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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2019-09-19, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2019. Editorials Opinions President: Keith Roulston • Publisher: Deb Sholdice Editor: Shawn Loughlin • Reporter: Denny Scott Advertising Sales: Brenda Nyveld • Heather Fraser The Citizen P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. N0M 1H0 Ph. 519-523-4792 Fax 519-523-9140 P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. N0G 1H0 Phone 519-887-9114 E-mail info@northhuron.on.ca Website www.huroncitizen.ca Looking Back Through the Years CCNA Member Member of the Ontario Press Council The Citizen is published 50 times a year in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $38.00/year ($36.19 + $1.81 G.S.T.) in Canada; $180.00/year in U.S.A. and $380/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: Mon. 2 p.m. - Brussels; Mon. 4 p.m. - Blyth. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40050141 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPT. PO BOX 152 BRUSSELS ON N0G 1H0 email: info@northhuron.on.ca September 19, 1968 Nancy Pearson and Joyce Huether, both of Brussels, were winners of bronze medals in a recent swimming competition held at the Seaforth Lions Pool. Pearson also won the Junior Artificial Respiratory Award, which entailed a difficult exam on the heart and respiratory system, as well as the swimming of 12 lengths of the pool. Mr. C.L. Parker, manager of the Brussels branch of the CIBC, celebrated the 40th anniversary of the bank on Sept. 17. Parker and other staff members marked the occasion with a cake. The Majestic Women’s Institute of Brussels exchanged gifts with a group in Holland through an exchange. The Brussels group received a serving dish from the Dutch group. September 19, 1973 The Huron County Board of Education’s approval of a venereal disease teaching kit for education in Grade 7 and above drew the ire of one board trustee. John Henderson, trustee for Clinton, Blyth and Hullett and McKillop Townships, felt the trustees needed to familiarize themselves with what was being taught in Huron County schools. He added that he felt the board’s teaching program was causing more venereal disease than it was preventing. While the kit was made by the Ontario Ministries of Health and Education, its use was left up to individual boards. Twenty-one-year-old Bev Fowler of Blyth placed second in the Miss Western Ontario contest, held every year as part of the Lucknow Fall Fair. It was Lorie Ritchie of Listowel who would eventually go on to win the competition. The 8th Liners were able to pull off a 10-9 upset win over the Radford’s Gravel Giants to win the best-of-three semi-final series in the Blyth Softball League. September 20, 1995 James Campbell of RR3, Blyth was lucky to be alive after the 46- year-old’s pickup truck was struck by a Mack truck. Campbell ended up in Wingham Hospital with minor injuries as a result of the collision. Campbell was travelling west on Concession 6 when the truck, driven by a Monkton man, failed to yield while driving southbound. The two collided in the intersection. The sun was up and shining for the 75th annual School Fair in Belgrave. It was another successful year for the local fair, as it welcomed over 2,000 displays in the Belgrave Community Centre. Though there were fewer participants than there were the previous year, the Brussels Terry Fox Run raised over $4,500, which was more than was raised the previous year. Organizer Waneta Leishman said she was concerned when the numbers were down, but was pleasantly surprised once she and other volunteers started counting the money. “But then we started adding the money up and I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “I was thrilled with the support shown.” The year’s run was led by eight- year-old Aimee Leishman, a childhood cancer survivor, who was introduced by Grey Township Reeve Leona Armstrong. The run began as a project of The Ark, which raised over $4,200 for the Canadian Cancer Society in the first Terry Fox Run in Brussels. Among the year’s highest fundraisers were Jane Draper, Aimee Leishman, Doug and Rhonda McArter, George Langlois and Gayle Beuermann. September 17, 2009 A recently-approved new review of local schools meant that Brussels and Grey Central Public Schools were now among the schools being considered for closure in the Listowel area, joining Blyth-area schools that also found themselves on the chopping block. Education Superintendent Mike Ash said that as enrolment in area schools continued to decline, the likelihood of triple-grade classes was on the rise, which wasn’t something parents wanted. After the tragic death of North Huron Councillor Murray Nesbitt, council began discussing the vacancy. Clerk-Administrator Kriss Snell said council had two meetings to declare Nesbitt’s seat vacant, at which point they would have to decide if they want to appoint a replacement or hold a by-election. In addition to Nesbitt’s death, there was also the issue of Councillor Greg McClinchey, who had recently taken a new job in Ottawa. With both men absent, Blyth had no representation on North Huron Council. The Blyth Festival was keeping productions running, even into the month of September. The Young Company production of House Hold was on stage at the Phillips Studio, while Innocence Lost: A Play About Steven Truscott became the second remount in as many years to grace the Memorial Hall stage. