Loading...
The Citizen, 2015-07-30, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 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 August 1, 1979 Sixteen softball teams were in the midst of travelling to Brussels for the ninth annual softball tournament in the village. The tournament, which was the brainchild of Max Watts, a former member of the Brussels Recreation Committee, and Wayne Lowe, who was still a member of the committee, the tournament had, over the years, attracted teams from all over the province to the village. Unfortunately, The Brussels Post reported, Brussels no longer had a team that could play in the tournament. Walton, however, would be playing in the tournament – a team that featured a number of Brussels players. A barn on the RR4, Brussels farm of Doug Lazenby was completely destroyed by fire in the early morning hours of July 27. The fire was discovered by Lazenby when he went to the barn to feed and water the chickens. He found the upper portion of the barn filled with smoke. The Blyth Fire Department reported that 100 chickens were lost in the blaze, in addition to a number of pigs. July 24, 1991 The Stone Angel opened at the Blyth Festival and while it was said to be very long, it was also said to be very good. The quality of the performances, the writing and the production for The Stone Angel were all said to be excellent by reviewer Bonnie Gropp. After nearly 15 years of development, Blyth Village Council passed its new zoning bylaw, despite protest from one ratepayer who said that if the bylaw was to be passed the night of the meeting, that he would be forced to take legal action. July 26, 2000 A new downtown mural planned for Brussels was going to be revealed in the next few days. Until it would be revealed on the side of Brussels Variety, the mural was to be cloaked in secrecy, with no one allowed to see it before its grand reveal. Donna White and Chris TenPas were pictured on the front page of The Citizen holding a white sheet up in front of pieces of the mural, further illustrating that it would take more than a smile to see the pieces of the yet-to-be-released mural. While things were continuing to look depressing for many Huron County crops on account of the weather, Wayne Wheeler, a crop consultant with Howson and Howson in Blyth, said that all hope was not lost. Wheeler said that while the corn crop was a little behind where it was the previous year, there was still plenty of time for it to mature, which was good news for area farmers, even though some corn throughout the community had begun to tassel. After a successful second run of Death of a Hired Man, actor Gil Garratt was busy contemplating his role as an actor arriving in a farming community for the upcoming collective The Drawer Boy, which was set to open at the Blyth Festival later that week. Blyth gardeners were busy preparing for Communities in Bloom judges, who would be making their visit to the community at the end of the month. Judges from both Quebec and Prince Edward Island would soon be in Blyth to judge the competition. July 31, 2014 Part II Bistro chef Peter Gusso and Blyth Inn chef Jason Rutledge were both in the midst of last-minute preparations for Fare on 4, an ambitious plan to feed 1,419 hungry diners on a closed Queen Street in Blyth. While those behind the project were motivated and well-prepared, both Gusso and Rutledge said there were logistical hills left to climb, but they had complete confidence in one another and those involved with Campaign 14/19, the brains behind Fare on 4. “It’s going to be a thrill cooking for that many people,” Rutledge said. Central Huron Council made the decision to stay in the running as a potential host community for a deep geological repository with the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO). Several councillors said they were still very concerned with the prospect of potentially hosting nuclear waste in the municipality, but felt they owed it to their ratepayers to remain in the process so they could keep learning more about it. Keith and Linda Loder, along with their son, Cpl. Nathan Loder, were the guest speakers at the first annual Cenotaph Day, which was held in front of Memorial Hall in Blyth. The initiative began with the Blyth Branch of the Legion, as members hoped that Cenotaph Day would grow into something that was soon celebrated across the entire country. Citizen reporter Denny Scott “won” Blyth Streetfest’s Kiss the Pig competition, earning the “right” to kiss the pig’s snout. The festival was deemed a success, with well over $1,000 being raised for the betterment of the community. 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 Agreement a job well done After years of acrimony, the Township of North Huron and the Municipality of Morris-Turnberry have at last reached an agreement on how to handle growth on the edges of Wingham. Next to fights within families or neighbours feuding, there’s probably few things less pleasant than adjoining municipalities squabbling. This was a dispute that needed to be worked out, and thankfully it finally has been. A continuing stalemate hurt everyone, including taxpayers of both municipalities. The reality of the situation is that nearly all the developable land in the Wingham area is outside North Huron in Morris-Turnberry. On the other hand, Morris-Turnberry doesn’t possess the water and sewer infrastructure to service new development in this area. North Huron councillors worried that their taxpayers were subsidizing growth outside their borders while their neighbour got the tax revenue. This is the second seemingly unsolvable issue between the two municipalities that has been solved in the past few years, following the negotiating of a new agreement for fire protection. In both cases it got noisy and messy at times, but eventually compromise ruled. Well done to both sides, Here’s hoping the agreement on cross-border servicing leads to a new era of co-operation and economic growth. — KR Proof of positive influence Anyone watching the parade of medals Canadian athletes earned at the Pan American Games in Toronto over the past couple of weeks saw proof positive of the value of immigration and diversity in this country. As winning medalists climbed the podium or were interviewed on television, it was hard not to notice the variety of skin tones and even of accents. Some of the winning athletes were first generation immigrants, others the daughters and sons of people who had adopted Canada as their homeland. Few other nations exhibited such diversity. Though not as important at the Olympic Games or even world championships of the individual sports such as track and field, the Pan American Games was still significant. Any Canadian paying attention couldn’t help but feel good seeing our athletes place second in total medals with a new Canadian record of 217 total medals including 78 gold. The athletes in turn were so happy be be performing in front of such enthusiastic Canadian fans. All ’round the games were a great opportunity to feel good about our country. – KR Cynicism thy name is Harper While most politicians can’t help being cynical about the people who vote (or don’t) in elections, few have ever demonstrated that attitude as much as Prime Minister Stephen Harper – and generally the voters have proven him right. The latest example is the mailing of $3 billion in lump-sum payments for Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB) this month, just three months before the October election. Worse, the Conservative party has used taxpayers’ dollars to flood the air waves to “make parents aware” of the fact they could get $2,000 per year for each child. Journalists and opposition politicians, with their own brand of cynicism, have delved into the issue and found out that the new payment is taxable, meaning many parents will have to pay part of the money back next spring. As well, the new payment replaces the Child Tax Credit so people aren’t getting as much money as they think they are. Meanwhile Parliamentary Budget Officer Jean-Denis Frechette said last week that the combination of a $3.9 billion hit to government revenues because of the current downturn in the economy, on top of new spending on the UCCB (not to mention all that advertising) means the government is likely to run a deficit of at least $1 billion in the coming year. In other words, the government that claims it’s the best guardian of taxpayers dollars is not just buying people with their own money, but actually borrowing money to do so. Still, anyone want to bet against the Prime Minister’s cynical move being successful? – 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.