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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2018-08-23, Page 3THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2018. PAGE 3. North Huron appoints Speer as wedding officiant North Huron Township has appointed Margaret Speer of East Wawanosh as a recognized wedding officiant. Speer spoke to council at its Aug. 13 meeting, saying that, given her history as a public speaker, this is something she is very interested in doing it. She pointed to the Four Winds Barn in Brussels and said the site has many weddings coming up that don’t have officiants and she would like to help with that. While the site is outside of North Huron, Speer said if she benefits from that need, the municipality, which will receive part of the fee charged, will benefit as well. Council approved Speer’s request. *** At Council’s Aug. 13 meeting, Reeve Neil Vincent congratulated groups in Blyth for hosting significant events. Vincent highlighted the Blyth Festival’s decision to stage five new shows of the hit play The New Canadian Curling Club. Vincent also congratulated the Blyth Lions Club, Blyth Legion and Legion Ladies Auxiliary for hosting breakfasts at Memorial Hall, which were attended by baseball teams involved in a tournament held in Blyth, to raise money for the Tanner Steffler Foundation. Vincent said it was good to see the number of young ladies from the tournament out with their parents and coaches. *** Questions revolving around the upcoming election in North Huron and how to vote will be addressed in a one-page document to be made available to council hopefuls. Reeve Neil Vincent, during council’s Aug. 13 meeting, said enough questions came forward that staff was putting together a “one- pager” with information about where and when to vote so nominees can answer those questions when asked by voters. The document is available through North Huron town hall. By Denny Scott The Citizen NEWS FROM BLYTH Letter to the Editor Reserve schools also an issue THE EDITOR, The problem with the sharp focus on the residential school system for First Nation children is that it tends to let the Government of Canada off too easily. Yes, the government funded these schools, and yes, they gave the churches a free reign in managing these horrid institutions, but there is another whole area where there is no one but the Government of Canada and the Department of Indian Affairs to blame. What is seldom mentioned is the fact that the Department of Indian Affairs operated another whole school system consisting of schools that were located on reserves. These schools made contracts with Public and Separate School boards to provide secondary school education for First Nation youngsters in Ontario cities and towns. The reserve schools were grossly underfunded. For many reasons there was an extraordinarily high turnover of teachers in these schools which led to a critical lack of continuity in the system and a situation in which most classrooms were staffed with people who were not fully adjusted to the unfamiliar social environment and teaching children whose first language was not English. The government made no serious attempt to mitigate these circumstances. The problems were augmented by bureaucratic incompetence which created situations where a new teacher might not get his or her first paycheque for six months after being hired, or another might suddenly be cut off from pay because someone decided that the person was overpaid. These situations usually occurred with no explanation or notice. Another example of government abuse occurred in the areas of Hudson Bay and James Bay. There, almost the entire communities leave and go out to the coast for the mid- May and June period and again in the September to mid-October period. These were not vacations; they were food-gathering for fish and geese – long-standing traditions. The problem was that most children are thereby missing many weeks of schooling each year. They are learning important lessons in hunting and fishing, but missing the academics. Some of the band councils recommended that the school year be adjusted by keeping the schools open in July and August to compensate for the spring and fall deficit. This plan was strongly endorsed by the Ontario Regional Office, but the bureaucrats in Ottawa turned down the request by insisting that the traditional school year of Southern Canada be retained. No Exceptions! I give this as an example of a different kind of abuse which has been part of the history of First Nation education, endorsed and enforced by our Government of Canada. We cannot hide behind the churches that mismanaged the Residential Schools. Our government was also part of the problem. Brock Vodden. The family disease! (J.C. Ryle) “He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves, that they were righteous.” Luke 18:9 The sin which our Lord here denounces, is “self-righteousness.” We are all naturally self-righteous. It is the family disease of all the children of Adam. From the highest to the lowest--we think more highly of ourselves than we ought to. We secretly flatter ourselves that we are not as bad as some, and that we have something to merit the favour of God. We forge the plain testimony of Scripture: “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.” “What is man, that he could be pure; or one born of woman, that he could be righteous? “There is no one righteous, not even one! The true cure of self-righteousness, is self-knowledge.Once let the eyes of our understanding be opened by the Spirit--and we shall talk no more of our own goodness. Once let us see what sin there is in our own hearts, and what the holy law of God requires--and self-conceit will die. We shall lay our hand on our mouths, and cry with the leper, “Unclean, unclean!”Leviticus 13:45 “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:32 “Christ died for the ungodly!” Romans 5:6 A Grace Gem Submitted by: Immanuel United Reformed Church, Listowel, ON 519-291-1956 Broken Dryer? Blyth Laundromat 191 Westmoreland St., Blyth 519-523-9687 Happy birthday to Darryl Woods and Diana Robinson who celebrate Aug. 24 and Terry Daer, Barrie, Aug. 27. Happy anniversary to Brent and Lori Brooks who celebrate Aug. 28. By Marilyn Craig Call 523-9318 From Marilyn’s Desk Locals mark birthdays In last week’s issue of The Citizen, the Blyth Legion and the Legion Ladies Auxiliary were omitted as fellow sponsors for two breakfasts at Memorial Hall. The Blyth Lions Club, Blyth Legion and Legion Ladies Auxiliary jointly held two special breakfasts on Blyth Festival Bonanza weekend with proceeds going towards the Tanner Steffler Foundation. The Citizen regrets the error. Correction A place to ponder Earlier this year, Mothers Against Drunk Driving Huron-Bruce partnered with Blyth Cowbell Brewing Company to place a bench from the International Plowing Match at the brewery’s front door. Above, MADD’s Barb Rintoul marked the occasion with Cowbell Chief Development Officer Grant Sparling. The bench was made possible through the efforts of Barb Ottewell, liaison for MADD Huron-Bruce to Cowbell, and was placed on July 14, the anniversary of Rintoul’s son Kevin’s death in 1994. (Photo submitted) Knee-deep Alternating between hot and rainy, the weather for the Walton TransCan on the weekend made for some interesting riding. (Denny Scott photo) Check out the digital version of Stops Along the Way at stopsalongtheway.ca