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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1996-07-24, Page 4C The North Huron itiZen 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 BLUE 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 The thick of it Photo by Janice Becker By Bonnie Gropp Names tend to stick. But in the case of references made to build- ings in the downtown core of Brus- sels for many of the newcomers to the village, the "blocks" may not be clearly defined. Throughout our search for the past, we have of course encoun- tered names such as the McKelvey Block. We would be interested in hearing the stories behind the names and the exact location of each. Also, where did Tory Hill come from? Our perusals through ancient issues of The Brussels Post have brought to light the names of sever- al clubs and organizations, which did, but do no longer, function in the village. Does anyone have any idea when the Brussels Mechanics' Institute was first formed? We have plenty of information on it, but do not know when it actually began. Obviously it was well before any- one living today's time, but perhaps you've heard stories. Another one is the AOUW, which, while we again have some details, we do not know when and how it began in Brussels, or who was part of it. Also, we would appreciate help with the history of Orangemen in the village. We have seen reports in the newspaper indicating the exis- tence, but we have little other infor- mation. We have stories from the Brus- sels centennial issue on other groups which are still in existence, but these need to be updated. Could someone please contact us or send us the following information: pre- sent executive for the Brussels Curling Club, a list of the execu- tives of the Brussels Legion and Ladies Auxiliary from 1972 to pre- sent, The Western Star Lodge from 1972 to present, Brownies and Guides from 1972 to present, a complete history of Scouting, Cadets and the Leos. While research is being done to find out the answers to these ques- tions, we believe that the people who know the story best, are the ones who grew up with it or are part of it. It is to them that we now come for help. Letters THE EDITOR, The Canada Employment Centre for Students in Listowel is closing its doors on July 31 after another successful summer. The Centre opened on April 29 and has found jobs for students and students for jobs throughouts its service area. Servicing from Wingham to Arthur, Mount Forest to Moncton, the Student Employment Centre has also provided job .search Continued on page 15 PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 24, 1996 Beating back the bureaucrats It was a victory for good taste, but a defeat for those who think we must be saved through regulations from even the remotest of dangers. Last week Health Canada withdrew its infamous declaration that raw milk could no longer be used in the making of cheeses like Camembert, feta or more. Health Canada officials had been sure that Canadians were in danger from something called Listeria monocytogenes and that therefore all milk should be pasteurized before it was used in cheese making. This would have applied to cheese made in Canada, mostly in small plants in Quebec, and to some of the most famous imported cheeses in the world. The problem for cheese lovers, however, is that pasteurizing the milk takes a lot of flavour from the cheese. Canada isn't alone in this attack on good taste. European officials have been trying to crack down on plants there too, making them pasteurize the milk before making cheese. But people take their cheeses seriously in Europe, and in France in particular, each region has its own specific cheese. The individuality of the cheese would be destroyed by pasteurizing the milk. The health officials have a hard battle ahead. In Canada, one can't help wonder how much politics had to play in this controversy. Here we had a federal agency telling Quebecers that they weren't going to be able to enjoy something unique to their culinary culture. Some people suggested it might be an issue in the next referendum: a visible symbol of Ottawa not letting Quebecers be Quebecers. Compare that to the situation with Ontario's small cheese factories making aged cheddar several decades ago. As Heather Menzies revealed last year in her book By the Labour of Their Hands: The Story of Ontario Cheddar Cheese, Ontario's little cheddar plants were once famous for their individual flavour but health officials insisted that only pasteurized milk be used in the making of cheddar, even though there had never been a recorded case of dangerous bacteria surviving the aging process used on cheddar. If politics has played a part in this retreat, perhaps we need more politics. Certainly we want food safety rules that protect us from unnecessary dangers and unsanitary conditions in food production, but proper labeling of products using raw milk will give us the right to choose to-eat these products or not. Like everything else, officials can go too far in protecting us from ourselves. — KR Even for a committed non-smoker, there is something disturbing about the vendetta against smokers which saw its most recent victory with the total ban on smoking in restaurants and bars in the city of Toronto. Those tired of having to breathe in the smoke from other people's cigarettes certainly have the right to breathe clean air, but the anti- smoking battle seems meaner than that: it seems to have slipped into the realm of politically-correct hatred and discrimination. There was a compromise proposal that would have allowed the restaurants and bars to have enclosed areas for smokers with walls and ventilation to prevent the smoke from bothering non-smokers, but this was turned down. The concern, apparently, was for staff who would have to serve customers and breathe in second-hand smoke. It's a valid issue, but surely there are plenty of smokers among staff who couldn't be hurt any more from a smoke-filled room than their usual practice of smoking and hanging around with other smokers. But there's something about people that makes them want to pick on others. When it is socially acceptable, Christians have singled out Jews for everything from ridicule to discrimination in jobs and housing to death camps. Whites have enslaved blacks, English-Canadians have discriminated against French (and in Quebec the tables are now turning), people of the same race, but from different tribes have slaughtered each other in Rwanda and on and on it goes. Humans seem to love the excuse to set aside another group of humans and have free reign to have power over them. Starting as an abused minority after decades of being stuck with smoker's pollution they deserved fresh air, but non-smokers are in danger of becoming a persecuting majority. — KR E ditorial Seizing the right to discriminate Searching for the past What's in a name?