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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2010-09-30, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 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 September 29, 1948 A highly-dramatic collision resulted in minor injuries as a Bluevale truck driver jumped from his truck to solid ground just before his truck was struck by a slow- moving freight train. The truck driver, E. W. Young was driving a fully-loaded pop truck as his truck collided with the train head-on. Just before the collision, however, Young jumped from the truck down to safety, effectively saving his life. The train was crossing Hwy. 4 in Blyth on Sept. 24. Young said he went over a hill and applied the brakes, but they wouldn’t hold as the truck continued to move into the path of the oncoming train. The train, which was transporting grain, folded the truck’s front end “like an accordion” and bottles of pop were strewn all over the road. Rally Day Service, which was held at the Blyth United Church on Sept. 26, was said to be very well attended. The entire service was dedicated to the younger members of the congregation. The Blyth Hydro Commission was asking the public for its co- operation in understanding the “Blyth hydro situation”. The Commission said it didn’t want to interrupt local industry any more than it had to and they were seeking the help of the village’s domestic users to help make that happen by limiting their consumption of power. October 3, 1968 Morning rain and cold winds dampened the Brussels Fall Fair, but the show did go on in the end. Students from Brussels, Walton and Grey Central Public Schools braved the weather and had a great time at the fair. All in all, over 3,000 people attended the 107th Brussels Fall Fair. Brussels Village Council requested that the Brussels Fire Department conduct inspections of safety and fire hazards in all of the homes and businesses throughout Brussels said fire chief Jack McWhirter. The 41st annual Huron County Plowing Match was set to be held on Oct. 5 at the Maurice Love Farm between Hensall and Exeter. October 3, 1990 Blyth Village Council decided that it would support the improvements to the Blyth Fairgrounds proposed by the Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association. At the Sept. 25 meeting of council, it was decided that up to $10,000 from the Village’s Pride program would go towards the improvements and whatever amount was provided by council, would be matched by the Thresher Association. Councillors agreed that no matter where the funds came from, they would be supportive of the Thresher Association. “In no uncertain terms, the people of the municipality are completely behind the Threshers,” said councillor Steven Sparling. Don Carter was named as the first president of the Blyth Optimist Club at the group’s formation meeting, which was held on Sept. 27 at the Blyth Christian Reformed Church. Kevin Webster of RR3, Auburn, was on the verge of touring with the Ontario Youth Choir as it embarked on its fall tour through northern Ontario. Webster was encouraged to give music a try by his music teacher at Goderich District Collegiate Institute. He then tried out for the choir and subsequently attended the choir’s summer camp at the University of Western Ontario. The choir was celebrating its 20th year in existence. The keys to the $1.2 million addition to Memorial Hall were given to Blyth Village Council. October 2, 2008 CBC personality Rick Mercer was in Walton at Chris Lee’s racetrack taping a segment on motocross for his show The Mercer Report. The Canadian funnyman spoke with riders from all over Ontario at the event before strapping on a helmet and pads and taking to the dirt himself, competing in a race with a young group of riders. The Gateway Rural Health Research Institute was officially launched, opening the doors to a one-of-a-kind medical research facility in Seaforth. Candidates for the Huron-Bruce riding of the national election presented their case at an all- candidates meeting organized by the Huron County Federation of Agriculture and held in Holmesville. Federation President Stephen Thompson moderated the meeting where Ben Lobb, Greg McClinchey, Glen Smith, Tony McQuail and Dave Joslin debated the issues. Residents of Belgrave were in the midst of preparing for the 60th annual Belgrave fowl supper where every year over 1,000 people sit down and dig into a traditional turkey dinner at the exact same time. Brussels Mennonite Fellowship pastor Brent Kipfer and his family had just returned from a mission trip to Belize. Huron East Council resumed discussion on its wind and solar energy bylaw that would aim to regulate the municipality’s green energy. 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 & 2 wrongs trump a right While Premier Dalton McGuinty should be commended for trying to close down Ontario’s coal-fired power plants and replace them with more environmentally-conscious sources like wind power, he must right the wrongs he has created in trying to accomplish his goal. Opposition to industrial-sized wind farms has been mounting across the province, in part because rural people feel imposed on by the province’s Green Energy Act. That legislation stripped planning authority over wind farms from local municipalities in an effort to get around the Not-In-My-Backyard (NIMBY) syndrome. But those who see NIMBY-ism as bad, generally are talking about somebody else’s back- yard, not their own. It’s easy for people in Toronto seeing anti-wind farm protesters as complainers who don’t want to do what’s good for society, but city-dwellers don’t have to live with the reality of these giants in the neighbourhood. The planning provisions before the Green Energy Act allowed local municipalities to at least negotiate things like setback distances with the owners of wind turbines. Under the rules now, huge multi-national companies make a deal with the province, lease land from some farmers, then don’t have to listen to the complaints of neighbours who get only the pain and none of the gain from the turbines. The power is all in the hands of the companies. When the Bruce County municipality of Arran-Elderslie tried to bring in a bylaw to regulate wind turbines despite the Green Energy Act, the president of the wind company involved promised to pool resources with other huge wind companies to take the case all the way to the supreme court, according to a story in the Hanover Post. The balance of power must be restored. People cannot be left to feel they are powerless to control their own neighbourhoods and lives. The government must also take seriously the health concerns of the people who have to live near these huge developments. There’s more than local paranoia involved when someone like Dr. Robert McMurtry, former Dean of Medicine at the University of Western Ontario (one of the country’s most prestigious medical schools), feels he must speak out about the need for greater research into the health effects of turbines. At a recent meeting in Clinton, Dr. McMurtry again called for a halt to new developments until proper testing is undertaken. Premier McGuinty risks his legacy as a premier who cares about improving the environment if he doesn’t address these issues. He also risks losing rural voters who feel as if he doesn’t care about their issues as long as he serves the needs of city-dwellers to clean electricity. — KR What issue will count most? With Parliament, last week, narrowly voting to retain the Long Gun Registry, some commentators suggested it may help Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservative government win the next election. Though Harper lost his bid to scrap the registry, the thinking of commentators is that he has successfully put his government on the side of farmers and hunters who see urban elites imposing on them misbegotten theories tying long guns to urban crime. Are these urban commentators right or do they think rural people are more simple- minded than they are? When farmers go into the voting booth, for instance, will they remember that this is the government that wanted to rid them of the gun registry, or will they remember that the Harper government has steadfastly refused to participate in a Business Risk Management Plan that would help farmers withstand disasters like the recent crisis in hog and beef prices? Nearly all the farm groups have gotten behind this proposal, and the provincial government supports it, yet the federal government refuses to invest in helping farmers stay in business. These two issues will be a test of the Harper theory that government should do as little as it can and stay out of people’s lives. Do farmers care more about being free of a government regulation, or about having a government that actually helps them in times of financial crisis? — 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.