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The Citizen, 2012-10-04, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2012.Editorials Opinions Publisher: Keith Roulston Acting Editor: Shawn Loughlin • Reporter: Denny ScottAdvertising Sales: Ken Warwick & Lori Patterson 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; $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 October 7, 1965 Despite inclement weather, large crowds attended the annual Brussels Fall Fair. The fair was kicked off by President C.W. Bray and then by the school parade, which was led by the Seaforth High School Trumpet Band. The fair was officially opened by Huron-Bruce MPP Murray Gaunt, while Robert L. Cunningham was the master of ceremonies for the day. Despite the rain, attendance from the previous year was equalled, if not bettered, according to secretary- treasurer Norman Hoover. A dance, which was held at the Crystal Palace, concluded the day’s events. The Brussels Post reported that the dance was well attended. Commissioner Mary McMillian presented 11 Brownies with their wings as they “flew” into the next stage of the program, Girl Guides. After the first night of competition in the Brussels bowling league, Karen’s Go-Go’s and Willis’ Wonders were tied atop the standings with six points each. The Nichols dominated the singles standings as Elaine Nichol placed first in the women’s category with 217 points and Allan Nichol was in first for the men’s category with 225 points. September 30, 1987 Members of the North Huron 4-H Club swept awards in all but one of the major categories at the annual 4- H competition at the Seaforth Fall Fair, taking the majority of the awards in the beef, dairy, swine and sheep categories. Sandra Shelley of RR2, Gorrie was the overall winner, winning the Sweepstakes Competition and the Toronto Dominion Bank (Seaforth) Award as the best all-around 4-H showman in all of Huron County. Shelley also won the Victoria and Grey Trust Company (Seaforth) Award as grand champion 4-H swine showman, as well as the Stewart Procter Memorial Award for exhibiting the grand champion shorthorn heifer. A major study of the problems on Hwy. 4 between Blyth and Wingham was announced by Ontario Minister of Transport and Communication Ed Fulton. The study was announced in a letter to Blyth Reeve Albert Wasson. In his letter, Fulton stated that regional staff had examined the highway and discovered problems. Then, after touring the area, Fulton held a public meeting in Blyth to further discuss the issues facing the highway. October 12, 1994 The Towns of Clinton and Exeter were being charged double for planning issues by Huron County for services that were being carried out by their own staff, but after a decision was made, the towns would no longer be able to do their own planning. The dispute between the two towns and the county ended at a meeting of Huron County Council when the decision was made to repeal the bylaw which gave towns the authority to carry out planning decisions such as lot severances and minor variances on their own. The towns, as a result of the decision, would now be forced to use the Huron County Planning Department, the same system they felt was overcharging them in the first place. Blyth Village Councillor Eugene Coburn announced his intention to run for the position of reeve in the upcoming election. Coburn joined fellow councillor Mason Bailey, who also announced that he would be seeking the position of reeve one month earlier. October 4, 2007 October 13 was a day that supporters of Ball’s Bridge would mark on their calendars and remember for years to come, as the bridge was scheduled to be re- opened on that day. During its closure, work had been completed on the bridge, including the installation of new railings, among other things. The bridge received a large outpouring of support earlier in the year when Huron County officially closed the bridge to traffic. After the people made their voices heard, the county decided to turn the bridge over to the Municipalities of Central Huron and Ashfield-Colborne- Wawanosh, along with a one-time payment of $250,000 to assist in repairs. In addition, supporters of the bridge had also met with Huron- Bruce MPP Carol Mitchell to discuss their concerns over the closure of the bridge. Soon the group received good news from the province when $242,000 was dedicated to the bridge from the Rural Infrastructure Investment Initiative. North Huron Councillor Greg McClinchey tabled a motion at council that would hopefully bring an e-learning portal to Blyth, allowing village residents to take post-secondary courses via the internet without having to leave the village. Auburn resident Paul Johnston announced his plans to ride across the country on his motorcycle to help lift the spirits of Canada’s wounded soldiers being treated in hospitals all across the country. 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 A new reason to be thankful The origin of Thanksgiving was for people who lived off the land to express their thanks for bountiful crops. As time has gone by and more people lived away from the land, this aspect of Thanksgiving has been lost. This year is a good time to show thanks for the miracle of food production. This year will go down as a landmark year for some food producers. Apple and tree fruit crops were nearly wiped out by a combination of a historically hot March and made blossom buds develop early, followed by a deep freeze that froze the blossoms before they could come out. Meanwhile drought hit the U.S. midwest and on into Ontario. The fickleness of weather was demonstrated by the fact that farmers who happened to be under a pop-up thunderstorm and a crucial time in the growth cycle for corn and soybeans, could have good crops while their neighbours a half-mile away who missed the rain, could see their yields shrink. Livestock farmers have also been hit. Hay is in such short supply that Western Canadian farmers are offering to send hay east to help out, returning the favour of a few years ago when eastern farmers sent hay west to ranchers. With short supplies of corn and soybeans, prices have soared – good news for people who had good crops but bad for cattle and hog producers who need those grains to feed their animals. Most people live safely in urban areas where they can be unaware of the vagaries of weather and farming because their store shelves are always stocked with food from somewhere in the world. A fruit producer, interviewed for our sister publication The Rural Voice, said many of her customers still come expecting what they always got, and only when faced with empty shelves, do they become aware of the effects of this year’s strange weather. This year is a reminder that we can never take anything for granted when it comes to weather and food production. This Thanksgiving we need to renew our thanks for the land of plenty we live in, even in tough times. — KR Same arguments 25 years later A quarter century after the end of negotiations for the free trade agreement between Canada and the United States those who promoted it then still think it’s been good for Canada and those who opposed it still think it was wrong. That was evident in a major article in The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business Saturday that went back and talked to some of the key figures on the anniversary of the completion of negotiations on Oct. 4, 1987. Proponents like Brian Mulroney, Prime Minister at the time, and Allan Gotlieb who was Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., still see the good side of the agreement. Opponents like John Turner, who as Liberal Party leader, fought the 1988 election on the basis of tearing up the deal, and David Peterson, who was Ontario Premier, still don’t like it. The article points out that the agreement was neither as good as supporters claimed it would be, or as bad as detractors said. The Liberals ran a famous ad in the 1988 election that showed the border between Canada and the U.S. being erased. It wasn’t, and since the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York has become even harder to cross. On the other hand, while trade boomed in the 1990s, since the 2008 recession hit the U.S. trade had gone down. Some supporters of the deal point to the rising Canadian dollar as the main culprit in this, making Canadian exports more expensive. But the rising dollar has also demonstrated one of the fears of those who don’t like the deal. From Volvo to London’s Caterpillar plant, workers have seen their jobs shift south since the dollar rose. Recently the big three auto companies warned it’s just too expensive to make cars in Canada. It’s that aspect of the deal that makes Ed Boadbent, then NDP leader, think the deal led to major changes in Canada. The globalization movement has created a race to the bottom with pressure to privatize state-owned companies and weaken protection for labour unions. The deal also, with its attitude of supporting winners and letting the losers die, has led to a Canada that’s more unforgiving of failure. — 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.