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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1989-08-02, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2, 1989. Opinion. Drought a sign of times ahead? While there hasn’t been nearly as much talk this year about the effects of the “green house effect” in causing summer drought, the situation this year seems to lend more credence to the theory than ever. Last year’s drought was so prolonged that it drew much more attention that this year’s has caused but in itself it didn’t mean the climate was changing as some were predicting. Bad as last year’s drought was. we've hadotherdroughtsbeforc and it could have been just one of those things (like the worries of a few years earlier that Great Lake levels would keep on going up). This year’s drought hasn’t been nearly as publicized because there have been torrential thunderstorms in some parts of southern Ontario (where the major media outlets are located). But for local farmers, theeffects of this drought may be just as devastating as last year if we don’t get rain soon. Butitisn’tjustourlittie corner of the world that is suffering. There are forest fires in Alberta. Saskatchewan. Manitoba and northern Ontario and even in the cottage country of Ontario. Those returning from holidays in Britain and Holland report some of the driest weather on record there. Monday, the Soviet Union admitted previous crop predictions will be overly optimistic because of drought there. With the exception of some of those freak storms such as the one that hit Essex county, the entire northern hemisphere seems to be suffering a drought this year. The scale of this year’s drought and the fact that this is the second year of drought in a row, makes the frightening predictions of the effects of the green house effect seem more possible. Perhaps in Canada we will have to seriously look at the types of crops we can grow. Perhaps, instead of worrying about draining fields, we’ll be worrying about getting water for irrigation. Western politicians have jumped on the environmental bandwagon of late with even people like George Bush and Margaret Thatcher sounding serious about cleaning up the environment. The task ahead is huge and it may already be too late. Let’s hope this summer’s drought frightens the politicians enough to stick to their guns when the vested interests of big business try to sway them from their course. An indecent lifestyle It was there on one page of a Canadian newspaper: the indecentexcessof the Canadian lifestyle beside the misery of people suffering huddled in another corner of the world, ignored by Canadians. The page of Saturday’s Toronto Star had a small article at the bottom of the page dealing with the plight of 70,000 refugees from Vietnam who still live in camps in Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines. Some of these people have been living in these camps for seven or eight years since they risked their lives in leaky boats to escape Vietnam. Western countries have been slow to accept these people even though Canadians opened their hearts to the original flow of boat people nearly a decade ago (and have generally been rewarded for it by hard-working new citizens). Our federal government has recently increased its quota for Vietnamese immigration by saying it will take 15,000 refugees over the next three years. It’s a drop in the bucket yet probably if the government offered to take more there would be another backlash against too much immigration. At the top of that same page was an article on the new boom in cottage country. Cottage lots that sold for $70,000 to $90,000 last spring hadjumped to$150,000to$170,000by the summer ... for the lot. On those lots people are building “cottages” with up to 5000 square feet, complete with European-style kitchens, sitting rooms, Jacuzzis, washers, dryers, dishwashers, gasbarbecuesandeven Fax machines. Prices of these mansions often hit $500,000. There are at least 12cottagesinMuskokathisyearlistedforsaleat$l million. And this is a second home for people, on top of their equally expensive Toronto home. On the one hand you have people who can have two mansions filled with every creature comfort. On the other, you can have people with no place to call home at all. Something is wrong with this picture. The Citizen P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. NOM 1H0 Phone 523-4792 P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont NOG 1H0 Phone 887-9114 Down by the pond Mabel’s Grill There are people who will tell you that the important decisions in town are made down at the town hall. People in the know, however know that the real debates, the real wisdom reside down at Mabel s Grill where the greatest minds in the town [if not in the country] gather for morning coffee break, otherwise known as the Round Table Debating and Filibustering So­ ciety. MONDAY: Billie Bean was com­ plaining about the heat this morn­ ing when Mabel, who was passing the table at the time, told him to stop grouching. If he really wanted it hot he could come into the kitchen and work with her, she said. Hank Stokes said if he did, he was going down to the Royale Restaurant from now on for his food. Julia Flint said with the weather the way it was she wished she was like some people who could spend the whole summer at the beach but she guessed we should all count ourselves lucky: we weren’t like the people who have to fight the forest fires up north. Hank said that watching the pictures on television of those water bombers fighting the fires kind of gave him an idea. “You suppose we could bring them down south for a while, and have them scoop up all the extra water down in Essex and drop it on my com fields?” TUESDAY: Ward Black was read­ ing the story in the paper this morning about the Canadians who got caught trying to smuggle $2.5 million worth of steroid drugs into the United States. “Well one thing,” he said, “We’ve been upset for years about the Ameri- Continued on page 19 The Citizen is published weekly in Brussels, Ontario, by North Huron Publishing Company Inc Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $17 00. yr ($38 00 Foreign) 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, 2pm - Brussels, Monday, 4pm - Blyth We are not responsible for unsolicited newscriptsor photographs Contents of The Citizen are £ Copyright Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships. Editor& Publisher, Keith Roulston Advertising Manager, DaveWilliams Production Manager, Jill Roulston Second Class Mail Registration No. 6968