Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2015-04-23, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2015. Editorials Opinions Publisher: Keith Roulston Editor: Shawn Loughlin • Reporter: Denny Scott Advertising Sales: Lori Patterson & Amanda Bergsma The Citizen P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. N0M 1H0 Ph. 519-523-4792 Fax 519-523-9140 P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. N0G 1H0 Phone 519-887-9114 E-mail info@northhuron.on.ca Website www.northhuron.on.ca Looking Back Through the Years CCNA Member Member of the Ontario Press Council 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 N0G 1H0 email: info@northhuron.on.ca April 25, 1979 Huron-Bruce MP Robert McKinley and Hamilton-Wentworth MP Geoff Scott were in Brussels for a Progressive Conservative event where they told party supporters that their goal was to have Joe Clark as the country’s Prime Minister. McKinley said that he could feel the support from the community and that he felt like things were changing and that that change was positive for the party. “The trend is with us this time. The amount of people here tonight has to tell you something,” he told those in attendance. Four teenagers were charged with breaking and entering and causing mischief at Grey Central School in Ethel. Three windows, two doors and a fourth window inside the school were all damaged as a result of the incident said Principal Ian Axtmann. In addition, the library was dishevelled, as was the school’s main office. A number of desks were also damaged. Brussels Council members, as well as representatives of the Brussels Public Utilities Commission, the Brussels Business Association, the Brussels Legion and the Brussels Optimist Club were all ready to welcome radio reporters from Brussels, Belgium who were destined for Brussels, Ontario the following week. After some consultation, it was decided that a special dinner for the group would be held at the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre. The evening would also feature a social hour and a meet-and- greet with the visitors. In a special celebration that coincided with the “Year of the Child” students at Brussels Public School would be getting “pals” from St. Patrick’s School in RR1, Brampton. The schools were matched, according to The Brussels Post, due to their enrolments. Each Brussels pupil was instructed to write a letter to a pupil at the RR1, Brampton school to begin the process and get the ball rolling. They were said to be “anxiously” awaiting a reply. The project was being carried out as part of a Provincial Pencil Pal project in order to allow students to get to know other students from across the province. April 18, 1990 Residents, businesses and service clubs were busy once again planning for the Brussels Fun Fest, which was set to take place on the first weekend of July Many of the weekend’s events were finalized at a special meeting held in early April. Committee Chair Wayne Lowe said he hoped that event planning would go smoothly and that the event would closely resemble the Fun Fest of one year earlier, as it proved to be a successful event. While the move had come under fire, Blyth Village Council was told that using money from two different grant programs to pay for the George Radford Memorial Ball Diamond was perfectly acceptable. Council received word that they had operated in a lawful way from a provincial official. Melanie McLaughlin of the Ministry of Tourism and Recreation attended one of Blyth Council’s meetings and spoke to councillors and interested members of the public in order to clear up any confusion surrounding the matter. Inadequate water flow was expected to be the cause of a potential delay in the construction of a proposed subdivision at the north end of Blyth. Huron County Planner Cindy Fisher told council that there were two issues standing in the way of the development and that both of them came by way of the provincial government. April 18, 2001 Shafiul Alam of Bangladesh was in Blyth to discuss his work with the Mennonite Central Committee and the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and he spoke about the numerous benefits to the charity. Alam, an agronomist, said he had worked with various food aid programs for two decades and had seen first hand all of the good they can do worldwide. “We are grateful to people throughout the world who support our activities,” he told those gathered at the Blyth Christian Reformed Church to hear him speak. On of the situations he focused on was that of Bangladesh. He said that there are between 130 and 150 million people living in the country, which is just 143,000 square kilometres. Very often, he told those in attendance, that land is flooded due to rainfall, leaving those who live there with a very difficult situation to maintain. “It is called the land of rivers,” he said. “From June to September, one- third of the land is water-logged, not flooded, but a normal condition. It is only considered a flood if the houses are gone and people have to move.” Charities like the Mennonite Central Committee and the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, he said, do great things in countries like Bangladesh and drastically improve the quality of life there. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage. We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright Here we go again With reconstruction of Brussels’ main street scheduled to start again this week, local residents, and particularly main street merchants, must believe there’s truth in that old joke that there are only two seasons in Canada: winter and construction. After a dreadful, business-killing summer last year, here’s hoping county highways personnel and the construction company do a better job of trying to reduce disruption in this second year of the project than they did in the first. Last year was just a disgrace with signs telling visitors they couldn’t get downtown when there was no reason they couldn’t. At least there now seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Plans for new decorative street lamps, for instance, hold the promise that local residents will soon have an attractive downtown. So to county officials, make this year better than last. For merchants and the community, hang in there. There are better times ahead. –KR You too can make a difference Earlier this week Craig Kielberger celebrated his 20th anniversary of working to improve the world. He’s only 32 years old. The story of Kielberger and his Free the Children campaign, and more recently his Me to We enterprise is a direct rebuke to all of us who say the problems of the world are too great for individuals to solve. It was 20 years ago this week when the 12-year-old Kielberger was flipping through a copy of The Toronto Star, looking for the comics, and came across the story of Iqbal Masih, a boy 12 years old like him, who had been killed by those who wanted to prevent him from speaking out against the use of child labour. Masih had been sold into slavery at age four and spent six years chained to a carpet-weaving loom before escaping and leading a campaign to end such practices. Kielberger was so moved by the story that the ripped it out and took it to his school in Thornhill, north of Toronto. He recruited other Grade 7 students and Free the Children began. Today, the movement involves 2.3 million children in innovative education and sustainable programs. The program’s fame has grown through supporters like Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton, Archbishop Desmund Tutu and pop music stars like Justin Bieber and Katy Perry. Currently Free the Children works in eight countries with its Adopt a Village program. No longer children themselves, Craig and his brother Marc, who now works with him, have strived to make sure future generations of young people get involved in improving the world through their Me to We initiative. It encourages young students to take up the challenge and rewards them with fabulous Me to We events that bring thousands of young volunteers together for entertainment and inspirational speakers. In a world where bad news on newscasts and front pages can get you down, the Craig Kielberger story is inspiring. Whether you’re 12 or 82, what have you done today to make the world a better place? –KR We must do more Given the scope of the problem, it’s easy to understand how the world has not found immediate solutions to the plight of refugees from northern Africa risking their lives to get to the safety of Europe, but we must act faster. Every day people are drowning when the boats, onto which they have been overcrowded, founder crossing the Mediterranean. Sunday, for instance, up to 900 people died when their boat sank. Yet so desperate are people to escape from the war and terrorism of countries like Syria or Somalia, that they are willing to risk their lives. Meanwhile countries like Italy are being swamped by the number of refugees who manage to make the crossing safely. Last year the Italian Navy rescued more than 100,000 migrants. We, in North America, can watch from afar and say it’s up to Europeans and the countries of Northern Africa to solve the problem but that’s not good enough. Canada is a country made up of people who came to escape similar circumstances. We must open our doors – and our hearts – to as many as we can of these desperate people. –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.