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The Citizen, 2019-10-24, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 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 October 24, 1968 Thieves broke into the Rutledge five cents to a dollar store, taking a large quantity of merchandise with them when they left. Those responsible gained access to the building through a back window, taking cigarette lighters, lighter fluid and toys before they left, leaving a number of watches in the store’s display cases. Rev. Eric Le Drew of Hampton Station, New Brunswick accepted the call to Brussels United Church. Le Drew, along with his family of five, were due to arrive in Brussels on Dec. 1. Fifty thousand bushels of turnips from the area were shipped via two- decker trucks to Keswick for waxing over the previous few weeks. October 24, 1973 The Huron Provincial Liberal Association welcomed four candidates for the provincial leadership of the party to the association’s annual meeting, held in Zurich on Oct. 10. Robert Nixon, the party leader at the time, was joined by Donald Deacon, Norman Cafik and Eddie Sargent, his opponents in the race. Mr. and Mrs. Larry Walsh, Blyth natives who had moved to Toronto, bought the former Arcade Store on Blyth’s main street. The Walsh family hoped to move back to Blyth in the coming weeks and start a business in the storefront ahead of the coming holidays. The Blyth Figure Skating Club began meeting to plan their carnival, which members hoped to hold at the end of January, 1974. The first meeting was held at the former Blyth library with President Marian Durnin running the meeting. October 25, 1995 October of 1995 marked the 10th anniversary of The Citizen first being published. The Oct. 25 issue looked back on the previous 10 years, celebrating all that had happened in the communities of Blyth and Brussels during that time. Prominent Blyth businessman Don Scrimgeour was named Citizen of the Year for the Blyth area thanks to his presence on the village’s main street and with local service clubs, including the Blyth Lions Club, of which he served as the president, secretary and treasurer. A 20-year-old Brussels man charged with numerous counts of arson around the village was sentenced to one year in jail after being found guilty. While the judge took into consideration the man’s early guilty plea, he admonished his actions, calling the arson “rank stupidity” before handing down jail time. Wingham OPP officers were in the midst of investigating a shooting that took place in Morris Township while two London men were in Huron County to hunt partridge. The men were walking in a wooded area when one man’s gun fired, striking the other in the head. The injured man remained in critical condition at the time the Oct. 25 issue of The Citizen was printed. Rae and Marguerite Crawford were celebrated for marking 68 years of marriage. They held a special open house tea at the Morning Star Lodge room in Brussels to help mark the occasion. October 22, 2009 After losing two councillors, North Huron was now losing its clerk-administrator as Kriss Snell had given notice he was taking a position in North Perth. Snell had been working for North Huron since he replaced Blyth’s John Stewart in the position. With the death of Murray Nesbitt and the resignation of Greg McClinchey, North Huron was on the hunt for two new Blyth Ward councillors and four people had submitted their candidacy. Brock Vodden and John Roe, both of Blyth, as well as Ray Hallahan of RR3, Blyth and James Woodley of RR5, Wingham had all put their names forward for the position. While Snell had hoped council would make a decision as soon as possible, councillors had until Nov. 21, 60 days after the seats had been declared vacant, to make a decision. In the face of yet another accommodation review committee (ARC) process encompassing Brussels and Grey Central Public Schools, a community meeting had been called to inform members of the public about the realities of the situation and the possibility that one or both of the schools could be closed. In the wake of numerous ARC processes throwing the future of several local schools into question, Huron-Bruce MPP Carol Mitchell stood by the process, saying her government was instrumental in creating the process and said it worked. She said the focus of the process was to deliver the best possible level of education to local children and, through the ARC process, engage parents and community members as well. The Brussels Majestic Women’s Institute celebrated its 70th anniversary with a special meeting at Cinnamon Jim’s in Brussels. Yvonne Knight, the president of the organization, presided over the proceedings, bringing the institute into its eighth decade. 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 Invisibility is a good thing No matter which party forms the next federal government, (and as this is written on Monday people were still voting), one thing that’s a likely outcome from the election will be that people didn’t even notice the apparatus of the electoral system. Election after election, Elections Canada quietly goes about its business to make democracy work in Canada. It’s only when we look outside the country, such as the problematic system of our neighbours to the south, that we realize how much we should be grateful to the nameless, faceless bureaucrats who make our system work so well. In the U.S., people must register in order to vote. Elections Canada maintains a permanent voters’ list. The vast majority of Canada’s eligible voters received a card to inform them where they could vote. Even in the case of people who had changed addresses since the last election, a surprising number of voters got their voter notification on time. There were even publicity campaigns leading up to Monday’s election, to make it possible for people who live on the street to still participate in democracy. There will be no “hanging chads” in our election, as there were in Florida during the 2000 presidential election when punch cards used in computerized voting machines weren’t working properly. We use the old-fashioned paper ballot. It’s not sexy but it makes it a lot harder for foreign agents to try to hack our system and undermine democracy. When it comes to elections, the less we see of the system, the better it’s working. Unless something really unusual happens, the talk after the votes are counted will be all about the political parties, not the electoral system. — KR For China, it’s all connected The lure of selling products or services to China’s 1.4 billion people is like the bait in a trap that lures businesses and governments to their doom. Latest victims are the owners and players of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Basketball became hugely popular in China after Chinese centre Yao Ming became a star with the Houston Rockets. It was logical, then, that the Rockets were chosen to play the Los Angeles Lakers, with LeBron James, the world’s most famous player, in a series of exhibition games in China before the NBA season began. All that was fine until Houston’s General Manager Daryl Morey sent out a tweet supporting Hong Kong’s democracy protesters. Immediately CCTV, China’s state television, cancelled coverage of the games. Later, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that Beijing asked the NBA to fire Morey. China then claimed Silver fabricated this story and CCTV broadcast a commentary saying Silver will face “retribution sooner or later” for making the claim. Meanwhile James, perhaps protecting his shoe sales in China, suggested Moray was “misinformed” when he supported Hong Kong’s democracy protesters – not King James’ finest hour. It’s hard to feel too sorry for the NBA’s millionaire players and billionaire owners, unlike, say, Canada’s canola farmers who have also suffered China’s wrath with cancelled contracts after Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, a senior Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. executive on a U.S. arrest warrant in December. Last week it was former Prime Minister Stephen Harper who angered China when he had the nerve to visit Taiwan, which China claims is part of China, not an independent country. It’s time westerners realize that China wants its way in everything. Doing business with China just leaves us open to trade blackmail. — KR Is Trump from another planet? U.S. President Donald Trump seems so disconnected from the reality of other humans that one begins to think he might have been dropped off by some alien spaceship. The most recent example was his plan to host next June’s Group of Seven conference at his Trump National Doral resort near Miami. He’s under an impeachment investigation but he can’t see that using his resort for government business is a clear conflict of interest. When, unsurprisingly, his move met with opposition, as usual Trump took to Twitter, announcing on Saturday that he was abandoning the move and citing “Crazed and Irrational Hostility” from Democrats and the news media. He said he would look for another site, possibly the Camp David presidential retreat. When asked later for an explanation, White House acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said: “He wanted to put on a show, he wanted to take care of folks,” he added. “He’s in the hotel business, at least he was.” Trump doesn’t even seem to realize that openly displaying such conflict of interest leaves him open to impeachment. It’s as if his brain works like an alien’s rather than a human being’s. — KR &