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The Citizen, 1999-05-05, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 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@scsinterneLcom 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 $100.00/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. 09244 Canadian Publication Mail Agreement No. 1374990 Rare commodity: foregiveness If only the world had more people like Rev. Dale Lang. In a world where people often seem bent on revenging real or perceived injustices, Rev. Lang this week presented a picture of courage and forgiveness that few could help but admire. Rev. Lang and his wife Diane could be excused if they were bitter. Their 17-ycar-old son Jason was shot and killed while at school in Taber, Alberta last week by a fellow student. Yet Rev. Lang was always willing to talk to the media, and always spoke of forgiveness. He even prayed for the student who killed his son. "I want Jason’s life to count for something,” Rev. Lang said at a memorial service al the school where his son was killed. He hoped the death would spark a spiritual re-awakening in the school, the province and the country. If people would emulate Rev. Lang’s courage the world would be a better place. Compare this to the attitudes of people in some of the world's trouble spots. In Yugoslavia, different ethnic groups arc acting out hatreds and resentments that go back 400 years, and in doing so arc creating new episodes to be remembered by future generations. How, for instance, can young Kosovar children driven from their homes, perhaps seeing their fathers murdered or their mothers or sisters raped, not grow up to hate the Serbs who perpetrated these crimes? In Ireland, parts of the old Soviet Union and other spots in the world people refuse to let old animosities die and continue cycles of killing and hatred. Even in every town and village there arc people who nurse old grievances against neighbours or friends or relatives, poisoning the atmosphere. If more of us could learn from Rev. Lang his wish would be fulfilled, his son Jason would not have died in vain. He, through his father’s strength and willingness to forgive, would have made the country a better place. — KR Building roadblocks Huron County’s strategic planning committee seems determined to put roadblocks in the way of the very municipal amalgamations it is trying to encourage. The committee last week said new municipalities created by amalgamation should have a minimum of 6,000 possible voters (not total population). This target works for three amalgamations being considered (around Goderich, Clinton and Exeter) but anyone who has watched the struggles in other areas realizes the impossibility of it working there. Where does it leave Brussels and Grey, for instance, who are happily moving toward union but are cut off from wider union by the fact Morris doesn’t want to join? With Clinton having proposed marriage with most of its neighbours, where docs Seaforth go to get 6,000 electors? Where do Ashfield and West Wawanosh find 6,000 electors? Perhaps the strategic planning committee is trying to pressure reluctant municipalities into joining larger unions than they prefer. The danger, however, is that those municipalities which have been moving ahead with smaller groupings will throw up their hands in frustration and stop trying to amalgamate. In an all-or-nothing scenario, the county could end up with nothing.— KR Take climate change seriously There has been a tendency by many to dismiss predictions of climate change as just some more alarmists predicting the sky is falling. With the continuing problem with drought in Canada, however, perhaps it’s time to lake climate change seriously. Last year’s serious problems which saw wells go dry and crops dry up in some areas of western Ontario have continued on into 1999. With little rain last autumn and little snow this winter, we’re beginning this spring and summer without even the usual reserves we have al this time of the year. A recent two-inch rainfall virtually disappeared without trace because the soil was so dry. In a part of the country where our livelihood depends on nature to help us grow crops and livestock, we arc vulnerable to climate change. Unfortunately, by the lime we recognize it, it may be loo late, — KR E ditorial Photo by Mark Nonkes Looking Back Through the Years From the files of the Blyth Standard, Brussels Post and North Huron Citizen May 5,1979 The idea of sharing senior citi­ zens' housing costs county-wide paid off for Blyth. Council learned that without the county program, Blyth would be paying a deficit of $2,429. As it stood, Blyth was pay­ ing $730. West Wawanosh council approved an increase of 17.97 mills in taxes, increasing the tax rate to 118.17 from 110.20 the previous year. Energy and energy conservation were among the issues raised at Huron's first all-candidates meeting of the year's election. The session, organized by the Huron County Federation of Agriculture, drew about 200 people. Signs were to be posted by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Blyth, designat­ ing a playground area along Hwy. 4. While the Exorcist was playing at the Mustang Drive-In Theatre in Goderich, Saturday Night Fever was playing at the Lyceum Theatre in Wingham. May 10,1989 A shuffling of members of Huron County council committees made Brussels Reeve Gordon Workman chair of the committee of manage­ ment of Huronview. Huron County Board of Education Trustee Sally Rathwell asked to resign from the board at the May 1 meeting. Rathwell was hired to fill the secretarial position at Vanastra Public School. Bonita Ten Hag from Auburn won an honorable mention in the Third Annual Young Playwright's competition held in London for her play entitled Karen, about a lonely girl dealing with friendship. Lisa Pennington, a Grade 10 stu­ dent at F.E. Madill Secondary School was page at the May meet­ ing of Huron County council. Trudy Losereit opened Trudy's Pastry Kitchen, her in-home bakery, near Auburn. She had plenty of experience baking, even winning the gold medal in the Culinary Art Show in London the previous month. Hullett students of all ages, along with past members of the Huron County Board of Education helped plant trees at the school. Il was the 23rd year for the school and the 20th for the board. K-9 starring James Belushi was playing in Goderich at the Park Theatre. The Rescuers was playing at the Lyceum Theatre. May 4,1994 Brussels was a step closer to hav­ ing a new fire hall after council approved hiring an engineer and making a formal application for funding under the federal-provincial infrastructure program. Despite an emotional attempt to get councillors to rethink the issue, Huron County council passed a bylaw reducing the number of council members following the upcoming election. It also gave rep­ resentatives of some municipalities more than one vote. There were 11 candidate sites for a new landfill in Huron County. Three were in Ashfield Twp. west of Lucknow, three in West Wawanosh near St. Augustine, four were located in Colbome Twp., just across the Maitland River from Aubum and one was in McKillop Twp. Paul and Katherine Safr opened Blyth Spirit, a pottery and gift shop on Queen Street in Blyth.