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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2010-12-02, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 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 December 1, 1948 An election was set for East Wawanosh Township, while Morris and Hullett Townships filled their offices by acclamation for the upcoming municipal election. In East Wawanosh, former councillor Harvey Black retired from the race for councillor, allowing several new candidates to vie for the position. For the position of reeve, the current reeve J.D. Beecroft would be opposed by Lewis Ruddy, a former councillor. Beecroft had already announced that if he should get elected as reeve once again, that he would be seeking the position of Huron County Warden. The weekly Fordwich newspaper, The Fordwich Record, was sold to publishers from Listowel who published The Listowel Banner. The Fordwich Record was established in 1896 and then appeared for the last time the previous week. Blyth School Board Chairman James Armstrong tendered his resignation, citing the pressure of business as the reason he decided to leave. Bob Mason and His Swingbillies were returning to Memorial Hall in Blyth for a performance on Dec. 8 as well as a Barn Dance. Just days before the newspaper was printed, the Blyth Glee Club held a dance at Memorial Hall that was said to have been “enjoyable”. The dining room of the Commercial Hotel had been leased by Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Buck of Windsor, who had just recently opened for business. The Bucks were set to serve lunch and dinner throughout the day. The pair had several years of restaurant experience before opening for business in Blyth. December 12, 1968 Neil Hemingway of RR3, Brussels was awarded the C.S. McNaughton trophy for the highest score throughout 4-H Clubs in Huron County, scoring 950 points out of a potential 1,000 points. He also received the J.A. Anstett Award, for which he was awarded a wristwatch. He won this award for achieving the highest score in any of Huron County’s 4-H Beef Clubs. The award was presented to Hemingway by Murray Gaunt. Hemingway’s gate sign also placed first in the Huron County competition. The Brussels Lions entertained their better halves at Dec. 9 at their annual Ladies Night. The event was held at the Brussels Legion and many of the Lions’ wives dressed in old-fashioned gowns. Only a few of the Lions followed suit, dressing in an old-fashioned style and the ones who didn’t, were fined accordingly by Lion Tail Twister John Hanna. The Blyth Midget hockey team travelled to Brussels and laid a beating on the home team, besting them by a score of 7-2 in W.O.A.A. hockey. December 12, 1990 A group of Brussels-area youths were out carolling for the Christmas season, collecting for the Ecumenical Food Drive. Approximately 60 Brussels teenagers participated, collecting 29 boxes of food and 25 bags of mittens, toys and clothing. On Dec. 10 the collection was delivered to the Wingham drop-off centre for the Huron County Christmas Bureau. The group collected from homes in Brussels, Walton, Bluevale and Ethel. Joan Van den Broeck was nominated by acclamation to a second term as Huron County Board of Education Chair at the meeting on Dec. 10. The construction of several Huronview satellite projects was scheduled for 1991. Huron County Council approved a plan that would see the Huronview North project begin construction in June in Brussels and the Huronview Central project would begin construction in Clinton in April. December 4, 2008. Contract negotiations persisted between the Ministry of Education and Ontario’s teachers while those involved with the Avon Maitland District School Board were left in what trustee Meg Westley called a “powerless” position. While the contracts had expired on August 31, neither of the teachers’ unions had threatened labour action. Several public meetings concerning the Sustainable Huron plan were held throughout Huron County the previous week. The mandated review of the County’s official plan had to take place, but in order to get public input, meetings were held and presentations were made regarding the vitality and sustainability of Huron County going forward. Citizens of the Year for the Brussels and area in 2008, Nora Stephenson and Fran Bremner dressed as snowmen and rode on a float in the annual Brussels Santa Claus Parade. The second annual youth pheasant hunt took place at the Hullett Provincial Wildlife Area. Dozens of young hunters were out in the cold, along with marshals, to learn the basics of hunting. A phenomenon started at the Park Theatre in Goderich, where the film Twilight was screened. 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 Consumers, farmers failed Solving many of the problems faced by Ontario’s farmers may be difficult as farmers attending the Farmers Matter Town Hall meeting in Stratford Friday learned, but our federal government should immediately tackle one issue: all of our food, imported or homegrown, should meet the same food safety standards. Speaker after speaker illustrated the inequities faced by Ontario farmers compared to the international farmers who are producing much of the food that’s on our store shelves. American pork producers can use a feed additive called Mecadox which is illegal for Canadian producers to use, yet while more and more U.S. pork displaces homegrown meat on our store shelves, there’s no testing being done to see if there is any residue of this illegal drug in the meat consumers are eating. Because of the fear of the crossover of BSE from cattle to humans, our packers must remove, and destroy specified risk materials (SRM) – spinal cords and other material that might carry the prions that spread the disease. U.S. packers don’t have to meet the same expensive regulations so have a price advantage when they sell their meat. That meat is coming into Canada and we have no idea if these SRMs might be in ground meat making its way into Canada. Because it takes seven years to get Canadian approval for a new baby formula, companies have simply stopped making Canadian formula. Much of the formula being sold in Canada originates in China, a country notorious for its lax food inspection standards, yet our government accepts this formula while making it very difficult to meet standards to make formula here. Governments have two basic responsibilities: to protect their people and to create a fair society. The food trade situation does neither. On one hand, consumers of imported foods are not being protected from the very dangers that our legislators are seeking to give them with tough domestic food safety regulations. On the other hand, the government is sending our food producers into a tough international battle with their hands tied behind their backs. Governments have a duty to both consumers and food producers to make sure imported food meets the same safety standards. If imported food can’t meet them, they shouldn’t be allowed into Canada. — KR The rich get richer During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the lyrics of the song “Ain’t We Got Fun” seemed to symbolize the times: “The rich get rich and the poor get poorer”. The song might be revived in the Great Recession the world is now living through. Just ask the people of Ireland who are now being faced with government-imposed cutbacks after their country was bailed out by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Such bailouts are becoming common these days, having happened earlier in Greece and being predicted for Portugal and Spain. Ireland is a much different case than Greece, where the government had been spending more than it took in for years. Ireland had a healthy economy, indeed was called the “Celtic Tiger”, until just recently. It wasn’t deeply in debt until the crisis of international banking institutions led to the failure of private Irish banks. Worried about the repercussions for ordinary citizens if the banks collapsed, the Irish government stepped in to rescue them – and the investments of many rich people. But seeing the debt the Irish government had taken on, international investors now began demanding higher returns or they wouldn’t buy Irish government bonds. Faced with high interest, Ireland couldn’t afford to finance its debt. The IMF stepped in with billions in loans, but imposed stiff requirements for the government to cut its costs, including cutting support to its citizens and laying off government employees. And so the foolish bankers and financiers who caused the international crisis are rewarded, while the ordinary Irish citizens pay the price.— 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.