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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2015-04-30, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 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 May 3, 1962 The Brussels Horticultural Society was scheduled to enjoy the age-old tradition of high tea on May 26 at the Brussels Anglican Church for the modest cost of 50 cents. The riding’s Progressive Conservative Party was set to hold its annual meeting and nomination convention at the Clinton Legion on May 9. The evening’s guest speaker would be the Honourable George Hees, MP, the Federal Minister of Trade and Commerce. J. Carl Hemingway of Brussels also announced that he would be letting his name stand for the Huron Perth New Democratic Party. Hemingway was a fieldman with the Huron County Federation of Agriculture. The nomination meeting was set for May 11 in Goderich. May 2, 1979 With the 1979 budget now finalized, taxes in Morris Township were set to rise by $80 for the average township household. The reason for the rise in taxes, as reported by The Brussels Post, was the creation of a reserve fund that would go towards the replacement of Martin’s Bridge. The Belgrave Women’s Institute held its annual meeting and decided to make a donation to the Belgrave Cemetery Committee. As part of the visit of the Belgian reporter to Brussels, Ontario, Rene Delberque of RR3, Auburn was able to communicate with someone from Belgium via the CB radio that he operated. While in conversation with Belgian residents, Delberque communicated that Brussels, Ontario was just a small town. He was also hoping to see if the Belgians on the other end knew the reporters who were making their way to Ontario. April 25, 1990 One Brussels ratepayer was protesting a zoning change that would allow developer Rob Lawrie to build a 12-unit apartment complex in the village. Jane Draper, who owned a property that neighboured the proposed complex, said that she would rather see two nice homes built on the lots, rather than the proposed complex. Lawrie said that he would attempt to rent the apartments to more mature residents, rather than young families. There were concerns with whether that would work out or not, but Lawrie said that the proposed rent would be between $550 and $600, which few families could afford, he said. Members of the Blyth Cubs and Scouts group were busy planting trees and getting an early start on their Earth Day activities at a number of area farms. The week’s Citizen front page showed a number of young people planting trees at the farm of Herb Shannon. It was reported that all area schools would be taking part in the activity for Earth Day. A number of Blyth firefighters found themselves exhausted after battling a large grass fire just south of Auburn for over three hours. Members of the fire department were largely attempting to stop the fire from spreading to a nearby cedar bush. Blyth Fire Chief Paul Josling said the task was made particularly difficult because of the terrain. He said the department was unable to get its trucks to the site of the fire, leaving firefighters to beat out the fire with brooms and shovels. April 25, 2001 The Maitland Conservation Foundation held one of its most successful events to date, raising $16,500 at the annual spring dinner and auction at the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre. The 2001 event was the 13th annual and it raised funds for various educational programs at the Wawanosh Nature Centre. Auctioneer Dave Johnston was to be thanked for much of the money that was raised, as he was able to coax nearly $6,000 from the audience during the event’s much-anticipated live auction. Some of the auction’s highlights included a gourmet breakfast and canoe trip down the Maitland River, a week-long stay at a Lake Huron cottage, autographed hockey memorabilia and a variety of entertainment packages. Huron East was in the midst of considering the hiring of a full-time business retention and expansion officer after a presentation to council on the work of the newly-formed business retention and expansion committee. “We need a professional out there meeting with business people,” said Gwen Devereaux, a member of the committee. Students at Blyth Public School were busy getting into the spring spirit, creating project’s for the year’s National Communities in Bloom competition. The project of the day on the front page of The Citizen was the decoration of planter boxes, which would soon find their way onto the streets of Blyth. F.E. Madill Secondary School was all set to host its third annual Coffee House for Cancer, which would feature a number of musical and dance performances as the night’s entertainment. 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 Perpetuating the divide The Ontario government’s budget last week that promised $130 billion in spending on new transit and other infrastructure over the next decade could be described as far-thinking. Unfortunately, that same thinking can also help perpetuate the divide between the booming areas of the Montreal-Windsor corridor and the rest of the province. While explaining the goals of his budget on CTV London, Finance Minister Charles Sousa said that improving access to U.S. markets by improving the 401 corridor would help the southwestern Ontario region. Meanwhile the Toronto area will get better GO commuter train service and other new transit improvements. The government is answering the plea of various groups to improve transportation in the Toronto area. In 2013, the C.D. Howe Institute said gridlock cost the economy in the Toronto region $7.5 to $11 billion a year when everything from direct economic costs to social costs is included. If these high-growth areas perform more efficiently because of this investment in infrastructure, then the provincial government will no doubt recoup its investment somewhere down the line. At the same time, for those of us not along the 401 corridor, improving service there is really a case of the rich getting richer. Already it’s hard for industries in Huron County, an hour’s driving time from access to the 400-series highways, to remain competitive. Ontario make little sense if you could look at it from afar. The vast majority of Ontario is not utilizing the capacity that already exists. We have factories sitting empty and highways that are lightly used. Our municipalities are just trying to keep the schools, hospitals and other services we have. Meanwhile the Greater Toronto Area is trying to cope with growth so rapid they can’t afford to expand services. The only thing that would drive companies and people to consider moving to areas outside the booming Golden Horseshoe is if congestion became so bad they’d look for relief elsewhere. Instead, this budget is going to take money from the sale of 60 per cent of Hydro One, of which each Ontario resident owns a piece, and use it to fix the problems of the urban areas to keep them growing at the expense of more distant residents of the province. –KR Justice, not vengeance In ordering the release on bail of Omar Khadr while he appeals his U.S. conviction for war crimes, Justice June Ross of the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench may have brought some level-headed sanity to the Khadr case for the first time in 15 years. The only thing that explains the treatment of Khadr by both the U.S. and Canadian governments is that he is a handy symbol. He was the child of a father who took part in Islamist terrorist attacks and a mother who went on Canadian television to say she’d be proud to have one of her sons become a martyr for the cause. Omar was 15 years old when he took part in a battle with U.S. soldiers who invaded Afghanistan in July 2002. An American soldier died from a hand grenade thrown by someone inside an al-Qaeda compound that had been nearly levelled by U.S. bombing. Nobody actually saw Khadr throw the grenade but he was the only person left alive so he was charged. He was held without trial in the infamous Guantanamo Bay detention centre in Cuba, conveniently located outside the U.S. so American laws of due process didn’t come into play. He was charged, retroactively, under laws that were passed after the soldier was killed. While Guantanamo prisoners of other allied nations were sent back to their own countries, Canadian governments, both Liberal and Conservative, didn’t want him back. Eventually, in 2010 he pleaded guilty so he could serve his sentence in Canada. Elsewhere in the world he’d have been seen as a child soldier, and therefore a victim, not an evil perpetrator. If he had been killed by an American soldier instead of the other way around, that soldier would have just been doing his duty, not committing a war crime. On top of everything else, he allegedly broke a law that wasn’t written when he broke it. Canada and the U.S. want to be beacons of justice for the world but Omar Khadr has seen little justice – until now. –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.