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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2007-03-01, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2007.Editorials Opinions Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie GroppAdvertising, Ken Warwick & Kelly Quesenberry 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 FAX 887-9021 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 $32.00/year ($30.19 + $1.81 G.S.T.) in Canada; $92.00/year in U.S.A.and $175.00/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 March 1, 1950 The musical play Randolph Ranch was being staged in the Brussels Town Hall for “three big nights”. The cast included Marni Van Norman, Donald Edgar, Jessie Little, Bill King, Laurie Cousins, Charlie Thomas, Bill Rann, Mary Lou McFarlane, Jean Jewell and Gerald Gibson. The chorus girls were Donelda Willis, Glenna Stephens, Marie Bennett, Jean Cardiff, Karen Buschlen and Madalon Ryan. The J Girls were Doreen Long, Doreen McCreath, Betty Cousins and Isabel Speir. Admission was 50 cents and 35 cents with proceeds going to the town hall repair fund. The sum of $80 was made at the “successful” St. John’s Anglican Church pancake supper. Elizabeth Baeker, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Cleve Baeker of Brussels was one of the members of the Girls Band in London which was awarded first prize at the Kiwanis music festival in Toronto. Eric Scott and his orchestra were playing at the St.Patrick’s Dance in Brussels. Admission was $1 and “dress was optional”. On sale at Grewar’s Groceteria were one-pound tins of sockeye salmon for 90 cents. Playing at the Capitol Theatre in Listowel was Wayne Morris and Janis Paige in The Younger Brothers. At the Regent in Seaforth it was Big Jack with Marjorie Main and Wallace Beery, who was the “terror of the badlands in this wild, wacky and welcome western”. March 1, 1961 The Belgrave Women’s Institute marked its 50th anniversary. There was a millinery course in Londesborough. The Huron County Wheat Producers met in Clinton. There were 988 farmers selling wheat in Huron the previous year for approximately $24,000. A former Auburn couple were injured when their car left the road and crashed into a hydro pole. The man was taken to hospital were he was treated for facial cuts. His wife was treated for a head injury and a broken ankle. Damage to the car was estimated at $450. A Blyth businessperson attended the third annual sales seminar of the Men’s Clothing Manufacturers Association of Ontario at the King Edward Hotel in Toronto. The festivities were highlighted by a fashion show of the latest in men’s wearing apparel. Feb. 26, 1969 A front page editorial asked “What the heck is wrong?” The question was addressing the poor attendance at Blyth hockey games. Marine Corps First Lieutenant David Walter Sparling was killed in Viet Nam when the helicopter he was co-piloting was on a medical evacuation mission. Enemy fire was observed before the chopper crashed into the side of a mountain. The 24- year-old was the son of a former Blyth resident. Sunkist navel oranges were selling at Cook’s Superior Food Market for 59 cents a dozen. There was a new feature at the Huron Grill — Chinese food. Wool plaid pleated and straight skirts were on sale at the Needlecraft Shoppe for $2. The officers of the Blyth 4-H Girls were president, Diane McDougall; vice-president, Kathy Street and press reporter, Linda Hamm. March 1, 1972 The combined efforts of the Brussels and Blyth fire brigades saved a Grey Twp. farmhouse from destruction. A frame addition was destroyed in the blaze, the cause of which was undetermined. The main portion of the home suffered extensive somke and water damage. Joan McArter was named Girl Guide of the Year at the annual mother and daughter banquet. Louise Procter received her gold cord, the highest honour for a Guide. New Brownies were Janet Heibein, Karen Alexander, Dianne Bernard, Janice Somers, Teresa Glanville and Trina Watts. Proceeds of the canvass on behalf of the ability fund amounted to $287.30. The canvass, conducted under the auspices of the Ladies Auxliary of the Guides and Brownies was carried out by the girls of the groups. The donations would assist the disabled. Eddy Peters received first prize accompanied by a cheque of $100 on a farm safety poster entered in the fall fair. His entry was sent to Toronto where it received third in the provincial competition. A Grade 8 pupil of Mrs. Aubrey Toll at Walton Public School when he entered the contest, Peters, of Grey Twp., was attending Seaforth District High School. Huron County councillors increased their mileage from 10 cents to 12 cents per mile. A 13-month subscription to The Brussels Post was selling for $4, which also included a free classified ad. The Alley Cats from Wingham were playing at the New American Hotel. At the Queen’s Hotel it was the Bill Carlyle Trio from Stratford. A pound of Nabob coffee was on sale at McCutcheon Grocery for 79¢. THE EDITOR, The Ontario government is about to announce a new budget, presumably the last one before the next