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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2019-04-18, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 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 April 18, 1968 The Majestic Women’s Institute in Brussels installed a new slate of officers for the coming year. Mrs. Jas. Smith was elected president for the year, taking over the position from Mrs. Jack Lowe. The Brussels Fire Department spent a number of hours at the home of Cliff Kernaghan, where a grass fire was threatening the home, even igniting the shingled roof of the back of Kernaghan’s house. The firefighters, however, were able to extinguish the blaze and save the home, even in the face of high winds spreading the flames further. Wendy Prior, Anne Stratychuk, Anita Brigham and Maureen Sullivan passed their Dutch Waltz figure skating test in Listowel, while Debbie McCall and Donna Workman passed their swing dance test. April 18, 1973 Blyth Village Council reported that 15 people had applied to be the new clerk for Blyth. Council also reported that it would take them a significant amount of time to work their way through all of the applications. Tickets had just went on sale for The Farm Show at Memorial Hall in Blyth. The show would hit the stage for one performance only on April 29 at 2 p.m. Blyth Reeve Robbie Lawrie announced that the village had hired a new dog catcher. Dick Eisler, who held a similar position for the Town of Goderich, was hired as the village’s new animal control officer. The Blyth Standard reported that the hiring came at a time when the village was overrun with complaints of dogs at large, doing damage to property throughout Blyth. The Blyth Butcher Shop was closing its doors due to the ill health of proprietor Ernie (Freck) Button, who was a patient at Wingham Hospital. April 19, 1995 Eighty-year-old Robert Peck, a native of East Wawanosh, was inducted into the Essex County Agricultural Hall of Fame. He was inducted by the Essex County Soybean Growers for his years of dedication to the seed industry. In telling his story upon his induction, Peck said that his interest in seeds began early, as he recalled planting for the first time when he was only 11. It was for a school science project. After over a year of work on the project, the Public Advisory Committee had developed a plan of action for the abandoned railway right-of-way from Goderich to Guelph. Members of the committee held a special meeting on the subject at the Walton Hall, working through “expression of interest” forms to adjacent landowners and community groups. John Jewitt, a candidate for the provincial Liberal leadership, officially opened his campaign headquarters in Clinton on April 15. He didn’t do it alone, however, as he cut the ribbon with the help of his mother Ella Flood and his granddaughter Allie Thomas. The Blyth Festival unveiled its poster for the 1995 season, which featured a landscape painting by John Moffatt, a Scotland native who had lived most of his life in Canada. April 23, 2009 The Citizen published a full-page advertisement in the form of a letter from Mark Beaven, a member of the Central East North Huron Accommodation Review Committee (ARC) voicing his upset. Beaven stated that he was extremely disappointed in the Avon Maitland District School Board’s recommendation, which was to close Turnberry Central and Blyth Public Schools and disperse those students among Wingham, East Wawanosh and Hullett Public Schools. In addition, the staff recommended that local Grade 7-8 students be moved to local high schools to finish their public school education. Beaven, who said he was writing on behalf of many concerned parents, was upset with the staff recommendation and what he saw as a lack of attention to the community’s needs and requests. “As you can imagine, the members of the ARC along with many other parents and community members were outraged. I for one am astonished at the total failure of the senior staff proposal,” Beaven wrote. “The proposal totally disregards the wishes of the community and in many people’s opinion neglects the educational needs of our children. The proposal didn’t even meet the board’s own objectives.” The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario also took out a full-page advertisement in The Citizen, urging parents to contact their trustees on the school board to voice their concern with large class sizes for students in Grades 4-8, saying they were forced to sit in the second-highest class sizes in Ontario, calling it a disgrace. Canadian Football League star Mike “Pinball” Clemons was in Clinton to speak at St. Anne’s Catholic Secondary School. Clemons preached the importance of living every day to its fullest. 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 Getting started young If Premier Doug Ford’s government has accomplished little more in education, it has motivated thousands of Ontario high school students to get involved in the debate over the future of education. Students across the province, including 200 from F.E. Madill Second- ary School in Wingham, marched out of class two weeks ago to protest the provincial government’s cuts to education funding. For some, no doubt, it was a bit of a lark and an excuse to skip school for an afternoon, but for many others it was a sincere wish to have their voices heard. Especially impressive is that the protest of students from more than 600 schools across Ontario was initiated by Natalie Moore, a student trustee on the Avon-Maitland District School Board and a student at Listowel District Secondary School. Unlike most of us, the students are personally involved in the education system that will see an estimated 3,500 teaching positions eliminated over the next few years. They have a unique view that adds substance to their arguments. Whether or not you believe the cuts will hurt the educational system, the Ford government miscalculated when it belittled the student protestors by suggesting they were simply pawns of the teachers’ unions. Students who get involved in current issues should be encouraged, not insulted. What’s more, it could be costly for Premier Ford. By the next provincial election in 2022 most of these students will be voters and they may remember when they were treated like children by the Progressive Conservatives.— KR Here we go again If there’s one consistent theme for Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government it’s that its leaders think they’re smarter than everybody else. They’re at it again with the plan, announced in last week’s budget, to consolidate local health units from 35 to 10. Some local health units had already amalgamated in bottom-up consolidations to help trim costs and deliver necessary programs. Huron and Perth Health Units are set to amalgamate in 2020 while one health unit has served Grey and Bruce Counties for years now. But the idea that amalgamations should take place as authorities at the grassroots level see the necessity is not enough for Premier Ford. He foresees being able to cut provincial spending to health units by $200 million over the next two years through supposed “efficiencies” brought on by the amalgamations. Where is this all headed for Huron County residents? Dr. Chris Mackie, the medical officer of health for the Middlesex-London Health Unit suggests his health unit will likely be amalgamated with those as far north as Grey-Bruce and south to Elgin County. It’s hard to see that the special needs of a rural area like Huron will get much attention in a huge, urban-dominated health unit like that. As for costs, lessons of the past show that the savings are short-term, if realized at all. Officials who carry responsibility for larger organizations tend to get paid more, and soon hire more managers to try to reduce the workload. Meanwhile, the health unit will have become more remote from the people it is supposed to serve. People who may have turned for help to a local organization may not think to contact an agency in London. Governments seldom admit a mistake and turn to decentralization to have agencies reconnect with citizens. Once the amalgamation of health units has taken place, the chances of having a grassroots agency are likely gone forever. Too bad.— KR Sneaky budgets must end Last week advocates for refugees raised a ruckus when they discovered that the Liberal government has quietly included proposed changes to immigration laws within a 392-page omnibus budget bill tabled in the House of Commons. The changes would prevent asylum-seekers from making refugee claims in Canada if they have made similar claims in certain other countries, including the United States, a move Border Security Minister Bill Blair says is aimed at preventing “asylum-shopping”. What do the proposals have to do with the budget? It’s hard to see any reason for proposal’s inclusion other than a desire to sneak the legislation through in a huge bill that can only be opposed by someone willing to bring the government down by voting against the budget. Last year’s federal budget contained little-noticed legislation to allow Differed Prosecution Agreements in cases like the SNC-Lavalin bribery charges – hardly a budget matter. This isn’t just Liberal skulduggery. Governments dating back to at least the time of Ontario’s Mike Harris regime have hidden legislation inside mammoth omnibus bills. It needs to end. Parliamentarians, let alone voters, deserve to know and debate the legislation they’re passing. This dishonest practice must end.— KR &