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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1998-04-22, Page 4Spring beauty Photo by Bonnnie Gropp Looking Back Through the Years From the files of the Blyth Standard, Brussels Post and North Huron Citizen April 25,1968 Despite the adult stereotype of young people by the actions of a few irresponsible ones, the Brus- sels Public School Grade 8 class set out to do a selfless act on Satur- day defying those stereotypes. The young people devoted a day to washing and cleaning cars to raise money for a student exchange pro- ject with a West Indies school and for Red Cross donations. A 7 lb Monarch Flour bag was sold for 73 cents, and a 2 lb bag of Frozo Frozen Peas for 49 cents at the Stop 'n' Shop in downtown Brussels. Brownie's Drive-In was in high gear showing a double feature of James Bond in You Only Live Twice. Also showing, in colour, was Sean Connery's movie The Way West. Perms and mini-perms at Irene'S Beauty Salon were only $8 and $5 respectively. April 25,1973 Central Huron Secondary School in Clinton presented Oklahoma on the weekend, with as many as eight actors from the Londesboro and Blyth Area. David Street played Curly, the male lead in the musical comedy, his sister Catherine, in another leading role, Kim Watson, Francis and John Battye, Gary Hesselwood, David Thomson, all from the Blyth area, Jo-Anne Snell and Rick Snell from the Londes- boro area graced the stage with their wonderful acting ability. A happy family fishing trip to Port Albert almost turned to tragedy when the Greidanus fami- ly, of Londesboro, went on a smelt fishing trip. Fifteen year-old Janet was pulled into the water by the strong current and dragged over 100 feet out into Lake Huron. When the rescuers arrived the cur- rent swept the boat just inches from Janet's outstretched hand. Luckily rescuers managed to grab her by the hair and pull her in. She was treated in the hospital and later released. Letters THE EDITOR, Congratulations Huron County! You've made the Heart and Stroke Lottery a success — for the second year in a row! You've helped raise millions and helped save millions. Thanks to you, the Heart and Stroke Foundation is estimated to have raised nearly $6 million for life-saving research into heart disease and stroke. The Heart and Stroke Foundation truly appreciates your continuing support of its efforts into finding a cure for the #1 Killer,of Canadian men and women, heart disease and stroke. Shannon Craig Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. THE EDITOR, Gwen Pemberton of Bayfield turned 86 on April 2,1998 and we would like to invite anyone who has known Gwen to help us celebrate her lifetime of activism. We are planning a dinner for May 1 and at that time will present Gwen with a scrapbook of memories and letters from friends and colleagues. People will remember Gwen from her leadership in the Bayfield Historical Society work, her service Continued on page 8 C itizen A P.O. Box 429, P.O. Box 152, BLYTH, Ont. BRUSSELS, Ont. NOM tHO NOG IHO 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 VEMRED WPCUuATION JAM The Citizen is published weekly in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions ere 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 The North Huron E ditorial PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 1998. No pay, but keep the say If there's one thing that makes provincial premiers boil it's the federal government cutting funding to programs like health care, but still insisting that the provinces maintain standards the feds set. Yet that's exactly the way the provincial government behaves toward the municipalities. Take the new provision for municipal referendums the province is imposing on municipal governments. Under the legislation, municipalities will be forced to hold a referendum on issues if 10 per cent of the citizens sign up calling for one. The municipality will have to go through the expense of a vote even if the vote ended up being 90 per cent in favour of the municipal council's position. It's not that referenda are a bad idea, it's that the province is insisting it will set the rules the municipalities must live by, even as it cuts off grants to the municipalities and imposes new programs on them (for which the province still sets the standards). It's the kind of cavalier action that caused the famous Boston Tea Party as American colonists demanded some say if they were going to be expected to pay taxes. And the silliness of the province insisting municipalities hold referendums was pointed out by Tory backbencher Bill Murdoch recently when he said the province ignored a referendum held in the Toronto area when local residents said they didn't want a megacity. While provincial governments grumble about directives from the federal government, the provinces at least have some constitutional standing. In fact, the federal government, being a product of an agreement of provinces to unite back in 1867, is often limited in what it can do by the need to get approval of the provinces. The municipalities, on the other hand, are creatures of the province. According to the appeal courts, who heard a plea by Toronto municipalities over the enforced amalgamation into the megacity, the province can effectively do anything it wants to do with municipalities and they have no rights to resist. Since the municipal government is the one closest to the people, there's a good argument that it is the purest form of democracy and therefore should have a primary role in our government, not being the servant of the province. If the constitution is ever open for review again, the position of the municipalities should be strengthened. If there's one thing the province would likely be united on, however, it is that they keep their absolute power over municipalities. — KR Just give us your money There's a consistent theme coming from the big banks as they move to merge, as the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and the Toronto Dominion Bank did last week. "People are so inconvenient," they seem to be saying. "We want your money but we don't want to have to deal with you." Banks talk about how the local bank branch isn't going to be as essential anymore. The big Canadian banks say that they're going to have to compete with new foreign banks that won't even bother setting up branches here. The foreign banks will just deal with us through the internet or the telephone and let us deposit our money through the banking machines maintained by the Canadian banks. Our own banks, even if they retain local branches, don't want us to actually meet a human being. They want us to deal with them through machines, saving all the unnecessary employees. The merger of the Royal and Bank of Montreal and the Commerce and TD, will reduce even more the number of employees who get in the way of profits. The poor banks, after all, are limping along on the biggest profits they've made in history. The banks, to be fair, are following the trend that seems to be present in so many aspects of society today, including government. Money is not something that was invented to serve people, it is what is important. People are just expensive inconveniences that keep demanding things that get in the way of making money. Pendulums swing and when they swing they always go too far. We have gone from an era where practicality wasn't always given enough attention as we sought a better life for people, to an era where people don't seem to matter at all. A good life, however, needs balance. People are, after all, why banks (and governments) exist. — KR