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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2008-12-18, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2008.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 FAX 887-9021E-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 Dec. 18, 1940 A local man saw a robin in a tree in front of a neighbour’s home. The longest Christmas vacation possible under the regulations of the department of education was being given to students. Schools were to close Dec. 20 to re-open Jan. 8. “Beautiful” diamond rings were selling for $25 at Savauges in Seaforth. Wedding rings could be purchased for $5. Dec. 19, 1962 Blyth’s fire chief Irvin Bowes was warning residents of the added hazards that come with Christmas trees. He urged householders to select fresh green trees that weren’t dropping needles. When setting it up he stressed that the location be in a room away from sources of heat and that the tree not block any exits. Ross Errington of St. Helens was elected County Master of North Huron Loyal Orange Lodge. Others elected to office were Robert Hibber of Fordwich, George Bailie of Blyth, Thomas Johnston of Auburn, Henry Pattison of Belgrave, Milo Casemore of Winhgam, John McInnis of Bluevale, George Brooks of Wingham, William Taylor and Walter Scott both of Belgrave, Ernest Durnin of Dungannon and Arnold Bruce of Belgrave. Anne Shortreed of Walton was one of several recipients of University of Western Ontario bursaries from county council. Farm safey specialist Hal Wright of the Ontario Department of Agriculture expressed a sentiment to one and all for the holiday season” ...And One for the Road Now I sit me down to drive, I pray the Lord, we stay alive. I pray to drive with care and caution, On the side of the road that is my portion. Not to cut in, to weave or speed; To stop at signs and do my deed Of being extra kind to others. For after all, we should be brothers. If there’s such a thing as a Driver’s Code, Then let’s all make it a prayer for the road. Henry Glousher of Hullett Twp. found a caterpillar in his woodshed at the same the area was receiving the worst storm of the season. Glousher claimed this was a sure sign of an open winter. The Belgrave Community Centre was in danger of collapse as 19 wooden girders cracked under the weight of snow and dropped about five feet for a distance of 50 feet of the roof on the north side of the arena. The south side was also heavily damaged and a gang of men worked for seven hours clearing the snow. Just the week before the arena board had hired someone to fix the roof. “Fresh killed” ducks and chickens were selling at Cook’s Superior Food Market for 50 cents a pound. A pound of boxed chocolates could be purchased for 89 cents, $1.19 or $1.39. Dec. 16, 1981 More than 100 Blyth residents signed a petition to be presented to council requesting a crossing guard for the corner of Queen and King Streets. One of the men presenting the petition, Jack Blake said that he had asked for a guard a year before but it had been turned down by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. Jack Caldwell, a truck driver, said he felt reassured when he saw a town with a crossing guard, adding it makes drivers more award of danger spots. One councillor expressed concern that the children might not obey the guard, while another was worried about liability. Over 200 children crowded into Memorial Hall to watch a film and get a treat from Santa. A refugee family from Laos had arrived in Blyth and was getting their first look at snow. A young couple, with their sons and the man’s mother had been sponsored by the Christian Reformed Church. The winners of the Lite Up Blyth contest sponsored by the board of trade were Grace Castie of Clinton and Fran Cook of Blyth. Renovations were planned for the Wingham fire hall at an estimated cost of $160,000. Dec. 18, 1991 The Blyth Festival’s annual meeting showed that the declining economy and the GST had helped create a loss for the season, but thanks to a surplus from the previous year, the theatre was still in the black. Zurich reeve Robert Fisher was elected warden for Huron County. He defeated Stephen Twp. reeve Tom Tomes by a 22-10 counnt. Despite the efforts of both the Blyth and Wingham fire departments, a Morris Twp. couple was homeless after fire destoryed their home. The cause of the blaze was attributed to a wood stove. The fire was fed by strong winds and even with three tankers drawing water the firefighters were unable to get the inferno under control. Murray’s Barber Shop was the winner of the Best Decorated Business for its Ninja Turtle- inspired window. The best decorated home was owned by Greg and Nanci Ducharme. THE EDITOR, I believe I must respond to several comments made in a letter to the editor from Tony McQuail. First, Tony says we did not elect the Tories to