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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2015-07-02, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 2, 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 July 5, 1962 The pupils of Mrs. Frank Thompson presented their third piano recital at the Brussels Public School auditorium. The evening featured a number of solos, duets and trios, as well as a few vocal solos to round out the evening of music. Three Brussels Sunday Schools held their annual joint community picnic with over 150 children and friends attending. Rev. H.L. Jennings ran the day’s program, which featured a number of races and games for the children in attendance. July 18, 1979 People wanting to travel to and through Brussels were going to have a tough time, as ongoing sewer work on the main street was blocking traffic while the work was ongoing. In a front page picture in The Brussels Post, Temar Construction Company is busy digging up the main street in front of the village’s post office while the work was being completed. A new agreement pertaining to the Brussels Medical Dental Centre was approved by Brussels Council. The issue came to council after similar agreements had been signed by Morris and Grey Township Councils, officially transferring the centre to Brussels. The new agreement stated that all three townships would have trustees on the centre’s board, with Brussels being named the initiating municipality. Members of the Bluevale community held a special public meeting to ensure that their community hall stayed open. The hall, which was in need of repairs to the tune of $1,000, had an uncertain future, and several members of the Hall Board were unsure if it made financial sense to continue operating the hall. July 4, 1990 After long-time Huron MPP Jack Riddell, the former Minister of Agriculture, announced his intention to retire when the next election was called, three candidates stepped up in hopes of replacing him. The first was Dave McClure, a teacher at South Huron Secondary School in Exeter. McClure was joined in the race for the Huron Liberal nomination by Jim Fitzgerald, general manager of The Rural Voice magazine and Fred Lobb of Clinton, a long-time farm machinery dealer who was also serving as the Clinton Fire Chief. Riddell said he was ready to retire from the position after all of the positive work he had done over the years. He added that the candidates vying for the Liberal nomination would have their work cut out for them going forward, attempting to win the Huron riding as a Liberal in a community that has been traditionally conservative over the years. In the upcoming election, which had yet to be officially announced, Riddell said that some of the major issues facing the community would be farmers’ difficulties with free trade, the abandonment of railways and the closing of post offices, to name just a few. Paul Ross, an Auburn-area author, had officially published his new comic novel, called Four Corners on Main Street. Ross held a launch party to celebrate the achievement in Bayfield, saying that the book took just one year to write, but then it took an additional two years simply to find a publisher. July 4, 2001 The OPP seized over $1 million worth of marijuana in a high-profile drug bust in East Wawanosh. The plants were spread over three different locations, all in northern Huron County. OPP Sr. Const. Don Shropshall said that the marijuana seized carried with it a 24 per cent THC level, which was extremely high at the time. The Belgrave WI was in a mood to celebrate, as the organization was marking its 90th anniversary in the community. A number of members of the Brussels Fire Department were honoured for their loyalty and dedication, being presented with 20- year medals. Jack Overholt and Doug Sholdice were presented with 20-year medals, while in the same report, Ryan Finch and Duane Gibson received their certificates for completing the fire department’s “flashover” course. Members of the public were invited to a retirement party for Dorothy Kelly, who had spent 24 years of her life serving the Township of Turnberry and then the amalgamated Municipality of Morris-Turnberry. To help mark and celebrate her time with the township (from April 4, 1977 to Aug. 1, 2001) an open reception was held at the Belmore Community Centre. After a number of fires made their way through Seaforth in recent weeks, Huron OPP had laid nine more charges relating to arson in connection with the fires. A number of dedicated detectives had spent a number of hours investigating the case, the result of which was the newly-discovered charges. 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 Let’s start planning With the passing of Canada Day 2015, there is now only one more celebration before the landmark 150th anniversary of Canada’s 1867 founding. Let’s starting planning to make this an event to remember. Canada Day has not been a big celebration in many Canadian communities in recent years – certainly not what it was after Canadians got charged up by Centennial celebrations in 1967 and continued to make the national holiday a big celebration for years afterward. Oh there are still celebrations one can go to, from the Parliament Hill festivities in Ottawa to more local events like Goderich or Atwood, but most of our communities just let the holiday slip by. We have been fortunate to be born in, or to have come to, one of the most prosperous, free and open societies on earth. We shouldn’t take this for granted but should celebrate it every chance we get – particularly on Canada Day. With two years left before our 150th birthday, let’s start planning soon to bring the celebration of this wonderful country to each and every community. — KR Show them who’s boss As the October federal election approaches, the various parties will approach voters with their proposed platforms and try to convince us that they are the best choice to run the country. The politicians need to be reminded that we, the voters, also have a say on which issues matter. Early this week Food Security Canada, brought forward its “Eat Think Vote” campaign, designed to remind politicians and the general public that according to a 2012 study by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research some 1.5 million children have poor access to healthy food because of poverty. That’s a staggering total and a problem that needs to be dealt with, yet it’s likely to be ignored by party strategists who are seeking to appeal to the voters who are most likely to get them elected. All three major parties, for instance, claim they will best serve the “middle class”. Nobody’s promising to address the issues of those so poor they can’t afford to eat. Others in our society also have needs that should be addressed. Farmers’ issues, for instance, are likely to be ignored by party strategists. Small communities aren’t on the radar of party leaders. These days there’s a strategy to have the campaign team control every word uttered by every candidate anywhere in the country. Don’t give in. If you have a chance to talk to the local candidate, make sure he (all the major parties are represented by men in Huron-Bruce, which may be an issue in itself) knows your concerns and your local issues. If he tries to brush you off and sticks to the party line, remind him we need an MP who can think for himself. The running of this country is too important to be controlled by puppeteers in party headquarters. –KR We’re all tied together The world is so interconnected these days that many Canadians face risks in the possibility that Greece will default on loans to international agencies and perhaps withdraw from the euro-zone, even though we have very little understanding of the complicated issues involved. Frightened by the ramifications of Greece’s withdrawal from the use of the euro, stock markets around the world saw big falls Monday. While few of us play the stock market, many people are still at risk through their pension plans and other investments to which we give little thought. Meanwhile the Greek debt crisis is an example of two different refusals to face reality. The problem began with Greek governments and citizens ignoring the hard economic reality that you can’t have goodies you can’t pay for – at least not in the long term. Too many ordinary Greeks found too many ways to keep from paying taxes, yet still wanted their government to provide too many programs. On the other hand, European officials have insisted on harsher and harsher austerity measures by Greek governments, meaning ordinary Greeks suffered and that the economy couldn’t grow – which made it hard for the country to pay back the loans. Sadly, in a global economy, we all suffer for others’ stupidity. –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.