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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1997-03-19, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19,1997 C itizenTheNorthHuron 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 Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Advertising Manager, Jeannette McNeil The Citizen is published weekly In Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $27.00/year ($25.24 + $1.76 G.S.T.) in Canada; $62.00/year in U.S.A, and $75.00/year in other foreign countries. 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 I .....................L ...Z I municipalities about amalgamation. Peoples needs come first After being one of the most stubborn opponents of municipal amalgamation, Blyth village council has apparently been converted. While the council was once opposed to suggestions that the county should be divided into five municipalities, councillors now are talking about three, or even just one municipality. Councillors moved to renew discussions with other Certainly there can be room for consideration of amalgamations but the starting point should be providing what the people need, not trying to come up with a plan that will please only the provincial government. There are many questions affecting the lives of local residents that must be answered before amalgamation can take place. • How can the interests of people be protected in these larger municipalities? Farm families and town and village families, for instance, have very different needs. Currently, because urban development is mostly in the towns and villages, leaving the townships to manage themselves, those needs can be met. But if townships are in an unequal partnership with larger urban centres, how can the needs of farms be protected? For instance, Huron County has been a leader in protecting farmland but if'towns want a plan that makes it easy to zone farmland for housing or factories, is that in the best interest of farming? On the other hand, if a village like Blyth or Brussels was to amalgamate with several townships, the voice of urban residents and their needs for street improvements and sewers, may be drowned out by rural needs. • What will the cancellation of the Farm Tax Rebate mean to urban taxpayers? Rural townships will be hard hit by the loss of the farm tax revenue. Farmers now will only pay 25 per cent of the tax bill on farmland. Education tax (about 50 per cent of the tax bill) was removed from residential property but it still means rural townships could lose half their income from farmland (not including buildings and homes). It means tax hikes. Do people in town want to share this? • How big is efficient? And what is efficient? Right now, it is easy for people to call up their local village or township municipal office. Chances are the person on the other end of the phone will know the caller. There s a personal relationship that can often speed the solution of problems. If we have five municipalities, or three municipalities or one municipality, will there be the same service to the people? And if the municipality gets bigger, is there any saving? It would seem more likely that if two small municipalities amalgamated, there's more chance of cutting staff substantially than if several municipalities join, creating a remote bureaucracy. Certainly we can look for efficiencies by joining municipalities but we must be sure, first of all, that this is efficient. And even more important, any amalgamation must deal with people’s needs first, government needs second. — KR Value before price Every shopper knows that in the long run, value matters more than price. If you buy a toaster that's half as expensive as the competitor but lasts a quarter as long, it's no bargain. The concept of value, however, needs a wider consideration in society. Is it good value, for instance, to save a few dollars a year shopping at a big corporate store and, in the process, drive local stores out of business? Losing local stores means you have no choice but to shop in the big stores 20 miles or more away from home; means you don't have businesses to pay taxes and your taxes have to go up; means you haven't got a local business community to go to when you want a door prize for you club’s meeting or you need a donation to minor hockey. (And it means you w6h’t have a local newspaper because we depend on local merchants for our advertising income which makes up 80 per cent of the revenue of the newspaper.) Is it value to close a local hospital to save taxes, but have your own life endangered because you have farther to go in an emergency? Is it value to save taxes, but have so many people laid off the economy suffers and your business loses income and you, perhaps, get laid off yourself? And is a tax cut the most important thing in the world or is there more value, in the long run, to even pay a little more to balance the budget and keep needed service? — KR Letters THE EDITOR, World peace. Cultural understanding. Forging links between nations. It reads like a recruiting poster for the United Nations. But that's the message I want to spread. Student Travel School (STS) is a non-profit cultural exchange orga­ nization in Waterloo that is looking for volunteer families to host stu­ dents, ages 15 to 18, from Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, coming to this area for the upcoming high school year. Hosting an exchange students is a great chance for a family to leam first-hand about another country and culture without having to travel thousands of miles away from home. Being a host family means sharing your home and way of life with a boy or girl from another part of the world for five or 10 months. To be eligible, you must be over 25 and able to provide meals, accommodation, and guidance to Organization your student during his or her stay in Canada. In return, the students are eager to participate in the family's day-to- day activities, including holidays, family gatherings and helping out with their share of household chores. Each student is also excited about sharing their own language and culture with their newly adopt­ ed host family. Host families taking part in the STS program come from all walks of life. You can be married or single, with or without children, and you can live in the city or the country. The main requirement is that you approach your role as host parents with a positive attitude and a desire to learn about another culture. Families may select a teenager of their choice from a range of student profiles complete with references, family photos, and biographical essays. The exchange students are well screened before being accepted into the program, and are chosen for their maturity, academic achievement, and ability to be flexible. Each student has his or her own spending money and is fully insured during their stay. The seeks hosts students will arrive in late August just before school begins and return at the end of the school year. Sharing your life with an exchange student is a rewarding experience for the entire family, and it's a good way of making future contacts overseas. Our host families quickly discover that the meeting of two cultures sure makes the world feel like a global village. Student Travel Schools was founded 30 years ago in Sweden on the belief that youth exchanges promote understanding, respect, world peace and goodwill among people of all nations. Today, STS has offices in over 25 countries and is one of the oldest exchange organizations in the world. STS is recognized by the Council on Standards for International Travel (CSIET), an American non-profit organization committed to establishing standards of excellence for international exchange programs. Anyone interested in going on exchange or becoming a volunteer host family can contact Julia Lubczynski at 1-800-265-5316. Julia Lubczynski STS Ontario