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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-01-20, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 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 18, 1950 A letter from Brussels Reeve Roy B. Cousins appeared in The Brussels Post discussing the need for repairs and redecoration at the Brussels Town Hall. Cousins addressed these needs, but said that because of the extensive work that had been done recently on the village water system, “it was felt that the taxpayer could not be expected to finance this work”. Cousins went on to say that after careful deliberation, it was decided that council would ask local organizations for some help in the matter. “The results so far have been encouraging,” Cousins said. “We have had some individuals volunteer to give their time and some organizations have agreed to sponsor an evening’s entertainment with the proceeds going to the remodelling fund.” The Majestic Women’s Institute held its January meeting and decided to donate $10 to the Overseas Children’s Fund. There was also a request that the group endorse an initiative to increase the amount of eggs that an average Canadian eats in a year. They were asked to “boost” the slogan “Eat More Eggs” in order to increase the amount of eggs used by Canadians by 37 eggs per year. The Upper Canada Bible Society wrote a letter acknowledging $275.36 from the Brussels and District branch of the Bible Society. January 16, 1974 The country’s largest John Deere dealership cut the ribbon on a new branch in Blyth, opening the Huron Tractor Limited Service Centre. MP Robert McKinley and MPP Jack Riddell were on hand to cut the ribbon. An open house to officially open the new centre was set to be held on Jan. 18 Just six per cent of Morris Township taxes remained unpaid for 1973, councillors found out at their first January meeting. The amount owed was just over $11,000 in back taxes. Discussion of a centralized Huron County fire dispatch office occurred at a meeting of Huron County Council on Jan. 9. There were some objections to the concept, but many of the councillors felt that a feasibility study was warranted. The request for the study would be sent from Huron County through to the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office. It was said that the study would cost Huron County nothing. January 15, 1986 Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur Turnbull celebrated their 68th year of marriage on Jan. 9 in Brussels. The couple was married in 1918 and spent over 50 years at their farm in Grey Township before moving to Brussels. Morris Township Council supported a motion that asked for a moratorium on farm foreclosures until a debt review board could be put in place in the fall of 1986. Wages for grader operators in East Wawanosh were raised 5.5 per cent from $9.90 per hour to $10.44 per hour. This was done in order to match wages with grader operators at the Huron County level. The wages of part-time, experienced grader operators were also discussed. They too were raised to $10.44 per hour with a guarantee of at least $500 per month installed between Dec. 15 and March 15. The Blyth Oldtimers and the CKNX Try-Hards played an exhibition game at the Blyth Arena that drew over 800 fans out for the game. Huron County had decided to seek the 1992 International Plowing Match. The proposal stemmed from a visit to Huron County Council by the Huron Plowmen’s Association at the Jan. 2 council meeting. It was Neil McGavin of Walton who asked council for its support in bringing the match to Huron County once again. January 29, 2003 Members of the Huron OPP were out in full force over the previous weekend attempting to keep snowmobilers obeying the rules of the trails. Their main focus, they said, was speeding, as well as drinking and snowmobiling as they hit the trails equipped with a radar gun and a roadside breath screening device. Huron County students were graced with three snow days in January, which was far from a record. The Avon Maitland District School Board’s Steve Howe said he remembered December of 2000 where students had five snow days. He said that situation was made even worse by the holidays shortening the month even more. Peter Barron of Wallace Township died in a snowmobile crash in Grey, just west of Henfryn Line. It was reported that the 21 year old was returning home from a poker rally in the area. Barron crossed an open field and approached a curve, it was reported, before he missed the curve, went through some brush and then struck a tree. Barb and Ray Storey of Winthrop were named Producers of the Year at the annual Huron County Pork Producers meeting in Seaforth. Just Married starring the late Brittany Murphy opened at the Park Theatre in Goderich. 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 A symptom of a problem According to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Canada’s top CEOs earned as much by 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 3, as the average Canadian will earn in all of 2011. Not only is this indicative of the growing gap between the ultra rich and the ordinary Canadian, but it’s a symptom of a problem that holds great danger for our country. In 2010, Canada’s big six banks paid out $8.9 billion in bonuses to executives who were already highly paid. There are those who argue that in our market system, these people deserve their high incomes. No doubt those getting the bonuses would agree. After all, their counterparts south of the border felt they deserved huge bonuses even as their companies had to be bailed out by the U.S. taxpayer. As much as their disproportionately high incomes might be a problem (the combined incomes of the top 25,000 families filing income tax in Canada are as high those of the lowest seven million taxfilers) it’s the sense of entitlement of top executives that is most worrisome long-term. The financial crisis was brought on by the arrogance of a lot of people who thought they were the smartest guys in the room. With the grand rewards for the people at the top, we’re reinforcing the idea that these brilliant people make their companies successful. The people who do the day-to-day work are often devalued as interchangeable cogs in the wheel. This top-down attitude has been affecting all aspects of our lives. We currently have a Prime Minster who doesn’t even want his cabinet ministers thinking too much, let alone his caucus members. Stephen Harper is just the most extreme example of what has been a long- growing trend in Canadian politics of centralizing power in the office of the Prime Minister or Premier. It goes against the very concept of democracy, that the wishes of the people are funneled upward through our local representatives to the government. Similarly in business, there was a philosophy some years ago to recognize the collective wisdom of all the employees in a company, by encouraging workers to bring forward their best ideas. But today people seem to be following the McDonald’s management style where people at the top issue a manual that tells people below what they’re supposed to do in any situation and people are supposed to follow it, even if they might have a better idea. Whether in business or politics, we’re abandoning the biggest advant- age of our western society and adopting instead the dictatorial model which we’ve claimed, in the past, held back the rest of the world. — KR It’s complicated In Australia, an area bigger than British Columbia was damaged by floods recently, with scientists saying the most likely cause is La Niña, a huge, cooler-than-normal pool of surface water in the Pacific Ocean. A year ago, El Niño, the opposite phenomenon of a warm pool of water, played havoc with Vancouver’s Winter Olympic games by causing warmer-than-normal weather. That same effect may have caused our almost snowless winter last year. For casual observers, it’s almost unbelieveable that a pool of water in the middle of the ocean can cause floods thousands of miles away. What it demonstrates is how complicated climate is and how foolish it is to try to make simple conclusions. Many people, for instance, ridicule the idea that a build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can change weather. They latch onto the phrase “global warming” and ridicule the possibility of climate change every time we get colder than normal weather. But La Niña and El Niño demonstrate you can’t make one-plus-one assumptions. For instance, some climatologists suggest climate change might actually bring cold weather to Britain and northern Europe because subtle changes in ocean water temperatures might interrupt the Gulf Stream of warm water from the Caribbean that helps give Britain a climate warmer than Canada, even though it’s farther north. Nature is a complicated thing. We need to realize how little we know and make sure that our own actions don’t have repercussions we can’t even imagine. — 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.