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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2012-06-21, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 2012.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 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. N0G 1H0 Phone 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 July 1, 1965 The new Royal Canadian Legion building for the Brussels Branch was officially opened on June 25. The opening ceremonies included a parade of district Legionaires led by the massed pipes and drums of the Brussels, Goderich and Exeter Pipe Bands. Approximately 400 people were in attendance to see Legion Provincial President Gordon Wakefield officially open the new hall. Assisting Wakefield in the ribbon-cutting ceremony were two of the Legion’s charter members Roy Thuell and William Stiles. The contract to repair the roof on the Brussels School was awarded to Dobson Roofing of Exeter. Dobson’s tender was one of two received by the village. The Brussels ladies softball team scored a victory over a team from Goderich by a score of 15-8, however, the game was officially forfeited to Goderich, as Brussels was forced to play with only six players. “It is most frustrating to a coach and the rest of the team not to have expected players show up and because they did not have a full team, Brussels must forfeit the game to Goderich,” The Brussels Post reported. June 24, 1987 The Wingham and District Hospital amassed a surplus for the 1986-1987 fiscal year. The hospital’s board of governors had expected a deficit for the year, however the hospital finished the 12-month period with a surplus just over $300,000. Board Chair Mary Lou Thompson credited the surplus to careful planning by the hospital’s financial and administrative staff for the financial turn-around. Blyth architect Christopher Borgal was hired by the Blyth Festival to produce a practical plan for expansion of the Festival’s facilities. Priority items were scene production and rehearsal facilities that would be centred on the Festival’s property on Dinsley Street East, the former Doherty garage and the large lot behind it. On June 25 a dedication ceremony for the J. Melvin Carnochan Memorial Park was to be held in Ethel. Carnochan used to live beside the park and took great pride in its appearance and maintenance. He also left a sum of money to be invested in the future maintenance and improvement of the park. The ceremony would include a plaque presentation, softball games and a fireworks display to cap the night off. While a postal strike continued, service was not disrupted to local communities like Brussels, Belgrave, Bluevale, Wingham and other communities in the area. June 22, 1994 After a cool start to June, the heat was turned up for local farmers. The heat boost helped along farmers with wheat and corn crops, but was credited for a lowering in milk production and issues for poultry and hog operations in confinement areas. Wingham OPP officers were investigating a break-in that occurred at the Blyth office of The Citizen. Entry into the office was gained through a back door and the thieves looked through several drawers and filing cabinets before making off with a small amount of cash. The robbery was discovered on Monday morning when staff members came in for work. Wingham OPP Const. Steve Shaw escaped serious injury when his cruiser was involved in a collision. According to the police, Shaw was travelling south on Hwy. 4 when a vehicle turned into the north lane, forcing the cruiser into the east shoulder of the road before entering a ditch. June 21, 2007 Ainsleigh Bontaine was set to be honoured with a memorial golf tournament on June 24 at Woodlands Links golf course in Clinton. Londesborough’s Brent Scrimgeour had organized the event in memory of his niece who drowned in a pool the summer previous. Bontaine had just celebrated her third birthday. In addition to keeping Bontaine’s memory alive, Scrimgeour was hoping to raise funds for the Children’s Health Foundation out of London. Marketing strategies for the Village of Blyth were discussed at a special meeting held by North Huron Economic Development Officer Kerri Herrfort. Herrfort discussed branding for the village, which revolved largely around the stylized ‘B’ that she said helped people to remember its association with the Village of Blyth. Barbershop owner John Roe said the village was suffering from “same old” disease, where people were simply trying the same old tricks, but ending up with the same old results. London artist Ron Milton’s show Symbols 3 was set to open the Blyth Festival Art Gallery’s season on June 28, to coincide with the official opening of the 2007 theatre season. A fundraising walk for Habitat for Humanity held in Exeter raised over $10,000 for the cause. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities. We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright Turning a bad thing to good Huron East is to be congratulated on its forward thinking in purchasing Brussels Public School to be turned into a business incubator. Given their choice, most Brussels and area residents would prefer the school remained a school, but since the school will close forever next week, at least council is making the best of a bad situation. Mayor Bernie MacLellan said that as soon as it became evident the school was closing, it became one of council’s top priorities to make best use of the building. Council’s hope is that the business incubator will draw new businesses which will in turn draw people and some day, might even bring the need for a new school in Brussels. There’s much work to be done, of course. Until the deal to purchase the school from the Avon Maitland District School Board is finalized, Huron East can’t even create a business plan. It will take good management and good luck to pull off the dream. But Huron East Council deserves praise for standing up for Brussels in this time when hope could be at a low ebb with the final closing of the school next week. From feeling powerless after watching officials from afar determine the future of their school, Brussels has now been handed an opportunity to help shape its own future. — KR Stop playing games In the renewed scare, this past week, about a snap Ontario election, none of the three parties in the Ontario legislature look good. Damaging her reputation the most is NDP leader Andrea Horwath who on April 23 succeeded in getting concessions of Premier Dalton McGuinty on taxing the rich, boosting welfare payments and expanding childcare in exchange for letting the provincial budget pass. McGuinty, and Ontario voters, thought they could relax but last week NDP members on the finance committee teamed up with Progressive Conservatives (PC) to pass amendments that will hamper the government’s efforts to balance the budget, such as deleting a key section on labour arbitration. So the deal was just a deal until Horwath and the NDP thought they could get more. The Premier can take the blame for acting like a miniature version of Stephen Harper in presenting a mammoth 327-page budget bill that contained things that were not really money related. It’s the kind of power play that just invites amendments, as we saw federally as well. And then, hiding in the bushes, are PC leader Tim Hudak and his party who have made no effort to make this minority legislature work. He declared before he even read the budget that he would oppose it. When it was released, he said it wasn’t cutting costs enough. Yet PC members of the finance committee last week supported NDP amendments they are ideologically opposed to in order to stick it to the government. Ontario voters thought they were electing adults last October, not children playing school-yard games. Grow up. — KR The smartest guy in any room Canadians who think humbleness is part of their national personality certainly are not represented by a Prime Minister of matching personality these days. Stephen Harper, who here in Canada always has the self-assurance of the guy who thinks he’s the smartest guy in the room, has expanded the size of the room. Recently, including at this week’s Group of 20 annual meeting in Mexico, Harper has been lecturing European leaders on how they should get their act together (like he has in Canada) before the European economic crisis pulls the rest of the world economy down. On Monday, José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, snapped back, saying Europe doesn’t need lessons in democracy or how to run an economy. Harper sounds like one of those guys who was born into an affluent family, got the best education and then says to the unemployed poor that if only they’d be like him, they’d be fine. Humble Canadians cringe every time their Prime Minister opens his mouth on the world stage. — 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.