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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2015-07-16, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 16, 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 19, 1962 The Brussels Horticultural Society met at the Brussels Library Hall where the roses of members were judged. Also part of the meeting, Mrs. R.W. Stephens was the guest speaker for the meeting, giving exhibitors tips on showing at flower shows. The Morning Star Rebekah Lodge was set to hold its annual summer smorgasbord supper on July 25 and this year it would be held on the lawn of Dr. Myer. Adults ate for $1, while children under 12 could attend for 50 cents. The Brussels 4-H Calf Club’s order of the day was the judging of mature Angus cows, which began the meeting. July 18, 1990 Walton’s post office was set to close on Aug. 4. The closure would be followed by weeks of waiting and wondering for the residents of Walton. This came after Canada Post officials met with members of the Walton community regarding the post office to explain what would happen to mail delivery in the community once post master Marjory Humphries retired. The officials told community members that the post office would be replaced either by a new retail postal outlet or by community mailboxes. Which one, however, had yet to be decided. While the officials couldn’t tip their hand, they said that the most likely scenario would be a post outlet being established in an existing business. Despite “rumblings of discontent” throughout the village and at several public meetings, East Wawanosh Township Council seemed set to build a new office right in Belgrave. The new office would include a 400 square foot council chambers and would be constructed as an addition to the Belgrave Community Centre. This addition was being planned in addition to a similar project being proposed by the Belgrave Kinsmen, which would cost approximately $240,000, while the township offices were expected to cost $138,000. No vote on the project was called, as ratepayers were unhappy with the project and rejected a vote for a number of reasons. One reason was that ratepayers didn’t feel there were enough people present to make it a fair representation of how the township felt, while others said it was clear council had already made up its mind, so why bother to vote on it? July 18, 2001 Brian Hall, a crop specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said that in order to keep area crops in top condition, they needed a lot of rain and they needed it immediately. According to Ministry reports, the area had received 398 millimetres of precipitation by July of the previous year, while in 2001 there had only been 202, a difference of nearly 200 millimetres. Because of the proximity to harvest for some crops (some were due to come off within 10 days) the area was in urgent need of at least a full inch of rain. Blyth resident Hebo Siertsema was being hailed as a hero after saving a drowning child at Family Paradise campground. Siertsema was on the dock of the pond near Walton when he saw a three-year-old child floating in the water. Siertsema, who was in his 60s at the time, acted quickly, pulling the young boy out of the water and handing him off to nearby nurses, who were able to save his life and get the water out of his lungs. To celebrate the Blyth Festival’s forthcoming comedy The Passion of Narcisse Mondoux, the Festival was asking people for their stories about falling in love for the second time. “[The Blyth Festival] wants stories of older people who can prove that fervent romance isn’t cooled by a little grey hair,” The Citizen reported. July 14, 2011 Joe Seili, who had spent the past eight years as the mayor of Huron East, then was elected as a councillor in the Brussels Ward, resigned his seat from council. Citing a number of ongoing issues, including industrial wind turbines and school closures, Seili said he simply couldn’t continue as a councillor and with his business, Huron Feeding Systems. In addition, long-time Huron East Clerk Administrator and former Tuckersmith Clerk Jack McLachlan also called it quits, retiring from the public life after decades of work in municipal politics. A 44-year-old Kitchener man was dead after he lost control of his dirt bike and struck a tree at the Walton Raceway, police said. It was the first fatality at in the race track’s 40-year history. The rider, Peter Zandersons, was by all accounts an experienced rider and was wearing all the necessary protective gear. Huron East Council approved the purchase of a new Olympia ice resurfacing machine, which was set to cost the municipality just over $91,000 as a result. 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 Our hospitals matter Huron County Council’s decision last week to work with all of the county’s hospitals to help them face future financial challenges is a good move to give local people some voice in the future of their hospitals. Karen Davis, president and CEO of Goderich’s Alexandra Marine and General Hospital initiated the discussion when she approached council about a partnership, which council decided to extend to all county hospitals. At the same meeting, Kelly Gillis, senior director of system design and integration with the South West Local Hospital Integration Network (LHIN) told councillors about services, such as acute stroke care, that were going to be moved to larger centres. Some of this rationalization of services may make sense but someone needs to speak for local residents to remind LHIN officials of the realities of health care needs in Huron County. — KR What’s it worth? The Pan American Games taking place in Toronto and region this week has once again opened the debate of the worth/value of this type of event, given the games’ reported $2.5 billion cost. Cost for these events can get muddled. Some expenses, such as the more than $200 million to be spent on policing and security or the $90 million on transporting athletes and officials, are direct costs that wouldn’t be incurred if there were no games. Costs for facilities, however, can also be seen as an investment in the future. Hamilton, for instance, got a new stadium for its Canadian Football League team. Then there are costs like the $700 million for the athletes’ village that involved turning a former wasteland in the eastern downtown into what will be a new community including residences for George Brown College students and badly-needed affordable housing. Is this a games’ cost? On the side of tangible benefits is the economic impact of thousands of visitors who will rent hotel rooms and eat in restaurants while attending the games. And then there are the intangibles – the sense of pride seeing Canadian athletes do well. Is it all worth the enormous expense? It depends on who you ask. The debate can begin all over again the next time a Canadian city seeks to host such an event. – KR How’d we become so extreme? Since he announced his bid for President of the United States billionaire Donald Trump has said things that were so stupid that many moderate people questioned his sanity – yet his opinions have rocketed him to second place among more than a dozen contenders for the Republican Party presidential nomination. How do countries known for their moderation become so polarized? Trump caused the jaws of moderates to drop in amazement when he said Mexico was sending far from its best people to the U.S. “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” Among those disturbed by his extreme statements were Republican Party officials who were hoping to build support from American voters of Hispanic origin, of whom only 27 per cent supported Republicans in the last presidential election. Meanwhile, front runner Hillary Clinton is getting smaller turnouts at stops in Iowa leading up to the first Democratic presidential primary, than Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders who’s promising socialist policies that are downright radical compared to moderate policies that current president Barack Obama has been unable to get passed by a highly partisan Congress. On this side of the border, for some time now the Conservative Party has catered to its hard-line conservative base, passing up any attempt to build the kind of slightly right-centre coalition that brought John Diefenbaker, Joe Clark and Brian Mulroney to power. At the same time some observers believe the natural opposition is now becoming the NDP, with the Liberals getting lost as the moderate centre fades away. It’s one thing to wish for clear alternatives, but a polarized society where no one tries to find moderation is going to be a nasty, combative place to live. – 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.