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The Citizen, 2015-10-08, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 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 October 2, 1962 Torrential rain wreaked havoc on the Brussels Fall Fair, with all of its outdoor attractions having to be cancelled. “Abandoned floats, music filtering from the Seaforth High School Band bus, glimpses of the bright uniforms of the Brussels Legion bandsmen in cars, the drenched parade chairman K.L. Ashton and disappointed children were all that materialized from what promised to be a large and colourful school parade on Friday, the second day of the fair,” was The Brussels Post ’s account of the day. The parade was cancelled, as were all the outdoor activities scheduled for the afternoon. The saving grace, however, was the quality of the exhibits indoors, which was said to be high. Those who organized the fair extended a special thanks to those who worked at the fair’s ticket booths that day, as they were the only ones who had to stay at their posts and brave the rain and cold all afternoon. The fair did, however, end on a high note, as the dance in the Crystal Palace attracted a large crowd eager to hear the music of Grant Ferrier and his orchestra. The Brussels Post was in the hands of readers just two days before residents were to head to the polls for a federal election. The two frontrunners for the riding were Murray Gaunt of the Liberals and George McCutcheon of the Progressive Conservatives. The election was set for Oct. 4. October 10, 1979 Henry Exel of the Ways and Means Committee of the Brussels Lions Club had a big idea, and approached the Brussels Business Association about it. He suggested that the village should play host to a home and garden show, perhaps as early as the following April. Exel suggested that each of the village’s businesses could have a booth at the show, there could be draws and the show would culminate with a dance at the end of the night. Vandals were on the loose again in Brussels and this time the victim was Malcolm Jacobs Harness and Saddlery Shop. Someone broke a window of the shop with a rock. This came just one week after the exact same scenario played out at the shop. The window had been replaced, and then broken again. Wingham OPP estimated that the second incident caused $600 in damages to the shop. The Brussels Leo Club was scheduled to be busy throughout the village again as members hoped to raise over $800 for the Brussels Arthritic Society by canvassing the community. The Leos had raised $700 the previous year and had hoped to eclipse that mark in 1979. October 10, 1990 Several farms near Brussels sustained damage after a twister touched down just outside of the village, affecting a number of area farms. Leo and Rita Deitner of RR1, Ethel, discovered a large amount of damage on their property, including six large trees toppled over in a zig- zag pattern following the twister. While Huron-Bruce MP Paul Klopp had not been named Minister of Agriculture and Food after being elected for the NDP, Klopp was named one of two agricultural assistants to the Minister. Klopp would have another Huron County voice in the government, as St. Helens-area farmer Tony McQuail had been named the new executive assistant to the Minister. The Ontario Public School Teachers’ Federation predicted there would be a shortage of teachers in the next decade, which would unfortunately coincide with an expected growth of 100,000 students across the province during that same time. Huron County Council was busy lobbying the federal government for a new women’s prison looking for a home. Bill Mickle, Exeter Reeve, drafted a motion that a letter be sent inquiring about the prison and whether or not Huron County could be considered. October 10, 2001 Nelva and the late Spence Scott were named co-Citizens of the Year for the Brussels community. The Scotts were honoured due to their willingness to help out in the community, no matter the task, and their willingness to drive community members around if they weren’t able to do it themselves. “They have done so much for this community in horticulture, church, Huronlea [Home for the Aged], the Diner’s Club, driving people around and in many other ways, always without recognition,” one nominator said of the Scotts. A review of the Huron County administration department was set to cost taxpayers $40,000, which resulted in a lengthy discussion among Huron County councillors. Julie McNichol, formerly of Blyth, was the designer of the successful entry for Central Huron’s logo contest. Central Huron Reeve Carol Mitchell said she was happy to choose the logo, especially since it was created by a young person. 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 Delivering a strong local voice Those attending last week’s all-candidates meeting in Holmesville heard some telling remarks on the subject of representative democracy. Ben Lobb, the Conservative candidate and current Member of Parliament, warned against embracing proportional representation (PR) in which parties would be given seats in parliament to represent the percentage of votes they received nationwide. Anyone unhappy with top- down government would find it worse if the party simply assigns them an MP and they have no ability to make that MP responsive to local needs by voting against him/her, Lobb said. Lobb then undercut his own argument, however, when in a response to a question about whether the candidates would vote their conscience, not party line, he told those who said they’d vote their conscience that the reality is when you run on your party’s platform you’re committed to supporting that platform. Lobb’s right to point out the danger that PR will diminish the local voice, but if the local MP doesn’t use that voice and always supports the government right or wrong, then what does it matter if we have local representation? MPs were meant to be the local representative to parliament, not the party’s representative to the local riding. — KR What are Canadian values? The argument over what constitutes Canadian values took a strange turn last week when Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi spoke out about the controversy about whether Muslim women wearing the niqab should be allowed to swear their citizenship oath. Nenshi is a Muslim, but no fan of the niqab. “I don’t like the niqab. I wish no one would wear it,” Nenshi said. “But what I like even less is taking away peoples’ rights to choose.” Nenshi said if the argument is that the niqab is a symbol of oppression, and that fathers and husbands shouldn’t be allowed to tell women what to wear, then the government shouldn’t be allowed to either. Meanwhile, as Nenshi argued on behalf of the kind of generous, welcoming attributes that have made Canada a haven for oppressed people from around the world for generations, many supporters of a ban on women wearing the niqab have, in effect, adopted the kind of rigid fundamentalist views that they deride fundamentalist Muslims for holding. For them there is only one acceptable way of dressing and no one should be allowed to wear clothes that are not approved. Years from now this whole argument will be seen for what it is – a tempest in a teacup. It will seem as laughable as when the wearing of pants by women was seen as scandalous. Someday people will ask “were they really that small-minded back in 2015?” Meanwhile we can take lessons in tolerance from the Muslim mayor of a major city in the most right-wing of Canada’s provinces. – KR Rewarding the winners Canada signed on to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement earlier this week, but Canadians won’t know what it means for some time. The TPP has been negotiated in private and the Canadian government has been much more secretive about what’s involved than other partners like the Unites States. The deal will be sold on the basis that it will open markets for some exporters and reduce prices for consumers. But trade agreements like TPP are really negotiated for the benefit of large corporations that want to expand their markets. Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz points out most of these agreements insert clauses to give international companies protection from national governments that might take actions on behalf of their citizens, whether it be regulations for the environment or for health. Even under the North American Free Trade Agreement, Canada has been sued by foreign companies that think legislation, enacted to protect citizens, hurts their profits. The TPP is so huge that it’s almost impossible for Canada to stand outside it. Canadians need to be aware, however, that there’s a price to pay in limiting the ability of our own governments to work in the best interest of citizens, not multi-national corporations. – 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.