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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-03-19, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2009.EditorialsOpinions Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie GroppAdvertising, Ken Warwick & Lori Patterson The CitizenP.O. Box 429,BLYTH, Ont.N0M 1H0Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 P.O. Box 152,BRUSSELS, Ont.N0G 1H0Phone 887-9114 E-mail norhuron@scsinternet.comWebsite www.northhuron.on.ca Looking Back Through the Years 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 thecondition that in the event of a typographical error,only that portion of the advertisement will becredited.Advertising Deadlines: Monday, 2 p.m. - Brussels; Monday, 4 p.m. - Blyth.PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40050141PAP REGISTRATION NO. 09244RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TOCIRCULATION DEPT. PO BOX 152 BRUSSELS ON N0G 1H0 email: norhuron@scsinternet.com Letter to the editor March 18, 1965 A “colourful ice revue” featured 70 local skaters and guests at Brussels arena. The Around the World theme highlighted several countries. Murray Hoover received the award for the best actor in the Huron County Junior Farmers drama festival in Clinton. The North Huron Junior Farmers took top honours in the Huron County debate, held in connection with the seed fair. Members of the team were Bob Higgins, RR5, Brussels; John Stafford, RR1, Wroxeter; John Wightman, RR1, Belgrave and Jim Spivey, RR4, Brussels. The county’s Junior Farmer curling team, skipped by Hoover came in third in their draw in the Ontario Junior Farmers bonspiel held at the University of Guelph. First Men in the Moon, starring Edward Judd, Lionel Jeffries and Martha Hyer, was the feature at Wingham’s Lyceum Theatre. Mary TenPas won the ladies’ singles at bowling, while Brian Rutledge took the men’s prize. Doubles winners were: Mary Lowe, Ruth Huether, TenPas, Jack Higgins, Rutledge and Mel McArter. March 13, 1974 Blyth got a new business with the opening of B,J, Fabrics. Thirty youngsters were registered for Hullett Central Public School’s kindergarten class. Cook’s Superior Food Market had plenty of specials for the week. Canada Packer’s dinner hams were $1.35 a pound, while a tin of flaked tuna was 57 cents. Sliced bacon was 89 cents a pound, and four, quart bottles of Canada Dry gingerale could be purchased for 99 cents. Pie fillings were 69 cents a tin, the 48-oz tin of orange juice was 45 cents and Salada tea was 83 cents. A package of 10 garbage bags was selling for 65 cents. McKillop Mutual celebrated its 97th year by showing a profit of $19,000. The “martial arts masterpiece”, 5 Fingers of Death, was playing at Wingham’s Lyceum Theatre. Starting Sunday was “a multi-screen re-creation of the 50s, with Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Chubby Checker, Bo Diddley, 5 Satins, The Shirelles, The Coasters, Danny and the Juniors, and special guest star, Bill Haley and the Comets, appearing in Let the Good Times Roll. All-weather coats were selling at The Needlecraft Shoppe for $19.95 and up. March 12, 1986 Rev. Patricia Ann Nunn would be the new priest at St. Mark’s Auburn, Trinity Blyth and St. John’s Brussels Anglican Churches. Approval was given to a recommendation that the Blyth architectural firm of Christopher Borgal be engaged for the design of the Huron County Pioneer Museum project. The Blyth firm was among six to make presentations at the committee meeting. The maximum cost to the company was $190,000. The most vicious storm of the winter passed through the northern part of Huron County. As temperatures plummeted from above freezing the day before, to some of the coldest experienced thus far, winds swept snowsqualls over the area, closing virtually all roads, Hwy. 4 for the first time that winter. The Huron County Board of Education supported a brief to be sent to Murray Elston, MPP, Minister of Health, asking that the lack of speech pathology services in the county be given urgent priority. Sharon Motycka was the new manager at the Blyth branch of the CIBC. March 13, 1996 The buzz word across the province was amalgamation. Municipalities in Huron had been dancing around the topic of restructuring for months, but things were getting more serious. Mabel’s Moms met in Belgrave and heard guest speakers from the Women’s Shelter and Counselling Services of Huron. They spoke on community needs, violence against women, assault and its impact on children, disciplining children and dispelling myths. Erica Clark of Blyth received her Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award. The honour, which originated in England is given out in recognition of achievement in specified areas: service, fitness, skills, expeditions and explorations. Clark was the first Blyth Guider to receive it. Unsatisfactory negotiations with the landlord resulted in the eviction of the Wingham and Area Seniors’ Day Centre from their home of more than five years. An uncommon creature in northern Huron County was spotted in the backyard of a Blyth home. A small white opposum hid behind a few boards. Artistic director Janet Amos was set to announce the