The Citizen, 1996-08-14, Page 4BLUE
RIBBON
AWARD
1995
P.O. Box 429,
BLYTH, Ont.
NOM 1H0
Phone 523-4792
FAX 523-9140
P.O. Box 152,
BRUSSELS, Ont.
NOG 1H0
Phone 887-9114
FAX 887-9021
Down by the riverside
Photo by Jeannette McNeil
Letters
THE EDITOR,
The reluctance of the majority of
county councillors to investigate
the many allegations against the
present administration of the
county is dangerous for the
employees of the county and the
people whom they serve. I
understand from several sources
that the morale of county
employees is at an all time low.
When morale is low, productivity
and commitment to high standards
suffer. Do we, the citizens of Huron
County, want the quality of our
services reduced, because council
refuses to investigate a broad range
of very serious allegations?
Like countless others, I have
received copies of "Huron County's
Fast Facts". Like many others, I
regret that this information was
circulated anonymously. And yet, I
understand that the likely reason
for the anonymity, is that the author
(or authors) is/are still employed by
the county, where original and
creative thinking is about as
welcome as a leper at a beauty spa.
What matters more than the issue
of anonymity is the long list of
concerns and issues which the "Fast
Facts" contained_
Until these issues are fully
investigated, the credibility of the
present council and administration
cannot be regained. The longer
council delays such an investiga-
tion, the longer the employees of
the county and the people of Huron
County, will suffer.
Many past and present
employees of the county have
discussed with me the issues in
"Fast Facts". I regret to inform you,
that the opinion of the vast majority
of these employees is that the
issues raised are valid.
There is still time for the present
warden and councillors to order an
investigation. Councillors should
note that issues of such magnitude
will not simply dissolve in the ether
with the passage of time.
If the present warden and council
do not deal with these matters,
subsequent councillors will have to
deal with them. There is far too
much concern, inside and outside
of the county for these issues to be
ignored and unresolved.
Do the present warden and
councillors wish to be recorded in
history as the key players who
denied the need for a thorough
investigation into such serious
matters?
Do they want to be remembered
as being involved in the cover up of
the Hurongate affair?
On an optimistic note, an
increasing number of councillors
are to be congratulated on being
willing to investigate the status
quo. The integrity of county
government cannot be reclaimed
until such an investigation has been
carried out.
Sincerely,
J. A. Hollingworth, M.D.
Through
the Years
From the files of The Blyth Stan-
dard, The Brussels Post and The
North Huron Citizen
1 YEAR AGO
Aug. 16, 1995
Vandals defaced the walls at
Trinity Anglican Church, Blyth.
The damaged walls carried anti-
Continued on page
PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14, 1996
C The North Huron
itizen
Publisher, Keith Roulston
Editor, Bonnie Gropp
Advertising Manager,
Jeannette McNeil
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What changes are next?
It's been a summer of reunions in area with the Grey and Morris
Twp. 140th anniversary homecomings and this past weekend's 100th
anniversary Blyth Public School reunion. No doubt those returning to
their home communities
noticed a lot of changes since
they were last here. One
wonders what changes will be
wrought long before they next
come home.
The next 10 years are likely to see more changes in our rural lifestyle
than the 50 years before. Forces from various directions threaten to
make the face of our communities unrecognizable. For one thing, will
there be a Morris Twp. or Grey Twp. or Village of Blyth the next time
there is a celebration? The townships have been around for 140 years.
Brussels will celebrate 125 years next summer and Blyth in 2002, but
will they exist as the pressure comes down from the provincial
government to reorganize and amalgamate? While no one has been able
to illustrate that such a move would really save much money, the push
is on and, early in its mandate as this government is, it seems immune
from political pressure from below.
People returning from long ago no doubt saw changes in the
business areas of their communities. Where once there was a thriving
downtown in Ethel or Belgrave, today those villages are a shadow of
their former commercial selves. Blyth and Brussels too have suffered
from shifting shopping patterns and the very ground-rules of retailing.
Changes brought on by the electronic revolution may mean one day we
do tasks like banking by computer. We may even lose these institutions.
There seems to be a tendency to see these changes and not do
anything about them: the government is too big to fight, the business
trends are beyond our power. But no one, even big governments and big
corporations, has ever succeeded by just sitting back and letting
themselves be buffeted by the winds of change. The successful have
always studied the trends and turned them to their advantage. Could the
electronic revolution, for instance, be, used to lure urban customers to
small town businesses instead of the opposite way around?
One thing is for sure: if we sit back and accept what's being done to
us, there won't be much to come home to in the future. If we take
charge of our own futures, former residents might be pleasantly
surprised when they see their old home community, not sadly
disappointed. — KR
Immigrants make us winners
Now where were all those bashers of immigration during Canada's
medal winning success at the Atlanta Olympics?
If not for immigrants who represented Canada at the games, our
showing would have been pretty dismal instead of radiant in medals.
First and foremost, of course, is Donovan Bailey and the Canadian
men's relay team who brought home gold medals and upset the
bombastic Americans in their own backyard. None of them was born in
Canada. All came from various Caribbean countries as children, grew
up and trained here, and brought glory to their adopted country.
But it went beyond that. Some of the most heart-warming stories
came from athletes who, only a few years ago, called other countries
home. David Defiagbon, the Nigerian boxer, fled to Canada to escape
persecution. He arrived with nothing and was taken in by a Canadian
coach. He repaid his new country with an Olympic silver medal. There
was Guivi Sissaouri the wrestler originally, from Georgia in the former
Soviet Union. He broke down in tears while accepting the silver medal
because he had wanted nothing but a gold for his new country.
And that was part of the trait of the immigrant athletes,
determination to be winners. Donovan Bailey said it was time for
Canadian athletes not just to be happy to appear in a Canadian uniform
at the Olympics but to "kick butt".
But then that's always been the legacy of immigrants in Canada,
hasn't it. From the French, Irish, Scots and English of the early
settlement, through the Ukrainians in the west, to the Dutch who
repopulated Ontario's farmland after World War II it has been the
determination and competitiveness of new immigrants that have
rebuffed complacency in more settled Canadians.
Immigrants have always made Canada a winner, not just at the
Olympics. — KR
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