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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1991-10-23, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23 1991. (Very) civil servants ' Canada's favourite sport these days is civil servant bashing, an especially tempting target at a time when federal civil servants have disrupted our lives in their protests over a wage freeze or when postal workers keep threatening to strike. But watching the calm, cool and collected behaviour of some county officials as they faced the wrath of owners and neighbours of candidate sites for the Huron county landfill, you have to say some civil servants earn their pay and more. County engineer Denis Merrall and project co-ordinator Jo-Anne Richter went through a seemingly endless string of meetings over two weeks, answering a seemingly endless series of questions. Sometimes it was easy as they answered polite questions from understandably concerned residents but it wasn't always so easy. These people took more shots that Grant Fuhr in the Toronto Maple Leafs goal. Even when they were accused of perpetrating some devious plot to import garbage or to stick all the county's garbage in a forgotten comer of the township, even when their sanity was questioned to the consultants' choice of site covered with trees or under water, they didn't strike back but quietly explained the process which had been carried out by outside consultants playing the rules of a game set down by the provincial government. Even when cynical questioners accused them of a hidden agenda to bring in garbage from cities or sticking all of Huron's garbage away in a forgotten northern comer of the county, they stayed cool. Meanwhile other county civil servants have quietly and patiently been working to get northern Huron residents working on their own behalf through the North Huron Community Development Committee. Jason Chu and Brian Treble who were assigned the job of setting up the North Huron committee, one of four in the county, decided to take a grassroots approach. It would have been easier for them to just involve elected councillors and municipal employees as had been done in the central and southern committees but they decided to send out invitations to everyone who was interested in their community’s development to put their ideas into the process. Those ideas were then grouped into interest areas, committees were set up to work on the ideas and a steering committee was set up to co-ordinate the work of the interest groups. But not everyone could believe their openness. Many people, even those nominated to the steering committee, were suspicious. Some suspected the community development program was an excuse to make work in the county planning and development office (and who can say this wasn't at least in the back of the minds of the people who dreamed up the program). Others worried there was a hidden agenda, that county officials had already decided what they wanted and were just maneuvering the volunteers to justify what they already knew they wanted. Despite the doubts and hard questions at a steering committee last week that stalled the entire process, Mr. Chu and Mr. Treble remained calm and patient, always trying to clear up the doubts people had. They may succeed in making their grassroots approach work yet. Let's face it, while it may be therapeutic to knock civil servants, there are many things in our communities that won't work without them. Most are dedicated to their community and trying to make it a better place. Now and then they deserve our gratitude and our respect. Taking precautions This week an earthquake struck northern India killing hundreds. Last week a man crashed his pickup through the front window of a Texas cafeteria, Lhen opened fire on the customers with an automatic pistol, killing 23. The people who died in both cases were, in a way, victims of a freak of nature. No matter how perfect we make our system, no matter how well the schools operate, how much counselling we can provide, there will always be crazed killers like George Hennard who think they can punish strangers for real or imagined injustices done to them. But just as we don't build houses where earthquakes are likely to happen, just as we don't build on the side of volcanoes or in the floodplains of rivers, so we can take what precautions we can against madmen. We can do our best to keep automatic and semi-automatic weapons out of their hands. There is currently great opposition to the federal government's gun control legislation among rural Canadian gun owners. They see new rules as a restriction on their freedom. If one George Hennard can be kept separate from dangerous weapons, however, those restrictions are worth it. Hanging on Looking Back Through the Years ONE YEAR AGO OCTOBER 24,1990 There was a reported case of spinal meningitis in Brussels Public School. Moncrieff church history was marked by a plaque placed by Cindy and Jim Moyer, who restored the church into their home. Alfred and Mildred Nichol of Belgrave celebrated 50 years of marriage. Belgrave Kinsmen withdrew their request for grant money from Morris township to be used towards the renovation of the new arena front. Rowe Fuels resumed operation of JR’s Shake Shoppe in Brussels. Thirteen children from eight fam­ ilies were baptized at Knox Presby­ terian Church in Ethel. Knox Presbyterian Church in Cranbrook marked its 125th anniversary. Blyth Midget Boys swept the top three places in their division at the cross country races in Londesboro. Craig Empey was first, followed by Michael Ansley and Corey Shan­ non. THREE YEARS AGO OCTOBER 26,1988 A benefit dance to help get the Brussels Legion back on its feet, after being damaged by fire, raised $10,000 for the cause. Thirteen people were singled out Continued on page 6 CitizenTheNorthHuron P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. N0M1H0 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, Llstowel, etc. and out-of-area (40 miles from Brussels); S60.00/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. 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