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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1999-01-06, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 1999. C itizenTheNorthHuron >cna (♦CNA 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 E-mail norhuron@scsinternet.com Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Advertising Manager, Jeannette McNeil Member Ontario The Citizen is published 50 times a year in Brussels, Press Council 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 Canadian Publication Mail Agreement No. 1374990 E ditorial i 1 i You can’t take it with you In the drive to save tax dollars the lives of Huron County residents are being put al risk this winter. Perhaps it’s lime politicians, both al the county level and with the province, realized that no matter how much money you save in taxes, it won’t do you any good if you die. Huron County’s roads have been treacherous this winter, and the winter has only begun. The Huron County highways department is faced with fewer dollars, and thanks to provincial downloading, more roads to maintain. As dollars get scarce, road crews are pressed to the limit. Patrols get extended so plows gel down roads less often. Salting and sanding seems to be a thing of the past as highways turn into near-skating rinks. In an enviable effort to force efficiency into the county system, Huron County councillors have frozen spending for five years now. However, if lives are at stake, how much is a lax freeze worth? The province, bent on cutting our taxes, has been downloading highways to the municipalities to cut its costs. Al the same time, as part of its process to swap services with municipalities, it has cut off all funding to municipal highways. As a result, those “road” taxes you pay on every gallon of gas for plenty of other services, but not for roads. While there is a legitimate concern about government getting loo big, there arc some services that governments must provide and highways are a prime example. Under former Conservatives governments of premiers like Leslie Frost and John Robarts, Ontario was once known for its high quality roads. That reputation had long since died, to the point that in recent years, Huron County residents would often seek out county roads because they were better maintained than provincial highways. Now those roads are things to be avoided in winter. Enough is enough. Raise the taxes if need be but give us safe roads to travel on. —KR Who gets the benefit? As municipal amalgamation and other sharing of services like county-wide policing move inevitably forward, there will be more and more debate about just who gets the benefit of some services and who should pay the cost. For instance, in the debate over OPP service, the Town of Goderich feels it is unfairly paying too large a portion of the cost because it must provide security for the county courthouse. The town has a point, of course. The court serves the whole county and not all of the people on trial there are from Goderich. Why should Goderich taxpayers have to pay the extra costs? Why shouldn’t all county residents share the price? The argument, however, ignores the benefits Goderich gains by having the courts located in their town. Not only do judges and court staff find jobs and maintain homes there, but the downtown area is filled with legal offices as lawyers locale close to the courts and the county land registry office. The town estimates it spends from $25,000 to $35,000 on extra policing costs but what is its additional revenue from all those businesses that wouldn’t be there without the courts? These arguments have happened in the past and have a potential to accelerate in the future with amalgamation talks. Take airports, for instance. Huron County used to agree with Goderich that the Goderich municipal airport was a service to the whole county and thus provided a grant. It once also agreed that the Blyth Festival and Huron Country Playhouse were assets to the whole county and should be supported by small grants. All those grants were early casualties of budget cuts. Wingham has recently built a municipal airport. As north Huron municipalities begin talks it’s likely that facilities like the airport will come into play. Wingham residents will likely feel that airport’s cost should be shared by all taxpayers within the newly-amalgamated municipalities. Residents further afield will no doubt disagree. The problem is the debate may come down more to power than fairness. Whether or not it was fair for Goderich to pay policing costs, in the past it had no choice because there was no method of sharing with the rest of the county. With county-wide policing Goderich may be able to use its clout to get its wish. Likewise in amalgamation, the big population centres, with the most voters, may have new powers to have other help pay for the services they wanted in the first place. — KR Winter coat Photo by Mark Nonkes Looking Back Through the Years From the files of the Blyth Standard, Brussels Post and North Huron Citizen January 3,1979 Several Blyth figure skaters were tested at the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre. Norris Flynn tried his Canasta, Margaret Boer tried her Dutch Waltz and Canasta, Lisa McDonald attempted her Dutch Waltz, Dawn Flynn was partnering, Shelley Was­ son tried her preliminary figures and swing and Lynn MacDonald did the Dutch Waltz and Canasta. All seven passed the tests. Griffiths BP switched owners when Gwilyn Griffiths sold to Bruce and Gary Richmond. After 50 years of flour milling, Charles Johnston of Blyth retired. Two movies at the Goderich Park Theatre were Magic and Every Which Way but Loose, starring Clint Eastwood. January 4,1989 The Walton Feed Mill was pur­ chased by Dauphin Feed and Sup­ ply Ltd. Of Dungannon. The new owner, Gary Dauphin of Brussels, operated the facility under the name Dauphin Feed and Supply Ltd. (Walton). The reconstructed Brussels Legion officially opened with a galea ribbon- cutting ceremony less than seven months after the build­ ing was almost totally destroyed by arsonists. Dave Boynton sold the Brussels Agromarl to Merle Hoegy of Brus­ sels. Joyce Ducharme of RR3, Brus­ sels took part in the final Brussels Merchants shopping Spree. She crammed $251.24 worth of shop­ ping into 30 seconds each in Brus­ sels Village market and Brussels IGA. Bill Murray starred in Scrooged at the Park Theatre in Goderich while Daryl Hannah was in High Spirits at Wingham’s Lyceum The­ atre. Letters to the editor Writer clarifies editorial THE EDITOR, On behalf of the board of directors for the Community Care Access Centre for Huron (CCAC), I would like to take this opportunity to correct a statement that was made by Keith Roulston in his Dec. 2 editorial entitled "Hidden governments have power". Our concern relates to the impression being forwarded by Mr. Roulston that our board of directors is not elected; this is false. Boards of directors of all CCACs in Ontario must be elected from the membership of the corporation by the members of the corporation. They must be residents of the respective counties they serve, in our case Huron County and they must not have a conflict of interest with the business of the corporation. However, to support one of Mr. Roulston’s statements, we too are disappointed that there is not more interest in the governance of Huron County's publicly funded corporations. We would therefore, once again, like to take this opportunity to invite all parties interested in community health care to become a member of the CCAC for Huron corporation and indeed vote for your elected representatives on our board of directors. For further information regarding membership, please contact Mary Jane Vonesh at the CCAC for Huron by calling 482-3411. THE EDITOR, If generosity and co-operation are the bench marks of a healthy community, then the village of Blyth would receive a clean bill of health. For the third year, the Christmas Bureau depot at Memorial Hall received countless donations in food, clothing, toys and cash donations from many generous citizens in our village. Two main street businesses, Scrimgeour's Food Market and The Continued on page 6