, 1970 Debbie Keffer, the 12 -year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Alex Keller of Brussels, suffered a broken bone and severe lacerations to her leg as well as shock when she, while cycling, was hit by a car. Keffer, who was cycling with Dianne Willis, was on the fifth concession of Morris Township west of Brussels when the accident occurred. Willis escaped without injury. The Gentleman's Club bested the Legion members in a euchre contest with 15 tables in play. The club won the gold cup which could be viewed in a local butcher shop. The Walton Women's Institute held its annual banquet on April 22. Forty-six members and two guests were present. A spring festival was being planned for Brussels for May 15, 1970 and Blyth and Belgrave school children were set to perform. A mass choir would feature children from all three villages. All Grade 8 girls were also to present their talents to vie for an award. April 23, 1986 A fire on April 17 destroyed Walton -area the barn of farmer Harold McCallum and nearly spread to other buildings on the property before the Blyth and District Fire Department was able to control the blaze. The fire was discovered by Blyth village clerk Larry Walsh who was driving past McCallum's property on County Road 25 shortly after midnight. A large truck and a grain dryer, along with many smaller items, were lost in the blaze. Morris Township ratepayers saw relatively static taxation due to a $42,000 swing in the municipality's finances. In 1985, the township realized a $16,000 surplus compared to the $26,000 deficit in 1984. McKillop ratepayers weren't so lucky as the township faced a five per cent mill rate increase. West Wawanosh Township Council had a particularly heated meeting when a fire broke out the nearby home of Alex Tilbrook. Tilbrook had to be rescued from his trailer and the flames spread to the old township hall which burned to the ground. The Lucknow Fire Department responded, however, due to low water pressure, the loss couldn't be prevented. An old safe that contained the assessment and tax rolls dating back to 1860 was recovered from the ashes of the building however the safe hadn't protected the documents and there was severe fire damage. May 1, 2002 After managing a provincial and national win in the three years in which the group had competed, the Blyth Communities in Bloom committee decided to pair with Wingham to enter the Canadian Classic Division. The division required a previous winner to partner with a community that had never entered. The group invited Wingham to participate and a volunteer from Wingham agreed to help. The two communities would be scored together and compared against other communities in the competition. Lynn Murray resigned as Huron County Clerk Administrator for unknown reasons. Ashfield- Colborne-Wawanosh Mayor and county Warden Ben Van Diepenbeek made the announcement after Murray had come under fire in a report to council that contained criticisms from county employees and council members. Daryl Hemingway, a graduate from Central Huron Secondary School and MIT graduate, spoke at the school about technology career opportunities. Hemingway was taking a break from his day job at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) where he worked on the space program. Huron County received $415,650 as part of the largest investment in groundwater protection in Ontario's history. The funding, which was announced by MPP Helen Johns, helped to produce information about groundwater at a local and regional level and map sensitive groundwater areas. Locally, it also revealed wellhead protection areas around municipal wells to help the county and its partners develop source protection measures.