Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-03-05, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2009.Editorials Opinions Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie GroppAdvertising, 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 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 PAP REGISTRATION NO. 09244 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPT. PO BOX 152 BRUSSELS ON N0G 1H0 email: norhuron@scsinternet.com Letter to the editor Feb. 27, 1974 While rumours were rampant in Huron County since the provincial by-election in 1973, there was an official indication that a nuclear power station was being planned by Ontario Hydro for the area. A delegation at county council confirmed what has been surmised for months. No definite site had been established, but it would “probably be withiin 20 or 30 miles from Goderich” on the lakeshore. The second meeting to begin planning for Blyth’s centennial, to be held in 1977, resulted in the formation of a committee. Chairman was John Manning with Bill Riehl as vice-chairman Jo Cronin and Elaine Scrimgeour as secretaries and Oscar DeBoer as treasurer. Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet was playing at the Lceum Theatre in Wingham. Ye Ole Gang with Howard Smith and his trio performed at The Queen’s Hotel in Brussels. The annual meetinig of the West Wawanosh Mutual Fire Insurance Company attracted about 75 policy holders. The company had a very successful year with a net gain of $161,933, the highest in the company’s history. The previous year was $58,559. After vigorous debate the Canadian Federation of Agriculture defeated an Ontario resolution calling for higher duty against imported corn. Feb. 26, 1986 At least two programs the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority had planned to do were postponed unless extra government funding became available. Funds for the Port Albert and Wingham erosion control projects were not approved when the Ministry of Natural Resources made its funding allocations. Also, the next phase of the Listowel conduit project was stalled until additional funding became available. Despite those setbacks the authority was going to undertake seven flood control and two erosion control projects as part of its $2,468,065 budget. The biggest allocation was for the completion of the Wallace Avenue segment of the Listowel project. Vince Judge of Listowel was returned by acclamation to the position of chair of the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority board of directors. Bruce McCall of Brussels was acclaimed vice-chair. Marauding dogs cost a farmer three pregnant purebred ewes and one other not in lamb and Hullett Twp. $1,050 in compensation. Brussels Figure Skating Club’s annual carnival turned a profit of $1,300. The Blyth Horticultural Society executive were: Harvey McDowell, Alma Madill, Vera Hesselwood, Mary Walden, Sheron Stadelmann, Marjory East, John Hesselwood, John Blake, Ray Madill, George Harrower, Dan McInnes, Lewis and Valerie Pittman and Harvey McCallum. Seaforth town council agreed to consider a request from the Business Improvement Association for a maximum cost of $27,000 a year for three years to fund a “Main Street Canada” program. The program, a project of Heritage Canada helped communities revitalize their downtowns. Feb. 26, 1996 A Grey Twp. man was killed after his car struck a hydro pole and he was struck by a downed line as he walked from the car. Five busloads of Huron educators joined a protest in Hamilton against cuts implemented by the Harris government. Public speaker winners from Blyth and Hullett schools were: Teague Onn, Jeff Klasen, Graham Worsell, Stephen Empey, Charlene Bromley, Mary Huizinga, Darcey Cook., Bryan Klasen and Charlotte Worsell. The bread-making skills of Ferne Howatt were rewarded recently when she earned a second at the Ontario Association of Agriculural Society’s District 8, Toronto competition. She was the representative from the Brussels Fall Fair contest. Central Huron students, Shawn Clark, Rachel Bokhout, Robin Martin and Erica Clark, as well as F.E. Madill student Todd Schenk competed at the regional debate competition. Feb. 28, 2008 A public meeting was being held to present the concept drawing for the new proposed library. The year-end total for financial contributions to community in 2007 by the Blyth Legion and its Auxiliary was published. The amount given to various organizations, including local schools and hospitals, was $36,420. Kerrisa Van Amersfoort of Blyth, a student at Niagara College, was named by the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association, Western Region, as rookie of the year. She was a member of the college’s volleyball team. Huron United Way fell more than $30,000 short of its campaign target of $260,000 for 2007. Youth across Huron County signed close to 500 postcards petitioning the Ontario government to ban the sale of chew tobabcco. THE EDITOR, Recent discussions on the construction of a ‘super school’have fueled debates in North Huron. Of interest to me is whether or not the three levels of government, more