Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2013-10-24, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2013.Editorials Opinions Publisher: Keith Roulston Acting Editor: Shawn Loughlin • Reporter: Denny Scott Advertising Sales: Lori Patterson & Sue Brindley 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; $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 October 26, 1961 There was a call in The Brussels Post calling for those aged four to 104 to participate in a Halloween Night Costume Parade. Participants were instructed to bring their noise-makers and music- makers for the parade, which would be led by the Brussels Legion Pipe Band. George McCutcheon officially proclaimed Nov. 11 a public holiday and asked stores to remain closed until at least 1 p.m. that day. Just in time for Halloween, a masquerade dance was scheduled to be held at the Cranbrook Community Centre on Oct. 27. Scott’s Orchestra would be performing and there would be prizes for the night’s best costumes. October 26, 1988 The Brussels Legion was the recipient of $10,000 worth of generosity thanks to a benefit dance that was held at the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre. The dance attracted over 500 people in an attempt to help the Legion get back on its feet. The Christian Party of Canada produced Tom Clark, who would be representing the party in the Huron- Bruce riding in the upcoming federal election. A debate between the candidates, including Murray Cardiff of the Progressive Conservatives, Ken Dunlop for the Liberals and Tony McQuail for the NDP, would take place at an all-candidates meeting on Oct. 27. The meeting was to be hosted by the Huron County Federation of Agriculture and would take place at Clinton Public School. Leona Armstrong was acclaimed to her fourth consecutive term as reeve in Grey Township ahead of the upcoming municipal election. The Blyth Festival was busy preparing for the upcoming gala dinner with an unusual fundraising item. “One of the highly-prized items that will be available to bid on at the gala auction will be the chance to have your name included in Alice Munro’s next story,” said Jane Gardner, director of communications at the Blyth Festival. October 26, 2006 Stephen Webster of Blyth was named winner of the 2006 Huron Federation of Agriculture Award for outstanding contribution to agriculture at the federation’s annual meeting. Webster made headlines just one year earlier when he spent several weeks living out of his car at Queen’s Park to help draw attention to the need to help farmers deal with a farm income crisis. In accepting the award, Webster said there would have been no way he could have won the award without his large group of supporters. The Blyth Business Association named Matt Lee as its new president, also installing a new executive at its Oct. 17 annual meeting. Lee became president after Eleanor Babcock stepped down from the position, after serving for five years. Tyler Jutzi, the son of Jamie and Lynn from Brussels, was named F.E. Madill Secondary School’s valedictorian at the school’s annual commencement ceremony. He was also awarded the prestigious Governor General Award, which is given to the student with the highest academic standing in the graduating class. Renovations being made to Blyth’s Memorial Hall were nearing completion, which was indicated when Blyth Festival Artistic Director Eric Coates and North Huron Director of Recreation and Facilities Pat Newson presented a plaque to be displayed at the hall to commemorate the Trillium grant received for the project. October 25, 2012 Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson took to local media outlets and expressed her “frustration” with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty’s resignation. She said the move to prorogue the provincial caucus would affect hundreds of initiatives that had been presented throughout the province. “It’s a cheap, selfish way to avoid future scandal,” Thompson said. The 10th annual Blyth Witches Walk was held on the village’s Greenway Trail. As part of a fundraiser for the local chapter of Crime Stoppers, Citizen reporter Denny Scott was “arrested” by OPP Const. Jamie Stanley at the newspaper’s Blyth office and transported to Seaforth, where he was jailed with the other “criminals” attempting to do a good deed. By the time he was released, Scott had raised $750 for Crime Stoppers, earning him his freedom from the jail and bail fundraiser. Members of the Blyth BIA raised some concerns with two-hour limit parking spots being implemented throughout the village. One of the complaints came from the Blyth Festival, who didn’t want to leave patrons worried that they may get a parking ticket if they come to Blyth for dinner and a show, exactly what groups like the BIA were hoping would happen. 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 Toward a better world? To listen to commentary in the media since Canada’s signing of a trade agreement with Europe last week, Canadian dairy farmers are probably only outranked by Canadian Senators when it comes to lack of respect and popularity. The most reported consequence of the free trade agreement has been the relaxing of barriers against imports of cheese from Europe and the outrage from leaders of supply-managed farm sectors about the undermining of their systems. For some commentators, the fact dairy farmers are complaining is a good sign in itself that these “pampered”, privileged, farmers are no longer protected from competition. For others, such as Globe and Mail columnist Margaret Wente and former Liberal Party leadership candidate Martha Hall Finlay, the agreement doesn’t go far enough because it doesn’t wipe out supply management which, according to them, is making it impossible for poorer Canadians to eat well because of an unreasonably high cost of food. In rural areas, there’s little sympathy from farmers of supply-managed commodities like dairy, chicken and eggs because these farmers have not suffered the peaks and troughs of the open market but have gone steadily on, making a decent living. Supply management has been blamed for everything from driving up the cost of farmland to keeping foreign markets closed to beef and pork or to greater exports of Canadian grain. The fact that the trade agreement calls for allowing more Canadian beef and pork into Europe will make it popular to non-dairy farmers. But as in most things, there’s perception and there’s reality. As Jack Wilkinson, former head of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture said when he visited Grey County, Friday, farmers shouldn’t expect a boom in exports to Europe. In pork, for instance, European rules require pork to come from pigs raised in conditions totally different than those used in Canada, including in the near future, a ban on feed from genetically- altered grains. As well, as Wilkinson pointed out, the main benefits of the deal are likely to go to the large companies that trade food goods, not the producers of the food itself. Farmers have always struggled to get a proper share of the food dollar while companies sought to maximize profits by paying as little as possible for their inputs. That’s why business-friendly publications like the Globe and Mail have been so vociferous and dedicated in their war against supply management, because food companies complain it drives up the cost of their inputs. The irony of the European trade agreement undermining supply management is that it was Britain’s entry into the European Union in 1961 that created the conditions that led to the formation of marketing boards. Canadian dairy farmers depended on exports of cheese and butter to Britain. They had helped supply Britain through two World Wars and during the recovery after the ward, but suddenly this market was cut off because Britain joined the European trade bloc. There were huge surpluses of dairy products in Canada and farmers were going broke. It would be nice to think we’re past the era when supply management is needed, that farmers’ “partners” in the food industry were ready to respect them and treat them fairly. Even dairy, poultry and egg farmers would probably like that. Until human nature changes, however, farmers will always need to battle to get a fair deal. –KR Who do you believe? Disgraced Senator Mike Duffy fought back Monday, suggesting he had information that could undermine Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s claim that he didn’t know anything about his former Chief of Staff Nigel Wright’s decision to pay back $90,000 of Senator Duffy’s improper housing expenses. The Prime Minister, meanwhile, continues to insist that he knew nothing about Wright’s action until he heard about it on the news. Senator Duffy is untrustworthy and out for vengeance, to be sure, but which is more likely, Duffy’s or Harper’s version? If you believe the Prime Minister, let’s hope you stay away from agents selling cheap swampland. –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.