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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2013-04-25, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2013.Editorials Opinions Publisher: Keith RoulstonAssociate Publisher & Director of Sales: Ron Drillen 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: 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 April 28, 1948 Mr. Carman Hodgins, manager of the Blyth Farmers’ Co-op Cheese and Butter Factory, suffered eye injuries in an accident. Hodgins was working in the factory boiler room when he received a blast of lime, boiler compound and steam directly in his eyes. Medical aid was immediately sought and Hodgins was taken to the Stratford Hospital for treatment. The injuries were not believed to be permanent or serious, but indeed very painful. A former Blyth resident and member of the Parachute Club at Carp airport, Lorna Bray, made her first parachute jump. At only 16 years of age, she was applauded by club members as she “hit the silk” calmly and made a wonderful descent and landing. April 27, 1988 Bryan and Dale Walden of Kincardine County Cable were in attendance at the April 19 meeting of Morris Township Council to ask permission to continue with the installment of the facilities that would enable residents of Belgrave to have cable television as early as August. The Waldens said that they met the government’s requirements and have the necessary approval from the Canadian Radio Commissions for the approval. They also said that they would want to lease land to install the tower and satellite dishes for the cable. They also asked if they could use Morris Township roadways and right of ways to install the cable. After discussing the proposal, council passed a motion that the township was willing to enter into an agreement with Kincardine Country Cable for the installation of cable TV in Belgrave. April 27, 2006 Canadian Soldier Corporal Matthew David James Dinning of Wingham was remembered as being “a humble person, always strong, always there” by his friend Myron Hussey, formerly of East Wawanosh. Dinning, 23, a member of the Headquarters and the Signals Squadron of 2 Canadian Mech- anized Brigade Group Petawawa, died when the armoured G-Wagon he was riding was struck by a roadside bomb on April 22, about 70 kilometres north of Kandahar. Bombardier Myles Mansell, Lieutenant William Turner and Corporal Randy Payne also died. Dinning was born in Richmond Hill and was a graduate of F.E. Madill Secondary School where he played on the rugby and hockey teams. Hussey said, “He was a pillar. He was there for us, for our country. Matt was a good man.” Belgrave residents were outraged with Morris-Turnberry Council over unfair costs tied to the new Belgrave water system. At the public meeting on April 20, project manager Andy McBride explained that the need for the changes to the water system came from the province passing new regulations following the Walkerton situation in 2000. One of the recommendations was to join the Humphrey, McCrea and Jane water systems into one for all of Belgrave. Both Morris-Turnberry and North Huron was influenced by the Sustainable Water and Sewage Act from the province. Both councils had passed bylaws the previous year prohibiting the drilling of new wells in Belgrave. The end result was that customers on the North Huron (Humphrey) system would be charged $7,000 over 20 years at 4.5 per cent interest. The point of contention was that Morris-Turnberry customers would be charged, whether or not they are on the system. When the floor was open for questions, a resident asked why he should be subsidizing the costs for his neighbour, when he has a perfectly good well that is expected to outlive him. Councillor Neil Warwick responded, saying that as the whole community will benefit from the system, the whole community should be paying for it. April 26, 2012 A memorial service was held at the Emergency Services Training Centre (ESTC) in Blyth for the late Fire Department of North Huron Chief John Black on April 28. Black passed away less than a week after announcing he was taking a medical leave from the department. The medical leave was due to the reappearance of a cancer that Black had faced and beaten in 2010. His second occurrence of cancer was found after Black was sick with a severe case of influenza earlier in the year. A meeting to negotiate the terms of a new fire agreement was postponed by Morris-Turnberry to show respect for Black. Mayor Paul Gowing said he felt it wouldn’t have been appropriate to hold the meeting. Blyth Public School students were cleaning up the community on April 23 as part of a belated Earth Day celebration. The Brussels Public School graduating class held a fundraising fish fry at the Brussels Legion Branch. All 21 class members had varying responsibilities for make the event a success. Around 275 people showed up for the fish dinner. 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 Small thing, difficult choice The job of municipal councillors is to make decisions on behalf of the residents of their municipality: sometimes big, million-dollar decisions, sometimes small decisions that can be just as difficult. Two area municipalities, Huron East and Goderich have recently grappled with the seemingly minor issue of allowing championship teams to get a tour of their community on the back of a fire truck. It’s a decision that shows how complicated the job of a councillor can be. In the case of Huron East, the debate was triggered by a complaint from a resident about a trip on the fire truck around Brussels by the Blyth Brussels Midget Rep team after it won the Ontario Minor Hockey Association championship. In Goderich the debate was initiated after a letter was received from an insurance broker recommending the practice be stopped over liability concerns. Municipal councillors are elected to represent the interests of their residents and that’s what makes this decision more complicated than it seems at first. To protect taxpayers, councils should probably stop the practice. As Goderich’s insurance broker was pointing out, if something happened during the ride and one of those victorious champions was hurt, the municipality can be found liable for that injury. If it was a serious injury, it might cost local taxpayers a lot of money, given the judgements courts are apt to make against municipalities these days. But councillors in both communities also took into account the life- long memories that are created for the champions when they make this traditional ride around town, cheered by their friends and neighbours. In the long run, councillors made the decision that the celebration of excellence should be more important than the fairly low risk of injury. Liability is driving our society these days. Whenever some freak accident happens we change the way we do things. After a child was strangled by a scarf caught on a piece of playground equipment, we closed and tore down playgrounds all across Canada. If we don’t take proper precautions, people may be hurt of killed, yet if we overreact to everything that happens, there’ll be little fun left in our lives. Councillors have weighed this tricky balance and made a decision on the side of having a little fun. Here’s hoping we, and they, never have to regret their choice. –KR Are we examples of democracy? Canada and the United States often send representatives around the world telling struggling countries about the value of democracy but recent incidents in both countries showed we need to turn our attention to flaws in our own democratic process. In the U.S., legislation to tighten background checks on people buying hand guns at gun shows or over the internet failed to receive the required support from senators. The bill’s failure came despite the presence in Washington of parents of victims of the Newtown school massacre just four months ago. It came despite recent polls that show 86 per cent of the U.S. public supported some form of background checks that are not currently required by law for gun sales. But many senators are less worried about public opinion than they are of the immense power of the National Rifle Association to fund campaigns against those who don’t support its aims. They chose to go with the powerful body and against public opinion. Here in Canada we once again saw the Conservative Party unleash attack ads within hours of the naming of a new Liberal Party leader, trying to undermine a potential competitor two years before an election. Canada is becoming a paler example of the kind of managed democracy practiced more flagrantly by leaders like Russia’s Vladimir Putin where opposition is destroyed so the government can keep power. In Canada this attempt to manage the democratic process is also evident in the government’s attempts to silence any agency that might prove an embarrassment, such as the parliamentary budget officer. We who have been blessed with democracy, must not sleep while it is being undermined. It doesn’t do us much good to help others get democracy if we lose it. –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.