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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2008-12-24, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 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. 09244 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPT. PO BOX 152 BRUSSELS ON N0G 1H0 email: norhuron@scsinternet.com Letter to the editor Dec. 21, 1949 Approximately 35 members of the Brussels Legion were present for the annual election of officers. The meeting was preceeded by a banquet at the American Hotel. Elected were: president, Comrade Sam Workman; first vice-president, Comrade O. Elliott; second vice- president, Comrade H. Gibson; executive, Comrades W.E. Willis, Ken Coleman, G. Elliott and Sargeant at Arms, Comrade D.J. Aldworth. Mrs. George Menzies was the new president of the Ethel United Church Women’s Missionary Society. Motor vehicle plates for 1950 were going to be white numerals and letters on a black base, the opposite of 1949. Playing at the Capitol Theatre in Listowel was Humphrey Bogart in Knock on Any Door. For the weekend it was Roy Rogers, Lynne Roberts and Andy Devine in Eyes of Texas. At the Regent in Seaforth, the feature was Cry of the City with Victor Mature and Richard Conte. A large ad on the front page of The Brussels Post said that “In accordance with the British tradition and to fall in line with towns surrounding Brussels”, reeve R.B. Cousins proclaimed “Tuesday, Dec. 27” Boxing Day. Lace tablecloths made in Scotland were on sale at the Arcade Store, starting at $3.95. Dec. 29, 1977 The final session of the county council term wound up with 14 members retiring, including Brussels reeve and warden John L. McCutcheon, who served on council for six years. Also retiring were: Goderich reeve Stan Profit, four years; Tuckersmith reeve Elgin Thompson, 15; Hensall reeve John Baker, six; Turnberry reeve, Harry Mulvey, four; Howick deputy-reeve Harvey McMichael, six; Stanley reeve Anson McKinley, nine; Exeter reeve Clarence Boyle, 12; Exeter deputy- reeve T.D. MacMillan, two; Clinton reeve Harold Lobb; Hay deputy- reeve Joe Miller; Usborne reeve, Walter McBride; Morris reeve William Elston and Howick reeve Robert Gibson. Huron County’s medical officer of health, Dr. Frank Mills, announced that the swine flu vaccination in the county had been halted temporarily until the side effects experienced by some could be assessed. County council approved hiring a part-time professional librarian to work as assistant to the county librarian. The position would be for 15 hours a week at an hourly rate of $7. Two litres of ice cream was on sale for $1.39 at Stewart’s Red & White Food Market. Hostess potato chips were 79 cents a bag, while a one-pound bag of Ocean Spray cranberries were 49 cents. Blyth Meat Market was selling a 10-pound box of Schneider’s wieners for $5.99. A side of beef was 85 cents a pound. Futureworld, with Peter Fonda and Blythe Danner was the feature movie at Wingham’s Lyceum theatre. Starting Wednesday it was Super Vixens. The New Year’s dance at Memorial Hall was a kick off for the village’s centennial year. Dec. 23, 1981 Rev. Robin Lyons was the new minister at Blyth, Brussels and Auburn Anglican Churches. He and his wife Jennifer moved into the Brussels manse and said they found the community to be “very warm and supportive.” An organization meeting of the Central Huron 4-H snowmobile club was held. Allen Campbell, RR1, Seaforth was returned as president of the Huron Plowmen’s Association for a third term. Dec. 23, 1991 Brussels reeve Gord Workman and his wife Isabel celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Things were going to be looking brighter in Blyth with village council approving the purchase of new streetlights. A proposal that municipalities receiving OPP service receive a special levy to help pay the costs could hurt Blyth taxpayers councillors said. A letter was to be sent to the chairman of the rural Ontario section of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. The proposal was a cost of $100 per capita. The cost to Blyth would have been $94,500, with no increase in service. New no parking zones and signs would be installed at the corners of all main street intersections in the downtown core of Blyth. The action came after a letter from an OPP officer in which it was stated that a woman had appeared in traffic court charged with failing to yield the right of way. She had been trying to enter Queens Street from Drummond. Vehicles were parked to the corner making it impossible to see if anything was coming. The judge noted that if there was a civil suit the village could find itself liable prompting council to take action. Blyth council passed a motion to eliminate pay to council and staff for attendance at special meetings. THE EDITOR, There has been a great