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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-03-03, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 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; $115.00/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 February 27, 1974 Blyth’s Centennial Committee was formed in order to help celebrate the village’s 100th birthday in 1977. Despite a disappointing first meeting, the second meeting drew over 60 people interested in helping with the village milestone. The meeting was deemed a success with there being little trouble in finding volunteers willing to take on certain positions or tasks involved with the impending celebration. Centennial chairman was John Manning, vice-chair was Bill Riehl. Treasurer was Oscar DeBoer and Jo Cronin and Elaine Scrimgeour were named secretaries. The Blyth Bantams defeated Hillsborough in their first playoff game of the year on Feb. 22 by a score of 5-1. Phil Arthur scored four goals and Terry Pierce scored one goal. Ontario Hydro officially announced its plans for an atomic power plant on the Lake Huron shoreline. The announcement was made by a delegation of Ontario Hydro representatives at Huron County Council’s regular meeting session for February. At the time, no definite site had been established, but it was said that the site would probably be within 20 or 30 miles of Goderich. The plant was expected to be operational by 1985 and it would supply hydro to the southwestern region of Ontario, including London, Windsor, Sarnia and to parts of Kitchener/Waterloo. The problem sewage at Blyth Public School was in the midst of being pumped by Harvey Dale of Seaforth at the time. The septic issue at Blyth Public School had caused a stir with the Huron County Board of Education who didn’t know about the situation until an article in The Blyth Standard was brought to members of the board. February 26, 1986 The Brussels Figure Skating Club’s annual carnival raised $1,300 for future club activities. Guest skaters for the event were Kevin Wheeler of Brussels, Michelle Menzies of Preston and Joanne King served as the event’s commentator. Many of the event’s skating numbers borrowed roles from current movies, including Flashdance, Star Wars, Ghost- busters, Annie, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Oklahoma! Graeme MacDonald was named to the Brussels, Morris and Grey Industrial Committee. MacDonald would be representing Grey Township on the committee. MacDonald joined Morris Township representative Clem McLellan on the committee. The Maitland Valley Conservation Authority was forced to postpone two projects due to a lack of funding. The projects, the Wingham Erosion Control Project and the Port Albert Erosion Control Project, were not approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources’s funding allocations earlier that year. In addition to the two projects, a third project, the Listowel Conduit Project, was not able to be undertaken without government funding as well. Despite the funding setbacks, the Conservation Authority stated that it would still undertake seven flood control projects and two erosion control projects as part of its $2.468 million budget. At a special meeting of Hullett Township Council, it was decided that the township would compensate a local farmer for the killing of several sheep. Charles Snell appeared before council to plead his case as marauding dogs killed his sheep, eventually resulting in a payment of $300 per purebred ewe and $150 for one purebred that wasn’t in lamb. March 19, 2003 John Lowe, son of Wayne and Hope Lowe of Brussels was killed in a fire that consumed his home on John Street. It was believed that the blaze began in the home’s kitchen, which was then fully engulfed in flames by the time the Brussels Fire Department was on the scene, shortly after 1 a.m. on March 18. With warm temperatures on the horizon, a very successful season at the Belgrave Community Centre came to an end. While there had been years that the centre’s natural ice surface was able to stay intact until the end of March, in 2003, there had been days as early as January where the ice had become too soft to skate on. A group called Community Oriented Policing (COP) held its monthly meeting and illegal drugs were the topic of discussion. OPP Senior Constable Don Shropshall listed a multitude of drugs that were being found in Huron County, a list that included crystal meth and ecstasy. The February COP meeting was held in Ethel, which produced a “great” turnout to the meeting. Huron East Council began annual budget deliberations with an overview of municipal finances and proposed figures for the coming year from treasurer Brad Knight. Renee Zellweger, Catherine-Zeta Jones and Richard Gere lit up the screen in Chicago 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 Competing agendas It’s easy to think nature is a wonderful thing, if you don’t have to deal with the consequences of nature, like the predation of animals that live in nature. It’s easy to think windmills are a benign answer to clean energy, if you don’t live within miles of a wind farm. Often those who are not directly affected by something adopt a moral superiority to what they see as the selfish backwardness of people who oppose things seen as good for society. Lately there’s been much criticism in the large urban media of NIMBYism (not-in-my-back-yard), especially if the government gives in to groups such as those who protested wind farms in the Great Lakes. Of course it’s easy to oppose NIMBYism if your own backyard will be unaffected. Many rural people are increasingly frustrated with their lack of control over things affecting their lives. People want to protect nature and wildlife, for instance, but farmers can pay the price for that protection. Urban dwellers may see coyotes as a part of the balance of nature. For livestock farmers, the swelling population of coyotes are a danger to their livelihood, killing and maiming animals. Less than 20 years ago this newspaper covered the experimental reintroduction of wild turkeys into the local landscape. Nobody really asked the farm community what they thought about this. It was regarded as a good thing that more diversity was introduced into nature. Today that handful of turkeys released has grown to an estimated population of 70,000 in Ontario. Farmers complain that flocks of up to 100 birds invade their barnyards snatching food intended for livestock and fouling feeders with their droppings. There’s no compensation for farmers for their losses to turkeys – or deer or other wildlife. There’s a grudging and often inadequate compensation for coyote losses. Likewise, while farmers who actually host a windmill are compensated, their neighbours who also have to live with the giants, get nothing for their pains. If society wants good things like wildlife and wind energy, we shouldn’t expect to get it for nothing while someone else pays the price. — KR Giving up rights others seek IIt has been inspiring to watch the courage of people across northern Africa taking to the streets to peacefully demonstrate for democracy and human rights, risking their lives against despotic rulers who might turn on their own people to protect their privileged positions. Yet at the same time as these people fight for the rights we in Western countries have had for many years, our citizens here seem willing to give up some of our civil rights without a whimper. Earlier this week the Canadian Civil Liberties Association released a 59-page report detailing violations of civil liberties that occurred during the G20 summit in Toronto, such as illegal detentions and searches and excessive uses of force. No doubt many, if not most, Canadians shrug- ged, remembering the violent behaviour of a minority of the protesters and supporting police use of extraordinary powers against thousands of peaceful protesters in order to try to root out the few violent ones. Similarly we shrugged last week when the Ontario government removed the right to strike for Toronto transit workers at the behest of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. It wasn’t our rights lost. In the U.S., it can be a smear nearly as bad as the accusation of being a Communist in the 1950s, to be accused of supporting the Civil Liberties Association, which supports upholding the U.S. Constitution. Here in Canada, the Harper government has tried to block freedom of information requests on a wide range of topics by the media. It has muzzled or outright dismantled agencies designed to be a check on government abuses of power. “You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone,” Joni Mitchell famously sang in her song “Big Yellow Taxi”. Hopefully we don’t have to be as bereft of civil rights as Arab countries before we finally appreciate and fight for what we have. — 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.