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The Citizen, 1999-05-26, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, 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 1 HO Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Advertising Manager, Jeannette McNeil Member OntarioE-mai( norhuron@ac8internet.com 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 Mall Agreement No. 1374990 It’s more than a race Editorial i...............t The need for putting drama into news coverage turns coverage of elections into “races” and debates into jousting matches. The issue is far too important to be trivialized in such a way. What voters will do on June 3 is decide the future of the province. It’s not a game. The decision shouldn’t be made on which leader scored a “knock-out” punch, or even a good “left jab” (or “right jab” depending on their political persuasion). In the electronic age the media seems to cover style over substance. It’s not what a political leader says that interests the media anymore but how she or he says it. Given the priorities of media coverage perhaps parties should choose actors as leaders because they have the most skill in delivering a message. In concentrating on style, the media is cheating the voters. What’s needed is a clear understanding of the issues and how parties propose to tackle them. We need to know how party leaders, the people who will become premier if their party wins, think. Will they be able to stand on their own as premier or will they be puppets for the advisers behind them? There are clear issues in this election such as do you want four more years of the Mike Harris government? If you agree with what he has done you’ll want more of the same. If not, you’ll want to know who should replace him. Getting the information, not style, will help people make wise decisions.— KR The other side of choice The family of Owen Hart, the Calgary wrestler killed while doing a stunt prior to a World Wrestling Federation match on Sunday, says he is a victim of the battle for television ratings. Perhaps it’s a warning that as we enter the so-called 500-channel universe, we may be getting more than just more variety in television. Already major U.S. television networks, once among the most powerful companies in the world, are feeling the pinch. More channels mean people are watching something other than the major networks. Even if the audience for each of the alternatives is small, it nibbles away at the ratings and the profit level. More worrisome is the lengths to which programs go to draw ratings. From the fights on Jerry Springer to the vitriol of Howard Stern, the most bizarre aspects of human nature are pandered to. All this is in the name of giving us more choice! Yet if networks give in to the lure of higher ratings and try to compete with sleaze television, they will try to emulate their competition and we’ll end up with less variety, not more. We had an example of that reality here in our own backyard. Thirty years ago we could get only one channel and CKNX provided dozens of hours of local programming each week, everything from music shows to farm shows to shows for homemakers. But as our choices in channels increased, the audience was fragmented. The station could no longer afford expensive local programming when they could buy cheap American syndicated shows. Today we have no local station at all, no local programming, no local content. We have more choice, but we have less choice. We’re headed in the same direction on a much bigger scale. We may have 500 channels but will there be anything we want to watch except attention-grabbing stunts like the one that killed Owen Hart? — KR Every little bit helps It’s an official plan in Blyth as it enters the Communities in Bloom program this year but all of our communities can benefirif each homeowner does a little extra to make their town look beautiful. Whether for a competition like Communities in Bloom or just for community pride, sprucing up your home or neighbourhood can make a difference. Planting extra flowers or trees, cleaning up a forgotten corner, it’s one way you can help yourself and help the community as well. It’s amazing what belonging to a community that looks good can do for a sense of well-being for residents of the town or village. It brings people together to share in something that all can be proud of. It’s the time of year to make a difference. Why not do your part? Photo by Janice Becker Looking Back Through the Years From the files of the Blyth Standard, Brussels Post and North Huron Citizen May 30, 1979 Only in its second year, the Huron Olde Tyme Festival of step­ dancing and fiddling, held in Blyth, generated a tremedous interest with competitors from all over Ontario. Entries had doubled over the previ­ ous year. Blyth’s fire Chief Irvine Bowes was honoured in Gravenhurst for his 30 years of firefighting service. Kathy Machan was hired to supervise the children at the Lions wading pool in Blyth. The Blyth Masons sponsored a reception for the North Huron District Masons in honour of Robert E. Davies, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge A.F. and A.M. of Canada in the Province of Ontario. The Grade 7 and 8 home eco­ nomics students at Hullett Central school held a fashion show at the school. May 31,1989 Grade 2 students at Blyth Public School brought along teddy bears to school for a special event called Be Enthusiastic About Reading (BEAR). Murray Cardiff, MP for Huron- Bruce brought smiles to the faces of county officials Friday when he delivered a cheque for $614,000 to the Huron County Pioneer Museum. The Blyth Extended Service Office of the Ontario Provincial Police was preparing to hold its opening. The office was to be locat­ ed in the old library of the Memorial Hall. Hundreds of local protestors signed a petition in hopes of obtain­ ing needed beds for the Callander Nursing Home in Brussels to pre­ vent its closure. Over 582 names were signed on the petition. Word on a decision was expected within 10 days. Jodi Semple was the lucky draw winner of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce raffle. The prize was a framed series of $1 bills, donated by the staff of the Brussels CIBC. Oldfield’s Pro Hardware framed the money. Proceeds from the draw will go to the Children’s Hospital in London. May 25, 1994 The staff working behind the scenes at the Blyth Festival wel­ comed a new face. The postion of publicity director was taken over by former Stratford Festival media manager, Keith Courtney. Joanne King of Tumberry Street, Brussels was awarded the honour of the Brussels Citizen of the Year award. Letters THE EDITOR, In the May 10 issue of The Citizen the publisher wrote about the situation in China regarding the bombing of their embassy, and the right for the freedom of free speech. I agree that the public has a right to have access to the facts regarding all issues. However, I found it ironic that in the same issue a letter to the editor was printed entitled “Writer Warns of Danger Looming”. In this letter the writer claims that the land registry is being privatized. This just isn’t true. The reason I know this is due to the fact that I work for the company playing a major role in developing the software and data that the writer refers to in the letter. Here are the facts. In 1991 a private company was created whose focus is to provide an alternative way to access land registry information. How could this initiative have been conceived by the current provincial government? The ‘Big Truck full of documents’ that is referred to were actually copies of the original documents which will be used to Emotions were running high at the landfill site meeting in Colboume as residents affected by the C3 and C4 sites presented argu­ ments to support their elimination from the list of 11 candidate sites. Brussels Public School ordered new team shirts, featuring the new Blazers logo, to replace the Buccanneer ones. Playing at the Park Theatre in Goderich was Maverick starring Mel Gibson, James Gamer and Jodie Foster.____________________ generate the data for Huron County. Once the data is generated, the public will then be able to access land registry information at the land registry office in one of two ways. You can either manually search for the required documents, as is the current practice, or use the software alluded to in the previous letter to the editor. Contrary to what the writer had said, the new software will allow you to access the information in two to three minutes. I support freedom of free speech, but this freedom should not be abused to publish misinformation. One is as wrong as the other. I could go on to discredit more of what the writer has said but I think my point has been made. Many topics, in this case elections, can allow our emotions to overpower our better judgement. If a reader is compelled to write a letter to the editor, please take the time to research your claims. No one wins when the media we rely on for information is used to publish half truths and misinformation. Tim Walden, Blyth. THE EDITOR, There are 10 things that Harris will never tell you in this election campaign: 1. That nearly all of the so-called jobs Ontario has gained in his reign have been "McJobs" with low wages, few or no benefits. Continued on page 6