The Brussels Post, 1972-07-19, Page 2Serving Brussels and the- surrounding community
PubliShed each Wednesday afternoon at Brussels, Ontario
by McLean Bros. Publishers, Linlited.
gvelYn Kennedy - Editor Tom Haley - Advertising
Member Canadian Community Newspaper Association and
Ontario. Weekly Newspaper AsSOCiation.
Subscriptions (in advance) Canada $4.00 a year, Others
$5.00 a year, Single CopieS 10 cents each.
Second class mail Registration No. 0562.
Telephone 887-5641.
Assessment problems
What impact the reassessment of
properties across Ontario will have
on municipal taxes remains to be
seen.
Assurances that increased assess-
ments will be offset by reduced tax
rates thereby holding taxes in bal-
ance are being greeted by some skep-
ticism.
There is no doubt that some
changes in assessment, procedures
were necessary. There were variat-
ions from municipality to munici-
pality but in the case of most towns
and-cities steps to correct these
imbalances already had been taken
when the province preemptorarily
stepped in and took over.
Regardless of the outcome of the
reassessment the increased costs of
the governments action are apparent
in the army of assessment people
that has been created across the
province, in the additional enumer-
ation and census that has been neces-
sary and in the loss in time and
money suffered by ratepayers and
municipalities.through continually
changing procedures and the incon-
veniences which centralizing has
created.
Municipal taxes are based on
assessment and if the assessment
is increased substantially then it
follows taxes will rise unless the
tax rates are changed.
Tax rates are the responsibility
of each municipality and councils
would be less than human if they
resisted the opportunity to in-
crease their revenues even if at the
same time they reduce rates.
The results in areas where re-
assessment is a fact have been so
confused and created so many out-
cries that the government postponed
implementation until the reassess-
ment program was completed. These
cries probably are nothing compared
to what can be expected when the
job is completed and the new asses-
sments go into effect.
Appreciates the Post
Re-ceived your notification of
expiration of subscription to the
Brussels Post.
Mr. Thomson passed away
April 20th, 1072. He enjoyed
reading the Post as it brought
back many happy memories of
Brussels and surrounding cent-
res.
We visited Brussels several
years in the fall of the year
and had hoped to be with you
during the recent celebrations.
I won't be continuing the
paper, but will always remember
what a fine paper it is. The
people are fortunate to have such
a readable paper. Many thanks
for the nice article you print-
ed about my husband on his
death.
Sincerely
Mrs. Helen Doris Thomson
3 Mayfair Court,
Dundas, Ont.
'NOR. •••••••••••••
The iron Bridge
Sugar and Spice
by Bill Smiley
There's nothing quite like a summer
in Canada. we have that winter that
just goes on and on and on. Then, sud-
denly, about the first of June, it's spring.
The temperature soars, the grass grows
violently ,and we kick off our rubbers
with gay abandon.
Two weeks, later, everybody has a cold,
the roses are nipped by the frost, the
furnace is still rumbling, and the weath-
erman announces triumphantly that Wiar-
ton or someplace had an all-time over-
night low of 40 degrees on the ump-
teenth of June.
By the time this appears in print,
we'll probably be gasping for breath
and wondering when this unprecedented
heat wave will end. Don'tworry; it.will.
Just about the time you start to get
the poisonous juices of winter soaked
out of you. And then it will be fall,
and idiots like me will be writing col-
umns about that refreshing nip in the air.
Nip in the air. Holy old Hughie!
There was so much nip in the air early
this summer that a chap scarcely need-
ed a nip of anything else.
Oh, well, I guess it's better than liv-
ing in the sweltering heat of Israel or'
Egypt. Though it certainly isn't any saf-
er, as those who have been on the high-
ways recently will attest.
Why does my wife remind me of a
flicker? A flicker is a bird with a red
top-knot. We have one' in, our back-
yard every summer. It flops out of a
cedar tree, or maybe heaven, and flick-
ers away all over the grass, sometimes
within feet of us. I think it's a flicker,
though I'm no expert. I can tell a robin
from a sea gull, on a clear day, and that's
about it.
Well, why does she? She doesn't
have a red top-knot. But she acts like
a flicker. The bird runs across the
grass at a great rate. It Stops, looks
about, bangs its beak into the ground about
twelve times, repeats the process for
some period, then flies off suddently in
all directions, for no apparent reason.
And that's why my wife reminds me
of a flicker. That's how our vaunted
holidays began this year. I had one day
off after ten months in the sausage factory.
It was a Saturday, which I have off every
week anyway.
It seems we had to go and see Our
daughter, the bride. Right away. Hol-
iday weekend, with all the horror that
entails, but never Mind. Wedding pic-
tures. Late gifts. How is she? Is
the marriage working out? Motel room?
Just like a flicker banging away at the
grubs in the ground.
I was caught by surprise, just as a
grub is by a flicker. No money and the
banks were closed. The car needed a
muffler. I needed about three days of
intensive care.
During the same 24 hours, the flick-
er had phoned friends of ours who'd
invited us down to lie around their pool.
She had agreed that as soon as we had
spent a day or two with the bride, we'd
go straight to their place.
The bride is about 70 miles north
in the resort area, through hairy traffic.
The friends lie about 85 miles south,
through hairy traffic trying to get north
No problem. The flicker's mate does the
driving.
And right in the midst of all this
flickering who calls up to see if I want
to go out bass fishing but my old friend,
Capt. Dalt Hudson. I'll give you three
guesses.go? Where do you think I wanted
to
Well, we flickered off, north. Nice
day. Traffic just below manic level.
Arrived late. Great dinner with new in-
laws. Motel room surrounded by green,
with falls rushing in background. Idyllic.
Next day, cold. Motel toilet backing
up. Kids visited, Went for chilly swim
in lake. Blew kids to terrific smor-
gasbord at hotel. Drove them home
to apartment with mother Oat and four
kittens. Mother flicker somewhat horr-
ified. Invited kids to lun ch next day at
motel. Immediate acceptance.
Midnight. Temperature about 52.
Couldn't get motel window closed. Ro-
mantic •falls now sounding like locomo-
tive in trouble.
Next morning. Motel room just above
freezing. Cold wind. Rain. Tottered
up to main lodge for coffee. Discover-
ed no lunch served Sundays and holidays.
Kids arrive noon, starving. Give them
two breadsticks stolen from table night
before. Atmosphere cool.
Mother flicker starts pecking grubs
again. Grubs are kids. Kids resent
being grubs. Show us their "studio."
Have conned government into $7,000. art
programme* Looks intelligent but don't
ask me to explain it. Forms, colours,
shapes.
Finally, head for home in rain and
bumper-to-bumper. No breakfast. No
lunch. No brains. Nothing but intense
desire to see normal abode of habitation.
Arrive. Collapse. Faintly revived
by hot soup. Sleep thirteen hours.
Up this morning to find own toilet
backing up (or is it a dream?), vacuum
cleaner on blink, and mother flicker al-
ready making new plans for further for-,
ays.
Aren't you sorry you aren't a school
teacher, with all those "holidays"?
J41
IL
•