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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1998-04-08, Page 4Letters Photo by Janice Becker Looking Back Through the Years From the files of the Blyth Standard, Brussels Post and North Huron Citizen April 11,1968 Mr. Bill Stephenson, who was stationed in Gimili, Man., returned home to Brusssels with his family to go into the Stephenson Bakery and Grocery business with his father. An article from the OMA offered health tips on measles, stating that there are now new types of vac- cines available which have proven to be extremely affective. With this the beginning of vaccinating children of nine months for measles was started. The Clinton drive-in theatre was in full swing with such movies as Caprice, with Doris Day, Who's- Minding the Mint with Jim Hutton, Milton Berle and Dorothy Provine and the movie Good Times featur- ing Sonny and Cher. April 11, 1973 Farmers were urged to hire stu- dents for the summer by a special department attached to Canada Manpower in Goderich. This was to hopefully get students jobs and a little money and experience for their futures. The 8th Liners, with their WOBA Championship trophy were featured on the front page of the Blyth paper. The 8th Liners also won the Blyth Rural League trophy again. The players were Ray McNichol, Fred Meier, John Gib- bings, Murray McNichol, Murray Gordon, Glen McLean, Ken Bird, Joe Pereira, Jim Johnston, Jim Phe- lan, Glen McLachlan, Arnold Pease, Bob Blake, Elgin Pease, Jim Blake, Bill Phelan, Harvey Stewart and Charlie Johnston. April 9, 1997 . Education programs were said to be in jeopardy as budget time for the Huron County Board of Educa- tion came with little good news mixed with a lot of bad. Already having endured a $1.6 million cut, programs such as adult education were under the block, also the French program was to be reduced to only core French and would be eliminated for Grades 1 through 3, or building repairs may cease. Fascinated Brussels residents stopped to stare at the magnificent carving made out of a 100-year-old spruce tree which had died. Eric Ross and Deb Trollope called sculptor Peter Morgensen of Mt. Forest in to work his magic. The tree, when finished took the mag- nificent shape of a huge bear. THE EDITOR, Recently I was upset with the Blyth Public School as I neglected to send money with my daughter to purchase her lunch for Friday of that week. I mistakenly was under the impression that the money had to be in by Thursday morning, and I was going to have to run it to the school for her. I was wrong. The money had to be in by 9 a.m. Thursday for Friday's lunch. My daughter-is in Grade 8 and the school informed me that it is the childrens' responsibility to remember this. I think that we send our children to school so they can learn responsibility, we don't expect this to be an instant lesson because God knows there are a lot of irresponsible adults out there. I also feel that the food companies ordered from are capable of preparing food with less notice from the school. These meals are not gourmet. Younger children from out in the country are to also be responsible and if they forget their lunch they rely on the generosity of peers because they have not been responsible. They also have not learned enough responsibility to use the phone to call mom or anyone for their lunch. We all have been responsible in paying school taxes with little accountability on how the money was spent. We don't even have enough spellers in some classes. We entrust our children to people to educate and teach so our children grow up to be healthy, responsible adults. I wonder, are we being responsible? A Public School Supporter. THE EDITOR, Attention all Manufacturing and Service-related industry (MSRI). The International Plowing Match and Farm Machinery Show (IPM) is set to shine in '99 — hosted by Huron County! This is an open invitation to all industries and services both profit or non-profit. Although September Continued on page 7 C itizen ZrnA P.O. Box 429, P.O. Box 152, BLYTH, Ont. BRUSSELS, Ont. NOM 11-10 NOG 11-10 Phone 523-4792 Phone 887-9114 FAX 523-9140 FAX 887-9021 E-mail norhuron@huron.net Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Advertising Manager, Jeannette McNeil WERWMO CFACULAT.ON /WO The Citizen is published weekly In Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $27.00/year ($25.24 4. $1.76 G.S.T.) In Canada; $62.00/year In U.S.A. and $75.00/y ear 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 0 Copyright. Publications Mail Registration No. 6968 The North Huron PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 1998. If Huron was a province On Saturday the Huron County Federation of Agriculture presented local politicians with copies of its study on the impact of agriculture on the county economy. The study confirmed the county's agricultural output is so impressive that, if it was a province, Huron would be the seventh province in terms of production, producing 38 per cent more farm income than Nova Scotia, the next closest province. If Huron County was a province, however, imagine how our perspective would change. For instance, great as our export of agricultural products may be, we may have one bigger export: our young people. Year after year, we send them off to college and university (because there is no post-secondary school in Huron) and train them for jobs that do not exist in Huron County. And ironically, the more efficient our farmers become, the fewer jobs there are in the one major job-creator we have: agriculture. There aren't many figures around to show it, but it's likely at least 75 per cent of our young people end up leaving Huron County, and not returning, when they finish high school. If Huron was a province, this would be a national scandal. We hear all the time about the problems of unemployment in Newfoundland and the difficulty of young people being able to stay in their home province. In Huron, and other rural areas of Ontario, our young people quietly slip away to join the urban brain drain. No one even keeps a record of their leaving. Because they go without notice, Huron is never eligible for assistance that areas of high unemployment get. It's been going on so long, the loss of our young people is seldom questioned. Imagine if only a small portion of those young people could' find work in Huron, bringing their talents and their earnings with them. Imagine what it could do in our communities if they could come home — more people to create housing jobs, to support our shops, recreation facilities, churches and hospitals. More volunteers to strengthen our invaluable service clubs, sports organizations and civic groups. If Huron was a province, we'd have tools to tackle some of these problems. Without those tools, we need to seek creative ways to tackle the problems of the future of our communities and our youth. — KR • Buyi ng time The County of Huron passed its budget last week with barely a ripple of debate. The forecast is that the budget will mean no more taxes will be raised this year than last, despite a huge downloading of services from the provincial services to the county. Where's the doom and gloom that was being forecast a year ago when municipal officials were forecasting huge tax increases? It's true that people often see the black cloud instead of the silver lining, and that municipal officials were doing a little politicking a year ago, trying to change the minds of provincial officials. It's also true, however, that if things aren't as black as they seemed a year ago, they're not as rosy as they seem now. That's the crux of the argument between education officials in Toronto and provincial officials who come up with two totally different sets of figures on the provincial cutbacks in the megacity. There are two sets of figures. In Huron, for instance, the county was able to balance its budget relatively easily, despite the fact it will now spent $51.6 million instead of $26 million last year. Part of the ease came from new revenue available because education taxes have been reduced. Part of it also came, however, from the fact the province has provided "transitional" funding to help municipalities adjust to the new system. When the province turned over most of its highways to the county, for instance, it provided $10 million to help bring the highways up to standard. That will allow Huron to actually do more road rebuilding this year (on County Rd. 83) than most years. But this appearance of good times may be an illusion. The province provided only two-thirds of the money needed to bring those road up to standard. What happens when the money runs out? What happens when other transitional funding runs out? The funds will likely run out just after the next election. The reality is the Harris government is buying time, undercutting critics' complaints until after the election. It's quite possible the chickens may yet come home to roost. — KR E ditorial