deal of confusion regarding recent discussions between the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) and the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA) to achieve a framework for local collective bargaining. The people of Ontario have a right to know what actually took place and what this means for public education in this province. On Nov. 29, the Minister of Education invited the ETFO to return to a provincial discussion table to reach a framework agreement with the OPSBA. The purpose of the framework discussions was to resolve common issues, such as salaries and other ‘big ticket’ items, to facilitate bargaining for new local collective agreements. You should know that OPSBA is a voluntary association of school boards without any legal responsibilities for collective bargaining. On Nov. 30 the ETFO team spent the day exploring in detail the financial parameters under which the government expected us to work. Shortly before midnight we agreed to return to the provincial discussion table with an extended deadline date of Friday, Dec. 5. From Monday to Friday, we met with OPSBA officials and had discussions that were facilitated by representatives of the Minister of Education. By Friday, various proposals had been considered. By mid- day Friday, ETFO presented an offer to the boards that met all of the government’s financial conditions. The ETFO proposal presented to the boards met the acceptance of the government and provided a number of substantial benefits: It supported elementary education. It supported the provincial government in these difficult times, and it supported public elementary school teachers. It was a ‘win-win situation’ for everyone involved. ETFO proposed a zero per cent salary increase in the fourth year of the agreement. This would have saved the boards tens of millions of dollars. That money would have been reinvested in hiring one thousand, five hundred new teachers across Ontario. The impact of this would have been a greater number of specialist teachers to provide more comprehensive learning experiences for children, fewer over-crowded classrooms in Grades 4 - 8 and finally a potential solution to 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 It all begins at home The world shrinks at Christmas time. Suddenly the gyrations of the stock market and the shenanigans in Ottawa no longer matter and the world that really counts is the family unit. In a way, it’s repositioning the family to its true importance. The family is the most essential unit in society’s structure, followed next by the community. It is the support and love of family members that helps most to get people through difficult times like these. This doesn’t mean that there will necessarily be peace and goodwill on earth. Tensions within families can often mirror those on an international scale. People irritate each other. People carry grudges. Some family members refuse to speak to each other. The holiday season is a good time to practise on a personal level what we want our politicians and diplomats to do on a national and international level. So many petty irritants in our families are insignificant in the long run. Let’s make peace and harmony begin at home. — KR Left behind, again U.S. President-elect Barack Obama last week announced part of his strategy to rebuild the U.S. economy will be to invest heavily in projects to prepare his country for a new era of environmental responsibility. “We can create millions of jobs starting with a 21st-century economic recovery plan that puts Americans to work building wind farms, solar panels and fuel efficient cars,” he said as he announced the members of his cabinet who will deal with environmental issues. Such is the persuasiveness of Obama that this plan sounds bold and exciting. Canadians rejected just such a plan with the Liberal party’s Green Shift just months ago because Liberal leader Stéphane Dion didn’t have the ability to sell the plan in the face of attacks from all sides. He, too, had argued that a new economy could be built on producing sustainable energy. Instead, Canadians chose the caution of Stephen Harper who argued they would be risking economic disaster by electing a government that would implement the Green Shift. So while the powerful American government charts a new course in which one of the key elements is building a new, environmentally-sustainable economy, Canadians have a prime minister from an oil-rich province who doesn’t believe there’s any need to worry about revamping our country for an era where the overuse of petroleum products continues to promote global climate change. If Obama succeeds in re-engineering the U.S. for a green future, Canadians will finally accept the idea. By then, however, we’ll be so far behind we won’t be able to adapt. — KR & Continued on page 6