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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-09-15, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 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 September 17, 1975 Just under 34,000 voters were set to head to the polls on Sept. 18 to elect a provincial representative for the Huron-Bruce riding. Murray Gaunt was the incumbent, and a representative of the Liberal Party and he was being challenged by William Walden for the Progressive Conservatives and Dr. Donald Milne for the New Democratic Party. Gaunt won the riding by a majority of 8,600 in the previous election of 1971 and many felt he would have no problem being re- elected The Blyth Standard reported. After facing a tax increase of 12 mills earlier in the year, residents of East Wawanosh found out they were about to get hit with another tax increase in September. East Wawanosh Township Council, faced with unforseen expenses in the Huron County road budget, decided to bring in an amendment to the budget that would bring in an additional $26,000 from taxpayers and another $11,452 from reserves. As a result of these unforseen circumstances, the mill rate in the township was going to be raised from 24.664 mills for residential and farm properties to 32.664. In other business at East Wawanosh Township Council, grader operator John McClinchey was granted a raise of 30 cents per hour. Morris Township Council was preparing for snow and calling for snow removal tenders. Winners of a contest held by the Village of Blyth asking residents to help design a new crest for the village were announced in The Blyth Standard. Gary Hull of Blyth won the contest, and $50, for his winning entry while second prize went to Mrs. Dan McInnes of Blyth. After the contest winners were announced, the winning designs were to be passed on to a professional designer who was charged with incorporating the best parts of both entries into the final crest. September 10, 1986 The 25th annual reunion of the Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association attracted nearly 11,000 visitors to Blyth for the three-day show. The gathering was called the most successful yet in the 25-year history of the group. The John Hallahan Memorial Trophy for belt setting went to Darryl and Carl Searson of Watford, while Eddie Mole of Owen Sound won the group’s award for being tops in the fiddling competition. Mole was in competition with 21 other players. Simon Hallahan, one of the founders of the annual Thresher Reunion was in attendance to speak at the event. A proposed development of condominiums on the edge of Brussels had the village’s council thinking of annexation and the expropriation of more land within the village. Negotiators for the Huron County Board of Education and the Canadian Union of Public Employees had reached a tentative labour agreement. The parties were expected to accept the terms agreed upon at a meeting in London earlier in the week. The agreement would eventually bring 77 teacher’s aides and secretaries throughout Huron County back to work. The Brussels Fall Fair was celebrating its 125th anniversary. September 16, 2004 Leader of the Canadian Cattlemen for Fair trade Rick Pascal was coming to the area to speak at Brussels Livestock on Sept. 20. Pascal’s group had initiated a lawsuit against the American government over the international border being closed to Canadian beef. Pascal was brought to Brussels, according to Ross Procter of the Brussels area, to help explain the lawsuit and the situation to residents and to let them know if there was anything Ontarians could be doing to help. Candice McLellan was named Ambassador of the Brussels Fall Fair on Sept. 11 at the Brussels Legion. She was joined by runner-up Krista Shortreed and outgoing ambassador Mandy Mitchell. At a Sept. 7 meeting of Huron East Council Mayor Joe Seili informed councillors about a meeting that had taken place in the Grey Ward of the municipality. Seili reported that many Grey residents were not happy with the recent amalgamation of Huron East and that they “wanted out” of the newly- amalgamated municipality. The only survivor of a 1966 Lake Huron tragedy would be the special guest speaker at the opening ceremony for the 2004 Goderich Marine Heritage Festival on Sept. 17. Dennis Hale would be on hand to give a first person account of the sinking of the Daniel J. Morrell, a Great Lakes freighter that was broken in half during a storm on Lake Huron in November of that year. The vessel was on its way to Minnesota when tragedy struck. The Londesborough Angels held their annual softball tournament, raising money this year for playground equipment at the ball diamond. 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 Celebrating community Within days of each other, the biggest annual events in Blyth and Brussels are celebrating memorable anniversaries. Both are a tribute to generations of people coming together to produce a community event. Last weekend, the Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association celebrated its 50th anniversary with a mammoth parade through downtown added to the usual three days of activities celebrating our agricultural heritage. Next week the Brussels Agricultural Society celebrates its 150th Fall Fair on Sept. 20, 21. That number – 150 – shows that the fair began more than 10 years before the Village of Brussels was incorporated, barely a decade after the settlers began clearing the land. The founders of the fair realized there was a pressing need to bring people together and to celebrate their accomplishments by competing for prizes for the best crops or home- made products. The huge crowds that showed up for Saturday’s parade in Blyth, and for the three days of the Thresher Reunion, show that need to come together is still part of the human experience, even in these days of instant individual communications. Aside from the outcome, the bringing together of large crowds of happy people, the very staging of the events builds communities, as volunteers work together to pull off the celebrations. Imagine, for instance, how impressive it would be if you could bring together, in one room, all the hundreds of people who have worked on the Brussels Fair over a century and a half. Even the Thresher Reunion, at one-third the longevity, has seen several generations, often from the same families, throw themselves into making the show work year after year. We can never thank these people enough for all their efforts which enrich our communities. The one thing we can do is not take them for granted – not think that somehow these events will continue whether we participate by attending or not. Get out and make their efforts worth while. — KR We can’t handle the truth There’s an iconic line from the 1992 movie A Few Good Men when an enraged military officer, asked to tell the truth during a court marshal, shouts “You can’t handle the truth”. Neither, it seems, can Ontario voters. As we lead up to the Oct. 6 provincial election, none of the political leaders are telling us the truth about the precarious financial state of the Ontario government. Since these parties test public reaction through extensive polling, they no doubt know that if they were to lay it on the line for voters, they’d likely be rejected. Oh they’ll deal with part of the issue, as they think it helps their cause. Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak calls Premier Dalton McGuinty the “tax man”, going over the taxes he has imposed and hinting there will be more to come. All the while he promises to cut taxes but not cut services, accomplishing it all magically by cutting waste. Meanwhile the Premier plays up fears that Hudak is a second Mike Harris and will slash spending on programs people love dearly like health and education. He fails to admit that given the difficulty Ontario’s manufacturers are having, government revenues are unlikely to grow enough to support our current programs and even if re-elected, he’s likely to have to find cuts himself. Meanwhile Andrea Horwath, NDP leader, is promising to reduce the number of things HST applies to, but has all sorts of goodies she wants government to give to people. Whoever is elected will likely have to tighten government spending, which, after their election promises, will only increase voter cynicism about politicians. But the unrealistic promises are a result of the politicians’ cynicism toward voters – the feeling if they tell it like it is, people will choose someone else instead who tells them what they want to hear. If we want politicians to treat us like grown-ups, we need to act like grown-ups and accept reality, not fantasy. — 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.