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The Citizen, 1991-06-12, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12,1991. Editorials What happened to service? Discussions between Canada Post and councillors at Huron County Council Thursday showed that the attitude of Canada Post seems to have switched strongly to its goal of turning a profit compared to the old idea of service. Councillors were critical of many aspects of Canada Post service from the closing of post offices to slow service but one area that really irked many was Canada Post's Skybox at Toronto’s Skydome, an expensive perk for executives and customers of the corporation. For the councillors, the Skybox seemed to be a symbol. But Jim Craig, Community Relations Officer for Canada Post's Huron Division stoutly defended the expense. Canada Post was a $4 billion corporation, he said, and why shouldn't it act like any other huge corporation. For councillors, it seemed a little incongruous that Canada Post couldn't afford to pay local post masters and felt it had to franchise postal outlets, even if it meant people had to travel miles to get a stamp but felt a Skybox was a good investment. To Canada Post it made perfect sense. McKillop’s Marie Hicknell worried that higher postal rates could drive community newspapers out of business. Mr. Craig wondered why any private business should be subsidized as community newspapers have been for 100 years. If you can't live on your own, he seemed to say, you don't deserve to exist. And that explains something about the lack of understanding of the modem Canada Post of rural communities. Rural communities know some things go beyond dollars and cents. A post office to a rural community is more than a place to pick up mail or buy stamps. A community newspaper is more than just another business on main street. A community without a newspaper loses its ability to communicate, its ability to debate issues, its ability to be informed about government and community affairs. People in this community knew how important a community newspaper was. When they were without one for a few years, they happily bought shares to start one up. Profit was not their motive in investing. But profit is what makes the world go round for Canada Post these days, even though it was originally set up as a service to people, not a profit maker. The same attitude prevails with the railways, also originally subsidized to serve the country. Nobody wants Canada Post to go back to losing a half billion dollars a year. Nobody wants to go on maintaining railways nobody wants to use. But Canada Post and the Railways often seem to go out of their way to discourage service to the people who are supposed to benefit from their investment as taxpayers. Maybe that's why this country is in trouble: we've forgotten why we started out to do the things we now say aren't working. Investing in ourselves A few dozen north Huron residents took a first step last week, towaid trying to shape the future of their communities when they attended the first meeting of the North Huron Community development area. What they learned is that if people want things done, they will have to do it themselves. And in that vain, Brussels resident Nancy McDonald-Exel brought up a very good point. The accountant, who should be in a position to know, said this area isn't poor at all as some people might think, but is actually very wealthy. The problem is that the savings of our residents are going out of the community in the form of guaranteed interest certificates, bonds and other investments, to help build other areas while there is often a shortage of money for building our own communities. We are our own worst enemies in many ways. We complain about everything going to Toronto and other large cities but that's exactly where we send our money. That money helps build the shopping centres that then attract our shopping dollars out of the area. That money helps build the office buildings and factories our children leave home to work in, the apartment buildings they'll live in. We need, Mrs. McDonald-Exel pointed out, some way of investing our money back into our own communities, to make things happen here. We need some way of generating ideas and putting those ideas along with the money we have to invest to make things happen in our communities. It's a concept the province of Quebec has used to put pension funds to work investing in Quebec companies and it helped build one of the strongest economies in Canada. If we can team up our money and our brains maybe we could have the kind of diversified economy in Huron County we’d like to have. Creature comforts Looking Backward ONE YEAR AGO JUNE 13,1990 Huron County Board of Education announced a date for the school addi­ tion construction to begin al Grey Central School near Ethel. The addi­ tion involves one large room for a library and computer centre, with four classes and special ed. area. Cost of the expansion at that time was $350,000. Some minor damage was being done as the result of vandalism at the Blylh Lions Park recently. Al Don­ aldson said that vandals had taken shingles off the pump house roofs, left tire marks on the freshly painted pool floor and thrown rocks onto the roof. It didn't result in any major damage but he felt it was still "out­ right vandalism". No injuries were sustained follow­ ing an accident that occurred on Highway 4, in Morris Township, when 17-year old Timothy King of Blyth pulled out to pass a dump truck, driven by George Black of Belgrave. Mr. King's 1987 Hyundai lost control on the east shoulder, swung back around striking the truck and then went onto the east shoulder and into the ditch before going through the fence into a field. THREE YEARS AGO JUNE 8, 1988 A broken pump created an emer­ gency water shortage in Brussels and residents were asked not to use water unnecessarily. The north end auxil­ iary pump broke down. Water level in the reservoir was dangerously low and village officials worried about a water shortage if a fire broke out. Barry William Comeau was taken into custody after surrendering to police. He had been holed up in his residence on County Road 25, armed with several guns, threatening sui­ cide, since a family dispute erupted in the home shortly before noon. Two members of the Ontario Provin­ cial Police's tactics and rescue squad (TRU) charged down Walton's main street in full combat gear. FIVE YEARS AGO JUNE 11,1986 In a response to a concern that there is very little for boys ages 5-7 to do, the Brussels Cubs held a dis­ cussion and information night in regard to the possibility of forming a "Beaver Colony". Ross Stephenson, a Grey township fireman, was honoured with a medal­ lion for 30 years of service al a medal investiture ceremony held by the Ontario Fire Marshall's office at the Gildwood Inn. Ken Shortreed hosted a horse pull at his farm near Walton. Several horse owners took part, testing the strength of their teams. The Citizen P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. N0M 1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 P.O Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. NOG 1H0 Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 The Citizen is published weekly in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $20.50/year ($19.16 plus $1.34 G.S.T.) for local; $19.16 ♦ $1.66 for each month after March 31/92 + G.S.T. for local letter carrier in Goderich, Hanover, Listowel, etc. and out-of-area (40 miles from Brussels); $60.00/year for U.S.A, and 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, 2 p.m. - Brussels; Monday, 4 p.m. - Blyth. We are not responsible for unsolicited newscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copywright. Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships. Editor & Publisher, Keith Roulston Advertising Manager, Dave Williams Second Class Mail Registration No. 6968