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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2013-01-10, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2013.Editorials Opinions Publisher: Keith Roulston Acting Editor: Shawn Loughlin • Reporter: Denny ScottAdvertising Sales: Ken Warwick & Lori Patterson The CitizenP.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; $115.00/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: Monday, 2 p.m. - Brussels; Monday, 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 January 12, 1911 Rev. John Joseph Blair was a new face in the Brussels area setting up a new parish for citizens of both Wingham and Brussels. He was set to reside in the Wingham area. Blair was the son of William Blair, who was the postmaster in Stratford. After conducting his first service in Brussels the previous Sunday, The Brussels Post reported that Blair left a “most favourable impression” with the large congregation that was present. Baxter McArter had purchased a photography business in Blyth from Walter Jacobs. Jacobs was said to be leaving the community to live with his parents in California. January 12, 1961 A date was set for the ribbon cutting ceremony of the new Brussels Public School on Jan. 20. The evening’s guest speaker was Rev. F.G. Stewart, minister at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Kitchener and past-president of the Kitchener Board of Secondary Education. Pollard’s Chain Saw Jamboree was set to take place at the Brussels Town Hall on Jan. 19. The evening consisted of speakers from various companies, suppliers and an Oregon chain saw clinic. Entertainment was to be provided by The Kansas Farmer. Walton merchant Douglas Ennis was injured in a fall when he suffered a broken nose, broken teeth and a cut on his forehead as a result of a 15-foot fall he took to the walk at the front of his store. Ennis was on a ladder, removing Christmas decorations from the front of the store. One of the ladder’s feet slipped and Ennis fell face first onto the ground. After the year’s inaugural session of Brussels Village Council, Reeve George McCutcheon entertained members of council with a steak dinner. There was a call for girls between the ages of 12 and 26 to take part in the 4-H Club’s next homemaking project “Cottons May Be Smart”. January 13, 1988 Dan Pearson, a resident of Ethel, was lucky on New Year’s Eve when his Wintario Lottery ticket won him $100,000. Pearson was employed as constituency assistant to Huron- Bruce MP Murray Cardiff. Huron MPP Jack Riddell, also the Minister of Agriculture, celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture in Clinton alongside rural organizational specialist Jane Muegge and Huron County Agricultural representative Don Pullen. After celebrating the occasion, Riddell was led to the Clinton Public Hospital where he greeted the area’s first baby of the year, Grady Beaver of Zurich, with a farm- related book. The Blyth Festival started the new year with the good news that it had finished the previous year “in the black” for the 10th consecutive year. The Festival’s annual meeting had been snowed out twice, but the extra time gave representatives more time to work their way through a more-complicated-than-usual financial statement, The Citizen reported. The year included a national tour of the hit Another Season’s Promise, meaning that the year would include the majority of the tour’s expenditures, with the majority of its revenue to be counted in the coming year. However, with all the money counted, the Festival conducted business in excess of a quarter of a million dollars and showed a profit of just under $10,000. January 12, 2006 The future was looking bright for the Blyth Library as Huron County Council approved a new plan that would include relocation to a main street location and a more spacious facility. The move to 390 Queen Street, next to Blyth Decor, was contingent on interior walls not required for library purposed be removed and that new flooring and air conditioning be installed. Huron County Council passed its draft budget with a proposed levy increase of 5.34 per cent. Not all councillors were in favour of the budget, however, as Huron East’s Joe Seili would not support the budget as long as it came with a Wingham location for a forthcoming ambulance station. He said the station should be built in Brussels. “I will only support this if there is a station in Brussels,” Seili told councillors. “This budget only says this could happen in the future, but that might be a different council and that day may never come.” The Grey Fire Department was the recipient of an Ontario Fire Service Grant for rural and northern fire departments. The department had recently acquired breathing apparatuses and oxygen bottles, costing approximately $14,000. The grant received was for $16,000. Chief Calvin Semple said the remainder of the grant would be put towards training, which he was looking forward to, now that the department had up-to-date equipment. “I didn’t see any sense in training if we don’t have the proper equipment to train with.” 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 In theory, a good idea North Huron Township council Monday night joined the growing list of municipalities to reject the Huron County plan for mandatory inspections of existing septic tanks. Most of those voting against the plan support the ideal behind it, they just don’t think it’s effective. How could you not support the idea of making sure septic tanks work properly? It’s a motherhood issue. Rural people, and urban residents of inland towns and villages, depend on pure goundwater for our drinking water and other needs. We need to protect those underground acquifers. While any increase in the cost of government irks some people, the price is really not going to make much difference to most. It’s proposed to charge $31 yearly on tax bills of those with septic thanks to finance an inspection every five years. But the argument of most who are against the plan is not about the cost but whether the inspections will really be effective. There’s the concern on one hand that faulty septic systems will be missed and on the other, that many people are going to be ordered to replace their systems at a cost of $15,000 or more. Many don’t trust assurances of Huron County Health Unit officials that these inspections will make a difference. On the other hand, what’s the alternative? Some opponents of the plan have said the inspections aren’t needed because most people do a good job of maintaining their septic system. Please! There may be some people who pay a lot of attention to septic system maintenance but for the vast majority it’s a case of out of sight, out of mind. With more pressing and more visible issues, the septic system can go for long years without even being pumped out. The County’s proposal may or may not get the necessary support from enough municipal councils to bring it into effect. If nothing else, it should awaken owners of septic systems to the need to pay attention to what happens after they flush the toilet, and make sure they are not fouling water for all of society. –KR Don’t ‘kick the dog’ An illustration often used of misguided frustration is of the guy who’s perturbed by his boss but can’t do anything to get back at him so he goes home and kicks the dog. Ontario’s public school teachers apparently can’t wait to get home so they’re kicking their students instead. Angry with legislation that allowed the provincial government to impose contracts on them and outlawed the right to strike, public system teachers (Catholic separate school teachers negotiated an agreement) have vowed to, in effect, work to rule. They will teach classes but will do as little as possible that’s not required under their contracts. The main effect of this is withdrawal of extra curricular activities. Perhaps the hope of teachers and their unions is that there will eventually be a groundswell of anger against Bill 115 by parents whose children are being deprived of the full school experience. These angry parents will then force the government to backtrack on the bill and then — what? Give teachers back the right to strike and bargain with local school boards for pay raises that the province will then have to pay for even though it’s broke? Certainly taking away the right to bargain collectively and to strike if necessary as part of that bargaining, is a serious abridgement of workers’ rights. On the other hand, public sector unions are in a different situation than private sector employees. Private companies, if they can’t afford to pay more, can’t afford to pay, even if it means closing the company. Governments can be tempted to buy labour peace by giving in. But beyond what the teachers hope to accomplish by punishing their students is the question of whether it will work. Do enough parents care to put the effort in to organizing against the government? Given that about 80-90 per cent of parents probably don’t see the hardships imposed on teachers as very harsh by comparison to their own situation, it’s hard to see that this tactic will work. More likely it will eventually lead to a backlash against teachers. Some teachers marching on picket lines in December held signs saying “Respect Teachers”. It’s safe to say most people do respect teachers, but they may lose some of that respect if teachers continue to punish students in their frustration with the government. — 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.