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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2007-09-13, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 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 Sept. 13, 1950 After some damages done in the past year, the Brussels Fall Fair committee was asking the community for help. The fair had suffered some losses, including the roof taken off the Palace where many events were usually held. Also the stables had been ruined by a windstorm. Donations were being gratefully accepted in preparation for the coming fall fair season. Despite regulations which were supposed to keep prices down, many households across the country as well as in the U.S. were feeling the pressure as prices for necessary groceries continued their steady climb. Many prices for regular items, such as potatoes, pork, steak, butter, coffee, sugar, and milk, had doubled in the decade past, even after OPA price controls were ordered in April 1941. A new trend was starting among the population in response to the threat of nuclear warfare. Many citizens, particularly youths, were now having their blood type tattooed onto their bodies in case of injury or need for treatment after an A-bomb attack. The idea had actually been suggested by the civilian defense committee, and the action was expected to become mandatory among the citizen population. Sept. 13, 1961 A large turnout was expected for the Blyth Fall Fair, with events being held all around the village all week long. Visitors would have the chance to see the famous Clydesdale horses of Aubrey Toll, as well as listen to the Belgrave Pipe Band, and take in a parade. The Toll horses had been on a whirlwind tour across North America, picking up first place prizes in countless competitions, and becoming very well known to locals around the area. Several members of the Blyth Women’s Institute were guests on the CKNX television program M’Lady. Mrs. Mary McElroy, Mrs. Logan, Mrs. Higgins, Mrs. Scrimgeour, and Mrs. J. McNichol appeared on a panel on the show, discussing “What was good about the good old days?”. Also appearing on the show was the Blyth Women’s Institute rhythm band, as well as dancers to accompany the music. The members of the band were: Mrs. Mary Taylor, Mrs. Fred Cook, Mrs. Walter Cook, Mrs. D. McCallum, Mrs. C. Johnston, Mrs. L. McGowan, and Miss Pearl Gidley on piano. Sept. 13, 1972 Brussels council was again discussing the possibility of constructing senior citizen housing in the village. Peter Lepik of the research branch of the Ontario Housing Corporation attended a meeting of the village council, and explained in detail the facilities that are available and the extent to which there would be local involvement. A decision on the issue was yet to be made. After owning and driving buses for 23 years, Ralph Pearson was selling his business. Always trusted as a responsible driver, in good and bad weather, Pearson still planned to continue driving buses for the area schools, but he had sold his three school buses and one charter bus to James Armstrong of Wingham. Armstrong planned to take over the Pearson bus franchise, and would offer complete bus service in the region from Brussels to Wingham, also adding an additional 66 seat bus to the fleet. Playing at the Harriston Drive-In Theatre was the “electrifying” Woodstock, a documentary about the legendary rock music festival, featuring live performances by Joan Baez, Joe Cocker, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and Jimi Hendrix. Also playing was screen legend John Wayne in Song of Katie Elder, Jane Fonda in Barefoot in the Park, as well as Blindman, a western starring Tony Anthony and Ringo Starr. Sept. 14, 1988 A record crowd was welcomed to the 17th annual Thresher’s Reunion in Blyth. There was such a large attendance that officials believed it would be a few days before exact totals could be accurately counted. Two hundred and forty campers were crowded into every corner of the campground, and the rest of the grounds were covered by visitors who came early and stayed late every day of the event. There were more than 50 antique cars each day, 100-150 antique gas tractors, 132 gas engines, and 14 big steam tractors, in addition to eight booths at the flea market outside and several different choices for food, drink and entertainment. A special surprise was planned for 10 a.m. on a Thursday morning. Brussels, Morris Twp. and Grey Twp. were inviting residents for a mystery event to be held in downtown Brussels. The event was described only as “something new”, though no one would say what exactly that something would be. Brussels councillor Ruth Suave would say only that council was hoping for as many people as possible to attend. Sept. 12, 1990 NDP candidate Paul Klopp was elected MPP for Huron in a huge upset. Klopp vaulted from third place in 1987 to first in 1990 as the Liberal vote collapsed across the province. In Huron, Liberals fell to third, a position that Klopp was happy to give up. THE EDITOR, On election day, Oct.10, the people of Ontario won’t just be voting for a local MPP, they will also be voting in a referendum on their