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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-12-01, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 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 $36.00/year ($34.29 + $1.71 G.S.T.) in Canada; $115.00/year in U.S.A. and $205/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 November 29, 1950 An election was going to be held in Grey Township on Dec. 11 with Reeve John McNabb being opposed by Clifford Rowland and Stanley Machan. All of Grey’s councillors and its deputy-reeve would return by acclamation. There would be five candidates running for three school trustee seats. The candidates were David Hardie, William Smith, Watson Brown, Blair McIntosh and John Connolly. All offices in Morris Township were acclaimed ahead of the December election, as were all Brussels council seats. Nominations for the public school trustee seats in Brussels were scheduled to take place on Dec. 8 in the Brussels Public Library basement. The Regent Theatre in Seaforth was bringing back “one of the most cherished Academy Award pictures ever made” with Goodbye Mr. Chips, while The Capitol Theatre in Listowel was showing Annie Get Your Gun starring Betty Hutton and Howard Keel. December 10, 1975 Huron County dairy producers were concerned over a cutback to a government subsidy, but their concern was reduced slightly after a presentation by Ken McKinnon, district representative to the Ontario Milk Marketing Board. McKinnon spoke to the “disgruntled” group urging them not to overreact to the cutback to the industrial milk subsidy because any cut in production, he said, could lead to a milk shortage. He said he felt the market would straighten itself out in the face of the cutback. McKinnon said the cutback was a direct reaction to the fact that Canada was overproducing industrial milk at a time when international powdered milk was depressed. The Blyth Standard’s annual Christmas colouring and essay contest was set to close for submissions on Dec. 12. Prizes for the first place drawing, which would appear on The Blyth Standard’s front page was $15. The award for the best senior Christmas essay would be $10 and $5 would be awarded as the top prize in the junior essay portion of the contest. The inaugural meeting of East Wawanosh Township Council was set to be held on Jan. 5, it was decided at a meeting of council on Dec. 2. December 3, 1986 Two men and a 16-year-old juvenile were in custody after a robbery in Brussels. In late November Brussels Variety fell victim to an armed robbery. On Nov. 29 two men, armed with what was mistaken for knives, but turned out to be pairs of scissors, entered the store just before 9 p.m., one wearing a stocking mask and the other wearing a ski mask. According to the Ontario Provincial Police, the juvenile remained in the car while the robbery took place. After completing the robbery, the group headed for Seaforth where they were overheard by a civilian bragging about what they had just done. The civilian promptly reported them to the police. Police recovered approximately $350 in cash from the suspects. The Londesborough Lions Club surpassed its fundraising goal of $30,000 for its “Back the Biter” campaign, bringing in over $45,000 after it was all said and done. The amount was set by the club as the amount needed to purchase a fully-equipped van for Lions Club member Ron Nesbitt, who was in a wheelchair since a swimming accident the previous summer. The amount that put the fund over its goal amount was $10.99 collected by six-year-old Amanda Kennedy of Londesborough who said Nesbitt was her real-life hero. Dec. 2, 2004 The administrative staff of the Avon Maitland District School Board had been directed to prepare a report about the potential for a French immersion program in Huron County. This came after a delegation by the Ontario branch of the Canadian Parents for French. As of 2004, French immersion programs were only offered in Stratford by the Avon Maitland board. Just 10 residents turned out to a meeting where the North Huron official plan would be up for discussion. An issue around sick leave for Huron County employees raised some eyebrows around the Huron County Council table. Emergency Services Co-ordinator David Lew said that it was part of the collective agreement that a staff member was to be granted one week of sick leave time for every year they were employed by the county, meaning that someone who had been with the county for 10 years, would be granted 10 weeks of sick leave time. Some councillors felt the agreement gave employees too much. “Seventeen weeks at 17 years of employment seems excessive,” said Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh Reeve Ben Van Diepenbeek. The Polar Express, a Christmas movie featuring Tom Hanks, began at The Park Theatre in Goderich. 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 Be careful what you ask for Taxpayers often treat their governments at all levels as if they were Santa Claus at Christmas. There’s a serious difference: eventually you have to pay for this Santa’s gifts. Currently Huron East Council is considering the future of the Vanastra Recreation Centre which needs renovations. At a recent strategic planning meeting Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn was a guest, suggesting the two municipalities should join together to fund a new swimming pool at the new Central Huron Community Complex instead of continuing to operate the pool in Vanastra. Taxpayers in both Central Huron and Huron East should be asking themselves just how much they need another indoor pool. When the Vanastra pool was built, it was the only indoor public pool in the county. Now with pools in Wingham and Goderich is it that necessary for the Clinton-area to have its own? Such facilities are nice to have but they’re expensive to build and maintain. Ask the taxpayers of North Huron. — KR This voice is still needed There’s one thing Liberals and Conservatives can agree on when they’re in power: CBC is a pain. Right now, with the Conservatives in office, it’s that party that resents the fact that CBC journalists often bite the hand that feeds them. Spurred on by the Quebecor/Sun Media media empire which is ideologically opposed to a public broadcaster and has much to gain by the possible demise of Radio Canada, the main opposition in Quebec to Quebecor’s television properties, many Conservatives have been hinting it’s time to get rid of, or drastically cut funding for, CBC radio and television. Free enterprisers are particularly distressed by the public money that CBC receives to compete, in their view, with private broadcasters who receive no government support. What’s more, they point out, CBC often draws much smaller audiences than private broadcasters. But there is no comparison between CBC and private broadcasters in what they contribute to Canada. For the most part, other than news programming and the odd comedy or drama, the private networks are simply merchants: repackaging programs from U.S. broadcasters. They are not contributing greatly to helping Canadians know their own country better, and if they had their way and the Canadian Radio- television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) stopped forcing them to make Canadian programming, they’d do even less. It’s easy to argue that CBC should do a better job than it does, and it’s easy to debate just what it should be doing, but the fact remains that CBC has done much to shape our sense of being Canadian. Private broadcasters would love to get their hands on Hockey Night in Canada now, for instance, but it was CBC that made Saturday night hockey a Canadian tradition. This past weekend, private broadcasters showed the Grey Cup Game but CBC built up the event through a half-century of coverage to the point it was attractive for a private broadcaster. Canada is so overwhelmed by American culture, both through cable channels and rebroadcasting by private broadcasters, that a phenomenon like Black Friday sales can go, within three or four years, from something Canadians barely knew about to something the Canadian retailers feel they must emulate or Canadians would shop across the border. The black phenomenon shows our Canadian insecurity, like a teenager with a popular older sibling, that we’re missing out on something that’s a lot more fun than our own lives. Much of that “me too” attitude has been developed through long years of watching American life on our televisions instead of our fellow Canadians. For 75 years, CBC has been the main counterbalance, giving us some sense of our own country – some sense of self-worth. Despite the cost, despite it being a thorn in the side of governments of all stripes, despite the fact we all want the network to show things it’s not, the public broadcaster is likely to remain the best chance we have of seeing Canadians and their stories on our TV screens. The network must be protected from those who would harm it. — 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.