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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 1998-09-02, Page 4Peek-a-boo Photo by Janice Becker Looking Back Through the Years From the files of the Blyth Standard, Brussels Post and North Huron Citizen Aug. 29, 1968 After 43 years, Brussels busi- nessman D.M. MacTavish retired. He had arrived in the village from Wroxeter in 1925 to manage the Farmers' Co-operative Store. He later opened his own business. Gerald Gibson won the firefight- ers' motorbike draw held after a game of donkey baseball between the firefighters and Lions Club members. Huron County Warden Cal Krauter of Brussels announced that council would create its own plan- ning board as well as 11 school sections for the first school board. Mrs. James Armstrong Captured first at the Brussels Horticultural Society flower show. Kindergarten classes were held from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. each morning at the Blyth, Belgrave and Brussels schools. A one-way train ticket to Toron- to from Brussels cost $4.60. Aug. 29, 1973 Huron County Pork Producers Secretary Lloyd Stewart an- nounced the construction of a new hog assembly yard in Blyth. It was to be operated by Ed Watson. The Blyth Agricultural Society's Fun Day was planned for the com- ing weekend. Construction began at the new Huron Tractor Maintenance Depot in Blyth. Rev. Stanley McDonald of Lon- desboro United Church was elected High Chaplain of the High Court of the Canadian Foresters for the Dominion of Canada. The Ontario Wheat Producers set the price of 1973 seed wheat being sold to dealers at $3.18 per bushel. Six Walton area boys attended hockey school in St. Marys. They were John Huether, Neil Mitchell, Bradley Knight, Steven Huether, Jim McDonald and Steven Knight. A three-ring binder cost 66 cents. Aug. 27, 1997 Grey Twp. Deputy-Reeve Robin Dunbar warned that the provincial dumping of services would cost taxpayers. Municipal politicians predicted huge jumps in property tax rates from 22 per cent in Blyth to 81 per cent in Grey Twp. Blyth councillors continued their campaign to have education taxes removed from property taxes as they prepared for the annual Asso- ciation of Municipalities of Ontario conference. Brad and Maureen Montgomery of Blyth hosted an exchange stu- dent from the Dominican Republic. Brussels 1 U-8s finished tops in the soccer C division while Brus- sels 1 U-10s took the runner-up position in division C. The Walton Brewers fastball team ended the regular season in first place with 13 wins and three losses. Craigs bought the Walton Inn. Letters THE EDITOR, On Aug. 31, 1997, the world stood still at the news of Princess Diana's death. Each year we will mark the anniversary of her death with the knowledge that her life was cut short by the senseless act of drunk driving. Since her death, over 1,500 Canadians have been killed in alcohol-related crashes - an average of 4.5 deaths per day. How can we allow these senseless crimes to continue? Our law makers are fully aware of these statistics, yet they continue to make it easy for drunk drivers to get away with their criminal behaviour. In Canada, during the month of October, 1997, there was Parliamentary debate on impaired driving. Since then our politicians have been silent and have not acted. How many deaths will it take Continued on page 6 PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1998. C itizen 661A The North Huron P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. - NOM 1HO Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 P.O. Box 152, Publisher, Keith Roulston BRUSSELS, Ont. Editor, Bonnie Gropp NOG 1H0 Phone 887-9114 Advertising. Manager, FAX 887-9021 Jeannette McNeil E-mail norhuron@scsinternetcom The Citizen is published 50 times a year In Brussels, 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 $7 5.00/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 Be on guard A Blyth Festival actor took some bad habits back to the city with him after spending a summer in a small town. Used to not worrying about locking doors, the actor went grocery shopping then left his car doors unlocked while he ran an errand. He came back to find his groceries had been stolen in the short time he had been away. While we in rural areas can see this as confirmation of the dangers of the big bad city compared to our peaceful way of life, we'd be fooling ourselves. In fact the actor was probably misinformed when he thought he could pe so casual here in a small town. Recent police reports show that we are not immune to crime and that our sense of security is actually making it easier for the criminals to carry out their crimes. The OPP have been warning motorists, for instance, about leaving their keys in their cars but old habits die hard. People leave their cars running while they go on errands. They leave their doors unlocked, keys in the ignition. People still leave their house doors unlocked, inviting thieves to help themselves to the TVs, VCRs, computers and more that are so easy to take and to sell. While violent crime is not a big part of our lives in rural areas, burglaries and car thefts are probably as high, in proportion to population, as they are in the city. Unlocked doors are a cherished value of rural life, but we're foolish if we continue to try to live a lifestyle that breeds crime. We have to stop fooling ourselves that crime is something that happens in the cities. Them that's got, gets With the changing economy and the recent problems world wide, it seems there is one rule that holds — those with economic clout will get more and more while those at the bottom of the heap will get hurt. While there were many reasons for the stock market collapse in the U.S. on Monday, one expert said a contributing factor was a new report that said U.S. wages had increased in the past few months. Higher wages, the thinking went, meant smaller profits and so the speculators sold off stocks. So workers think they're going to get money? A good stock market shock might put them back in line. Then there's the Russian fiasco. The International Monetary Fund several months ago put conditions on the money it was providing to help bail out the Russian economy, still stuck between the Communist system of old and the capitalist system it is hoping to emulate. The tough IMF conditions have hurt ordinary Russians who are now leaning toward a return to the "good,old days" of Communism. And of course there's the Canadian dollar and the no-lose situation for currency traders, including Canada's major banks. As speculators drove the loonie down, down, down, the Bank of Canada finally stepped in and raised interest rates a whole per cent. Higher interest rates mean more money for the banks that were involved in the currency trading that drove the dollar down. These days, it seems, if you want to make some real money, you better already have some. — KR `Real' citizens Bernard Landry, deputy premier of Quebec, has again raised the issue of who is a 'real' resident of his province. Landry said a referendurn that required more than a 50 per cent plus one majority would give a "veto" to the ethnic voters. After all, he said, in the 1995 election 60 per cent of the French-speaking, old-time Quebecois voted for separation but the vote was defeated. Echoing former Premier Jacques Parizeau, Landry seemed to be saying there are two classes of resident, the real Quebecois from the original 400 families and the others. No doubt many in the province agree with him. It's so easy to divide people into an "us" and "them" when you believe strongly in something. But it's a frightening prospect to think what might become of "them" if Quebec ever wins independence. It shows the Supreme Court was right to say the Canadian government would have an obligation to bargain on behalf of those Canadians who don't want to be part of the new nation and that Quebec's borders must be negotiable. — KR E ditorial