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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1994-05-18, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 18,1994. CitizensTheNorthHuron CNA P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. N0M1H0 Phone 523-47! FAX 523-9140 P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. NOG 1 HO Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Sales Representatives, Jeannette McNeil and Julie Mitchell r<iO The Citizen is published weekly in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $20.50/year ($19.16 plus $1.34 G.S.T.) for local; $31.03/year ($29.00 plus $2.03 G.S.T.) for local letter carrier in Goderich, Hanover, Listowel, etc. and out-of-area (40 miles from Brussels); $60.00/year for U.S.A, and Foreign. 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: Monday, 2 p.m. - Brussels; Monday, 4 p.m. - Blyth. We are not responsible for unsolicited newscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright. Publications Mail Registration No. 6968 E ditorial r~ ...........: A corollary to NIMBY While a few dozen families are immersed in worry about the future of their homes and livelihoods because they are living on, or near, one of 11 candidate sites for the Huron County landfill site, the other 99.9 per cent of the county population could care less. It could be called a corollary to the "not in my back yard" (NIMBY) syndrome — "as long as it's not in my back yard". The truth is, as long as the proposed landfill site isn't located close to home, nobody pays much attention. Those now suffering through the worry about having their own homes endangered probably didn't pay attention when landowners in Grey and Howick Townships were going through the same kind of agony two years ago before their sites were rejected as being environmentally unsound. They are asking the same questions that were asked at those meetings two years ago (and were reported in the newspapers). They're showing the same outrage. They are showing, just as the people two years ago, that they haven't been following the site selection process at all until they suddenly found themselves caught in the middle of it Meanwhile the rest of the county goes blithely on, unconcerned. Those in untouched townships like Tuckersmith, Hay and Stephen probably aren’t in touch with what's going on at all, and won’t be unless the current 11 sites fail and a further relaxation of the site selection criteria allows class one and two farmland to be used, taking in vast sections of those southern townships. Worse, residents of urban municipalities like Blyth and Brussels and Goderich and Clinton, the places that create the bulk of the garbage, can safely ignore the whole issue because they will never have to worry about their homes. One of the criteria is that a landfill site can't be located within two kilometers of a built up area. What to do with garbage is a huge, and very difficult, issue in any community. It's too bad that all of us aren't paying any attention until the problem lands in our back yard. — KR Photo by Paul Martellacci Looking Back Through the Years Selling others souls With great fanfare this past weekend, Ontario's first gambling casino opened in Windsor. There are predictions of a tourist boom for the border city and a cash influx for the province's depleted coffers. Everything, it seems, is coming up rosy. Except that a lot of people are going to be losing money they can't afford to lose in trying to make the money they think will make their life better. While some people will be able to handle the temptation, spend a few bucks at the slot machines or the gaming tables then walk away with their winnings or losses, some people will have their lives ruined because they become addicted. What's more, this expanding government dependence on the weaknesses of its citizens undermines its moral credibility. Government, particularly the current NDP government, likes to pretend it takes the moral high ground compared to bottom-line business. It likes to tell how the government must protect us from rapacious businessmen who would do anything to make a profit. How can our government pretend to be any better when it depends on the weakness for gambling, for alcohol, for cigarettes? And where do we go from here when the first thrill of casino gambling inevitably fades? Once gambling was thought to be wrong in Ontario. Then came Wintario with its little prizes that raised money for good projects like arenas and theatres. But people got bored and needed more and more new games to keep them buying lottery tickets. Now come casinos. What happens when Detroit gets a casino and Niagara Falls, New York and suddenly the golden goose has been cooked? What vice does the government turn to then? Government run brothels? Government run coke houses? The government is not just selling its soul, it's selling the souls of the weak, in order to make a few more millions in revenues. We'll regret this decision. — KR A brain-wave short-circuited There may be a good reason for individuals to buy land in Costa Rica to help preserve the rain forest but it's hard to think of a good reason why Ontario Hydro should be doing it. The last we looked, the mandate of Ontario Hydro was to bring an adequate supply of power at a reasonable price to homes and businesses. If Maurice Strong, head of Hydro, feels strongly about saving the rain forest, he can make a donation from his own hefty salary.—KR From the files of The Blyth Standard, The Brussels Post and The North Huron Citizen 46 YEARS AGO MAY 19,1948 Hugh Hill ran as the Liberal can­ didate for Huron-Bruce with the campaign slogan, 'A rural represen­ tative for a rural riding, defeat Toryism.' A memorial service was held at Knox Presbyterian Church in Cran­ brook to honour the 21 men of the community who had served during the war. A plaque was unveiled listing the name of each man. The Department of Health ar­ ranged for free chest x-rays for tuberculosis for all the people of Huron County. June Allyson and Peter Lawford starred in Good News at the Capitol Theatre in Listowel. The king and queen of England were pictured on page two during a celebration of their 25th wedding anniversary. The premier of Ontario was Con­ servative George Drew. Douglas Lawless, a teacher at Walton school for four years, bought a home in Peterborough and planned to move there. Grewar's Grocery in Brussels offered a half pound of cream cheese for 23 cents, one lb. of cof­ fee for 58 cents and two tins of prunes for 25 cents. 27 YEARS AGO MAY 18,1967 The Centennial Ball was held at Cranbrook Community Centre with those in attendance dancing to the old tunes of Archie Mann's Orches­ tra. The dance was held to celebrate Grey Township's centennial. The Canadian Imperial Bank in Brussels flew a special flag to sig­ nify its 100 years of service to the public. Mr. C. Parker was the man­ ager and accountant at the time of the 100th birthday celebration. The contract for the demolition of the old Blyth PS was awarded to Dusty's Haulage with work to begin immediately. The Village of Brussels issued a notice stating that all dogs had to be tied up or confined during the months of May through September. A fine of $50 would be imposed for any infractions. Vehicles for sale at McCutcheon Motors in Brussels included: 1966 chev truck, $1,850; 1965 Meteor sedan, $2,095 and a. 1963 Chev Belair, $1,250. Paul’s Perspective MPP seeks input By Paul Klopp, MPP Huron The reaction to the budget has been positive. The tough measures taken last year have had a positive effect. The Social Contract saved close to $2 billion and avoided up to 40,000 lay-offs. The Finance Minister said that businesses plan to invest me than $21 billion in machinery and equipment in 1994 which is up 10 per cent from the last year. He said that jobsOntario training has created 46,000 private­ sector jobs opportunities. Employ­ ers who expand their payroll after May 1 don't have to pay Employer Health Tax on the increase for the first year. In Huron County the economy has been picking up. JobsOntario Training has placed over 450 people in new positions and there are over 100 more applications being processed. Over 200 employers in Huron County are in the program. This week, in the Ontario legislature, Marion Boyd, Attorney General, made the announcement that legislation giving same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples would be introduced. Along with that was a promise of a free vote on this issue. I recognize this is a sensitive topic and some people will have very strong views. Since I have not yet seen the actual proposed legislation - it has not been written Continued on page 5