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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2019-03-14, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2019. 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; $180.00/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 March 15, 1995 The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) were investigating a break-in at the Brussels Municipal Office. An air conditioner was removed, providing access, and a small amount of money was stolen. The McNalls, a Jamestown family, lost their home to fire. Wingham Fire Chief Harley Gaunt said the ceiling was falling down around the family as they escaped the building. The community banded together to help the family through trusts and donation boxes. Hullett Township Council settled a heated debate about whether or not to build a new municipal structure. After input from the community was received, council decided to go ahead with constructing a new town hall structure at a maximum cost of $225,000. Erica Clark of Blyth won the United Nations’ Pilgrimage for Youth Speakoff with her presentation titled “Canada - Achievements and Unity.” March 19, 2009 The Central East North Huron Accommodation Review Committee (ARC) made its final recommendation regarding local schools. The ARC suggested closing Wingham, Turnberry Central, East Wawanosh and Blyth Public Schools and building a new school in Wingham to house Grades Kindergarten to 8. The committee also suggested not feeding Grade 7 and 8 students into local high schools. Blyth Festival Artistic Director Eric Coates explained he wanted to make better use of the creative spaces around Blyth by establishing residencies for artists. Coates said the change would help bring more economic growth to the area. March 13, 2014 North Huron Reeve Neil Vincent and Avon Maitland District School Board Trustee Colleen Schenk both let their names stand for the Huron-Bruce Liberal Association’s nomination for the upcoming provincial election. Huron County Council was told by the OPP that there were issues between the county and the OPP regarding road closures. The winter had been a rough one according to the OPP, with more closures than normal and a three-day closure of all county roads. As a result of the discussion, the OPP planned to come up with a better method of communicating closed road decisions to the municipalities and county. Brussels native Brianne Wheeler was named to the New England Small College Athletic Conference’s all-conference first team. Wheeler, goalie and captain for the Colby College Mules women’s hockey team, was also named the conference’s player of the week after being named to the team. The Blyth Business Improvement Area (BIA) hired GS Consulting, headed by Central Huron’s Genny Smith to complete the Blyth 365 Marketing Plan which was started by Douglas Barill. Barill, who ran Painted Black Studio on Queen Street in Blyth, left for Manitoba, leaving the project unfinished. March 15, 2018 The quality of snow removal in Blyth had deteriorated to the point that it was a dominating theme at a public meeting hosted by the Blyth Business Improvement Area (BIA). The meeting saw many people speak passionately about North Huron’s three-times-a-week snow removal schedule, saying they couldn’t believe such a practice was considered. Reeve Neil Vincent briefed North Huron Council on the issue, bringing forth the concerns aired at the meeting. The issue was passed to Director of Public Works Sean McGhee. Huron East Council was approaching an approved budget with a 5.6 per cent increase for the municipal levy, however the possible replacement of a floor in the Seaforth and District Community Centre dominated discussions. The Seaforth Recreation Committee requested $10,000 for the project, however staff suggested the committee access the $68,000 in reserves for the centre. After Councillor Nathan Marshall defended the request, council took no action as a result of it. Local firefighters were concerned about incoming fire regulations, holding serious reservations about mandatory certification and training changes. The issue was debated at several council tables, including Huron East, where Fire Chief Marty Bedard explained that the changes could have a serious impact on fire training budgets. The retirement of a waste contractor forced Huron East Council to consider some interim waste collection methods in the municipality. Council had planned to have Waste Management take over the communities affected by the decision later in the year, but had to move that schedule up. 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 Many jobs go unfilled For the third time in the last four months the number of new jobs created in Canada roared ahead in February with nearly 56,000 jobs added, far more than most analysts expected. Other declining economic indicators had made economists fearful that Canada might be heading toward a recession, but employers are optimistic enough to keep hiring at impressive rates. In fact, with one- tenth the population, Canada actually created more new jobs last month than the U.S. (20,000), despite President Donald Trump’s vaunted tax cuts that were supposed to stimulate the U.S. economy. The other side of the jobs situation was displayed at the recent meeting between Huron County’s farm groups and local politicians, including Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson and Huron-Bruce MP Ben Lobb. Leaders from nearly every farm commodity told their politicians that they’re struggling to find the employees they need to make their farms as productive as possible. At a recent job fair in Exeter, many employers entirely gave up on trying to fill current positions and sought to attract people who would become apprentices instead. Booming employment is a nice problem to have but it’s a problem for employers just the same. The fact we can’t find enough people to fill the jobs we have should lay to rest the concerns some people have that we’re accepting too many immigrants. While we need to select immigrants who can best fill the job vacancies we have, it seems we’re going to need more workers for some time yet. —KR A step toward a better system Lost in the ongoing controversy in Ottawa last week was the release of a report that really might affect the lives of ordinary Canadians: the interim report of federal government’s Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare.While the council hasn’t made public its final recommendations yet, such a program could go a long way toward filling gaps in our flawed universal health care program. Currently, Canadians spend $34 billion a year on pharmaceuticals. Those with a good health plan through their employer don’t have as much to fear from unexpected drug costs. Senior citizens are protected by a government plan to pick up the cost of some medications. About 20 per cent of Canadians, however, pay for prescribed pharmaceuticals out of their own pockets and if they happen to need expensive drugs, it can bankrupt them. Canadians also pay among the highest prescription drug prices in the world. Of the major industrialized countries that have universal health care programs, we are the only one that doesn’t have a universal pharmacare plan. The major stumbling block, of course, is cost. Health economists have calculated that installing a universal system would save money overall, but the federal government would be faced with added costs at a time when it is already criticized over the size of the deficit. There will also be delicate negotiations with provincial governments, which will expect to be compensated for the extra costs the program. Private insurance companies that make good money from the pharmaceutical portion of employer health plans will also resist losing this revenue. Pharmaceutical manufacturers won’t relish a single buyer like the federal government negotiating significant price discounts. Given these challenges, it will be tempting for the government to choose a more modest, fill-in-the-gaps program to help those most vulnerable citizens. Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau earlier indicated this would be his preference. Still, it would be the beginning of a universal plan that can be improved later.— KR A mess beyond imagination Aiming for what can be improved, rather than being satisfied with what you already have may be the key to moving ahead, but now and then it’s good for Canadians to look around and realize how privileged we are. The current mess in Venezuela gives some perspective on how sound our democracy is. There was already chaos because of the long-running stalemate about who is the legitimate government, long-time dictator Nicolas Maduro or his rival Juan Guaido who is recognized by Canada, the U.S. and most South American countries. Things were made much worse late last week by widespread power blackouts which lasted at least into the early part of this week as this is written. Ordinary residents were without internet, mobile phones, banks, credit-card machines, electric stoves and air conditioning. Schools and businesses were ordered closed by the Maduro government. Pro- government motorcycle gangs known as “colectivos” roamed the streets enforcing order at gunpoint. Despite that, some businesses have been vandalized. Worst of all are hospitals, already short of medicine, now sometimes without power for essential equipment like respirators. It’s a situational that’s unimaginable in a country like Canada. —KR &