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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1995-06-14, Page 4C The North Huron itizen Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Sales Representatives, Jeannette McNeil and Julie Mitchell P.O. Box 429, P.O. Box 152, BLYTH, Ont. BRUSSELS, Ont. NOM 1H0 NOG 1/10 Phone 523-4792 Phone 887-9114 FAX 523.9140 FAX 887-9021 The Citizen Is published weekly in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable In advance at a rate of $23.00/year ($21.50 plus $1.50 G.S.T.) for local; $33.00/year ($30.85 plus $2.15 G.S.T.) for local letter carrier In Goderich, Hanover, Listowel, etc. and out-of-area (40 miles from Brussels); $62.00/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 eNA BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1995 Little swinger Photo by Jeannette McNeil Looking Back Through the Years From the files of The Blyth Stan- dard, The Brussels Post and The North Huron Citizen EIGHT YEARS AGO JUNE 17, 1987 John Ainley, the great-grandson of the man who founded Brussels, visited the town to help celebrate its 115th birthday. Blyth village councillors were busy lobbying for the reconstruc- tion of Highway 4 from Blyth to Wingham. They were also hard at work presenting ideas for the improvement of Blyth's main street to the Ministry of Transport and Communications. The Citizen won two awards in a national competition for weekly newspapers. The publication was awarded a blue ribbon for tabloid newspapers with under 2,000 circu- lation (it has since grown), and a Letters THE EDITOR, On June 8 I had the opportunity to work at the election polls. In this country we are very fortunate to be third place ribbon in the best edito- rial on a national subject category. Supplemental funding worth more than $100,000 was given to Morris and Hullett Townships. The funds were meant to assist the grader project, and bridge rehabili- tation program for the townships. Lori Appleby of RR 2 Blyth was awarded the top female athlete at F. E. Madill Secondary. "The Gate," was playing at the Lyceum Theatre in Wingham. ONE YEAR AGO JUNE 15, 1994 Blyth councillors discussed a raise in their annual stipend. Steve Sparling said he felt council needed to decide whether they were volun- teers or paid officials. The reeve's annual stipend at that time was $2,400, while councillors received $1, 700. able to vote for the political party we feel best demonstrates our principles and ideals, a government that best serves the people. I was assigned to work at Grey Municipal building. Last year the township office was expanded to include a new office and council chambers. When I arrived I was totally surprised to find out we were assigned to work in the grader shed. When we inquired as to why Representatives from the West Wawanosh Landfill Coalition Group asked for council's moral and financial support in their quest to oppose a proposed Huron Coun- ty landfill site in Wawanosh. How- ever, by the end of the meeting no official commitment was given to the group. Donald Peters, a Hullett Twp. man, was arrested after Goderich OPP seized more than $100,000 worth of marijuana from his home. A young offender was charged with dangerous driving causing bodily harm after his car struck two Blyth youths. Both injured teenagers were taken by ambulance to Wingham and District Hospital. Barney Bentall and the legendary Hearts were the feature attraction at the Seaforth District Community Centre. we couldn't use the new facilities, we were told they didn't want to have the carpet soiled. Just so there is no confusion about who can use the council chambers, perhaps a sign could be posted at the clerk's office reading something like this: Only curtain citizens are allowed to use this office. You know who you are. Those who cannot: all taxpayers Continued on page 5 PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 1995. Time to put up or shut up With the victory of Mike Harris' Progressive Conservative party in last week's provincial election, big business has gotten its way again. Now it's up to business leaders to deliver on their election promises: that prosperity is just around the corner if we'll just put our political house in order. With the exception of the blip with the election of the NDP in the 1990 provincial election, big business has been dictating the agenda across the country since the 1988 "free trade" election of Brian Mulroney. Business said we must have free trade, and they got it. It said we must have NAFTA, and they got it. They said the deficit had to be the number one priority of the federal government and the Liberal government agreed, even though it was elected on a mandate to put jobs first. Now the demand has been for removal of the socialist hordes from Queen's Park and they have the most right-wing government in memory. Harris promises to undo all the irritants of the NDP era, like labour legislation to strengthen unions. He promises to attack the deficit. He promises to cut regulations and reduce the civil service. He promises to lower taxes. Business is smiling and promising the economy will be moving again, with people confidently buying houses and furniture. But the cuts will see thousands of civil servants laid off. Government employees afraid of their jobs aren't likely to spend much money, further dragging the economy down. If we put people off welfare they're not likely to be buying groceries. What's more, if Harris carries out his moves to freeze the minimum wage and introduce work- fare, there will be a downward pressure on wages. Canadian voters keep giving big business what it wants, but few of the promises of prosperity have resulted. While free traders can point to increased trade with the U.S. as a result of free trade, critics of the deal can also point to fewer jobs, lower incomes and pressure to reduce social welfare programs just as they had predicted. The average Canadian is worse off than in 1988 and though forces larger than the free trade pact may be at work (such as the recession and government debt) the fact remains that Canadians haven't benefited by giving business leaders everything they asked for. Meanwhile manufacturers like Northern Telecom are shifting jobs out of Canada to low wage areas around the world. Meanwhile banks make record profits and their presidents make astronomical salaries and bonuses. Despite their poor record of delivering on promises in the past seven years, Ontario voters have once again given a vote of confidence to big business. But just as the voters fired the NDP because they didn't deliver prosperity after the 1990 election, they may also turn against, not just the Harris government, but the whole business agenda if happier days aren't delivered. They may be tougher on business. If right wing government is supposed to bring jobs and prosperity it's time for big business to start delivering, to put up or shut up. — KR Strange priorities The incredible popularity of the federal Liberal government of Jean Chretien may be about to fade, because of his own skewed sense of priorities. Chretien's popularity has been built in no small part on the voters' belief that he was a man of integrity who could be trusted (unlike their sense of his predecessor that he was slippery). But last week the prime minister took two actions simultaneously that showed that party loyalty means more than integrity. Chretien stood up loyally for his cabinet minister when the opposition parties called for the head of Culture Minister Michel Dupuy because he had hosted a small fundraising dinner for people who gave large donations, and later got government contracts. He defended Dupuy against repeated attacks from the Bloc Quebecois and Reform Party. But about the same time, the prime minister was firing Warren Allmand from his position as chair of the justice committee because he said he would not support the budget. Allmand showed huge integrity in saying he had spent many years in Parliament building medicare and other social programs and he couldn't, in good conscience, vote to dismantle them. Chretien, as he did to MPs who voted against gun control legislation, insisted that the party has the first priority. The prime minister seems to be signalling that as long as you are loyal to the party, the party will be loyal to you. Is that what we want? Is that the Jean Cilreticn Canadians thought they were electing? MPs Who have integrity should be rewarded, not punished. — KR E ditorial 1