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada. We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright Wow, what a legacy! Many of the big events of the year 1980, such as the eruption of Mount St. Helens, the failure of a U.S. attempt to rescue employees of its embassy held hostage after Iran’s revolution and the debut of the Rubik’s Cube have faded into distant memory, yet this past weekend thousands of people across Canada demonstrated the staying power of the inspiration of one special 22-year-old man. Many people who took part in Sunday’s Terry Fox Run in locations such as Brussels weren’t even born when Terry Fox had to halt his Marathon of Hope, in which he’d planned to run across Canada, completing a 26-mile marathon each day, and all with one artificial leg. Those young people didn’t experience the emotions that occurred in that long-ago summer as Canadians were first surprised by the audacity of Fox’s plans, then inspired by his accomplishments, turning out in ever- increasing numbers to greet him as he reached each new milestone. Then came the shock and heartbreak when the cancer that had claimed his leg returned and he had to end his run near Thunder Bay. Such was the country’s emotional investment in Fox that immediately people picked up the torch, organizing runs in communities across Canada to continue his mission to raise money for cancer research. Nearly four decades later, they have raised almost a half-billion dollars. Few of the political leaders, movie stars or sports heroes of that era have left the legacy of this brave young man who eventually lost his battle with cancer, and the truly amazing thing is that his inspiration shows no sign of dimming. — KR Welcome to the big time Green Party Leader Elizabeth May must wonder what’s changed in the 2019 election campaign when, instead of being above reproach, she’s forced to deal with probing news interviews and revelations of past misdeeds of party candidates. It’s called becoming relevant in the election campaign. With the NDP seemingly on shaky ground, there are predictions the Green Party might reap the votes of many who previously supported the traditional third party, leap-frogging the NDP into that role. Suddenly both the media and the other parties, particularly the NDP, are starting to pay more attention to what had previously been a fringe party. So there was the CBC interviewer who asked May if she was to form a government, what would happen if one or more of her MPs proposed a bill to outlaw abortion. May said she couldn’t prevent that, which immediately was twisted to say she wouldn’t prevent such a private member’s bill being introduced. Likewise, there were revelations of embarrassing past statements by Green Party candidates, just as there have been from all the other major parties. It’s easy to seem morally and ethically pure when you’re far from power. You don’t need to compromise, for instance, by balancing environmental defence against people’s jobs. The sitting government has the toughest task at election time, being blamed both for its mistakes and the problems it hasn’t solved. The leading opposition party doesn’t have to defend its past deeds and omissions, but it can’t make promises it can’t hope to keep. When you’re as far from forming a government as the Green Party has been, you can make any promise you want and sound braver and less compromising that the main party leaders. The hard road the Green Party has had to endure is a compliment to the fact that it has entered the big time in this campaign. — KR It doesn’t make sense U.S. President Donald Trump’s bull-in-a-china-shop destruction of international agreements can hide the fact that now and then what he does has a point. A year ago the U.S. gave notice that it will withdraw next month from the Universal Postal Union (UPU), established in 1874, which acts a co- ordinator for 192 international postal services. Because of that agreement we can send a letter from one country to another and know it’s likely to get there, so at first the U.S. decision seems like one more of Trump’s nutty, destructive moves. But what the U.S. objects to is the fact that under the UPU, China is classified as a developing country, which gives it a competitive advantage. It means that it’s currently cheaper to send a small package from China to the U.S. – or Canada – than it is to send an equivalent package from one U.S. state to another. That encourages companies from developed countries to locate in China and still serve U.S. or Canadian customers. It means companies that continue to do business here in North America may actually be subsidizing their Chinese-based competitors by paying the costs to keep our postal services working. The U.S. has said it will suspend its withdrawal if the UPU’s other members agree to let it set its own fees for delivering foreign mail. That proposal will be discussed at a special UPU meeting on Sept. 24 and Sept. 25 in Geneva. Here’s hoping it wins its point. — KR &