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The Citizen, 1995-05-17, Page 1Vol. 11 No 20 Wednesday, May 17, 1995 610 + 4c GST 650 The. North Huron itizen News Several local WI members on Huron East exec. See page 10 Sports Area Madill athlete puts on show at track meet See page 11 Feature Youth workers gather in Brussels to brainstorm Starting page 21 Entertainment Blyth Festival gearing up for upcoming season See page 23 `Draconian cuts too hard to bear,' says Premier Rae In a swing through Huron County last week, Premier Bob Rae was on hand for the official opening of Huron MPP Paul Klopp's campaign office, as well as to speak to local media. In reference to deficit reduction and control, Rae says the NDP's approach has resulted in a steady decrease, "reducing the deficit by 50 per cent since the end of the recession." "It has been cut to $4 billion and we will have a balanced budget by 1997. It requires more money to be brought in than goes out." There have been revenue gains due to the recovery and spending has been reduced, he says. "The cuts proposed by Harris and McLeod (leaders of the Conserva- tives and Liberals) would result in reductions in revenues which would impact severely on services such as health care and education." A six-month experience of a life- time is over for one fc/rmer Blyth resident. Kevin McDougall,- sop of Thelma Johnston and Gordon McDougall of Blyth, a corporal in the Canadian Armed Forces, Royal Canadian Dragoons Armed Regiment at CFB Petawawa, returned recently from a peacekeeping mission in Croatia. "It was something I had always wanted to do and I have no regrets about going," says McDougall. Though things were often frus- trating, the humanitarian efforts gave the peacekeepers a sense of accomplishment. Being able to deliver food, water and blankets to the children was very important, he says. One of the more memorable trips took place during the last month of his tour of duty. A shipment of food was delivered to a hospital for mentally handicapped kids. A food The beginning of a tribute to its 75 year history begins May 26 at 8 p.m. as the hamlet of Belgrave hosts a variety concert to kick off the momentous anniversary of the Belgrave, Blyth, Brussels School Fair. The variety show has been a part of all the fairs anniversary years as a fundraiser for its continued suc- cess. This year the MC for the occa- sion is Bill Stevenson, with the tal- ent of local amateur and seasoned performers featured, along with the choirs of East Wawanosh and Blyth schools. Among those scheduled to appear are local entertainer Don Vair, veteran musicians Earl and Martha Heywood and a young magician from the Brussels area, "The draconian cuts they propose would be too hard to bear. There would be detrimental effects." The NDP has continued to reduce overhead spending on such areas as administration and is working with transfer partners to determine where savings can be found, says Rae. Not basing his campaign on "election. promises", Rae says the NDP will continue with the pro- grams they have in place. "jobsOntario programs are partic- ularly important in rural Ontario and the Jump Start program will focus on young people." "We will not make ridiculous promises as the other leaders have. We will deal with situations in a realistic fashion and respond to the needs of the province." In summing up his campaign. Rae says, the NDP will continue on their steady path. fight, of sorts, broke out when one of the bags of flour split open. One of the first deliveries upon his arrival was 500 live chickens and 8 tonnes of feed to a farmer. The biggest morale booster, for the soldiers, was the arrival of the mail, he says. "Being a peacekeeper gave me a different outlook on life. You don' t take things for granted because a lot of people have little or nothing." "We were not harassed during my stay. Our objective was to try to keep them from fighting, whether the ceasefire held or not. We just tried to stop the killing and tell them they had nothing to gain by fighting." The people of Croatia are tired of the war. They want a peaceful solu- tion, but it is left to the govern- ment, says McDougall." It is now just a case of wait and watch." The milky way Producers and processors of food will have a chance to promote their products directly to consumers at the 1995 A Taste of Country Food Fair in Blyth, July 22. Already more than 20 individuals and commodity groups have announced their participation in the event but there is still room for new exhibitors, Food Fair Committee Chair Keith Roulston said. "We'd like the fair to be as representative of the food industry in the county as possible." The Food Fair is an opportunity for consumers to meet food producers and processors directly and in many cases, the exhibitors will be handing out samples of their products. Commodity associations like the Huron County Milk Committee, Beef Producers, Egg Producers, Wheat, Corn and Coloured Bean producers will have displays. Other exhibitors will be displaying such diverse products as garlic, herbs, home-baked bread, emu, wild boar, pheasants and maple syrup. "There are still some areas where we are under-represented," Roulston said. "We could use more small food processors of jams, jellies and preserves and producers of products like honey." There is also room for farm families who market their products directly to the public. Anyone interested in taking part can contact Roulston at 523-4311. This year's event will have some new features. Celebrity cooks will be demonstrating recipes in a new food demonstration theatre. There will be seminars throughout the day for people interested in starting their own small food businesses. Such topics as "Finding the Right Niche", "Giving People What they Want", "The Impact of New Health Regulations on Food-Based Entrepreneurs" and "Co-operative Approaches to the Marketing of Food" will be addressed in these seminars sponsored by the Huron Business Centre. The day will wind up with a huge barbecue featuring products grown in Huron County. Proceeds from the Food Fair go to support the Blyth Festival. Peacekeeper home from Croatian duty making his first appearance. There will be line dancers, clog- gers and family entertainers as well. Entry fee is $2 per person or $5 per family. "With a total of 18 acts it promis- es to be an entertaining evening," says organizer Andrea Stevenson. This year's fair in September will also be a special event to mark the 75th year. To accommodate a beef barbecue and family dance the fair day has been moved to Friday, Sept. 15. Stevenson also noted that a com- mittee has been busily preparing a history of the fair, which is only one of two remaining in the province, and they are still looking for any pictures or information area people may have. Belgrave plans concert Food producers sought for fair Ryan Mawhinney, a Grade 6 student at Brussels Public School lends a helping hand to Huron County Dairy Educator Kim Baan as she prepares a milky treat for the class. Baan is doing the rounds of local schools over the next few weeks to spread the good news about milk and its benefits. Part of her visit includes an informative video of growing up on a dairy farm and what it's like to be a dairy farmer.