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The Citizen, 2010-07-01, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 1, 2010.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; $105.00/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 July 7, 1948 A vicious attack from a family dog left an East Wawanosh boy with severe head lacerations. Gordon Charter was playing with his family’s collie on the back porch of their farmhouse when the dog turned on him and inflicted severe damage before the two could be broken up by Gordon’s mother. Gordon was brought to Blyth by his mother where he received several stitches. The Blyth flood light project was nearing completion in that only the bulbs for the lights were required to declare the project complete. Eleven of the 18 bulbs were lit for a Blyth Lions Boys and Girls Band concert earlier the previous week and The Blyth Standard reported that those in attendance at the concert said they were impressed by the new lights. The Anglican parishes of Blyth, Belgrave and Auburn held their annual picnic at the Bayfield Camp the previous week. Games, races and swimming filled the afternoon, which wrapped up with a fine lunch, the newspaper reported. July 4, 1968 Jim Armstrong’s homebuilt aircraft saw flight after seven years of work at Sky Harbour Airport in Goderich. The Brussels man purchased plans for the B.H. Pietenpol aircraft from a seller in Minnesota in 1955. Pietenpol designed the original aircraft in the 1930s, even producing over 200 of the aircraft in a factory from 1932 to 1939. The aircraft was originally powered with a modified Ford Model A engine. The plane was an all-wood design except for the wing struts, undercarriage and other fittings, which were metal. There was also linen fabric covering the entire frame. The first test flight of the aircraft was conducted by Jim himself, who had since logged over 50 hours of flight on the plane, flying within a 25-mile radius of Goderich. In the early models of the plane, a passenger was unable to fly along with the pilot. Bonnie and Clyde was being shown at Brownie’s Drive-In Theatre in Clinton. The film starred Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. Coming to the theatre next was a double feature, which included the motion pictures,The Liquidators and Doctor, You’ve Got To Be Kidding! July 4, 1990 Three candidates were in the midst of seeking the Liberal nomination to replace long-time Huron Bruce MPP Jack Riddell, who had recently announced his intention to retire in time for the upcoming election. Dave McClure, a Crediton high school teacher was the first to declare his intention to run, followed by Riddell’s former executive assistant Jim Fitzgerald and then by Fred Lobb of Clinton, who had been a long-time farm machinery dealer and Clinton Fire Chief. Finals plans for the Brussels FunFest were set, along with a small change in the parade route from 1989’s FunFest. Baseball games were to begin on July 6, followed by the Brussels Firefighters breakfast on July 7. The parade quickly followed the breakfast, at noon that day. The weekend wrapped up with a pork chop barbecue at St. John’s Anglican Church, the duck race in the river, which was held by the Brussels Lions and the pajama parade which made its way from the ball park to the arena. Auburn-area resident Paul Ross officially launched his books, a comical novel about small town living entitled Four Corners On Main Street in Bayfield later that week. July 3, 2008 The Blyth Campgrounds were in the midst of preparing for the Bluewater Kennel Club’s All Breed Dog Shows and Obedience Trials. This would be the 30th year of the show, but just the 26th year that it had been held in Blyth. Severe weather left around 2,800 homes without power. The affected areas were in the Clinton service area, which included Blyth, Goderich and both East and West Wawanosh. The power went out just after 7 p.m. on Thursday night, only to be restored a few hours later at 11 p.m. The newest addition to the Blyth Youth Park was welcomed in by local pastor Ernest Dow with the help of Blyth Building Supplies. The addition, a new pyramid ramp, was constructed by students at St. Anne’s Catholic Secondary School in Clinton. Brussels teen Tyler Smith came back from the Royal Legion’s annual track and field meet in Kitchener with four medals, two silver and two bronze, only to head back to Kitchener later in the month to compete once again. Harvest, written by Ken Cameron opened the 2008 Blyth Festival. The play starred Marion Day and Larry Yachimec. Huron County beaches had just been deemed as unsafe due to the unusually large amount of rainfall the county had received in recent weeks. Beach samples had come back with high levels of E.coli, which would indicate that there was fecal matter in the water, in addition to other harmful bacteria in the water. 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 Losing visibility It was a no-win situation for the Brussels and Grey community when the trustees of the Avon Maitland District School Board voted on the future of elementary schools in that area. The trustees surprised some and shocked others by deciding to keep Grey Central open and close Brussels, even though the board’s staff had recommended the opposite outcome. If only one of the schools could remain open, there are reasonable arguments to be made for either of the schools to be retained. Trustees seemed most impressed by the Environmental Learning Grounds. One thing that is obviously not an asset in the Avon Maitland area is location in one of Huron County’s second-tier of urban municipalities: its former villages. Of the 10 villages in Huron only Hensall will still have a school after the decisions of recent accommodation review processes are implemented. Bayfield hasn’t had a school for years. Trustees voted to close Blyth Public last year. In this year’s reviews, Brussels and Zurich joined the list of villages that will have no educational facility, damaging their ability to grow. In fact there are more of the county’s hamlets like Ethel, Londesborough and Brucefield that have schools than there are the villages. Villages seem to have dropped off the map as far as decision makers in larger towns are concerned. One can’t imagine one of Huron’s five towns being left without a school. It was a foregone conclusion, for instance, that when a new school was being planned to replace Belgrave, Blyth, Turnberry and Wingham schools, you would not see students bussed from Wingham to Belgrave or Blyth. It’s a critical time for villages like Brussels and Blyth as they fight to stay on the radar of people who make decisions from offices in larger centres. Here at The Citizen, for instance, it’s a constant struggle to remind officials at the school board, various county offices and even, now and then, at municipal offices, that people in this area don’t necessarily read the newspapers published in the towns, and that local taxpayers deserve to know about the jobs being offered, the tenders being called, the information being released. It’s a challenge we’ll continue to face in our villages that have been left leaderless by amalgamation. We must find new ways to remain proactive in trying to control our futures and to constantly remind decision-makers that these proud communities still exist. — KR Ignorance is no excuse It’s long been a point of law: ignorance of the law is no defense. Still, the ridiculousness of people being subject to a law they don’t even know exists was demonstrated last week when a law passed by the Ontario cabinet early in June came to light only when someone fell afoul of it in the security measures in downtown Toronto leading up the the G20 summit conference. The short-term law (it expired Monday morning) allowed police to demand identification of anyone who approached within five metres of the security fence around the summit site, and to arrest anyone who failed to comply. Most reasonable people probably wouldn’t argue about what the law actually says, but would oppose the secrecy. Toronto police claimed they’d given public notice by publishing it on their website but one has to wonder why they didn’t even issue a press release to stop innocent people from getting rounded up in the security sweep. It’s becoming a disturbing trend that the province brings out new laws without any proper effort to inform the public. This week, for instance, it became a requirement for employers to have anti-harassment and violence policies in place. Few smaller employers likely know they’re contravening these new laws because they’ve never been told they exist. In recent years, when the minimum wage was increased, employers were not even notified. They were somehow supposed to just know. The government must try to inform people when a new law is enacted. Just saying we’re responsible for knowing the law doesn’t cut 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.