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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2016-10-13, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2016. Editorials Opinions Publisher: Keith Roulston Editor: Shawn Loughlin • Reporter: Denny Scott Advertising Sales: Brenda Nyveld & Nicole Gillespie 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 Change, but only if it's better Change is in the air in tourism promotion in Huron County, and not everyone is happy about it. At a special meeting in September, members the Huron County Tourism Association (HTA) voted to dissolve their group, displeased with the effect on tourism promotion that will result in the reorganization of Huron County's Department of Economic Development. Meanwhile, the department itself issued a press release last week using the term "best practices" several times to justify its moves as it announced its plans to update its tourism strategy, as well as the formation of the Tourism, Arts and Culture Enabling Committee "comprised of industry representatives". That sounds like the very sort of individuals who just killed off the tourism association because of their displeasure with the county's moves. Perhaps the HTA members are stuck in their ways and afraid of change. Perhaps there are better ways of doing things than the association and the county have employed since 1990. If you are the people trying to implement change, however, you'd better first make sure you know what you're changing. Second, make sure it's an improvement over what's being done now. Finally, be able to sell that change as improvement, otherwise, you're really just changing for the sake of change and sending the rather arrogant message that you know better than the people who have been doing things in the past. The Huron County Economic Development Board members and county development staff have obviously alienated the very people they are supposed to be serving — the operators of tourism -oriented businesses who probably know more about tourism in the county than anyone else. It seems the county has a lot of fence -mending to do if it wants to make things better, not just force change on tourism operators. — KR Talking, but making no sense Few areas demonstrate better the willingness of urban commentators to comment on things they know nothing about than the issue of water, most recently brought to a head by the controversy over Nestle outbidding the Township of Centre Wellington for a well. For years now Nestle has been taking up to 3 6 million litres of water a day from wells near Aberfoyle for bottling, paying the province $3.71 for every million litres of water, thereby enriching the provincial coffers by about $11 a day. Recently, as a back-up facility, Nestle bought a well formerly used by another bottling company, out -maneuvering the local municipality that had hoped to expand its water supply. Aside from whether we really need to be bottling all this water in the first place, or the scandal about how little the company pays for water it then turns into an expensive consumer product, the most noteable thing about the issue is the confusion about water issues, particularly as expressed by the talking heads of the media. For one thing these "experts" in cities where water is drawn from a Great Lake, don't seem to recognize the difference between the limitations of ground water, drawn from the acquifer, and the seemingly endless supply of water from the Great Lakes. If bottling companies suck all the water out of acquifers, they can move on but municipalities, farmers and homeowners who suddenly find their wells are dry, have to live with the crisis. Then there's the relative "insignificance" of Nestle water use pointed out by commentators. One, on a CBC business show, brought out the old fallacious argument that eating beef is the real water -waster. That whopper claims it takes 1,847 gallons of water to raise a pound of beef. Anyone who thinks about it knows this can't make sense: how can the weight of 1,847 gallons of water be squeezed into a pound of beef. The perpetrators of this theory would have you believe that the water that it takes to grow the grass or grain the cattle beast eats is somehow "used up" in the meat when most of it comes out the other end of the steer and fertilizes the land again — just like most of the water they drink. Another commentator, who at least understood the difference between surface and ground water, pointed out municipalities and farms use a far greater amount of water than water bottlers. Yes they do, but they also contribute far more to the local economy than water bottlers. Advice to urban commentators on water issues: if you can't say something informed, don't say anything at all. — 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 October 14, 1959 The Blyth Lions Club was busy holding a paper drive on the following Monday evening. Pick- ups were planning in the Blyth, Londesborough and Auburn communities. The Londesborough Orange Lodge held its annual Chicken Bingo event. A number of residents won chickens, including Bob Thompson, who was the only winner on the list who took home two chickens. A number of children were baptized into the United Church of Canada at the Blyth church during the special baptismal Sunday service. October 15, 1970 The 43rd annual Huron County Plowing Match was held on the RR1, Walton farm of Joe Ryan. Weather proved to be ideal for the match. Connie Hickey of RR3, Auburn was named the match's Queen of the Furrow. She also took home the Maurice Love Trophy. The Grey Central Home and School Association held its monthly meeting at the school. Issues discussed at the meeting included the two plays the school would be presenting in November and the subject of religion being taught in schools. In addition, a film called "Your Child and Discipline" was presented to the group. For the Majestic Women's Institute's October meeting, the Brussels group entertained Women's Institutes from four neighbouring communities: Cranbrook, Ethel, Walton and Moncrieff. The groups also spent time planning for the area Women's Institute convention, which would be held in Guelph that year. October 15, 1986 Police were on the hunt for a driver who didn't introduce himself but left quite an impression in Blyth after leaving Hwy. 4 and driving across the lawn of the Queen's Villa apartments. The car left the roadway and drove on the lawn, hitting a road sign, a fence and two trees before the driver continued on his way. Wingham OPP were busy looking for the driver and investigating the incident further, but didn't have much evidence to go on. John Van Beers of RR1, Blyth was fed up with what he felt were inadequacies in the current Canada - Ontario Crop Insurance program, so he filed a resolution through the Huron County Federation of Agriculture that he felt might improve the program. "There are serious faults with the program and there is an urgent need for grassroots input into [a review]; there are so many good ideas out there that need to be heard," Van Beers said. Van Beers didn't stop at his suggestion, however, saying that farmers all over the country should be consulted through surveys in the mail and popular farm newspapers in order to solicit feedback from others interested in improving the program. A number of Blyth Lions Club members were presented with perfect attendance pins for attending all of the club's meetings over the course of the year. Lions being honoured by the club for being perfect throughout the year were Stewart Ament, Bruce Bromley, Harold Cook, Carman Craig, Ken Cucksey, Frank Hallahan, Doug Howson, Gordon Jenkins, Gerald Kerr, Dave Marshall, Murray Musty, Ernie Phillips, Rudy Leibold, Lloyd Sippel, Charlie Shaw, Bob Walker, Don Stewart and John Stewart. October 16, 2002 In the early evening hours of Oct. 8, a Martin Line farmer in Morris Township discovered 33 marijuana plants on his property when he was out harvesting his corn. Blyth residents Ryan Lee, Jenny Ritchie and Nic Courtney were the year's recipients of the Norman Parks Garrett Award at Central Huron Secondary School. Ritchie would go on to study hairstyling in Stratford, Lee travelled to Conestoga College for computer programming, while Courtney went to Sheridan College to study tool and die. Liz Sholdice, the Brussels postmaster, retired after spending 25 years in the position. Sholdice was complimented by community members and co-workers for her time at the village post office. The ghosts and goblins were set to be out in full force along Blyth's Greenway Trail for the Blyth Witches Walk on Oct. 26. Organizer Bev Blair said the event would begin for kids, but would then be "spiced up" as the night went on, running until 11 p.m. that night. Employees from Brussels' Total Demolition were busy in the village taking down the former Brussels municipal office. Many people walked past the building to see it in its final hours before it was taken down. Mike Henry of Blyth was set to travel throughout the province in the winter as he would be spending his time scouting for the Sarnia Sting Major Junior A hockey team of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).