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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2016-06-02, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 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 Do the right thing On Monday, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne did the right thing by apologizing for the role our province played in the abuse of native children in residential schools many years ago. On the same day she refused to acknowledge the need to remedy the continued abuse of current First Nations people who have been poisoned by mercury for more than 50 years at Grassy Narrows. In responding to a new study that said the mercury contamination from a former pulp mill could be cleaned up, Premier Wynne sounded like a spokesperson from the tobacco industry of old or a climate change denier, saying more research is necessary before the government would spend tens of millions of dollars attempting to remedy the situation. The Grassy Narrows situation is an especially egregious example of the creation of problems for First Nations people by the broader society, then saying we can't afford to clean up the mess in which we've left people. It was way back in 1970 when people of the Grassy Narrows First Nation began to show the effects of mercury poisoning because they ate fish from the English-Wabigoon River system where water was contaminated by the paper mill. The government's solution back then was to tell people of the reserve not to eat the fish while nature was given the time to clean up the problem. But people depended on commercial fishing for their livelihoods. With no grocery store and no source of income, people ate what was cheap — the mercury -loaded fish from the river. Once the headlines from the initial scandal died down, government (and ordinary Ontario residents) were happy to ignore the issue. As taxpayers, we want governments to spend as little of our money as possible. Saving taxes by condemning people to live in danger, however, is just plain wrong. Do more research on the feasibility of cleaning up the mercury at Grassy Narrows if necessary, Premier Wynne, but don't use research as an excuse to delay solving the problem. — KR No big deal anymore Last weekend's decision of delegates at the Conservative Party's national convention to drop the commitment to preserve marriage for one man and one woman shows that, given time, things that once seemed so important fade in urgency. Delegates voted by a margin of more than two to one to change the party's motion, to the relief of party members who are themselves in same-sex relationships which their party had condemned. The lesson is that things we make a big deal about at one point often seem less urgent as time goes by. At one point people were adamant that women weren't informed or intelligent enough to vote. At one time it was a scandal when a black man, Harry Belefonte, touched a white woman, Julie Andrews, on a television show. People nearly came to blows before the maple leaf flag, now universally loved in Canada, was adopted as our national symbol. Social conservatives who want to use government to prevent human behaviour of which they think God disapproves will no doubt be unhappy by the Conservative Party's decision but perhaps they should let God deal with the "sinners" himself. — KR Refugees aren't going away European governments who hoped that blocking the path of refugees entering the continent through Greece and Turkey would stem the flow of desperate refugees from northern Africa have seen in the past two weeks that when people are desperate enough, they'll find a way. Last week an estimated 700 people drowned trying to cross the Mediterranean sea from northern Africa, while 14,000 people made it safely. Despite the deaths people will likely keep coming because they feel it's worth the risk to escape the misery they are suffering. Certainly the scoundrels who take money from these people and put them on leaky boats should be caught and punished, but even if they were, many people would probably find other ways to try to find a better, safe life. The refugees won't go away because European countries want them to. The problem is so huge that Canada's acceptance of 25,000 refugees is a drop in the bucket. The world can't make the refugees go away. We must find ways to help them. — 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 June 3, 1959 The annual Blyth Union Cemetery memorial service was held the previous Sunday afternoon, conducted by Rev. R. F. Mealy, assisted by Rev. R. Evan McLagan. Music for the service was provided by Mrs. W. Van Egmond, who played the accordion, while members of the Blyth Legion Ladies Auxiliary led in the singing of the hymns. The East Wawanosh Federation of Agriculture held a meeting at the Belgrave Arena and attendance was below usual, which President Elmer Ireland suggested was due to the delayed seeding weather. Four Hereford cattle weighing approximately 500 pounds died and seven more were gravely ill on the farm of Nelson Patterson. The local veterinarian declared that the animals were sick with lead poisoning. It was thought that the animals ate painted paper placed in the yard awaiting disposal. June 4, 1970 Douglas George Elliott, the son of Mr. and Mrs. George Elliott of Brussels, received a National Research Council scholarship from the University of Waterloo, after graduating with honours with a Bachelor of Mathematics degrees. Elliott, thanks to the scholarship, was set to return to the school in the fall to begin studying towards his Master's degree. Connie McWhirter, Patty Machan and Shirley Pipe all received the Gold Cord, handed out by the Brussels Girl Guides. The Gold Cord is the highest honour in guiding and Ken Scott, principal of Brussels Public School, handed out the honours, as he knew the girls from their days as his students. The St. John's Masonic Lodge welcomed two new members, Stewart McCall and Herbert Traviss. Both were residents of Walton and were received into the Brussels Lodge by affiliation with the Seaforth Lodge. May 28, 1986 Registration for swimming lessons at the new Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Swimming Pool was impressive, with over 300 young people registering for lessons. Sharon Scott, head supervisor, said she expected registration to climb even higher as local students enrol in more than one course for the summer. Rehearsals for the 12th annual Blyth Festival were beginning, led by those in town to perform in Another Season's Promise, written by Anne Chislett and Keith Roulston. Miles Potter was in Blyth to direct the show, while David Fox was also at the Festival as the show's star. The Belgrave Women's Institute marked a special occasion as members gathered to celebrate the group's 75th anniversary. One of the ways members chose to celebrate was with a large birthday cake, which was cut by Sara Anderson, the club's oldest member. The Huron County Board of Education swapped around several local principals in order to keep with its system, devised the previous year. Ken Scott, a Londesborough native, replaced Bill Stevenson at East Wawanosh Public School. Stevenson was going on leave, making way for Scott. Scott, who had been the principal at Brussels Public School, was being replaced with Grey Township Public School principal Jim Axtmann and newcomer Rick Whitely, the vice- principal at Wingham Public School, would take over for Axtmann at Grey Township school. All four of the new principals, The Citizen reported, had been with the Huron County Board of Education since it began in 1960. June 5, 2002 In preparation for Blyth's upcoming 125th anniversary, organizers were running a photo contest aimed at showing off Blyth in a number of categories: portrait, landscape, close-up, garden and animal. In a subsequent report on the fire that caused $30,000 worth of damage at the Brussels Country Inn, Brussels Fire Chief Murray McArter said that the cause of the blaze was careless smoking. He also stated that the fire began in the hotel's dining room. The Ethel United Church marked a major milestone, holding a special service to coincide with its 125th anniversary. Huron East Council approved its budget for 2002 with a 10 per cent increase to the levy. Treasurer Brad Knight said that while the increase may have seemed extreme around the council table, after conducting some research he found that the proposed levy increase in Huron East was in line with those proposed in neighbouring municipalities. Future planning for school busing throughout the Avon Maitland District School Board's catchment area was set to have a costly effect on the board. The busing would use "optimal routing solutions" for the area, created by a Waterloo -based software company.