provincial election. Chances are the big-ticket items will be dedicated to the promotion of health, education and economy. There is however another expenditure that is vital to the health and economic well being of many Ontarians, but is never included in the budget, namely, funding for community legal clinics. Born more than 30 years ago, the legal clinic system is funded by Legal Aid Ontario, which receives its funding from the provincial government. The clinic system provides free legal services to low- income Ontarians, some of whom are amongst the most vulnerable members in society and whose matters “fall between the cracks” of our legal system, meaning that they are in desperate need of legal representation, but they cannot afford it, and the province does not provide a legal aid lawyer for their sort of matters. Traditionally, clinics provide representation for tenants and social assistance recipients to ensure that landlords and welfare administrators alike are respecting their rights. Today, many legal clinics also practise in such areas as human rights, and employment law, advocating for the rights of victims of discrimination as well as vulnerable workers in low-waged, non-unionized workplace settings. In fact, the clinic system as a whole is often at the forefront of systemic advocacy, constantly reminding the public about the plight of the poor, while pushing governments to address the underlying socio-economic inequities. Demand for clinic service is growing as a recent TD Bank Report indicates the gap between rich and poor keeps growing. The burden put on these clinics will become that much greater. There are 79 such clinics covering all of Ontario. The Huron/Perth Community Legal clinic, with offices in Stratford and 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 Sharing the wealth It’s hard to see the rest of the world when you’re looking at your navel. Increasingly, major urban centres in Canada are so busy looking at their own problems that they never see the problems the rest of us have. Once again this week Toronto mayor David Miller made the case that the rest of us should be paying for his city’s expenses. This time it was that cities should get one cent of the federal GST. Previously, he argued for, and succeeded in getting, a share of the taxes on gasoline. He argued he had been betrayed, however, when senior governments decided “municipalities” should get the share, not just the major cities. No doubt he wasn’t thinking about towns, villages and townships getting a share of the estimated $5 billion the GST share would give to the cities. Toronto has created a “reality” that it doesn’t have enough money through its municipal taxation to pay for the services it needs. Yet if you look at the taxes paid in the city, a homeowner there pays less in taxes than an owner of a home of comparable value in this part of the province, and urban residents get more services at the same time. No doubt all municipalities can use more money — rural ones perhaps more so than big cities, based on the heavy taxation rural property owners are paying. If Miller and other big city mayors want to argue for a larger share of federal and provincial revenues for all municipalities, they have a point. When they think that they’re the only people who have problems and that they are the only ones who deserve more money, they’re just showing their self-absorbed ignorance. — KR A difficult task The Supreme Court of Canada last week sent a message to our parliamentarians: fix the law that allows the government to hold non- citizens judged to be a danger to the country without hearing. The ruling shows the challenge for a democracy trying to protect itself from terrorists. On one hand, it’s clearly the duty of our government to protect citizens from terror tactics. Yet at the same time only those who believe that our police and security experts are infallible could agree our government has the right to impose the controls that have been used against some non-citizens imprisoned for suspicion of planning terrorist activities. They have been imprisoned without a hearing, even without being told the case against them. The excuse is that they will be deported, but if they are deported to their homeland they may be tortured or killed, so they aren’t sent back. They could rot in jail according to the 30-year-old law the Supreme Court has just struck down. It’s a tricky balance between rights and security. Terrorists don’t play by the rules so the argument of some is that our security officials can’t either. They must be given the tools to protect our safety. Yet if we suspend human rights, even for those who are suspected terrorists, then we descend to the level of the terrorists. In our fear since the Sept. 11 attacks, some leaders of democracies have been willing to turn a blind eye to torture and holding suspects without trial. Yet we say we are fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq to protect democracy. We can’t build credibility for democracy if we don’t honour it.— KR & Letter to the editor Continued on page 6