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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2016-11-10, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 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 Remembering their sacrifice The value of Canada's contribution to the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan will always be debated, but one side effect is that it has reminded Canadians of the need to remember and honour those who risked or gave their lives on behalf of their country. With no veterans of World War I left, and a dwindling number of World War II survivers, the need to observe Remembrance Day seemed remote for many, particularly young people who had no connection to people who served in the armed forces. Afghanistan, with its very visible return of casualties of the war down the Highway of Heroes, changed all that. Today there are more poppies sold and more people attending Remembrance Day ceremonies than for decades previously. Losing men and women to war is a waste of the lives of good people, but as long as there are people who would trample the rights of others, there will unfortunately be a requirement for people to risk their lives to try to protect humanity. Let's celebrate their sacrifice, on Remembrance day, Friday, and all year round. — KR They also serve democracy It's a touch ironic that it was just a week before Remembrance Day that it was revealed Quebec police forces spied on nearly a dozen investigative reporters in that province. Freedom of the press is one of the key freedoms of democracy that our troops has defended through various wars. Typical of those spied on was La Presse columnist Patrick Lagace whose cell phone was tracked because police were investigating the actions of one of their own officers and wondered if someone was feeding information to Lagace. Other well-known reporters from investigative program Enquete on Radio -Canada were being watched by police. The program's reporters had been instrumental in leading to charges, convictions and the province's sweeping investigation of the corruption allegations. The actions of these reporters show the importance of having a media free to investigate the powerful and expose wrong -doing. And yet many people don't feel that way. South of the border, Donald Trump called reporters "the lowest form of humanity" and promised to change the law to make it easier to sue for libel. Things are even worse elsewhere because powerful leaders don't want to be criticized or held to account by the media. In Russia, 34 journalists, many who had written things critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin, have been murdered in the last 15 years. In Turkey, President Recep Tyyip Erdogan has shut down newspapers and arrested 140 journalists in his crackdown following an attempted coup. Worldwide, 68 journalists have been killed in action so far in 2016. More worrisome even than these strongmen is the lack of respect for the role of professional journalists by many of our own citizens. The misfortunes of traditional media seem almost welcomed by some people who see citizen journalism on social media as the way of the future. There are few amateur reporters, however, with the skill, resources and contacts to break stories like the Quebec construction industry corruption case. Reporters, the hard-headed, not -always -nice type who do the dirty work to expose wrong -doing in government and business, are essential to our democracy. We must protect their freedom to do their job.— KR Interesting idea, but - The federal government's proposal last week to partner to with private investors to finance infrastructure projects is an interesting idea, but could be harmful for rural Canada. One commentator on the CBC business show On the Money last week praised the idea because it would take the politics out of funding infrastructure projects — the kind of pressure to invest something in each riding in Canada. But if the money goes instead to projects that will provide the best return on investment, it's unlikely that rural Canada will see investment compared to, say, the Toronto subway system. Innovation in stretching taxpayer dollars is welcome, but not if it means many Canadians are discriminated against for profit. — 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 November 11, 1959 Wilber Yandt had purchased the 5 cents to $1 store in Blyth from George Pelton. The store would again be open for business as of Nov. 19. Yandt was a Hanover native who made his way to Blyth from Fergus, where he had operated the Thistle restaurant. He said that while the store had a new owner, it would also have a completely new look, as work was already underway to completely renovate the store. On Tuesday, Nov. 10, County Road 25 was officially opened between Blyth and Walton. A. Neelans of the Department of Highways, Stratford division, was on hand to cut the ribbon. The stretch of road between the two communities had been graded the previous year and hot mix had been applied in 1959 for an estimated cost of $80,000. November 12, 1970 A "misguided" act of vandalism left Brussels without its village water supply for a number of hours on one Sunday morning. Between the hours of 4 a.m. and 5 a.m., someone opened 17 fire hydrants throughout the village, leaving them open to gush water into the streets. One witness said the man behind the vandalism was a grown man who "should have had more sense", said The Brussels Post. Barb Dunbar was elected to serve as president of the ladies curling club executive in Brussels, taking over for Aileen Mutter. Rhea Vallance was to be the club's first vice-president, followed by Leona McDonald as the second vice- president. The Brussels Public School Girls soccer team travelled to Belgrave for a game where they defeated the team by a score of 1-0. Maxine Watts was the game's lone goal -scorer. November 12, 1986 It was a night of firsts at the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre as Leona Armstrong, the county's first female warden, was honoured. The fact that the dinner was even held in Brussels was a first, as the dinner was traditionally held in Goderich. Armstrong, however, asked that her warden's dinner be held in her home municipality. Bayfield Reeve Dave Johnston said it was fitting that it was the first time that the warden and the warden's spouse had been featured on the cover of the program for the evening, because when Armstrong's father, Harvey Johnston, was warden in 1952, it was the first time that spouses had been invited to be part of the warden's banquet. As the Londesborough Lions Club's 'Back the Biter' campaign began, donations had quickly been approaching $10,000. The biggest single donation came by way of Radford Auto, Farm and Industrial Parts in Blyth and Brussels. The donation of just under $1,500 represented 10 per cent of the company's sales during the week of Nov. 3-8. In an effort to raise funds for the Blyth Festival, the theatre held an auction which raised nearly $9,000 for future capital expansion at the Festival. One of the more glamorous items, a wedding dress from the production of Cakewalk, was featured on the front page of The Citizen as it was being investigated by Bert and Richard Lobb. November 13, 2002 With a number of businesses being hurt by rising hydro costs throughout the community, Premier Ernie Eves said that hydro rebate cheques could be on the way to provide relief to business owners. In addition to the rebate cheques, he said that hydro costs would soon be capped at 4.3 cents per kilowatt hour. Prices had recently surged since deregulation the previous May. Gerry Croxall, an oceanographer, was in the Belgrave area to speak to students at East Wawanosh Public School. Croxall, who worked primarily with sharks and killer whales, spoke about the ocean ecosystem, organisms and pollution. The Brussels PeeWee Girls hockey team was eager to get its season underway by hosting its home opener. However, the girls left the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre disappointed after being on the wrong end of a 5- 2 loss in that game, going down at the hands of their counterparts from Goderich. Navy veteran Cecil Moore of Brussels was one of the featured speakers for Remembrance Day as local students visited the Brussels Legion as part of the special day of remembrance. Moore spoke to the students about the importance of the army, air force and navy, as well as all the work the Legion does in the Brussels community. After a number of meetings with local stakeholders, including bar owners and bingo hall managers, the county's proposed anti-smoking bylaw was set to be presented to the public. Craig Metzger of the Huron County Health Unit was honest in his assessment of the meetings with the stakeholders, saying they had been largely negative ahead of the proposed public meetings.