HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1997-06-04, Page 1Awards I Community [_____Sports_____■______News
Wingham
Canadettes get
awards
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Brussels people
encouraged to
dress up homes
See page 8
Byth CRC youth
host soccer
tournament
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Brussels Legion,
Auxiliary elect
executive
See page 24
CitizenTheNorth Huron
Vol. 13 No. 22 Wednesday, June 4,1997
Election ’97
Steckle coasts
to election win
70# +■ 5# gst750
MP Paul Steckle
In honour
Members of the Blyth Legion Branch colour guard's stately entrance through the gates
began the annual Decoration Day service at Blyth Union Cemetery on Sunday afternoon.
Padre, Pastor Jim Carne delivered the sermon .
Festival season opens, June 20
By Janice Becker
Citizen staff
Contributing to the national
trend, Huron County elected a
member of the governing party to
the federal parliament.
Liberal Paul Steckle
was returned to the
House of Commons for
a second term with
24,243 votes, surpassing
his next closest competi
tor, Reformer Doug
Fines, by more than
14,000 votes.
"For me, the fact of
my standing up on
issues which were
important to my constituents and
standing against my party were
fundamental to my return," said
Steckle, in a phone conversation
Tuesday. "I showed I put the peo
ple’s interest first. They were the
priority in Ottawa."
This was evident due to his
increased plurality when generally,
across the country, numbers did
not increase for the Liberal party,
he said. Steckle, a 56-year-old for
mer Zurich area farmer, attained
50 per cent of the vote in almost
every poll.
With the very different House of
Commons makeup for the new
parliament, Steckle said he expects
to be spending a lot more time in
Ottawa "to carry the day."
Steckle said that although the
party swept the 103 seats in
Ontario, he is concerned about the
erosion of Liberal members in the
Maritimes and Western Canada.
The fractured, regionalized gov
ernment will present problems in
the House, he said.
"I do not necessarily feel good
about spending more time away. I
enjoy the constituency work.
For the coming term, Steckle
said the Liberals will proceed with
deficit elimination, debt retirement
and possibly, when those are
accomplished a lax reduction.
"When we have reached a bal
anced (financial) position, we will
consult Canadians as to their prior
ity (for action)," said Steckle. "We
have to get the fiscal house in
order for our children and grand
children." He added that the Liber
als had accomplished "almost a
miracle" in fiscal mat
ters.
"We need an environ
ment which will create
jobs, but also one in
which people are confi
dent to invest."
"This is a great coun
try and the Liberals
will make this a better
place for those who fol
low us," he said.
The only race in the
county was for second spot, cap
tured by Doug Fines and the
Reform Party. At the final count,
Fines had edged Progressive Con
servative Colleen Schenk by
approximately 1,750 votes.
"I congratulate Steckle and his
team on winning the Huron-Bruce
riding," said Fines in a statement
released after the election. "The
key for me is that Canadians voted
within their comfort zone. Huron-
Bruce Reformers will begin today
to communicate the party's new
ideas and how important they are
to the future of Canada."
Schenk took third spot in Huron
County, ahead of their federal
party who look 20 seats but
remained the second smallest
party, larger only than the indepen
dent contingent of one.
"It was terrific the PCs took 20
seats and we will keep rebuilding,"
she said Tuesday morning. "I am
very pleased with my team. We
had an upbeat campaign and they
did a terrific job of covering the
area."
The other candidates could not
be reached for comment.
The total for Huron-Bruce were:
Liberal, 24,243; Reform, 9,983;
Conservative, 8,230; New Demo
cratic Party, 3,063; and Christian
Heritage Party, 779.
Complete area poll results, Pg. 6
The Blyth Festival kicks off its
1997 season Friday, June 20 with a
gala dinner, art gallery exhibit
opening, performance of Quiet in
the Land and post-performance
reception. This year, the Festival
celebrates 23 years of presenting
new Canadian plays.
Festivities get underway at 4:45
p.m. with the season opening of the
Bainton Gallery featuring the
dynamic landscape paintings of St.
Thomas artist Andres Villar. Villar
will be present for the opening
ceremonies.
The Blyth and District Commun
ity Centre lakes on an Amish theme
for the gala dinner which starts at
5:45 p.m. Special guest speaker at
this year's dinner will be playwright
Dan Needles, who penned all the
Wingfield Farm stage plays as well
as Perils of Persephone which
premiered at the Blyth Festival in
1989. The Blyth Festival Singers
will perform in the Blyth Memorial
Community Hall courtyard at
7:20 p.m.
On stage at 8 p.m. is Quiet in the
Land, an award-winning play by
Anne Chislett about an old-order
Amish community struggling
against the tensions of World War
I. This will be followed by a post
performance reception in the lower
hall.
Quiet in the Land is sponsored by
National Trust and Sparling's
Propane with CBC Radio 93.5
Ontario Morning as media sponsor.
Season supporter is du Maurier
Arts. Quiet in the Land will run in
repertory until July 25, along with
the collective Booze Days in a Dry
County, and comedies There's
Nothing in the Paper and The
Melville Boys.
This season also features a
remount of last year's hit
Barndance Live! and a one-woman
comedy on the Second Stage
(Garage) called Overboard! The
season ends Sept. 10.
For tickets to any performance or
a-free brochure, call the Blyth
Festival Box office at 523-9300
today!
Torch Run, Friday
For the 11 th year, the Law
Enforcement Torch Run for Special
Olympics will wind its way along
the highways of Huron County.
The June 6 run will pass through
Blyth at approximately 1 p.m.,
seeking financial contributions to
the event which has raised $12,000
locally, and more than $1.4 million
provincially, last year.
The donations are used to fund
sports programs, equipment, travel
costs and other expenses incurred
by the athletes.
This year, Canada is the proud
host of the Winter Special
Olympics, to be held in Colling
wood and Toronto. Two thousand
Olympians from 80 countries will
participate in the events.
Anyone wishing to contribute to
the Torch Run may make cheques
payable to "Ontario Special
Olympics" and forward the dona
tion to Ontario Provincial Police,
Attention Provincial Constable
Liane Spong-Maclnnes, P.O. Box
6, Goderich, Ontario, N7A 3Y5