Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1991-10-30, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30 1991. Editorial Doing it their way ■ While debate over the federal government's new constitutional programs has focused, in the rest of Canada, on the "Distinct Society" clause, in Quebec the main concern has been on proposals to give Ottawa more power to strengthen the economic union. It's easy to dismiss this concern as one more example of Quebec wanting to be an independent country without the problems this incurs but Quebecois may have a just cause to worry. The Distinct Society has been seldom more in evidence than in economic development policies in Quebec. Quebec negotiated a Quebec Pension Plan, separate from the Canada Pension Plan, so it could keep the pension money of its residents at home to help build the local economy. The interest paid on pension moneys (and on insurance for that matter), comes from investing the money in apartment and office buildings and other ways that make the economy grow. Quebec reasoned that if the money was kept in Quebec, it would help Quebec grow, not Toronto or Edmonton. Similarly, Quebec used the huge James Bay hydro-electric development to foster the growth of engineering and construction expertise in the province. It could have brought in big American companies but it chose instead to invest the money in building the economy instead of sending it out of the province. But the federal government, filled with big-business veterans like Prime Minister Mulroney and Trade Minister Michael Wilson, has only one vision of how things should be done: the so-called free enterprise, market approach. It's the approach that has seen privatization, closing of railways and free trade. But it is an approach that puts most of the decision making in the country into the hands of high-paid decision makers on Bay Street. In this, Quebec faces the same problems as the West, the Maritimes, and for that matter Huron county. It would be astonishing to see how much money went out of Huron county in guaranteed interest certificates, RRSPs and other investments in a year. In the hands of major financial institutions, this money is unlikely to be invested to provide jobs back in Huron county. It is likely to build yet more office buildings, more apartments, more factories in a world the Bay Street financiers understand: urban centres like Toronto, Kitchener and London. We are financing the cities to create more jobs to take more of our sons and daughters away from home, financing the destruction of our own way of life. Like Quebec, we need to find alternative ways to fuel our own economy. We need a government that will assist in finding those Like Quebec, we need to find alternative ways to fuel our own economy. We need a government that will assist in finding those alternatives, not expect the Bay Sl community to do it Perhaps the proposals in the government's new constitutional blueprint will allow that, but until the plan is spelled out, one can understand the uncertainty in Quebec. Fast water Hurt now, hurt later When it comes to recycling, sometimes it seems you just can’t win. The adjustments our country has gone through to try to be more environmentally sound have been painful and costly, and the cost seems likely to go on, in a different way. Take the problem of recycled newsprint. Until consumers got serious about recycling, there used to be a good business in old newspapers. Boy Scouts and other groups collected old newspaper and made money for their projects. But when ordinary Canadians really got concerned about recycling, suddenly there was more newsprint than the market could handle. Prices plummeted. The problem was producers weren't ready for the changes. In the pulp and paper industry that takes years to plan and build a plant there just weren't enough plants that could reprocess old newsprint. Meanwhile newspaper disposal is a major problem and a major cost for municipalities in recycling. But guess what? In the future Canada may lose jobs because it doesn't have enough old newsprint. Quotas for recycled content for U.S. newspapers mean that Canadian manufacturers will have to turn more from northern forests to the recycling bin for their supplies. They may face the problem, however, of having too few old newspapers to use. Faced with the choice of having to ship old U.S. newspapers north or moving the paper plant south to be close to the source, many companies are planning to move. Can we ever win? Looking Back Through the Years ONE YEAR AGO OCTOBER 31,1990 Doug Evans of Ethel decided that after 20 years of being in the hardware business he was closing his doors, due in no small part to the impending GST. Blyth council learned that the Centre for the Arts had approved in principle an agreement, that would see Blyth get a new library in the north wing of memorial Hall. The advertising staff of The Citi­ zen received awards for excellence in advertising design at the OCNA convention in Toronto. The awards were for third place for best special section in the under 6,500 circula­ tion category. John Duskocy was nominated to position of chairman of the Huron County Cream Producers. THREE YEARS AGO NOVEMBER 2,1988 Efforts began to revive the Brus­ sels Stockyards after it was closed when owner Klaus Henschel disap­ peared, leaving unexplained dis­ crepancies involving payment for cattle ordered from western Cana­ da. Four inches of sopping wet snow fell in Blyth, breaking many tree branches, which still had the leaves on. Lewis Stonehouse of Belgrave was honoured for 25 years of ser­ vice in the Belgrave Pastoral charge, in the capacity of Treasur­ er. FIVE YEARS AGO OCTOBER 29,1986 Young's Clothing and Footwear opened in Brussels. The Citizen celebrated its first anniversary as a community-owned newspaper with open houses in both the Blyth and Brussels offices. Hullett students win the annual cross country meet at Hullett Cen­ tral. CitizenTheNorthHuron 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, Llstowel, 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 newscrlpts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copywrlght. Editor & Publisher, Keith Roulston Advertising Manager, Dave Williams Assistant Editor, Bonnie Gropp Second Class Mail Registration No. 6968 Serving Blyth, Brussels, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and the surrounding townships.