importantly the federal government, will assist in funding for this new and improved school. I would like to bring to your attention the hardships and plight of the children from Attawapiskat Ontario, who for the past eight years have been going to school in portables. This isolated, fly-in community north of Timmins, is home to over 1,300 Cree residents, who have been battling the federal government for assistance in building a new school for their children. In 2000 the grade school was closed because children were getting sick from a massive diesel spill under the school, a spill that happened when the Canadian government was operating the school. As a response to this, the federal government sent in portable classrooms to house the over 400 students; portables placed less than 500 metres from the original school and diesel spill; portables which are not accessible to the one child who resides in a wheelchair. It is not unusual for the metal fire escape doors to freeze shut on these portables, nor is it unusual for the generators which supply hydro to these portables to stop working, thus requiring students to learn in their snowsuits. Due to the scarce space and resources, there is no room for individual workstations or computer labs. The children of Attawapiskat took action and lobbied the federal government, receiving a promise from Native Affairs for the creation of a new school. Despite arranging funding from banks and designing plans for a new school, the promises fell through in December 2007. The government argues that there is no money for schools in the next five years. I encourage you to check out the battle that these children are fighting at www.attawapiskat-school.com/ or Google “Attawapiskat” to learn more. Perhaps the funding the government is preparing to hand over to the schools of North Huron would be better served to the children of Attawapiskat. Or perhaps we should just count our blessings that the government of Canada is not willing to overlook our children, as they are with the children of Attawapiskat. Jodi Semple. 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 What information age? We are living, so we’re told, in the information age, but the announcement last week that the old CKNX television station will soon cease to exist, along with developments in the newspaper industry, gives cause to question what information we get. There’s no doubt with the age of cable and satellite transmission, and an explosion of specialty channels, consumers have huge choice in what they view. These technologies were part of the demise of CKNX. Those with satellite television, couldn’t even receive the Wingham station. Then there’s the growth of the internet, with leaders in the radio, television and newspaper industries fearing the changes it will bring. So with all these choices, we have plenty of options if we’re looking for entertainment, or for information on a huge, headline-making event such as a terrorist attack on New York, but getting information on local happenings becomes harder than ever. Under the leadership of “Doc” Cruickshank, CKNX television and radio helped to create a western Ontario culture. Once that station broadcast dozens of hours of home-grown programming a week, creating local celebrities and covering local events. We as viewers, loved it at the time but readily switched to more polished national and international alternatives as soon as they were available. To some extent, we are the authors of our own present misfortune. But speaking to The Globe and Mail, Don Mumford, regional CTV manager for the “A” channel stations in Wingham, Windsor and London, claimed even the London station hasn’t made money for some time. This seems hard to believe in a city of 300,000 with a large surrounding area. The complaint echoes the near-panic in the newspaper business where large newspaper corporations are losing money and some newspapers in the U.S. are closing. But one insider, conducting an international survey of newspapers, concluded that it is the corporations, not the newspapers that are in trouble. These companies expanded quickly with borrowed money, certain they could cut costs in the papers they purchased enough to, in effect, have the paper buy itself. When trouble developed anywhere in the chain, the rest of the papers were to find the money to make up for the losses. Healthy papers were cannibalized to pay the debts of the sick parts of the corporation. The needs of the community that supports the paper are ignored for the needs of the corporation. The result can be seen in many small towns where the newspaper is a shell of its former self. In Hamilton, with rumours that their local station CHCH might close, staff and the community have rallied to try to put together a community- owned alternative, focused on providing local information, not international entertainment. It’s a familiar model here, with The Citizen owned by shareholders in Blyth and Brussels and area. We’ve made it work for 23 years. There’s no guarantee it will work forever, but at least it will be local factors that decide, not decisions made elsewhere. — KR &