future voting system. This is the first Ontario wide referendum since the days of Prohibition and it will be the first chance Ontarians have to update their voting system since it was originally established. A year ago a citizens assembly was established to look at our current voting system known as “first past the post” or “winner take all” because of its resemblance to a horse race where the person with the most votes wins and all the other votes cast for other candidates are “wasted”, meaning they do not count toward any representation. The citizens assembly was composed of 103 ordinary citizens randomly chosen from each riding in Ontario. The assembly members spent several months studying the Ontario voting system and holding hearings across Ontario to listen to the concerns voters had and their ideas for improving it. They then spent several more months examining other voting systems in other countries. Then they set out to devise an updated system for Ontario that would address the shortcomings they identified in our current system. The shortcomings include “wasting” over half the votes cast most elections, “phony” majority governments where parties getting much less than 50 per cent of the popular vote get much more than 50 per cent of the seats in the legislature, and frustrated voter choice when confronted with a candidate they like running for a party they don’t. After months of study, the 103 members of the citizens assembly developed an updated system for Ontario. It is called a mixed member proportional system. It would involve having one ballot with two votes. One vote would be for a riding candidate and would keep the first past the post system for picking the riding winners. The second vote would be for the political party of the voters choice and those votes would be used to determine the number of seats each party got in the legislature. The 103 ordinary voters of the citizens assembly voted over- whelmingly, with 92 per cent in favour, to recommend the mixed member proportional system. They state in their final report “A mixed member proportional electoral system for Ontario will provide greater voter choice, fairer election results and stronger representation.” Go to www.citizensassembly.gov.on.ca or www.voteformmp.ca for info. Tony McQuail 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 Compounded problems Concerns by some municipal leaders that the first response medical service provided by some local fire departments but not by others, means inequality of service to their residents hark back to the mistakes made in municipal amalgamation in the first place. Morris-Turnberry mayor Dorothy Kelly and Central Huron reeve Bert Dykstra expressed concern last week at Huron County council that first response services offered by the Blyth and Brussels fire departments mean unequal service for their residents. In Morris-Turnberry’s case, residents in the south and east of Morris ward will have the benefit of fire departments that can treat medical emergencies faster than the ambulance can generally get there, perhaps saving lives. Those in the north, served by the two stations of the Wingham Area Fire Board won’t have the same service. Similarly, residents of northern Hullett will have first response while those to the south, won’t. The artificial boundaries of amalgamated municipalities necessitated by the provincial ground rules helped create this kind of problem. If some real vision had been shown to redraw the municipal boundary lines to recognize natural communities, many of the areas served by fire departments would match the community being served. The natural reach of the Brussels community, for instance, would be similar to the area served by its fire department, now that it has expanded its rural fire- fighting capacity. Blyth’s huge fire area would extend beyond its natural community but still would have avoided many of these current issues. Instead, the province mandated that existing municipalities couldn’t be divided, meaning communities were divided instead. Now we’re stuck with artificial political structures that mean little to the people who live within them. Here’s hoping politicians don’t try to take away services some residents have traditionally enjoyed in the name of fairness for all residents of these extended municipalities. — KR It’s more than words Leaders of the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation countries congrat- ulated themselves on the weekend that they could all agree to work towards an “aspirational goal” of reducing “energy intensity” by 25 per cent by 2030. Oh that should halt the retreating ice fields of the Arctic! Words aren’t going to do it, folks. Promises to clean up our act in future, as the Liberals of the last government and the Conservatives of our present government have done, won’t do it either. It’s nice that countries like the U.S. and China could find something they could agree on in some distant, non-threatening time but if scientists are right, we face real, absolute deadlines. It’s way past time for talk and it’s getting late to take action or our children will pay the price. — KR & Letter to the editor