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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-10-06, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 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 October 8, 1975 Another Blyth business was about to reopen after undergoing an expansion. Blyth Meat Market, owned by Don and Lenore Scrimgeour, was only closed for two days, but the large new premises included the old meat market and the former Doreen’s Beauty Shoppe, which had moved to a new location. Scrimgeour said the expansion would increase selection, but that the store would remain predominantly a meat market. Ontario Housing officials were hoping that construction could begin on senior citizen apartments in Blyth by the fall. Blyth Clerk Treasurer Larry Walsh said he had been in touch with some officials who presented architect plans for the apartments that would be located on the old flax mill property on Queen Street. The Huron Board of Education remained firm on its stance that it would discontinue crossing guards at the end of the year. The original decision to eliminate crossing guards in Huron County was made to end the possibility of legal liability in the event of an accident. After making that decision, the board said it hoped local councils would take up both the financial burden and the liability of crossing guards. The Huron Historic Gaol was on the verge of completing its second season as a museum. During its first summer as a museum and tourist attraction the Gaol saw 8,000 people pass through its doors and in its second summer, over 15,000 visited the Gaol. A group of students from East Wawanosh Public School took a tour of the Brussels Apple Orchard where they saw falling snow, picked apples and drank fresh apple cider. October 1, 1986 New steel was being installed on the roof of the Belgrave Community Centre. The rush was on as the community wanted to ensure the centre would be ready for the annual fowl supper on Oct. 8. A night of appreciation for Huron County Warden Leona Armstrong was held in Brussels. The night was sponsored by Grey Township. MP Murray Cardiff and MPP Jack Riddell were both in attendance. Armstrong’s term was set to be up in November. Morris Township Council donated $1,500 to the Belgrave Community Centre, in addition to the $10,699 that had been received from the provincial government to assist with the installation of a new steel roof. With only 10 to 15 per cent of the Huron County white bean harvest in, hopes of saving the rest of a crop worth in excess of $15 million were dwindling with each day of rain. The weather was threatening to jeopardize one of the only crops that could provide a profit at a time where rising costs and falling commodity prices were causing huge losses in the world of agriculture. A small group was in the process of making plans for the 115th birthday bash for the Village of Brussels. Jerry Wheeler was chosen as chairman, while Wayne Lowe was named to the position of first vice- president. Many of those involved with the group were the same people who were involved with the Brussels centennial celebration in 1972, which was one of the biggest celebrations Huron County had ever seen. The 1972 event was a party that ran for a solid week and brought in over $10,000 in revenue. October 7, 2004 With reports of dog attacks sweeping through Ontario, North Huron Council decided to take another look at its animal control bylaw where discussion would centre around the banning of pitbulls in the township. In addition to North Huron’s discussion on pitbulls, animal control officer Bob Trick also requested that Staffordshire terriers be included in the ban being considered. Nearly 150 Grey Ward residents were in attendance at the Sept. 28 Huron East Council meeting demanding answers regarding the ward’s place in the newly-formed municipality. Mayor Joe Seili, however, said that in the three and a half years since Huron East amalgamated, it was his opinion that every ward had been treated fairly. The Morning Star Rebekah Lodge in Brussels held its installation ceremonies on Sept. 28 with District Deputy President Laurel Kowatsch there to do the honours. Brussels Public School held a meeting where curb appeal was discussed by a parent council group. A project to beautify the school would only cost between $300 and $400, volunteers said, but it would make a world of difference in how the school was perceived. The Blyth Festival was set to host the annual conference of summer theatres on Oct. 4 and 5 at the Blyth Centre for the Arts. Blyth would be hosting representatives from 29 different summer theatres throughout Ontario. 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 Leaders from ‘the other half’ With voters going to the polls on the day this newspaper arrives in most readers’ homes there is perhaps one safe prediction about the outcome. Given that two of the three major parties are represented by women candidates, the odds are better than average that a woman will represent Huron-Bruce in the legislature when the new sitting begins. It won’t be the first time, of course. Incumbent Carol Mitchell succeeded Progressive Conservative Helen Johns as the MPP from Huron-Bruce. What’s more, both served in the provincial cabinet as Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. For voters over a certain age, it’s perhaps the most significant sign of how much things have changed over the years that nobody even seemed to notice that women represent the two largest parties in the Huron- Bruce riding in the election. It’s not that long ago that people who bemoaned the lack of female representation at the federal and provincial level pointed out many of the women who did run represented “lost causes”, where their party had little chance of winning anyway. Signs of how much things have changed was also in evidence on the weekend when Alison Redford was chosen to head the Progressive Conservative Party in Alberta, thereby becoming Premier-elect. When she eventually seeks re-election her toughest opponent is expected to be Danielle Smith of the upstart Wildrose Party, set up by people who didn’t think the Progressive Conservatives were conservative enough. So even in Alberta, the most conservative of provinces, nobody blinks an eye at women in leadership roles. Ironically with this remarkable growth, locally the one place women seem to be under-represented is at the municipal level where most of the local councils have few women – or none – sitting. Since women represent more than half the population, we need more women to come forward. We need the best minds leading our communities, no matter which gender. — KR Much to be thankful for Thanksgiving is the one time of the year when it’s expected of people to set aside, for a day or two, their drive to accumulate more and more, and instead be thankful for what they have. Thanksgiving 2011 arrives in the midst of a widespread fear that the march of prosperity might be in jeopardy from another global recession. The newspapers and television screens have been full of worries about the effect of European debt and lagging U.S. consumer spending. And of course the media is filled daily with news of far-off wars and crime on the streets closer to home. But some perspective on our worries is provided by Steven Pinker, a Canadian evolutionary psychologist, in a new book The Better Angels of our Nature. Pinker has assembled data about violence and war over the last 15,000 years of humanity. “Violence have been in decline over long stretches of time, and we may be living in the most peaceful time in our species’ existence,” he said in a lecture reported in The Globe and Mail. Pinker’s research showed that in prehistoric and pre-modern times, the odds of an individual meeting a violent death ranged from five-60 per cent depending on the era, but averaged 15 per cent. In the 20th century at the height of global warfare, genocides and famine, it stood at three per cent. Today, across the whole world’s population, it stands at three- one-hundredths of one per cent. Homicides, Pinker found, plummeted 50 fold to today’s level. There have also been near-constant drops in everything from torture to hate crimes to domestic violence. Pinker credits governments and laws with civilizing humans by reducing the incentive for violence. Global trade, with countries dependent on each other, has lessened the temptation for war. Greater travel, modern communications and higher rates of literacy and education built greater understanding between people. Wars and violence continue. We still have a long way to go. But on Thanksgiving, take a moment to appreciate how far we’ve come. — 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.