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The Citizen, 2018-08-23, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2018. Editorials Opinions President: Keith Roulston • Publisher: Deb Sholdice Editor: Shawn Loughlin • Reporter: Denny Scott Advertising Sales: Brenda Nyveld • Heather Fraser The Citizen P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. N0M 1H0 Ph. 519-523-4792 Fax 519-523-9140 P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. N0G 1H0 Phone 519-887-9114 E-mail info@northhuron.on.ca Website www.northhuron.on.ca Looking Back Through the Years CCNA Member Member of the Ontario Press Council The Citizen is published 50 times a year in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $38.00/year ($36.19 + $1.81 G.S.T.) in Canada; $160.00/year in U.S.A. and $205/year in other foreign countries. 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: Mon. 2 p.m. - Brussels; Mon. 4 p.m. - Blyth. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40050141 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPT. PO BOX 152 BRUSSELS ON N0G 1H0 email: info@northhuron.on.ca June 25, 1958 Morris Township Council donated $150 to libraries in Belgrave, Bluevale and Walton. The Brussels Horticultural Society Flower Show was set for Aug. 23 and would include a table of bulbs, plants and flowers for sale. The Brussels Arcade Store was still open, despite contrary reports. August 23, 1978 The Blyth Festival was set to bring music back to the main stage with the production of Two Miles Off opening Aug. 23, 1978. The 1978 International Plowing Match was set to be held just outside of Wingham and local groups and merchants were preparing to welcome the crowds. In Blyth, merchants decided to hold late hours during the match and sponsor The School Show at Memorial Hall each evening. Morris Township named Nancy Michie as its clerk, replacing Jane Badley who resigned her position before becoming clerk in Grey Township. August 21, 1991 Ontario Minister of Agriculture Elmer Buchanan visited Blyth to present the Blyth Festival with an award and attend a play. After attending a dinner at the Blyth Inn, Buchanan and a member of his staff presented a plaque to Festival Board of Director President Carol Irwin and Artistic Director Peter Smith recognizing the Festival’s contributions to rural development in Southwestern Ontario. Buchanan then took in Two Brothers, starring Ted Johns who was also part of the aforementioned dinner. Sixteen-year-old Walton-area resident Brett Lee finished second in two classes at the U.S. National Amateur Moto-Cross Championship. Lee claimed the second spots in the 125 Novice Modified Class and 125 Novice Stock Class, finishing behind a rider from Texas in both. The event was held annually at country star Loretta Lynn’s dude ranch in Tennessee. The closure of the Lancia plant in Toronto was expected to cost jobs in Blyth. The plant, part of Borden Limited, manufactured pasta and had been the largest customer for Howson and Howson Flour Mills for 20 years. Jim Howson, president of the Howson and Howson Limited, explained that the firm was looking for alternative markets but four people would be laid off due to the slack. Another eight or nine employees were set to be involved in a job-sharing proposal the company submitted to the Canadian Employment Centre. August 21, 2008 David Sparling and David Cartwright, both of Blyth, were called to North York after a petroleum facility exploded on the morning of Aug. 10. Sparling, as lead instructor and course developer for the Ontario Propane Association (OPA) liquified petroleum gas responder course and propane emergencies advanced course for the province, was called to respond while Cartwright was called as a local member of the OPA response team. Sparling described the explosion as “a pretty horrendous sight”. The Emergency Services Training Centre was the only site that offered the training necessary to respond, so all responding teams had a connection to Blyth. Two people, an employee of Sunrise Propane and a veteran firefighter, died as a result of an incident. Sparling explained it marked the first time in Canadian history that a propane truck had exploded. Blyth United Church welcomed Rev. Gary Clark as its minister. He preached his first sermon on Aug. 10. Clark, after graduating from seminary in 1988, first settled in Saskatchewan before moving to Manitoba where he remained for 13 years, aside from one year spent as an interim minister in Stratford. Blyth had been without a minister for over a year and Clark was looking for a change, and Blyth made sense with his partner, Kathy Douglas, being named the new youth minister for the Huron-Perth Presbytery. Huron County Princess Kabrina Bishop and Queen of the Furrow Margaret Vincent were both preparing to give up their crowns in the upcoming Huron County Plowing Match. Bishop would be succeeded by one of a dozen Princess hopefuls while seven hoped to be the 2008 Queen. While North Huron worked towards a zoning change for a Canadian Tire store in Wingham, Morris-Turnberry decided to keep quiet on the issue, despite a letter from Reeve Neil Vincent stating there was a perception that Morris-Turnberry was blocking the change necessary for the store to open. Morris-Turnberry Council had objected to the development because of drainage concerns, but had since withdrawn that objection. A Morris- Turnberry ratepayer, however, was still objecting to the development. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada. We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright Symbolism is not a solution The symbolism of statues was front and centre last week when the City of Victoria removed a statue of Canada’s first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald from its city hall as part of reconciliation efforts with local Indigenous peoples. The case against Macdonald is that he was in charge of the government when the residential school system was set up and the schools were designed to take away their heritage and turn children into little white people. As well, Macdonald’s crowning achievement, the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway, displaced many Indigenous people and undermined their way of life on the prairies. The one thing accomplished by all this talk about taking down statues is that it has exposed an alternate view about the first prime minister than is taught in our history books. Making us aware of the destructive consequences of Macdonald’s decisions is indeed part of the reconciliation process with Indigenous peoples. But it’s still symbolism. Even if every statue of Macdonald was pulled down, even if his name was stripped from the hundreds of schools and other buildings named in his honour, it doesn’t really solve the big, messy, expensive problems that plague the daily lives of many ordinary Indigenous people. In fact the symbolism of removing statues or creating a new holiday to honour the survivors of residential schools may divert focus from the hard work of giving all Indigenous communities safe, clean drinking water and improving education and employment opportunities of Indigenous people who live on reserves. There’s so much work to be done to properly reconcile with Indigenous peoples for the harm done to them in the past. If only it was so simple as taking down statues. – KR Don’t throw mud Prime Minister Justin Trudeau officially confirmed, this week, that he will run in the 2019 federal election promising “positive politics” – then he began attacking Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer. Gee, the positivity didn’t last long. Despite what they say, politicians find it hard not to throw mud. In part, they choose this tactic because it too often works. Ironically Trudeau set himself apart in the 2015 election with his “sunny ways” campaign of positivity amid opposition put-downs that he was “just not ready”. Who knows if the people who voted for the Liberals were voting for his positivity or against the Conservative government’s negativity. Generally, people tend to vote out governments they’ve tired of rather than vote for a fresh new face. Therein lies the problem for the Prime Minister and the Liberal Party. Coming up to their third anniversary in office, they’ve become like the target in a dunk tank – everybody’s aiming to sink them. For some, the government has failed because it hasn’t fulfilled all of its promises from the last campaign. For others, every time Trudeau smiles and obliges someone asking for a photograph he becomes more irritating. In these days when the meanness of U.S. President Donald Trump seems the new model of what an effective leader should be, Trudeau’s sunny ways already seem naive and passé to some. So after absorbing pot shots for 33 months, it’s easy to see how inviting it may be for the Prime Minister to punch back. For voters who don’t like mudslinging, they need to get the word out to all the parties that negativity may negatively affect their support. – KR Paradise is burning With wildfires burning out of control in British Columbia and California, residents of two of the places in North America that have long been regarded as the most attractive places to live, must question whether their jurisdictions will be inhabitable in the future. British Columbia, with nearly 600 fires burning, is facing its second straight season of extensive fires. Not only are people in all corners of the province worried about their homes, but life is almost unbearable even in cities because of the dangerous smoke from the fires. In California, formerly in-demand real estate in the picturesque hill country is becoming vulnerable to runaway brush fires in the third fire season in a row. Officials in both jurisdictions suggest they may have to learn to live with regular fire seasons because, with heat and drought increasing, they’re becoming an annual problem. People must feel helpless in these communities as they’re fighting something too big to be controlled. The only thing that will help, a good steady rainfall, never seems to arrive. Meanwhile, as they hope for better things to come, they see governments being elected that don’t believe global warming is a problem at all. Residents know, too, that even if programs were immediately inaugurated to slow or reverse climate change, it will take years to bring change. Meanwhile all, they can do is pray for rain. – KR &