govern. While Tony and I would like to see proportional representation as the method, under our first-past-the-post system we did elect the Tories. Anyone who casts a vote for any candidate also casts a vote for the party with which that candidate is affiliated. The fact is, Harper and his party won 143 seats; the Liberals and the NDP together only won 114. Only by uniting with a party that is dedicated to the destruction of Canada can the coalition outnumber the Tories on any given bill. Three polls (Ekos, Compass, Ipsos- Reid), done late last week show that Canadians would by a strong majority (60 per cent - 63 per cent) prefer another election to the coalition taking power. Further, while Harper and the Tories have sought the support of the Bloc from time to time on specific bills, the NDP and Liberals have effectively brought the Bloc into the government and have all but given them the final say on anything the Liberal/NDP coalition wants to do. Tony repeats the Coalition party line that it is because the Tories are doing nothing to help the economy that the coalition must act. But it is now clear that as soon as the last election was over the NDP and Liberals were plotting to overturn the election results. Also, only two weeks ago the Liberals voted to support the Throne Speech which laid out the general economic plan the Tories would follow. The Tories have done much to stimulate the economy - cutting corporate taxes, cutting the GST, stating they will hold the line on spending, etc. What sent the other parties over the edge was the Tories’ proposal to cut the taxpayer subsidy to political parties. Tony also repeats the party line that 60 per cent of Canadians did not vote for the Tories. But if you take out the votes the Bloc received, Harper did get a majority. Jack Layton only got 44 per cent of the votes in his own riding: in coalition-speak, more people voted against him than voted for him. Can we expect Jack to step down as MP and leader of the party – or is that different? The only disappointing things about Harper's behaviour is his caving to the coalition to preserve his government and asking the Governor-General to prorogue Parliament. He should have stuck to his guns, dissolved Parliament and taken his case to the people of Canada. Dave Joslin, CHP Huron-Bruce. 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 Remember those with less There’s been much angst in the news media this holiday season about the economic turmoil and the fear of those who may lose their well- paying jobs, but many others faced hardship long before the current crisis. Despite unemployment statistics that say Huron County is a relatively blessed place, there are many people working who earn low incomes. Cuts in welfare made under the Harris government, and still not completely reversed a decade later, mean those unable to work have difficulty putting food on the table, let alone celebrating Christmas. These problems are compounded when those who have jobs are so frightened by the alarmist talk of a recession that they cut back on their giving to food banks and charities that help people. But even the poorest of people in Huron County seem rich when compared to people in many Third World countries. It is amazing to hear the difference that getting a few chickens can make in the lives of a poor family in Africa or Asia. We, who have the privilege of living in warm homes with a choice of what we will wear today or put on our tables, need to put our fears of the future in perspective, and give generously to those, both at home and around the world, who are not nearly as fortunate as we. — KR Just spend the money! Meetings are going on in Ottawa between the Harper government and the Liberal opposition as the Conservatives try to find out just how much economic stimulus they’ll need to put in the January budget to win support from the Liberals. But the government can boost the economy without waiting for the budget and without adding to a deficit simply by spending the money it has already promised to spend but hasn’t. Recently, Betty Jane Crews, new president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, expressed impatience with the fact the government promised more than a year ago to give farmers $100 million to offset the soaring costs of inputs. Imagine what it would mean in rural economies if that $100 million, already set aside by the government, was given to farmers who would buy new farm equipment, new cars and trucks and new furniture. Likewise, the government still has not spent money set aside for municipalities to spend on infrastructure such as roads and bridges. Again this would mean jobs. The government has set money aside for new trucks for the army, and new ships for the navy, but the process of actually buying these needs is dragging on. It’s time for the government to just spend the money! — KR &