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The Citizen, 1999-01-20, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 1999. C itizenTheNorthHuron >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 r............ "~""l Great service, can we keep it? As the horror stories from Toronto filled the airwaves last week, residents in Brussels and Blyth could be a little smug. Thanks to excellent work by municipal roads crews, the villages showed little evidence of two weeks of blustery weather. Residents middle-aged and older could marvel al the clear streets that allowed people to park anywhere along main street and step onto clean sidewalks without having to find a hole in huge snowbanks as in times past. They can remember the days not that long ago when main street was a tunnel in most towns. And yet while snow removal has never been better in the villages, one has to wonder what the future will bring if larger amalgamations lake place. If all snow removal crews in a wide area arc brought under one manager that manager is likely to be in the largest municipality in the area. When a snow emergency takes place is the work likely to be divided evenly or will the priority be to clean up the largest centre first? The future is uncertain, but in the meantime local residents and shoppers can appreciate what they have: first-class service. — KR Tilting at windmills Federal Health Minister Alan Rock deserves a new title: minister of lost causes. Once again, as he girds for battle with the tobacco industry, Rock personifies the reputation Liberal governments have with many voters — that they think government can do anything. Rock’s latest bout of lilting at windmills comes with his announcement Monday that health warnings on cigarette packages will now take up 60 per cent of the space on the package cover. Supposedly smokers have bad eyesight and haven’t been able to read the warning. One can imagine the cigarette company executives chuckling around the boardroom table. They know that these warnings aren’t going to stop people from smoking. There was only one thing that reduced smoking and that was putting up the price of cigarettes through taxes. Tobacco companies got let off the hook when the government reduced the price to stop cigarette smuggling. One major company has been convicted of exporting cigarettes to be smuggled back into Canada. Rock’s goal is worthy, but we’ve long since learned trying to scare kids out of smoking doesn’t work. The more it seems that adults don’t want them to smoke, the more attractive it will be to some rebellious teens. The law that said there could be no smoking on school property didn’t solve anything — all it did was move the problem to the neighbours’ lawns. Rock’s approach is similar to his infamous gun registration law. The aim is laudatory and it looks like the government is doing something to solve a problem but the action is hollow. Just as forcing hunters to register their guns won’t slop violence on city streets, bigger warnings on cigarette packages won’t prevent kids from smoking. One thing will work: when they can’t afford to smoke they won’t. — KR Setting bad examples Overlooked in the problems with unemployment in Canada in the 1990s has been the complete lack of jobs for students trying to cam money for their university education or just for spending. A new report says that half of all 16-ycar-olds have never had any kind of job. One of the criticisms adults often have of teenagers is that they don’t know how to work, yet society has made it virtually impossible for them to work in recent years. Part of this is due to the fact that so many of the jobs being created for adults these days arc part-time jobs — the kinds that used to go to students. Part of the problem is that idealistic past governments have decided there should not be a special student minimum wage less than that for adults. When it comes to hiring someone for a part lime job, why would an employer take a chance on an inexperienced student if there arc plenty of adults who will work for the same price? We need to create more jobs for students. They need experience and they need to be able to pay the higher tuition at colleges and universities that we’ve pushed on them in our efforts to save taxes. This is a problem that must be solved for a healthy society. — KR Photo bv Janice Becker Looking Back Through the Years From the files of the Blyth Standard, Brussels Post and North Huron Citizen January 24,1979 The price for a copy of the Blyth Standard was 20 cents. Hullett council officially passed a smoking bylaw. No decision had yet been made on where to post non-smoking signs, but council had the authority to prohibit smoking in municipal buildings and in such places council deemed advisable. Clinton Public Hospital and Wingham and District Hospital were expected to lose 18 and 21 beds, respectively, based on a new Ministry of Health formula that allowed 3.5 beds per 1,000 popula­ tions, rather than the old figure of four beds per 1,000. Londcsboro was the site of a mul­ tiple-car crash when high winds and snow made visibility impossible. Il was reported that in the eight or nine-car accident there were no injuries. Brussels PeeWces won the B Division trophy for the Blyth Legion sponsored PceWce Tourna­ ment. Wingham won the A champi­ onship. A theatrical production called Les Canadiens was performed al Blyth Memorial Hall. Theatre Passe Muraille did the performance of the hockey play. It was the International Year of the Child. January 22, 1992 The total snowfall for the previ­ ous week was 137 cm. Area figure skaters competed in the Canadian Championships in Moncton, New Brunswick. Brus­ sels-native Kevin Wheeler and his partner, Michelle Menzies, finished fourth in the Senior Free Skate, just missing a spot on the Canadian Olympic team. Another Brussels- area native, Peter McDonald, and his partner, Suzanne Killing, placed fifth in the Junior Dance division. Official delegate selection results from the leadership convention con­ firmed that Morris Twp. native Murray Elston had the lead in the Liberal leadership race. In order to deal with a recession, East Wawanosh employees received a five per cent pay cut. Ethel Woman's Institute planned to disband while other branches planned celebrations for their 90th anniversary. My Girl was playing al Goderich's Park Theatre. January 22,1997 Stage Door on the Net announced the winners of the first annual Stage Door awards. The Blyth Festival won three of the 20 awards, which recognize excellence in live profes­ sional theatre on the stages of Southwestern Ontario. Wanda Gra­ ham received the Best Actress in a Drama in Mabelle Mabel, Rustey Cavenport received Best Supporting Actor in a Drama for his role in F ireworks, and Gordon Portman received the award for Best New Play for Fireworks. Blyth Senior Ladies hockey team doubled Ripley 8-4 at home. Brussels Crusaders Steve Fritz and Tom McDonald each scored three goals in a 7-3 victory over Drayton. Scoring the other goal was Rob Hamilton. Ron Strome had five assists and Corey McKee had four. Jerry Maguire was playing for the second week at the Park Theatre in Goderich. Letter to the editor THE EDITOR, I am sure I am just one of many who would say WELL DONE to the Public Works folks in Brussels. Compared to other jurisdictions they stand out as conscientious and able workers who got on with the job and did a lot, with very little sleep, I would imagine. I think that Brussels is a great place to live and a place where pride in a job well done is still evident. Yours truly, Cathrine Campbell.