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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2019-03-21, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 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 21, 1968 The Brussels Figure Skating Club held its annual year-end revue, this year entitled “Toyland” under the direction of club professional Faye McDonald. Rev. A. Johnson served as the master of ceremonies. The event brought 54 skaters onto the ice for the event, which was said to be very well attended. There were also a number of guest skaters who took to the ice that night as well, including Glenda Boughner from Kitchener and Valerie Moore and Darlene Fleischauer, both from the Listowel Skating Club. March 21, 1973 Dashwood-area farmer Jack Riddell of the Liberal Party pulled off one of the biggest political turnarounds in Huron’s political history with a 3,000-vote margin of victory to win the Huron riding by- election. Charles MacNaughton, who had held the riding for the previous 15 years for the Conservatives, won the riding by over 6,200 votes in 1971. However, Riddell turned that margin around, winning 54 per cent of the riding’s votes in 1973 to defeat Conservative Don Southcott. In his victory speech at the Pine Ridge Chalet near Hensall, Riddell thanked all of those who cast a vote for him, especially those who would normally vote for the Conservatives or the New Democrat Party, pledging that he would work for all parties during his time in office. Southcott, however, had a different view of things, blaming a biased local media for his defeat. He called the campaign leading up to the March 15 by-election the dirtiest he’d ever seen, levelling the accusation that none of the local newspapers, with the exception of the Exeter Times-Advocate, which he owned at the time, seemed interested in reporting on his side of the issues. Southcott’s opinions were echoed by MacNaughton, who said the opposition parties had played on residents’ fears of regional government. By exaggerating that fear, MacNaughton opined, the parties had done residents a disservice. So too had the media, he said, which did not cover the issues fairly and evenly. The Blyth Standard puts its money where its mouth was, offering a $25 cash prize for the resident with the best vision for the future of the village. The contest asked for essays on the future of Blyth and what the village could do to improve in the coming years. March 22, 1995 Mike Harris, leader of the provincial Progressive Conservative Party, was coming to Huron County, with stops planned in Goderich and Wingham before he made his way to Bruce County. Harris would be joined by Helen Johns, the local PC candidate, for a breakfast roundtable meeting at the Bedford Hotel in Goderich, followed by a luncheon at the Wingham Legion. Ray Storey, a maple syrup producer from RR1, Seaforth, said the season had been a “disaster” thanks to a sudden and prolonged warm spell. As a result, Storey said his operation had yielded one-quarter of its usual crop and the quality of what he did have just wasn’t what he had become used to over the years. Volunteers were in the process of planning a reunion in 1996 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Blyth Public and Continuation School. Fiddle champions Graham and Eleanor Townsend were due to return to the Memorial Hall stage for a performance on April 2. March 26, 2009 Huron East Council chose Thor Dingman of Stratford to be the architect for the renovation and expansion of the historic Carnegie library in Brussels. Clerk-Administrator Jack McLachlan said that the cost, $35,000, was relatively low compared to other established architects. The low price, he said, could have been due to the fact that Dingman was relatively new to the world of architecture. Huron East Deputy-Mayor Bernie MacLellan said he felt it was the right time for a drastic increase to taxes due to a number of factors. Huron County’s tax increase for the year was due to be under two per cent and with Huron East’s budget position, he felt it was time to increase the budget so Huron East could catch up on a number of projects that had been lagging behind due to a lack of funds. Approximately 40 residents turned out for a special meeting in Bluevale to discuss fire coverage for the community. Many of those in attendance were concerned with the decision to dissolve fire area boards in both Blyth and Wingham and wondered what that decision would mean for fire coverage in Bluevale. Janet Mitchell, a Brussels Girl Guide leader, expressed her frustration over vandalism that destroyed an ongoing flowerbed project taken on by the young women. Some materials were thrown onto the village’s main street, while some lanterns were also destroyed. 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 Who will the leaders be? It’s good to see that leadership of the Brussels Agricultural Society and the Brussels Fall Fair appears set for the next few years, but the organization’s recent succession issues seem to indicate other organizations may face similar challenges in the future. Until Zoellyn Onn stepped forward to be first vice-president and Barbara Cadotte offered to be second vice-president, there was concern that there would be nobody to succeed President Dorothy Cummings when she completes her term this fall. It’s a situation that’s likely to crop up for other valuable community organizations in the coming years. For whatever reason, there seem to be fewer and fewer people willing to fill leadership positions with local volunteer organizations these days. People say they’re too busy or they don’t feel as if they are leaders. Or perhaps there’s the sense that these organizations have always been there and so will continue, even if the individual doesn’t take part. It’s hard to imagine what life would be like in rural communities without the wide range of organizations that enrich our lives. Service clubs, the voluntary organizations that keep our churches active and financially viable, sports teams and boards for organizations like the Blyth Festival, all help enrich our lives in so many ways. As the urban way of thinking seeps deeper into the rural mindset, there’s a complacency that somehow governments, local, provincial and federal can supply many of these services as they do in cities. It won’t happen. Municipal governments already struggle to provide basic services and are being asked for more every day, such as Huron County’s $750,000 grant to Alexandra Marine and General Hospital. Recent cuts by the provincial government show there’s not much help coming from that direction and the federal government is too distant to see the needs of individual communities. Volunteer organizations are essential to our quality of life. Look around. Pick an organization that’s doing something you find interesting and join. Accept the small increments of responsibility such as chairing committees. Who knows, you may be a leader after all. It’s worth a try While the worth of many of the provincial government’s attempts to reform education without spending more money may be debated, such as increasing class sizes, one simple decision may go a long way to helping students learn more. Education Minister Lisa Thompson last week announced new rules that will ban cell phones from classrooms. No doubt students are unlikely to go along quietly with the change. Teachers, too, who will have to enforce the new rule, may resent the extra work dumped in their lap and being made the bad guys who will police phone possession. One teacher wrote in a Toronto newspaper that it will be impossible to enforce a ban on cell phones and it’s better to find ways of having students use their phones in class to do research. In recent years schools have been asked to teach more and more to change students’ attitudes, from anti-bullying to sex education. Teaching students that smart phones, wonderful as they are, should be used in the right time and place would be a wonderful gift to society. At the same time, students and teachers would also benefit. Teachers would have students who listen to lessons instead of secretly texting or surfing the web. Students will learn more and, as a side benefit, may discover the advantages of setting down these marvelous tools now and then. Sometimes simple solutions are just to simple too actually work. Let’s hope here’s one solution that works. It’s certainly worth a try. It’s so discouraging One of the most discouraging things about the murder of 50 people as they worshipped in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand is that it seems as if this sort of hate-inspired crime will continue for the foreseeable future. In the case of Brenton Tarrant, the Australian-born shooter in the Christchurch murders, anti-Muslim hatred fueled his warped mind. We must, of course, do everything we can to eliminate this scourge on our society, but Australia and New Zealand have shown by their reaction that this sort of hatred has no place in their societies. Last October in Pittsburgh it was Jews who were targets as they worshipped in their synagogue, with 11 being killed. Elsewhere in the world, Christian minorities have been the targets of hate-filled massacres. Then there are others for whom religion is not the trigger. The Christchurch murderer says he was inspired by the deadly efficiency of the Norwegian far-right mass killer who murdered 77 in 2011. These killers keep popping up and there’s not much most of us can do about it. The one thing we can do is punish politicians who try to play both sides – to appear to condemn such attacks while trying not to alienate anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant voters who might vote for them. &