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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2015-09-10, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 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 September 19, 1990 Carman Craig and Marian Hallahan, both of the Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association, spoke to Blyth Village Council, saying that the association had grand plans to improve the grounds in Blyth upon which the association holds its annual reunion. With the reunion planning to celebrate its 30th reunion the following year, the association was expecting over 400 campers, it’s largest overnight crowd yet, Craig told councillors. The pair said that total costs for the improvements would likely be between $18,000 and $20,000. While the association apprised council of its intentions, council made no firm monetary commitment to the project at the time. Donna White took over the duties of the clerk-treasurer position in the Village of Brussels following the sudden resignation of Hugh Hanly at a special council meeting on Sept. 11. Hanly announced that he would be seeking the position of deputy- clerk in Dunville, which is near Welland, and would be leaving his position in Brussels. White said that both she and council were sorry to see Hanly go and that he had served the village well during his time there and that they wished him luck in his new position. September 19, 2001 The Huron Farm Hiker Tour was scheduled to be coming to the Brussels area in the fall. The Brussels Agricultural Society, in conjunction with the Huron Federation of Agriculture, would be holding the annual event on Sept. 30. The self-guided tour was listed as a way for a family to enjoy the “farm experience” but to do so at their own pace. Participants were to pick up their maps at the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre that morning and leave from there. Kelly McDonald was chosen as the Brussels Fall Fair Ambassador for the 2001 fair. She was pictured in The Citizen being crowned by 2000 ambassador Patricia Wilbee. Despite a “disappointing” turnout for the Brussels Terry Fox Run, the group organizing the run was still able to raise over $3,000 for cancer research. In the first year of the event, 159 people participated in the run, while in 2001, only 38 people registered for the run. With its 2001 season drawn to a close, the Blyth Festival was already looking ahead to its 2002 season. With the runaway success of The Outdoor Donnellys in the 2001 season, it was announced that the show would open the 2002 season as well. In addition, there would be an “expanded, all-day” edition of the show in 2002. The rest of the 2002 lineup, said Anne Chislett, Festival artistic director, would be announced in the coming weeks. September 18, 2014 The community was in shock after one man was dead and a woman sustained minor injuries as a result of a shooting at the Hullett Wildlife Conservation Authority just south of Blyth. The fatal shooting took place on Saturday, Sept. 13 in the evening. Police would soon descend on the area, maintaining a perimeter around the conservation area for a number of days following the shooting. Eventually, the victim was identified as 70-year-old Don Frigo and police were actively searching for the person who did the shooting. After the shooting, Central Huron Council, at its Monday, Sept. 15 meeting, lamented the lack of information being provided to both councillors and members of the public by the OPP. Several councillors reported receiving calls from residents who were frightened at the prospect that the murderer was still on the loose in the community and were not being told otherwise by police. “There should have been more information provided and that was not the case,” said Mayor Jim Ginn, adding that in the absence of any concrete information from police, rumours were running rampant, adding to the hysteria surrounding the event. With the Oct. 27 municipal election just around the corner, ballots were set with a number of positions in North Huron being contested for the first time in several elections. Reeve Neil Vincent, who had been acclaimed in previous elections, was being challenged by Bernie Bailey, a councillor from Wingham, and Steve Hill, also of Wingham. Following a number of meetings involving resistance to the proposed Goderich-to-Guelph Rail Trail, a working committee had been struck to run through a number of issues proposed by adjacent landowners. Scott Tousaw of the Huron County Planning and Development Department said that problems began when a number of media outlets began reporting the trail as being a “done deal” when it was still far from it. 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 Distancing government, again The decision of the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) to close its Huron County office in Goderich is one more example of the distancing of government from the people. No doubt those making the decision would argue that with modern communications it’s not necessary for there to be a physical office to serve people. It’s the same argument that led, for instance, to the gutting of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food’s county office system, replaced with a call centre in Guelph. Those who have had to deal with centralized offices, however, know that it’s not always a pleasant experience. Staff often knows little about the area in which their client lives. Physical distance can lead to emotional distance because staff never has to come face to face with the people they serve. The closer government can be to the people, the more connected people are to their government and the more worth they feel they’re getting. Closing offices may save money but there’s a cost in a reduced sense of ownership of government. — KR What’s become of us? The image of the body of a small boy washed up on a Mediterranean shore after drowning when his family tried to escape to Europe from Syria, and the fact that he was the nephew of a Canadian resident, brought home to Canadians the tragedy of the refugee crisis last week. Why did it take so long? Unlike many of the thousands who have drowned trying to reach Europe, Alan Kurdi has a name and a face. He, along with his older brother Galib and their mother Rehan drowned when their boat capsized. Only their father Abdullah, who had received money from his sister in Canada to pay smugglers to get this family out of Syria, survived. Hundreds of thousands have risked their lives to reach Europe and many of those are now battling authorities in countries like Hungary to be allowed to stay. The scenes are horrible, but they’re comfortably distant from Canada. Too distant. We can write this off as a European problem. We haven’t assumed any responsibility ourselves. We all share the blame. Certainly the current government has been half-hearted in opening Canada’s doors to refugees. It has promised to accept 11,300 refugees by 2017 – a drop in the bucket. Worse, we’re way behind accepting even that small number. But beyond the government’s failure, what about the rest of us? First of all, we haven’t demanded the government be more welcoming. Secondly, there’s been none of outpouring of goodwill from the general population that there was, for instance, for the boat people from Vietnam. Few community and church groups have organized to sponsor refugees this time. Is it because these refugees are mostly Muslims? We like to see Canada as a compassionate, welcoming country but we’re falling far short of our self-image. Sweden, a country less than one-third Canada’s population, accepted 234,000 refugees between 2010 and 2014. Canada accepts 10,000 to 14,000 a year, most of them sponsored by family members here in Canada. Have we changed? Are we no longer the kind of Canada that welcomed refugees from Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Vietnam and the Balkans? We either need to step up or stop pretending to be a country we no longer are. – KR Such a waste The idiocy of extremism was on display again last week when Islamist State militants destroyed more ancient historic sites in Syria. The militants claim ancient relics and sites of worship promote idolatry. They have also destroyed more modern-day Islamic cemeteries and shrines. Extremists of all religions, while they celebrate the power of their god, also seem to feel the need to protect the supreme being, as if he can’t protect himself. Surely a bunch of ruins from 2,000 years ago are not a threat to anyone’s religion. If they are, the religion is much weaker than its proponents claim. – 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.