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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-06-30, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 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 June 26, 1974 Minister of Agriculture Eugene Whelan was in Clinton for a bacon breakfast where over 200 people dined alongside him. After the breakfast, Whelan boarded a private helicopter which brought him to the next destination on his tour. Ted Elliott of RR2, Blyth was in Dundalk over the weekend where he came home with the top prize from the Canadian Open Square Dancing Competition. Elliott, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Bert Elliott came in first in the 15 and under category. For the win, Elliott earned a $25 cheque and a trophy. An all-candidates meeting was held in Clinton on June 20 by the Huron County Federation of Agriculture. Only approximately 150 people were in attendance. Those in attendance, however, made it clear that they were not impressed with the Provincial Government’s farm platforms, including the platforms of all three Huron- Middlesex candidates, Robert McKinley, John Lyndon and Shirley Weary. It was a young farmer from Ethel, Ed Krauter, who spoke out first, saying “you people are really remote from the farm problems. All this talking isn’t going to help me.” After months of debate, Ontario Hydro officially made its move to expropriate land for its proposed Douglas Point-to-Seaforth power corridor. Farmers first began opposing the Ontario Hydro concept over two years earlier, but on June 24, Minister of the Environment William Newman revealed that the Ontario Government had ordered the expropriation of the needed land along the proposed power corridor. Newman said that offers for the land would be made within 30 days of the announcement. The corridor was proposed to make its way through eastern portions of both Hullett and Morris Townships. June 25, 1986 Concerns were expressed over the closing of 16 hospital beds throughout the summer at the 79th annual meeting of the Wingham and District Hospital. The concerns were fueled by comments that were allegedly overheard saying the hospital may face a financial loss due to the closing of the aforementioned beds. Because of a new addition being constructed, the chair of the hospital’s board of directors stated that the hospital could be facing “an impending deficit that is largely due to the addition”. At the annual meeting, however, chair Hans Kuyvenhoven said he didn’t recall making such comments on CKNX Radio. Over 100 tourism officials from throughout southwestern Ontario were in Blyth for a tour and a performance of Another Season’s Harvest at the Blyth Festival as part of the Festival’s promotional program. Ross Daily, an agriculture and business editor for CFPL Television in London, spoke at the Festival’s opening night dinner and warned the audience of the potential costs associated with free trade. In the audience was Huron-Bruce MP Murray Cardiff and the Provincial Minister of Agriculture Jack Riddell. Daily warned that many politicians were making promises they couldn’t keep in regards to a free trade agreement and he used the example of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, who promised that Canadian cultural protection would remain intact, but Daily said Mulroney was not in a position to make such a guarantee. June 24, 2004 The Blyth Idea Group (BIG) was set to present “The New Blyth” to the community on June 24. The group was using the night to unveil the new branding initiative for the village and the signage that would accompany it. Event co-ordinator Steven Sparling said the evening was meant to reveal the new project, but to also give credit to the volunteers and to North Huron Council who “gave [the group] absolute autonomy with regards to the project”. The sign project originated with the BIG, which initially pledged $3,000 to the project and the ball began rolling from there. With a federal election upcoming, Elections Canada was attempting to bring young people out to the polls, but locally, at least, many young people didn’t feel they had enough knowledge of the candidates to make an informed decision at the voting booth. Huron-Bruce officer for Elections Canada Graeme Craig said that western Ontario has traditionally been one of the areas with a higher voter turnout than most and that many candidates had been attending local high schools to get students involved. Sparling’s Propane won five Crystal Flame Awards at the annual general meeting of the Ontario Propane Association in Guelph. The Brussels Lions Club made a $1,000 donation to the Brussels Agricultural Society to help offset costs associated with the Brussels Fall Fair. The Outdoor Donnellys began its third remount at the Blyth Festival, featuring Artistic Director Eric Coates in the role of Will Donnelly. 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 public were pawns Pardon the people who pay the bills if they feel kicked around during the recent Canada Post lockout/strike. Right down to the bitter end when parliament finally passed back-to- work legislation Saturday night (followed by rapid Senate approval, Sunday) everybody involved seemed to have an ulterior motive that made a political football out of the people who pay the bills. The strike was prolonged by the 58-hour NDP filibuster that finally ended Saturday night when the bill was passed. The NDP felt it must stand up for principle in delaying the approval of the legislation but it was ordinary Canadians who were paying the price, especially small businesses that depend on Canada Post to deliver their bills and the cheques that make it possible for them to pay their employees – who usually make a fraction of what postal employees make. There’s a deep suspicion that in crafting the back-to-work legislation that dictates wages that are less than the last offer Canada Post made to the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government was trying to goad the NDP into just such a reaction so they could appear to be in the pocket of the union movement. Some Ottawa observers suggested it was the opening gambit in the next election campaign. If so, the government needlessly prolonged the pain for post office users to play political games. Canada Post made the legislation inevitable by locking out workers who had been keeping the mail system going, for the most part, by only holding rotating strikes. Since the lockout was almost perfectly timed to allow the government to bring in legislation before parliament recessed for the summer, cynical observers may have felt the whole situation was manipulated to save Canada Post having to negotiate with its employees. Again, the shut down of the post office for 13 days hurt the public more than the corporation. CUPW also felt it was standing up for principle when it refused to go along with changes in starting pay, vacation and pensions for starting postal workers compared to those who were already employed. It’s an article of faith for unions that all workers should be treated the same. Still, many of the people who help pay the bills at Canada Post – and therefore CUPW salaries – would gladly take the disputed wages and benefits being offered to new employees. As well, many CUPW workers can hope to make back the money they lost during the strike and lockout with overtime to make up with the backlog. Victims of the disruption are simply out the money. As participants played their various games during this disruption, the one group totally forgotten was the one that should have mattered the most: taxpayers and Canada Post customers.— KR Thanks for your patience The Citizen appreciates the patience of subscribers and advertisers during the recent postal disruption. This strike/lockout was unlike any staff at this newspaper has suffered through in the past. In past strikes, small post offices such as Auburn, Belgrave, Blyth, Brussels, Londesborough and Walton have been able to deliver newspapers if we could get them to them. This time, for some unfathomable reason, Canada Post officials far from the front lines decided that, even though employees would still be on the job in these non-Canadian Union of Postal Workers offices, they would not be allowed to accept and deliver local mail such as your newspaper. This decision meant different solutions had to be found to get as many papers to as many people as possible in as many communities as possible. It meant extra hours of work for staff, extra miles to be driven, and there was no way to let everyone know where they could get their paper, even if we had found an alternative to the post office. Most of our customers were very understanding, going out of their way to come and get their paper, often taking copies for their neighbours. For those who weren’t so patient, we can only hope you’ll never find yourself dealing with the situation our staff did.— 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.