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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2016-07-14, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2016. Editorials Opinions Publisher: Keith Roulston Editor: Shawn Loughlin • Reporter: Denny Scott Advertising Sales: Lori Patterson, Brenda Nyveld & Dawn MacLeod 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 Fixing a medical muddle Somewhat tentatively, Huron County councillors voted last week to support the expansion of the Wingham and District Hospital to the tune of $500,000 knowing that in doing so, they're opening themselves to similar requests in future from the county's four other hospitals. Medical services are a provincial responsibility but the reality is that if the community and municipalities don't contribute financially, our rural communities may not have the services we want. While none of us wants to pay higher municipal taxes to support hospitals, neither do we want to travel an hour or more to get medical care. If we depend on the province to pick up the entire bill, we may be caught in its centralizing philosophy and lose our local hospitals. Huron County's grant to the Wingham hospital, even if it leads to similar requests from other hospitals, is a worthwhile investment in the county's health care. — KR This reform's not enough Ontario's Liberal government has introduced the legislation to reform election finances but critics say it doesn't go far enough. They're right. The proposed changes came after the media embarrassed the government with reports that corporations paid thousands of dollars to attend small private events where they could meet Premier Kathleen Wynne or some of her cabinet ministers. The proposed reform would still allow such cash -for -access fundraisers to take place, though it does restrict how much companies and wealthy individuals can donate. The Liberals argue there's nothing fishy about these events where companies pay to attend small gatherings with the premier or cabinet ministers but who can know for sure? The perception is terrible — that the wealthy get special access to our political leaders — and undermines public faith in the democratic process. So too, does allowing companies and unions to assign their employees to work for free on the campaign of political parties — a donation that doesn't even show up when parties report their campaign spending. Many people see politics as a dirty game in which they refuse to take part by voting. We must rebuild public trust in democracy. The first step is to eliminate any perception that corporations and the wealthy have a privileged relationship to politicians. — KR We're more than skin deep The horrible violence in the U.S. in the past week that has seen police kill two black men and a black man take revenge by assassinating five Dallas police officers, makes one wonder if civilization is in danger of breaking down in our neighbouring country Human instinct for survival makes us fear things we have learned over thousands of years may be threatening: snakes, some insects — and strangers. Part of the civilizing process is the ability to get beyond our primitive fears so that we can, for instance, make peace with people we might have warred against in the past. From this distance this process seems to be sliding backward south of the border. Too many white police officers seem to fear for their lives when confronting black men. Unable to know what the man they're facing is thinking, and wound tight by stress, when they perceive a threat these officers shoot first then worry about the consequences later. The former soldier who conducted the Dallas massacre, on the other hand, seemed to think all white cops deserved to die because two white cops elsewhere in the U.S. had overreacted and killed innocent black men. This fear of the stranger plays out elsewhere with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump playing on white voters' fears of Muslims and illegal Hispanic immigrants to win support. Despite problems originating in being a country founded on seizing land from the indigenous population and prospering through the use of slave labour, the U.S. has, through example and through the global influence of its movies and television, been a civilizing force in the world. Right now it's going through a troubling time. Here's hoping saner heads can prevail and it can live up to the country's high ideals, not descend to people's base instincts. — 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. GOON... CRANK UP THE AG! NO,IIThINK OF ne Y0LJR HYP'RO 1IiL!j }TEAT WAITE DILEMMA Looking Back Through the Years July 15, 1959 Kincardine was one of the possible sites named for a future nuclear -electric generation station. The area was located 15 miles north of Kincardine on Lake Huron. A reunion of former pupils of Fred Sloman was being arranged for Aug. 2 at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Willis Van Egmond. The day was set to begin with a picnic lunch followed by music and fellowship later in the afternoon. The 14th annual reunion of the Nethery family took place on July 4 at Londesborough Community Park. It included a number of sports competitions and a picnic supper. Members of the family travelled to Londesborough from all over North America, including Saskatchewan and Michigan. East Wawanosh Council decided that it would give the Blyth Horticultural Society a grant of $85. Nearly 70 people attended the annual Shobbrook family reunion at the Seaforth Lions Park. Laura Sundercock served as president in charge of the afternoon's activities. July 16, 1970 The Huron County Federation and Hog Producers' annual pork barbecue was set to be held at the Seaforth Community Centre on July 18. After everyone had eaten, the event finished with a dance to the music of Sheldon Mann's Orchestra of Gorrie. The Howick Lions Club was also set to host one of its annual fundraisers: Bingo. The event was set for the Wroxeter Community Hall and $10 would buy 12 regular games. Jan van Vliet was installed as the new president of the Brussels Agricultural Society. Murray Hoover was the first vice-president, Harold Bolger was the second vice- president and Edwin Martin was the secretary -treasurer. The Brussels Horticultural Society was set to host its meeting for the month and those organizing the meeting were asking members to each bring a flower and participate in a flower -arranging workshop as part of the meeting. July 9, 1986 Hullett Days, in its fourth year, was set to go ahead on July 11-12 with a full schedule of events to help celebrate the township and its rich history. The weekend was set to include baseball games, farmers' olympics, bed races, a mini tractor pull, a talent show and a barbecue. Brussels businessman Neil McDonald was chosen to fill the vacancy on Brussels Council. Reeve Hank TenPas said that four residents had allowed their name to stand for the position: McDonald, Frank Stretton, Bruce Hahn and Gertie Kellington. From there, the candidate with the majority of the support among councillors would be chosen to fill the vacant position. The names of McDonald and Kellington were drawn and the vote was tied at two, which resulted in the two candidates' names being placed in a hat. When the dust settled, Donna White, assistant to the clerk - treasurer, drew McDonald's name. Actor David Fox, who had been in Huron County for The Farm Show in the 1970s, was profiled in The Citizen for his upcoming role in Another Season's Promise. Fox, one of Canada's leading actors, was hailed for his performance by both critics and audiences. Those living in Colborne Township were busy planning for a special celebration to help mark their 150th anniversary. The weekend would begin with the unveiling of a new township history book and continue with events throughout the weekend, including a beef barbecue and a pancake breakfast. July 17, 2002 July 10 not only marked local author Alice Munro's 71st birthday, but it would also be remembered as the day that the Literary Garden named for Munro officially opened to the public. The fate of the former Brussels municipal building was sealed by Huron East Council, which decided to pay $5,685 to Total Demolition to tear the building down. Councillor Joe Seili said that the decision to tear the building down was a practical one from council's point of view. With Blyth's 125th anniversary celebration just two weeks away, many more volunteers were still needed in order to make the event a success. Brussels Livestock played host to a different type of activity, sponsoring a men's pairs lawn bowling tournament, bringing 16 teams to the village to compete for the tournament's title. Filthy Rich, a new production at the Blyth Festival, written by George F. Walker, brought together two of the Festival's strongest actors in recent memory: Jerry Franken and Randy Hughson. Artistic Director Anne Chislett admitted that the play wasn't the normal Blyth Festival fare, but felt that if audiences approached the production with an open mind, they'd have a lot of fun.