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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1995-09-20, Page 4Where'd my piggies go? Photo by Janice Becker Letters THE EDITOR We would like to respond to the letter written by Sandra Clark, as published in the Aug. 23 issue of The Citizen. As youths of Brussels were upset with the statements she wrote concerning "mischief mak- ers". How could a bunch of kids bully this town? The kids of this town are the future and we respect it and the people who live here. We think her statements are ridiculous. If this is an issue of feeling safe in Brussels then this so-called problem is unfounded. Brussels is a very safe town. If she is truly concerned about these mischief makers maybe she should get involved in the various youth activities here in Brussels. If she feels unsafe about the youths this could be a way of getting to know them. We are not against the Neighbourhood Watch Program, but we do not like being stereotyped as bullies and mischief makers. Shane Wilson and Scott Clarkson and other Brussels teens. THE EDITOR, I have received a lot of positive reaction from Brussels people so I am proceeding with the Neighbourhood Watch. The OPP Community Liaison office has provided me with the basic information handbooks. The next step is to speak with the officer in order to get some questions, answered on the exact procedure in this area. This has been arranged. The handbooks also have information on home and apartment security measures that will be an added bonus to those who participate in the Neighbourhood Watch programme. After questions are answered I will be asking for a 'Steering Committee' to help divide the town into 'Watch Blocks' and then to help with the best plan to get everyone involved. For this I need people who are more familiar with the village. There isn't a lot of ongoing work involved other than keeping in touch once we are established ... a block meeting two to three times a year to keep up to date. Sandra Clark. THE EDITOR, My letter to the editor last month certainly prompted a number of people to take up my challenge to think otherwise. I received some phone calls and letters. Perhaps some clarification is in order. My letter was intended as satire. That is to say, I am outraged that CKNX-AM is cancelling local programming like church broadcasts and Swap Shop. As a minister of a small town and rural church, I think that CKNX's decision is an insult to our local communities. My letter last month was intended to mock the programming policies of CKNX radio: soliciting local advertising dollars while shopping in the big cities for syndicated programming. Our local advertising dollar is good enough for CKNX; however, our local programming is not. The editorial at The Citizen recognized this and appropriately titled my letter, "Pastor writes with tongue-in-cheek." Over the summer I tried to convince the management of CKNX radio to sit down with local churches to discuss ways of saving these local church broadcasts. Yet my request has not been granted. My response has been to bring the matter to the attention of Huron, Perth and Bruce residents. I encourage anyone who was enraged by my letter to contact the management of CKNX and voice your support for local and regional programming. As for myself, I apologize if my satirical intent was not evident. (Rev.) Bradley T. Morrison Teeswater-Salem United Church. C 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 1110 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 aro 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 *CNA BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1995 PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1995. New openness welcome The new willingness of Huron County councillors to look at alternatives to a landfill site is a welcome development. One can understand why councillors resisted pressure to look at other developments in waste management. The county's Waste Management Master Plan Study has been going on for what seems like generations: at least political generations. The study is now under its third provincial government and its third set of rules. While the initial findings of the consultants conducting the study were that incineration or energy from waste was not practical because of the small volume of garbage in the county, the whole argument became moot under the NDP government which had an ideological aversion to incineration. Now that the Progressive Conservatives are in power, the ban on incineration has been lifted and the county can revisit that alternative. The fact is that the process of a waste management study is so long that not just governments and their rules change, but the entire technology of waste management changes. It may be that there are possibilities now that weren't even on the drawing boards back in the 1980s when this process began. Not that the alternatives are unobjectionable. As Gary Davidson, Huron's director of planning and development, pointed out, everybody may think an incinerator is a great idea now, but listen to the neighbours scream if an incinerator site is picked. Similarly there will be complaints if there is a plant set up to compost organic wastes or to sort all recyclables. And exploring the alternatives to landfill sites may also be expensive: Every time the consultants are asked to do more work, the expense skyrockets. Still, it only makes sense that Huron explores the technological realities of the mid-1990s instead of stubbornly sticking to a process initiated in the 1980s. Better to find out now than later that there was a better alternative. — KR A reasonable attitude Results of a poll released on the weekend show that Canadians outside Quebec seem to have a very reasonable attitude toward the possible outcomes of the upcoming referendum on that province's government's attempt to separate from Canada. Well, sort of separate. Separate while they share all the parts of Canada they like, such as the dollar and Canadian citizenship so they can travel abroad and enjoy the goodwill that long years of Canadian peacekeeping and foreign aid have brought. But by a huge majority, those polled felt that if Quebec separates, those are exactly the things its citizens shouldn't expect. If you want to be on your own, those interviewed said, then be on your own. Don't divorce then ask for the privileges of the marital bed. The vote was much closer on the issue trading with Quebec, a virtual tie, in fact. This will give comfort to Premier Jacques Parizeau and Bloc Quebecois leader Lucien Bouchard who have argued all along that common sense will make Canadians agree they must keep up trade with Quebec. They're right, of course, but they presuppose that Canadians will use their common sense after they've been jilted. Just as Quebecers felt insulted when people in Brockville stomped on their flag, so people elsewhere are apt to feel angry and rejected if Quebec actually votes "yes" to separation. We may do some things that aren't even in our best interest just to get back at Quebec. The ultimate danger is that a series of tit-for-tat retaliations could lead to violence. But the results shown in the weekend's poll couldn't be much better for a peaceful future. Canadians have told Quebec that they are wanted. They have been told that about half the people would agree to normal trading relations. They have also sent a very strong message that after a "yes" vote Quebecers can't expect to carry on with all the privileges of being Canadian. Let's hope that message gets through. The nationalist elements in the Quebec media seem intent on finding another flashpoint like the Brockville flag incident. Last week they jumped on an unfortunate remark by Mike Keane, new captain of the Morttral Canadiens that he didn't have to learn French because everyone on the team spoke English. The future of a country should not be decided by petty issues and misinformation. — KR E ditorial