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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-08-11, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 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 August 9, 1950 Traffic was detoured from the Turnberry Street bridge in Brussels for several hours while repair work was being completed. A car was driven into the side of the bridge, which caused part of the bridge’s floor to sink. Repairs began in the evening of August 2 and were completed by the next morning. W.A. Porter, who worked at the CIBC in Brussels was being transferred to the Whitby branch of the bank. Porter would take over in Whitby on September 1. He had come to Brussels from Ayr just over four years earlier. While the floodlights at the ballpark had already been installed, donations were still over $800 short and The Brussels Post was calling for residents to step up and donate to the cause. August 14, 1974 Huron County Council rejected a report from the Health Planning Task Force of Ontario suggesting that Huron County implement sweeping changes in its healthcare system. The Huron County Board of Health said a recent Provincial report would propose 35 district health councils to direct healthcare policies throughout Ontario. The Huron County report stated that this new structure would bring with it a loss of local autonomy and confusing regarding existing healthcare services. If implemented, Huron County would be grouped in with Perth, Middlesex, Oxford and Elgin Counties with a total population over 550,000 people. A special public meeting was held at Blyth’s Memorial Hall where members of the public could hear about the proposed renovations to Memorial Hall. The Huron County Health Unit and the Liquor Licensing Board of Ontario (LLBO) were encouraging changes at the Blyth Community Centre that would involve over 10 toilets being added to the building. The health unit and the LLBO were hoping these changes would be made in order to allow liquor licensing to continue at the Blyth Community Centre. July 30, 1986 McGavin Farm Equipment was celebrating its 50th anniversary with a dinner held at the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre in Brussels. The progression of the business from its inception in 1936 until 1986 was presented by bookkeepers Frances Storey and Mary Lou Vincent, who had split the duties over the company’s 50 years in business. The annual Brussels Invitational Softball tournament brought 16 teams to the village with action running at the Brussels ballpark throughout the weekend. Blyth Festival actor Peter Smith was the subject of a dunk tank at the village’s Country Fair, which was held at Blyth’s Memorial Hall on July 26. Smith’s station was apparently a popular one, where the actor found himself wet more than once. Sheilla and James Wallace of Toronto were welcomed to the community as the new owners of the Blithe Spirit Tea Room. The Wallaces and their family would be in the village throughout the summer months to operate the business. Lilly, Alta opened at the Blyth Festival with what was to date the largest company in the history of the Blyth Festival. The actual town of Lilly was said to have 2,600 residents and the play was said to have a cast approaching that number. August 12, 2004 A dead crow found in Wingham tested positive for West Nile virus. This was the 18th bird the Huron County Health Unit had submitted for West Nile virus testing, but this was the first bird to come back positive for the year. A bird had tested positive for the virus in 2003. It was found in Central Huron. A log cabin built in 1861 by John and Jane Cowan was one of the newest features donated to the annual reunion of the Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association for their campgrounds. The plan for the structure was to refurbish it and eventually furnish it to help bring it back to its “original glory.” Huron County’s Environmental Tobacco Smoke bylaw, which ensured all workplaces and public places would be smoke-free was set to come into effect on September 4. The transition process was already underway. Hundreds of firefighters were in Blyth for the annual Fire Fighters Association of Ontario convention. The event was highlighted by the official opening of Blyth’s new Emergency Services Training Centre. The chain was cut on the Emergency Services Training Centre by Ontario Fire Marshal Bernard Moyle and Blyth Fire Chief Paul Josling, who had been instrumental in the creation of the centre up to its opening. Auburn’s 150th anniversary was held and activities included a parade, arm wrestling, horseshoes, road hockey and plenty of food. Cricket and Claudette, written by Festival regular Ted Johns, opened at the Blyth Festival. 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 Missing pieces A community is made up of the sum total of the individuals who live there and the efforts of individuals, both natives and those who choose to to relocate, are what makes a community a better place to live. The sudden deaths of two Huron County residents who came to the area to provide professional services but stayed to become integral to their communities, shows again the contributions of people who choose to live in our area. Rev. Cathrine Campbell had become an important part of village life in Brussels since she arrived to minister at Melville Presbyterian Church. Her impact can be seen in the many nominations she received this year as Brussels Citizen of the Year. The death of Dr. Jan Raczycki, who served for a short time in the medical clinic in Blyth and had many patients from Blyth, Auburn and Londesborough, leaves a huge hole in the Clinton community. He was only 49 when he died in a scuba diving accident and should have had many years to practice in the community he had been committed to for over 15 years. He was head of the committee which sought to recruit other doctors to the Clinton area and was called a “pillar of the community,” by one community member. Communities are dynamic bodies like anything natural. Every day we lose people and we gain people. When we lose people like Cathrine Campbell and Jan Raczycki our community becomes poorer. Here’s hoping we’ll discover new people to rebuild our strength. — KR The cost of false expectations More than $1 trillion dollars evaporated in the past week as stock markets around the world plummeted in response to fears for the economies of Europe and the United States that were basically caused by unrealistic expectations. In Europe, the problem is that many countries are so deeply in debt because people wanted their governments to provide more than they could afford. The poster child for the problem is Greece where a large portion of the population found ways not to pay taxes, yet expected the government to still provide them with generous benefits. The United States also spends much more than it takes in, but the problem there is not so much overspending, but the unwillingness of many people to pay the taxes needed to pay the bills. The rise of the Tea Party movement has led the Republican Party to insist that the debt problem be solved without raising taxes, when virtually every expert on the situation says only a combination of service cuts and higher taxes can bring the debt under control. A comparison of Canada and the U.S. illustrates the problem. Canada’s governments spend 42 per cent of the total gross national product (the sum of all goods and services produced), almost the same as the 41.2 per cent U.S. governments do. But while Canada currently collects 37.4 per cent of GDP in taxes, the U.S. collects only 30.5 per cent. Canada, as can be seen from those figures, has a deficit, but thanks to the prescience of the Chretien and Martin governments substantially paid down its debt before the current recession began, and the Harper government sensibly went into debt to fund programs to offset the worst of the economic decline. The U.S. piled up debt all through the George W. Bush years and reached a crisis with President Barack Obama’s spending to stimulate the economy during the recession. Now there’s fear the economy may be sliding back into another recession but this time there seems little governments can do to offset the worst. European governments are afraid to borrow more and in cutbacks made to appease nervous lenders, they’re actually throwing more people out of work. The Tea Party movement in the U.S. has forced the government to cut services and not raise taxes, so there’s little ability there to fight another recession. The unrealistic expectations of voters in Europe who have pushed their governments to spend more than they tax and the U.S. to tax less than they spend, is causing a crisis that may hurt the entire world. — 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.