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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-01-13, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2011.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 norhuron@scsinternet.com 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 $34.00/year ($32.38 + $1.62 G.S.T.) in Canada; $105.00/year in U.S.A. and $175/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: norhuron@scsinternet.com January 11, 1950 Brussels Village Council held its inaugural meeting for 1950 on Jan. 3. At that meeting, tenders for a new roof on the south side of the town hall were received, with the chosen tender coming from I. McArter in the amount of $230. Playing at the Regent Theatre in Seaforth for Jan. 12-14 were The Window, I Was a Male War Bride, Rogues Regiment and The Paradine Case. A 14-year-old East Wawanosh girl, Lois Dawson died in an effort to save a playmate who was in trouble. While Lois didn’t make it, the 10- year-old boy she was playing with, Billie Reavie was eventually rescued due to the efforts of Lois. Billie broke through a sheet of ice in an attempt to rescue a dog. Lois plunged into the water after Billie in freezing water up to her shoulders. Through her efforts, she lifted Billie high enough to grab the overhanging branches of a small willow. There he hung while his six-year- old brother ran one mile to summon help. Billie was eventually rescued by a man on horseback. Lois was then pulled from the water and wrapped in a blanket. She was taken to Wingham Hospital where doctors were unable to revive her. January 9, 1974 A survey began to investigate the need for housing for area senior citizens. The Ontario Housing Corporation planned on conducting the survey, focusing on the residents of Blyth. Blyth residents were told not to expect the construction of sewers for at least two more years by the Ministry of the Environment in a letter received by Blyth Village Council. The Blyth Horticultural Society handed out its decoration contest awards, with the award for best decorated door went to Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Snell. Second prize went to Mr. and Mrs. Jim Reid and third prize went to Mr. and Mrs. Ralph McCrea. The Huron County Federation of Agriculture announced that it would be investing in a study on government restructuring. January 8, 1986 The Blyth Lions Club donated $2,000 to the Blyth and District Community Centre for the installation of air conditioning, heat pumps and dehumidification units. The funds stemmed from the Lions’ two Christmas dances on Dec. 14 and Dec. 21, which were both said to have been huge successes. Brussels Village Council received the bad news that its liability insurance coverage would be increasing by 50 per cent in 1986. While the increase was bad for Brussels, it wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. Horror stories of increases up to 1,000 per cent had been floated in anticipation of the announcement, so the 50 per cent increase came almost with relief from the councillors. Huron County weather was wreaking havoc on the area as 1985 turned into 1986, with the new year providing little relief from the miserable weather. “The new year seemed depressingly like the old year when the umpteenth storm of the winter hit Huron County late Sunday and early Monday closing many roads and extending the Christmas break for school students,” The Citizen reported. With the “huge” job of entering the names of all 1,300 subscribers of The Citizen into a computer mailing list, publishers felt a preemptive apology was in order, so Citizen staff apologized in advance for mistakes they anticipated making on the mailing list. “With so many names to enter, with different handwriting for our computer operator to try to decipher, with the possibility that people may have purchased subscriptions themselves, only to have some else thoughtfully give them a gift of a subscription, there are bound to be plenty of goofs,” The Citizen admitted. January 15, 2003 Goderich native Larry Adams was named chief administrative officer for Huron County, taking over after the sudden departure of Lynn Murray in April, 2002. Exchange student Louise Leyden from Australia spent several weeks lodging in Londesborough with Liz MacGregor and her family. The pair were photographed on a trip to the CN Tower in Toronto during Leyden’s time in Canada. Blyth native Justin Peters was named to the Ontario under-17 team that would travel to the Canada Winter Games in New Brunswick from Feb. 23 through to March 1. Peters was on a roster along with 20 other Ontario hockey stars. Huron County began making preparations to take legal action against a company from Grey that was said to illegally clear land under the Huron County tree bylaw. A strip of land 15 metres wide by 220 metres long was cleared by the company. A report, however, received by Huron County stated that the clearing destroyed part of a good woodlot, including valuable sugar maple, black cherry and white ash trees . 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 The great divide continues Despite the vote in parliament last fall not to repeal the long gun registry legislation, the great divide between urban and rural thinking continues. The difference in thinking was evident again this week when Grey- Bruce MP Larry Miller made headlines by suggesting enforcement officers should turn the other way when farmers are using unregistered rifles to protect their livestock. When the issue of coyotes killing sheep was raised at a sheep producers meeting, Miller said farmers were afraid to use unregistered long guns because provincial conservation officers are harassing farmers who were out protecting their livestock because people who disagree with hunting coyotes are calling the ministry to complain. “There are a lot of guns that aren’t registered and urban people may not understand why, but it just goes to show you how ridiculous a law it is and until it’s scrapped, people in my part of the world and most rural parts of Canada are not going to be happy,” Miller is quoted as saying in the Toronto Star. Miller is not exactly a high profile member of parliament. The Grey- Bruce Farmers’ Week conference where he spoke would not normally rate coverage in the nation’s largest newspaper, but when he spoke in favour of long guns – particularly unregistered long guns – it was enough to draw attention of the urban media. Miller probably won popularity with many of his constituents for his defence of the need for firearms on the farm. On the other hand, he likely confirmed for many urbanites that farmers and rural people are half- civilized remnants of a bygone time who haven’t joined the 21st century. The fact they want to kill coyotes probably makes them seem bloodthirsty to people who have never experienced the heart-break of seeing innocent livestock torn to shreds by the predators. (Now if an urban cat or dog is a victim, the view of a coyote rapidly changes.) Registering a rifle isn’t as big a deal as some farmers make it out to be. On the other hand, a farmer protecting his livestock with an unregistered rifle is not going to add to crime on the streets of our cities. There’s a huge gap of understanding between urbanites and farmers that somehow needs to be bridged. — KR The role of good government This week marks a year since the earthquake that devasted Haiti and killed hundreds of thousands. Sadly, the reconstruction has barely begun. As the media turns its spotlight back on Haiti, many people are still living in “temporary” housing in sprawling tent camps. The cholera epidemic killed many more people because of lack of access to clean water and sewage treatment. Women have been raped in these camps by marauding gangs because there isn’t enough protection. All this has come despite billions of dollars in donations made by sympathetic individuals around the world and by their governments. Certainly there may still be things the rest of the world could be doing better as they try to help, but in many cases the rebuilding has been hampered by the problems with Haiti’s government. Haiti has a long history of failed government. Various “saviours” have been embraced by Haitians only to turn corrupt. Individuals and their families have become incredibly wealthy in one of the world’s poorest countries. Today’s government seems unable to cope with the scale of the disaster or with the assistance being offered by foreign governments and aid agencies. In Canada, we take good government for granted. We often don’t think it’s very good. We constantly complain about too many rules, too many civil servants, and taxes that are too high to support the various levels of government. What Haiti shows is how chaotic life is in the absence of good government. Certainly the disasters that have befallen Haiti would test any government but in Canada we’re more prepared to cope because we are blessed with good government. — 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.