Blyth Festival season at a potluck party. At the Park Theatre in Goderich, the featured movie was Mr. Holland’s Opus, starring Richard Dreyfuss. Playing at Listowel’s Capital Theatre was Mr. Wrong and City Hall, which starred Al Pacino. The Saturday matinee, Balto, was free for Paddyfest. The Woodstock Dutch Theatre presented De Kerkestraat Is Een Keurige Straat in Clinton. Editor’s note: The following letter was written by a concerned local resident, to the Honourable Monique M.Smith, Minister of Tourism regarding the early return to school for this September. DEAR MADAM MINISTER, I am writing regarding what I believe to be a growing trend among school boards across Ontario for the upcoming school year. I live in Huron County. The Avon Maitland District School Board as well as the Huron-Perth Catholic School Board have both decided that the return to school date will be Sept. 1, 2009 instead of the normal Tuesday after Labour Day, which would be Sept. 8. I have corresponded with the local school board as well as the local school trustee. To date, I have received little if any response. This will impact the holiday plans for many families who book holidays many months or even a year in advance. This will also have a tremendous impact on the tourism industry, due to reduced visits to cottages, campgrounds, motels, hotels and resort areas all across Ontario. This could result in many millions of lost revenue for the tourism industry at a time when it can least afford it. I would think that in this economic climate, the Ministry of Education, together with school boards would consider the impacts on the broader public. I realize they are required to have a certain number of instructional days per year, but I believe there were other solutions to that problem, other than the course of action chosen. I would think there is very little economic impact on the school boards of Ontario as a result of these decisions. The same can’t be said about the impact on other people and industries. Thank your for your time and attention to this matter. Sincerely, Brian E. Wightman We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP) toward our mailing costs. We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright Build on what you have As the past purpose of being for towns and villages fades, those communities that will prosper need to find a new reason – or reasons – to remain vital. Last week Blyth Festival artistic director Eric Coates unveiled a plan to help give Blyth a future, based on what the Festival is already doing. Inspired by the ideas of Richard Florida that the future belongs to creative communities, Coates suggested making Blyth a year-round artistic centre by welcoming writers, musicians and visual artists to spend time in the village in the off seasons and make use of the Festival’s facilities. His model is the Banff Centre which offers artists inexpensive, short-term retreats to allow them to put their full concentration into their work. The plan has strength of building on something that is already present in the community. It can also start small with the hope that it will build into something bigger that might build the community. Each of our communities needs to reinvent itself now that they no longer serve their original purpose – as a service centre for the surrounding community. Residents have chosen to do most of their shopping elsewhere so for our villages to stay alive, they must find a new purpose. In doing so, we need to build on our strengths, whether it be the rich diversity of our farmland, the serene beauty of our landscape or the beautiful architecture of our streetscapes. — KR We can’t have both sides now The painful recession cost 82,600 people their jobs last month, 35,000 of them in Ontario, yet for some people reality hasn’t really set in yet. The Canadian Auto Workers approved an agreement to make relatively minor cuts in their compensation package to help General Motors stay in business and get assistance from the Ontario and federal governments. But when Chrysler and Ford said the cuts weren’t big enough to make their Canadian operations economically viable and wages needed to come down to the rates paid by Toyota, workers and union leaders were outraged. It’s been estimated each Canadian autoworker costs the employer $75 in wages and benefits per hour worked. Last week a Globe and Mail story told of women in India who were making electronic auto parts but have been laid off from jobs that paid them $70 a month. Recessions are about rebalancing things that have got out of whack. We’ve been living on borrowed time since the adoption of globalization. We can’t continue living in a world that gives us the benefits of free trade without also paying the price of free trade in terms of lower wages or lost jobs. Sooner or later our expectations must be brought more in line with those in the rest of the world who are willing to work for much less. To believe that we can somehow have it all, high pay yet cheap consumer goods made by people earning a fraction of our incomes, is the same kind of wishful thinking that led to the foolish choices of financiers that led to our current predicament. — KR &