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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1993-02-10, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1993. ditorial Photo by Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot Looking Back Through the Years From the files of the Blyth Standard, Brussels Post and The Citizen ' TWO YEARS AGO February 13, 1991 Despite having his leg operated on, Kevin Wheeler of RR 5, Brus- sels and his skating partner Michelle Menzies placed fourth in the Senior Pairs competition in Saskatoon. Allan Cardiff was elected presi- dent of the Brussels Agricultural Society. The Brussels Agricultural Soci- ety had a profit of $1,321.03 which was just slightly lower than the pre- vious year's figure. 17 YEARS AGO February 11, 1976 A large number of spectators were on hand to enjoy the presenta- tion of 'Valentine greetings on Ice by the Brussels Figure Skating Club. Farmers were told by Warden Jack McCutcheon that severances would soon no longer be allowed on agricultural land. Clifford Ritchie of RR3 Walton had his knee shattered and shoulder broken when his vehicle collided with another on Conc 16 in Grey Twp. Roy Wormington of RR 1 Blue- vale was elected president of the Turnberry Twp. Federation of Agriculture. Mrs. Don Achilles was named the new librarian at the Walton Public Library. She succeeded Mrs. Jim Shortreed Wages for grader operators, Harry Gillis and Larry Keffer, were set a $5 per hour. Alan Campbell was presented with a token of appreciation for his splendid work while he was Sun- day school superintendent. 51 YEARS AGO February 11, 1942 Reeve of Blyth, W.H. Moffitt put this proclamation in the paper. It stated: "Whereas the Dominion Continued on page 5 C itizen The North Huron P.O. Box 429, P.O. Box 152, BLYTH, Ont. BRUSSELS, Ont. NOM 1H0 NOG 1H0 Phone 523-4792 Phone 887-9114 FAX 523-9140 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; $31.03/year ($29.00 plus $2.03 G.S.T.) for local letter carrier In Goderich, Hanover, Ustowel, 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 © Copywrlght. Publications Mall Registration No. 6968 Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Sales Representatives, Jeannette McNeil and Julie Mitchell CCNA VERIFIED CIRCULATION PAID Li Serving Blyth, Brussels, Auburn, Beigrave, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and the surrounding township,` Serving the few (and the rich) Perhaps the reason the government of Brian Mulroney languishes below 20 per cent in the popularity polls is that the government is really just working for the people who make up that small proportion of the population. Last week, for instance, Agriculture Minister Charlie Mayer flatly said there isn't any money to help out Canadian farmers who face hardship because of the worst nation-wide natural disaster of the century, the unusual weather of 1992 that effectively left us without a summer. At the same time a bill was being forced through the senate which will withhold Unemployment Insurance benefits from people who are fired "with cause" and those who quit work voluntarily. It means that the employer has a huge power over the future of an employee. At the bottom of each Record of Employment form filled out when an employee leaves a job there are a few boxes for the employer to check indicating the reason the employee is leaving. If the employer chooses "lack of work", the employee will be eligible for UI benefits. If he chooses "quit" or says the employee was fired, the worker is out of luck. The bill seems to guarantee work for lawyers because more employees are likely to take employers to court to try to prove they were unjustly fired if it means the difference between getting thousands of dollars of UI benefits or nothing. But while the government was penny-pinching in these areas, it was passing another bill giving a bonanza of extra revenue to major drug manufacturers. At the same time other countries are looking at the old Canadian system (that allows a limited monopoly period for inventors of new drugs, followed by a period when generic drug manufacturers can pay a royalty to the inventor for the right to copy the drug), the Mulroney government went in the other direction, increasing the period of monopoly the major companies enjoy. At the same time the government pleaded poverty in refusing to help farmers in trouble, it increased the cost of medical programs operated by Canadian governments by this act of generosity to the big companies. The goal of this government seems to be to serve big, multi-national businesses. Perhaps that's why so few ordinary Canadians feel the government is on their side.--KR Let the other guy pay It's a wonderful situation when you can order whatever's on the menu at a restaurant, then say "give the bill to him". The same situation isn't so wonderful, however, when one level of government can order another level of government to do something, then order them to pay for it too. But that's what keeps happening in the bizarre world of Canadian politics. The most recent, and most local, example is the requirement of the Ministry of the Environment that Morris Township carry out a study including expensive drilling of test wells around the site, whether the community can afford it or not. The decision could put a heavy hit on the pocketbooks of the residents of Morris and Brussels, the two communities that share use of the site. There is nothing wrong with what the Ministry wants. Certainly we should be concerned that landfill sites do not pollute the groundwater, spreading to damage the wells of people perhaps miles away. It's irresponsible to just dump garbage in the ground and ignore the possible damage that could be taking place, unseen, under the ground. The Ministry may even be able to help out with the costs with a grant possibly being available. It's just that the municipalities must do the work first, then hope the grant might be available later. Given the cutbacks in provincial spending, nobody's very confident the money will ever come through. The program is similar to other cases such as pay equity where the province has decreed a program must be in place but the local municipality is left to pick up the cost. Then there are educational initiatives like junior kindergarten that nobody seems to want but the province says we must have, and must fund. It leaves local politicians feeling powerless to shape their own policies and set their own budgets. There's a disturbing trend in government to pass the costs along to the weakest political structure, but keep the power at the highest level. The federal government keeps cutting the costs by passing along expenses to the provinces level. The province in turn passes its problems to the municipalities. It's time goverments have to put their money where their power is. If you're going to demand it, figure out how to pay for it yourself.—KR