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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2013-02-28, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 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; $130.00/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 March 9, 1961 The Brownies and Guides held a joint meeting at the Brussels Library under the leadership of Brown Owl Mrs. Kellington and Tawny Owl Mrs. Sholdice, as well as Everdina Exel and Audrey Wheeler. The meeting was held on the occasion of the club’s founder’s birthday. It was also declared to be “Thinking Day” when local members were supposed to “think” about Brownies and Guides from all over the world. As part of the meeting, members welcomed two commissioners from Goderich, Miss McDonald and Miss McMellan. Herb Travis of Walton won the Brussels Lions Club’s weekly NHL draw. Travis won $50 for his efforts. The Huron County Hog Producers had too many men for too few positions at their annual meeting on March 6. Thirty-eight men were nominated for 19 positions throughout the organization. March 2, 1988 At a Kub Kar Rally at East William School the Blyth Cubs craftsmen did extremely well. Each boy carved a vehicle out of wood provided. Out of 109 racers, Mark Wilson placed third, Jeff Ferguson, Brad Montgomery, and Earl Thomson all reached the semi- finals and received prizes. The best overall team cars went to the Clinton Cubs. Four fathers made cars for this event, but they were not as successful as their sons. It was anticipated that by Feb. 27, $3,000,000 in members and mailing lists subscribers advanced ticket orders will have been processed by the Stratford Festival Box Office. It was the first time in the Festival’s history that level of advances sales has been reached by the end of February. Canada Post assured local residents that negotiations over the Ethel Post Office were on the organization’s schedule. Canadian gold medal-winning ice dancer Peter MacDonald of RR2, Brussels was one of five outstanding citizens of Grey Township that were honoured at the Celebration ’88 pageant, which was held at Grey Central Public School. The 15-year- old Cranbrook-area youth received the medal as the township’s most outstanding male athlete. His mother, Faye MacDonald, was also honoured as the township’s most outstanding coach. Local MP Murray Cardiff was on hand for the celebration and to hand out the medals and certificates. The awards ceremony was sponsored by the Canadian government as part of community celebrations all over the country in honour of Canada’s first Winter Olympics, which were set to be held in Calgary. March 2, 2006 John Tory, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, was scheduled to be in Blyth on March 4 to drop the puck at a hockey game at the Blyth and District Community Centre. After the hockey game, he was scheduled to attend a breakfast in the hall at the centre, which was being hosted by the Huron-Bruce PC Association. Huron East Council wrestled with the idea of raising taxes throughout the municipality. Huron East Mayor Joe Seili said that the municipality was in a much better position than it was a year earlier and that balancing the budget, without a tax increase, shouldn’t be a problem. Other councillors, however, had a different idea. “We have $400,000 more to work with [this year, compared to last year]. If we can’t balance this budget without raising taxes then we’re not doing our job and we should resign,” said Seili. Farmers took a drastic step in their protest, alongside the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, closing their land to snowmobile trails throughout the community. Trails in Blyth, Goderich, Colborne, Clinton, St. Helen’s, Lucknow, Wingham and Seaforth were all closed in late February due to “landowner issues” according to the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs. March 1, 2012 Despite claims that the 91st annual Belgrave School Fair, held the previous year, would be the last of its kind, a dedicated group of volunteers came together and pledged to keep the event running for years to come. In fact, the fair was expected to expand, with the inclusion of students from the Wingham area and Maitland River Elementary School. Students from the University of Waterloo were in Brussels over the previous weekend working on a potential streetscape plan and several walking trails, all while meeting local business-owners and ambassadors for the Brussels community. They spent close to five hours in the village researching and speaking to people in order to return to the university and begin work on the project. North Huron Council began its budget deliberations and were said to be considering a 2.9 per cent budget increase. The increase would equal a $120,000 increase in spending for the year. 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 Paying for the things we want The world is a much more complicated place than most of us wish it would be. A good example was given last week when local farm leaders raised the issue of who picks up the tab for a healthy wildlife population. Leaders of various farm commodities, speaking to MP Ben Lobb and MPP Lisa Thompson pointed to a 2009 study that put the cost of wildlife damage to crops and livestock at $41 million a year. There is some compensation for farmers but it amounts to a paltry $1.5 million a year. Whether we are hunters, hikers or bird watchers, many of us take pleasure in different ways from having a thriving wildlife population. These birds and animals aren’t props that are around just for our enjoyment, however. They are living creatures that need to eat. Wild birds don’t just eat weed seeds but grain as well, and since the grain is so plentiful they may choose the easy meal. Coyotes, foxes and other hunters don’t care if they eat something wild or a farm animal – and the latter may be easier to catch. There’s something stirring about seeing a flock of geese in flight, but it you’re a farmer who sees the geese land on a field of tender wheat sprouts, you can see your livelihood disappear. As someone at the meeting pointed out, a lot of money was spent to reintroduce wild turkeys to southern Ontario. Nobody asked farmers if they wanted them. The turkeys thrived, no doubt at some cost to farmers. At the same time, fear of added wildlife damage mustn’t stop farmers from doing what’s right. A concern was expressed at the meeting that establishing more buffer strips along streams and ditches would encourage more wildlife that would do more damage. Perhaps the buffer strips might create more wildlife habitat but they will also benefit farmers by keeping their valuable soil, the source of their livelihood, from eroding. The strips will also prevent the pollution of streams. The concept of paying farmers for environmental goods and services tries to build a compromise. Farmers shouldn’t have to pay the whole cost of services that benefit all of society but some of these things, inconvenient as they may be for farmers, are essential. A compensation system that provides some support for the inconvenience of providing these good things for us all is only fair. –KR A scandal all round Some issues only add to the sense of cynicism and disillusionment about our political system and few qualify more than the scandal over the cancellation of two Toronto-area gas-fired electrical generating plants at the height of the 2011 provincial election campaign. Former premier Dalton McGuinty descended to his cynical low when he decided that, in order to save two ridings held by the Liberals, he would cancel the contracts for the unpopular generating plants that were already under construction. This opportunistic maneuvre was particularly galling for taxpayers in rural areas because the premier seemed content to write off dozens of ridings across the province by sticking with his support for wind farms, but knuckled under to opposition in suburban ridings. The result has been a huge bill for Ontario taxpayers, estimated at $230 million (some expect much more). A scandal like this is a blessing for opposition parties seeking to unseat the government. They’ve been helped by discovery of previously unreleased documents, which they can spin as an attempted cover-up, even though the government itself released them. But the opposition parties barely look better than the government and are hypocritical in the extreme. After all, the reason the Liberals cancelled the gas plants is that they feared promises by the Progressive Conservatives and NDP to cancel the plants if they won the 2011 election would tempt voters to vote against the government. Taken on their election promise, if either of these parties had formed the government we’d still be looking at cancellation charges. The big loser in this scandal, (beside the taxpayer) is the political system where all political parties look slimy and opportunistic.— 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.