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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2015-11-05, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2015. Editorials Opinions Publisher: Keith Roulston Editor: Shawn Loughlin • Reporter: Denny Scott Advertising Sales: Lori Patterson 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 November 7, 1979 The George Menzies Endowment Award was handed out to a number of lucky winners at F.E. Madill Secondary School. Joan Huether, Michelle McCutcheon, Dianne Stephenson and Alida Dorsch were all presented with the award by Doreen Raymond, a teacher at Brussels Public School. The Brussels Optimist Club installed its new slate of officers for the upcoming season, which included Gerry Wheeler and Gord Finch as vice-presidents. Rev. Arthur Young of Goderich was the special guest minister at Cranbrook’s Knox Church on Nov. 4. Young conducted the service in the absence of Rev. Dr. Ross K. Thomson, who was preaching at a special anniversary service in Hamilton that Sunday. The Brick Brothers Circus, a puppet show, was making its way to the Blyth Centre for the Arts in the Year of the Child for a special show. November 7, 1990 Members of the Blyth and District Fire Department were forced to demolish a silo in order to fight a fire within its walls. The corn silo was on the farm of Carman Craig of Morris Township. Chief Paul Josling said that when the fire was discovered in the unused silo, firefighters hoped to just seal the silo and let the fire burn itself out. However, the fire had burned a large hole in the side of the silo, forcing firefighters to take a different approach. Firefighters had to bring in a crane from Canadian Crane Rentals in Wingham in order to fight the fire from above, starting with a wrecking ball hanging from the crane. The Huron County Board of Education was bracing for some bad news as it was told there would be a shortfall in the annual transportation grant it receives. In addition, the board anticipated a five per cent increase in expenditures in its budget, while school bus expenses had also risen an estimated four per cent. A Gift To Last, a musical version of Gordon Pinsent’s Christmas story about a young boy’s admiration for his uncle from the army, was scheduled to hit the Memorial Hall stage on Nov. 18 for a special one- night production. The Huron Soil and Crop Improvement Association was set to hold its annual meeting and banquet in Seaforth. The evening’s guest speaker was to be Ken Knox, Assistant Deputy-Minister of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food. November 7, 2001 Jessica Sparling was named “Swimmer of the Meet” as the Huron Hurricanes Aquatic Club travelled to Tillsonburg for the first event of the 2001/2002 season. Sparling finished first in the 50- metre freestyle and the backstroke, while placing second in the 100- metre breaststroke in her age group. Sparling shared the honour with Patrick Livingston who, The Citizen reported, demonstrated leadership with his performance, which included four top-10 results. The Walton Little School was set to hold its grand opening event on Nov. 10. After Walton Public School closed, the building was reopened as the Little School and was welcomed to the community by a number of local businesses. To recognize the hard work and dedication of those involved with the local Communities in Bloom project, a special evening had been planned to celebrate Blyth’s national award, being named the Most Beautiful Village in Canada. The special event included lunch on the Blyth Greenway Trail and a dance that night at the Blyth and District Community Centre. November 6, 2014 With new voting methods in place in several local municipalities, voting by mail and by internet were wholly embraced by the community, with voter turnout rising in many areas. In North Huron, voter turnout jumped 15 per cent above 2010 figures. Turnout for the much-publicized election was just under 52 per cent, which is remarkably high for a municipal election. Figures were highest in East Wawanosh, where 57.34 per cent of eligible voters had their say, compared to 51.24 per cent in Wingham and 47.52 per cent in Blyth. David Armstrong, Chair of the Blyth Festival Board of Directors, announced that he hoped to have outgoing Blyth Festival Artistic Director Marion de Vries replaced by Christmas. With fans of the Festival already waiting on the next season’s roster of plays, Armstrong admitted that the Festival was behind its typical schedule, but was sure de Vries’ replacement would soon be hired. After another successful Witches Walk in Blyth, the event’s founder and ‘head witch’ Bev Blair was busy in the community handing out proceeds from the popular event. Cheques went to the Blyth Lions Club, Project 14/19 and the Blyth Greenway Trail thanks to the success of the event. 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 Actions speak loudest So much has been said, written and speculated about over the past couple of years about the G2G (Goderich-to-Guelph) Rail Trail that it was good to see some concrete action this past weekend. Trail proponents turned words to action, grading, fencing and signing a two-kilometre section of trail east of Walton to show both trail users and adjacent landowners what can be expected when the trail becomes operational. The work also shows the depth of commitment being made to bring the trail to fruition. It will take many people to make it work and according to G2G Vice-chair Chris Lee, groups have informally come forward to take up stewardship of most of the trail in Huron. Here’s hoping this is the beginning of a new era that will see trust built among trail proponents and nearby landowners. — KR It’s really a big pay-day loan Stephen LeClair, Ontario’s financial accountability officer earned his pay last week when he gave taxpayers the straight goods on the value of the Ontario government’s plan to sell off 60 per cent of Hydro One — it’s really the equivalent of a gigantic pay-day loan. Individuals sometimes try to pay yesterday’s bills by taking out a pay- day loan at exorbitant interest rates that only makes their situation worse. According to LeClair, Kathleen Wynne’s government is going to get $6.8 billion to $8.9 billion short-term financing through the sale of part of the provincial utility, but will forego hundreds of millions of revenue from Hydro One every year from now on. Wynne wants to use the proceeds of the sale of the utility to finance a 10-year, $130-billion plan for public transit and infrastructure projects. The goal is commendable but the method she’s chosen is short-term gain for long-term pain. At today’s low interest rates, it would be better to have borrowed money and kept the full $750 million a year that the utility turns over to the government. Politically, however, putting the province further in debt at a time she’s promised to tame the deficit would have looked bad. Hiding the real cost of the infrastructure investment by selling off a government asset appears better on the books. In the long run, however, this deal is going to cost taxpayers money for as long as Hydro One exists. Governments need to do what’s in the long-term interest of the province, not sell off the provincial birthright for short-term political manoeuvring. – KR A poem for all time Next week as people around the world pause to mark the sacrifice of generations of young people in world wars, they will do so by repeating the words by a young Canadian written a century ago. “In Flanders fields the poppies blow. Between the crosses, row on row.” Lt. Col. John McCrae first had those words published in December, 1915. Earlier that year, when he sat down the write a poem on May 3, the young medical officer was mourning the death the previous day of one of his closest friends, laid to rest under a makeshift cross in a field full of poppies. Recently McCrae had tended hundreds of wounded during the deadly Second Battle of Ypres, writing to his mother that for 17 days and 17 nights they hadn’t been even able to take their boots off. McCrae became disillusioned with the war. His poem manages to express that sense of the futility. “We are the Dead. Short days ago we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, loved, and were loved, and now we lie in Flanders fields.” And yet despite his disillusionment, McCrae rallied people in support of his fellow soldiers caught in this quagmire of a war. “Take up our quarrel with the foe: to you from failing hands we throw the torch, be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die we shall not sleep, though poppies grow in Flanders fields.” McCrae would die himself before the war ended. He could not have known that a century later the poem he wrote on the battlefield would be probably the most repeated poem in the world: the perfect blend of honouring the fallen and regretting the reason for their loss. In a way, McCrae speaks for all of those lost in wars because he is still remembered so vividly 100 years later. – 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.