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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2011-05-26, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2011. RR#1 39843 LONDESBORO RD., LONDESBOROUGH PHONE/FAX 519-523-9781 • HANGING BASKETS • ANNUALS • PERENNIALS • TREES • SHRUBS The Perfect Gift... LOADABLE GIFT CARDS Open 7 Days a Week Monday - Friday 8 am - 8 pm; Saturday 8 am - 6 pm; Sunday 9 am - 4 pm LOCATED 500 YARDS WEST OF LONDESBOROUGH ON CTY. RD. 15 Drop in and see all the vibrant colours for 2011 at... MEETING NOTICE MUNICIPALITY OF MORRIS-TURNBERRY The upcoming Council and Committee meetings for the Municipality of Morris-Turnberry will be held: Tuesday June 7 7:30 pm Regular Council Meeting Tuesday June 21 7:30 pm Regular Council Meeting Hullett Central Public School “Rockin in the 50’s Auction” A big thank you goes out to the many generous contributors, supporters, and those who donated items and time to our annual auction. Our huge success would not have been possible without all of you! Thank you again. Hullett S.A.C. Letters to the EditorCouncillor thanks residentTHE EDITOR,At the North Huron Council meeting of May 16, I publicly thanked Rick Elliott on behalf of the people of Blyth for standing up against the Avon Maitland District School Board. Although his appeal was turned down, the case has provided yet another piece of evidence of the skewed values that are operating around us. The school board ignored the Ontario Premier’s guidline to take economic impact of school closure into account. Now the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) ignores the school board’s breach of the law, and makes its decision on the trivialities. The OMB joins the school board as part of the problem.The problem I refer to is the existence of many overt, and covert, ways that small rural communities are being degraded. It is not just federal and provincial governments and their agencies doing these things to us. It’s local agencies, like “our” school board, who are supposed to represent this area of small rural communities, joining in the bashing process. The collateral damage is already beginning to show up. Well- qualified applicants for key jobs are withdrawing their applications when they learn of the absence of schools. People are changing their minds about buying a home andmoving to our communities. The reason? No schools! Business investment dollars will surely drift away as well from the unschooled communities. So, who are the friends we can count on to treat us right and protect us from these onslaughts? The answer is to be found only in our mirrors. We have to work with the thousands and thousands of similar communities across Canada who face the same challenges and become a united social network of people who are not going to take it any more. Brock Vodden. Acknowledged John and Mary Lou Stewart of Blyth recently attended the Lions District A9 Convention in Palmerston. District- Governor John was presented with the Bright Star-First Light Award from Lions Club International in recognition of forming a new Lions Club and having a net increase in membership as of Sept. 30, 2010. Stewart was the only District-Governor to win the award this year. (Photo submitted) THE EDITOR, Recently I have become very concerned about the food we eat. A year ago, our Women’s Institute branch started investigating the situation whereby small abattoirs and meat plants were closing at an alarming rate in Ontario. Since then, we have done much research and learned much. The standards for food produced in Ontario are very high – producers are restricted as far as chemicals, processes and facilities they can use to produce our food. But that is not the case in other places around the world. Look at what you are buying. If the labels says “Packaged for _______ Ltd., ______ Ontario” that likely means that the food was grown, and likely processed somewhere other than in Ontario – and that can be anywhere, and using anything. The packaging likely cost more than the food itself, so it can be called a Canadian product. For example, a can of peaches bearing a Canadian label likely has fruit which was grown and processed somewhere other than here, and cost the packager about 25 cents. It arrives in Canada in barrels and is put into a can or jar in sanitary conditions and labelled Canadian. Following Canadian standards, a farmer here cannot produce those peaches for 25 cents a can – nor would I expect them to. This year, by February 12, the average Canadian family had earned enough to buy all the food they will eat all year. How long do you suppose it took us to earn enough for all the things we don’t need? At least, don’t need as badly as we need healthy food? And what are we doing to our ability to feed ourselves in this country? There are things we can do as consumers. Talk to the employees, managers and owners/franchise-holders where we buy our food and push for honest, valid answers. For example, meat that displays the crest and the words “Canada Grade A” will also have a number in the circle. That number can tell the vendor what country the meat came from. “Canada Grade A” only means that it met Canadian standards for things such as marbling and was has nothing to do with where it came from or what chemicals and processes might have and has been used in its production. Consider what we buy – do I really need strawberries all year round? Especially when they could have been irrigated with sewage- infested water? Why not really enjoy Ontario berries in season (if you can find them in your grocery store) and freeze, preserve or make jam for the rest of the year? And this applies to much more than berries. Think about where we buy our food. There are 100-mile stores that sell only food produced locally. Some independents also sell locally-produced food as much as possible. Buying directly from the producer allows you to see where and how the food is produced and to ask questions. Farmers’ markets often make this easy. Your local Food Link or Culinary Association will be able to help you find local food producers. CSA (Community Shared/Sponsored/Supported Agriculture) is also out there. As a consumer, I pay the producer a set amount for my share of the season’s produce – and I can see it growing. Grow our own. Maybe share with a friend – I put tomatoes in pots or bags on my sunny deck while one friend grows beans and another has room for carrots and onions, We can talk to elected officials and those looking for our votes this fall. What are they going to do about honest labelling of our food so we can choose to buy local, accountable food if we wish? And how would they support local food supply? Watch for information meetings in the area and come out to learn. We have found a number of groups that are interested in secure food supply for us Ontarians: Sustain Associations, general farm groups such as CFFO, EFO, NFU, OFA to name a few. Consider signing petitions, writing letters or whatever you can. As consumers, we must think about what we put into our stomachs. Our health depends on it and our families deserve safe, healthy food. Respectfully, Barb Klages, Elmwood. WI member concerned over origin of food, packaging Correction The setting of court proceedings earlier this year was incorrectly identified in the May 19 issue of The Citizen. Scott Somers of Brussels pled guilty to two charges in Superior Court in Goderich on March 21, 2011, not the Ontario Court of Appeal in Toronto. Somers appeared at the Ontario Court of Appeal in Toronto on July 9, 2009, where he was granted an appeal. The Citizen apologizes for the error. Read Rhea Hamilton Seeger’s Gardening column on the Huron Home and Garden Guide section of our website www.northhuron.on.ca