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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2016-05-26, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 26, 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 One thing leads to another When hundreds of campers settle down in Blyth for the 19th annual Barn Dance Jamboree this weekend, they'll prove again the value of one of those municipal assets that is sometimes overlooked. The campground at the Blyth fairgrounds has become a major economic driver for the village. Originally it started as a place for people attending the Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association to stay during the three days of that September event but once the campground was created, many other groups like the Jamboree and Fire Fighters Association of Ontario made use of it to hold major events. This month has seen groups of varying sizes use the campground three weekends in a row. The campground is another example of building a stronger community by take advantage of assets that already exist. — KR More black marks for politics The growing number of Canadians who have a low opinion of politics and politicians got reinforcement for their disgust from multiple directions last week. The biggest black eye, of course, was earned by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's loss of temper that inadvertently led to an NDP Member of Parliament being struck in the chest by his elbow. Of course opposition MPs didn't exactly raise anybody's opinion of politics by milking this incident for all it's worth in their first chance to score big points with the public against the popular Prime Minister. If you look at the dispute that caused the PM to throw his temper tantrum, the hope of Canadians that Justin Trudeau would bring a less - partisan tone to Parliament was dealt a blow. Opposition MPs were attempting to prevent the Liberal government using its majority to shorten debate on the bill to allow physician -assisted dying. Certainly the government is under pressure to get the bill passed by the deadline mandated by the Supreme Court of Canada but Trudeau can't make people believe he'll run government differently if he's so quick to throw the weight of his majority around. (The government backed down on limiting debate after the Opposition revolt.) Just in case behaviour in the House of Commons wasn't bad enough, Canadians were reminded of the warped ethics of the Senate when criminal investigations were dropped against Senator Pamela Wallin and retired Senator Mac Harb over dubious expense claims. Given that Senator Mike Duffy was found not guilty of defrauding taxpayers over expenses few Canadians could see as legitimate, the dropping of criminal proceedings was perhaps to be expected, but the spending habits of senators still doesn't pass the smell test for most people. These failures of politicians are about more than news clips on television or comments on social media. These problems will only add to the disgust many Canadians feel about politics and politicians. When people reject politicians our democracy is weakened. We can't afford to devalue the greatest gift we have as citizens of a free country. — KR It's not so simple Whenever Parliamentarians get around to passing Bill C-14 which authorizes doctors to assist terminally -ill patients to end their lives, the bill is bound to be criticized. Many supporters of assisted dying are already complaining that the proposed bill doesn't go far enough when it requires that people must be in pain and that the doctor must see that the person's death is imminent. They want the restrictions to be greatly reduced so that people can get help to put an end to their lives if they are in pain but there's no end of life in sight they or that they can make arrangements in advance if they have a degenerative disease that will see their health decline in the future. They understand their problem and feel the issue is simple. But lawmakers must try to identify possible problems in legislation before new laws are passed. They are dealing with the sanctity of life and they don't want to create laws that might be abused in the future against vulnerable people in society. Our lawmakers must err on the side of caution even if some people feel they're suffering needlessly because of the resulting law. — 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. Wynne Liberals' climate plan calls for replacing natural gas home & business heating with electric... Looking Back Through the Years May 27, 1959 The annual memorial service at Blyth Union Cemetery was set for May 31 and Rev. R. F. Meally, rector of Trinity Anglican Church was set to conduct the service. Meally would be joined at the service by Rev. R. Evan McLagan, minister of Blyth United Church, who would give the sermon for the day. The West Huron District of the Women's Institute met for their annual meeting at St. Helens United Church with a very healthy attendance level. Once the 1959 meeting was adjourned, it was announced that the following year's annual meeting would be held in Londesborough. The Blyth Legion decided to make a single donation of $50 to the Blyth Union Cemetery to assist with landscaping around the mausoleum. May 28, 1970 The Brussels Lions Club brought in its new slate of officers for the coming year, to be led by President James Armstrong after Past - President Cal Krauter gave way for Armstrong to take over. Henry Exel would serve as the group's first vice-president, followed by Jim Knight as the second vice-president and Gordon McGavin in the position of third vice-president. Hank TenPas would serve as the Lions' treasurer, while Cecil McFadden would be its secretary. Glenna Houston was one of 490 students who graduated from St. Clair College of Applied Arts and Technology in Windsor. Houston was presented with the Dean's Award as part of the graduation ceremony. Connie McWhirter, Patty Machan and Shirley Pipe were set to receive the Gold Cord, which is the highest honour in Guiding. The special awards ceremony would be held at the Brussels Library on June 2. May 21, 1986 A plan to redesign the western and southern portions of Blyth Lions Park was approved by Blyth Council at its May 13 meeting. The plan was presented to council by Lions Carman Craig and John Stewart. The changes included the creation of an entrance at the south end of the park off of Gypsy Lane, which would lead to a newly -created parking area for the park. The Lions had been approached about the need for a ball diamond in the village, Craig said, so the changes were what he and the Lions hoped would best serve the community going forward. The Lions estimated the total cost of the project to be $5,000 and representatives of the club said the Lions would be willing to pay $3,000 of that. Council approved the plan with little discussion. Murray Elston, local representative and Minister of Health said that community-based healthcare was a priority for him going forward. Elston said that he and his government were committed to providing top-notch healthcare in Ontario when speaking to the Huron chapter of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, which met at the Wingham Golf and Curling Club on May 13. A feasibility study was being undertaken that was looking at the long-term viability of the Blyth Festival. The study would focus on the Festival in terms of the next 10 years, representatives of the Festival told Blyth Village Council at its May 13 meeting. May 29, 2002 The Brussels Country Inn was the scene of a fire in the early hours of a Monday morning when the owners of the business, Rick and Shelley Campbell, were alerted to the emergency by the building's fire alarms. While the fire was hot and firefighters could barely see due to the smoke, they were able to contain the fire within the dining room and it went no further. The growth of crops in Huron County was certainly moving slowly in the early stages of spring, but a recent shift to warmer weather was helping that growth along — and in the right direction — said crop specialist Brian Hall. "Things are quite a bit behind in terms of where they should be," Hall said. "Yet the calendar marches on, so people need to think about when they should go to shorter heat unit corn." The Blyth Business Association was holding a special sidewalk chalk drawing contest on June 1. Those looking to be sidewalk artists for the day were asked to meet in front of The Citizen's office in Blyth at 9 a.m. to get started. Blyth residents were in the midst of preparing for a special anniversary in August, when residents young and old planned to celebrate the town's 125th anniversary. North Huron Council finally set its budget for the coming year, which included a 4.03 per cent increase to taxes for Wingham residents, while Blyth taxes were set to rise 1.99 per cent and those in East Wawanosh would see their taxes increase by 1.19 per cent.