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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2007-07-26, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2007.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 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 THE EDITOR, Like everyone else in our county I was rather incensed by the article published in The Toronto Sun recently about Huron County. This is the wonderful area in which I chose to raise my children - and I will never look back with regret on that decision. I never had to worry about guns and gangs with my kids. I never had to worry about the kind of education they received because I knew first hand that it was top-notch because of the dedication of both the kids and the teachers. They never lacked for self development opportunities and their lives were richer for the opportunities to commune with the natural world as well. Our kids had the strong support of all the people in our church and in our community throughout their lives, and they are better people for that. And when my kids were sick, I never had to wait long for medical attention. So I was somewhat insulted when Ms Blizzard chose to focus on the negative in her article. But Ms Blizzard is not a travel reporter. She is a political one. I went back and read the whole series of articles by her in The Sun. I understand that the writer’s mission was to get out of Toronto and find out what everyone in the rest of the province is feeling about provincial politics. Of course, she is going to be looking for the problems each of us perceives in our own home areas. It is very unfortunate that she focussed firstly on situations such as childhood obesity, drinking and drug abuse. But she talked to the health professional who is working on those issues. There are issues with children and obesity, sure. But I’ve seen those problems everywhere I’ve travelled, and as a former educator, I have seen more issues related to nutrition and lifestyle than the opportunities for kids to be active. Parents in our area go the extra mile to allow their kids to play on school sports teams. Many rural kids also assist with chores and participate in more outdoor pursuits because those opportunities are more available to them. As for drinking, I feel that statistics may show a disproportionate number of young people dying at the wheel because of a need to drive. But most young people, in my experience, ensure that they have a DD, leave their car behind and take a taxi or stay over if they are not able to drive. They are July 26, 1961 Blyth residents were saddened to hear of the passing of a well-known and loved neighbour. The Blyth man died of injuries sustained in a car crash, occurring on the sixth concession of Morris Twp. He had collided with a vehicle driven by Brussels man. His wife, a passenger, was taken to Victoria Hospital in London for treatment of a badly shattered leg, arm and facial injuries. All others involved in the accident were taken to Wingham hospital where they were treated for minor injuries, and released. No charges were laid in the incident. The Huron County Library Co- Operative Board appointed Mary Lou Stirling as the new county librarian. The board also appointed Norma Hazlitt as assistant county librarian. Five area high schools signed an agreement which would make big steps towards the modernization of vocational education. At a meeting held in Clinton, representatives from Exeter, Seaforth, Goderich, Auburn and Clinton all signed the contract which would require each high school district to appoint representatives to the vocational advisory committee. Once the board is appointed, plans would be able to continue for the construction of the new vocational school, as well as plan for the curriculum to be taught there and the hiring of architects, construction companies, as well as teachers, and school officials. All this planning, hiring, and building was expected to be completed by the first day of classes of the 1962-1963 school year. The school would be the first vocational school to gain approval of the Ontario Department of Education. July 26, 1972 In a report put out by the Canada Safety Council, it was stated that accidental death rate on farms had increased by 20 per cent. The importance of safety was being stressed greatly in light of National Farm Safety Week happening July 25-31. What was most troubling, however, was that while the number of accidental injuries and deaths on farms had increased, the overall number of farms and farmers had decreased dramatically at the same time, demonstrating the grave need for more awareness and safety practices. Blamed for the increase in accidents was the rapid modernization of more complex and much more powerful farm equipment, combined with the increasing lack of thoughtfulness and neglect of safety procedure by farmers and farm residents, hence putting their own lives in danger. A new issue was rising in the Huron County Education Board about how much responsibility should be placed on the school board regarding students’ safety on field trips and school activities. The board had determined that parents of children participating in such activities would be required to sign a waiver, dismissing the board of any responsibility in case of accident or death. The opinion of the board was that it was not necessary for the schools or educational board to assume such responsibility, and therefore the decision of whether an activity could be potentially threatening or dangerous or not should be given to the parents of the children participating. Feedback from parents had not yet been heard, but other board members also posed the problem of students forgetting forms, or parents becoming tired of constantly signing forms every time a student did anything. The idea of a ‘blanket waiver’ was suggested, a form to be signed at the beginning of the year to provide permission for all activities, but it was largely decided that more research should be done about the suitability or ethics of school-related waivers before any final decision was made. July 27, 1988 The Blyth Festival was busy fundraising for a new, large scale expansion of facilities for the theatre. The expansion, expected to cost a cool $1.8 million, would see improvements to include padded seats, more washrooms, ventilated scenery and costume construction shops for technical staff, as well as many other changes. Construction would be taking place at the south side of the Memorial Hall where a wing would be built across the old “bank building”, and also where the theatre had its administration offices. Construction would also be taking place at the rear of the “garage” on Dinsley street where new shops would be built, as well as at the current shop area above the municipal offices. Blyth Festival artistic director Katherine Kaszas pointed out “We can wait no longer -- the physical facilities under which the Festival operates can be stretched no longer.” This was all demonstrated in the lack of dressing room space, construction space, and just overall lack of space, conditions unsuited for the large productions. July 25, 1988 Playing at the Park Theatre in Goderich was the family comedy Problem Child, with the tagline “Attila the Hun. Ivan the Terrible. Al Capone. They were all seven once.” 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 Celebrating Brussels In a way, it’s too bad communities don’t have homecomings more often. It’s only on occasions like this weekend’s celebration of Brussels’s 135th birthday, that people stop and take a look at their community. The efforts of the many volunteers who have taken on the organization of this week’s homecoming are about the party and the chance to meet and greet old friends, but they are also a tribute to the hard work of all those who have built the community in the century and a half since William Ainlay first settled on the site of today’s village. Over that time there have been highs and lows. Enterprising early residents built a thriving industrial centre with a magnificent main street, but times changed and those industries faded away. New leaders arose to find new ways for their community to survive, or to thrive, depending on the era. Homecoming is an opportunity to celebrate those efforts but also to take inspiration from those who have gone before so that new solutions can be found for the challenges of today, and those of the future. The celebration is an opportunity to rekindle pride in the accomplishments of the community and to use that pride to improve the community we live in today. Thanks to all those who have put so much effort into this celebration — and have a great party. — KR Missing logic It’s been a violent last few days, with people gunned down in various cities across Canada and death even touching Huron County with the murder of two Stephen Twp. residents. If murder is an illogical act, so are the arguments it brings out. The violence, particularly the death of a young boy in Toronto caught in the crossfire between two street gangs, has brought out all the usual arguments. On one side, the anti-gun lobby including Toronto Mayor David Miller and Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant, have called for a complete ban on hand guns. On the other hand, Stockwell Day, federal Public Safety Minister said the answer is more police. Both sides miss the point. Most hand guns on the street are not legally owned, so a complete ban on legal ownership of handguns would do little. On the other hand, hiring more police is closing the door after the horse got out unless we can stem the source of illegal guns. Most of those guns are smuggled across the U.S. border. Ironically, while the U.S. has tightened our shared border because of fear terrorists might take American lives, Canadians are dying regularly from guns coming the other way. If the governments want to lessen violence, they must stem the flow of these illegal weapons or people will continue to die. — KR & Letter to the editor Continued on page 6