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The Citizen, 2001-02-21, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2001 Editorials Opinions Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Advertising Manager, Jeannette McNeil 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 $28.00/year ($26.16 + $1.84 G.S.T.) In Canada; $65.00/year in U.S.A. and $100/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. - Myth. We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are 0 Copyright We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP) toward our mailing costs. Publications Mail peg. No. 092441 Canadian Publication Mail Agreement No. 1374990 e,A :6/ ocna Member of the Ontario Press Council =UMW P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. NOM 1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 E-mail norhuron@scsinternet.com Website www.northhuron.on.ca The Citizen P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. NOG 1H0 Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 This is common sense? So this is the provincial government's common sense? - Fact No. 1: The province brought in new standards for police forces that made it difficult for municipal forces to continue to exist. Most small towns in Huron decided to contract their police services to the OPP. Fact No. 2: The province decided "in the interest of fairness" that all rural residents should have to pay for policing. Most residents of rural townships felt they were already getting what they paid for but the province said they must contract with the OPP or a municipal force from an adjoining municipality to provide service, Fact No. 3: The province encouraged municipal amalgamation bringing rural townships together with. urban neighbours. "Encouraged" is a euphemism: the municipalities were as unlikely not to amalgamate as a reluctant groom when his potential father-in-law is holding a shotgun. Fact No. 4: Now that rural and urban municipalities are legally wed, the province says there cannot be a lower level of service for rural areas than for urban areas. That means that either rural residents are going to have to pay for a level of service that matches the service towns prefer, or towns are going to have to get along with the level of services townships currently get — which most rural residents would tell you is none, unless there's an accident. This is an unworkable situation. Even if rural residents pay for a higher level of service (which means they went, 'in a few short years, from paying nothing for policing to paying a rate similar to town residents, you're unlikely to see patrol cars going up and down the concessions regularly. The only people likely to benefit from this "upgrade" are the people who sell the extra police cruisers and the owners of restaurants who'll get extra business when the extra officers have their breaks. Meanwhile people in town are not going to be satisfied to go along with rural service levels. This issue has the potential to set rural and urban partners in the -municipal wedding at each other's throat before the wedding music has barely died down. The situation is clearly intolerable and the only people who can clean up the mess they've made is the provincial government. If there's any common sense left in the ,Common Sense Revolution they'll get at it immediately. -- KR It's-a forced trade agreement The letters NAFTA, more and more seem not to mean North American Free Trade Agreement but rather the North American Forced Trade Agreement. A case in point: United Parcel Service is suing the Government of Canada for $230 claiming that by allowing Canada Post to carry parcels (which it has been doing for 120 years, long before either NAFTA or UPS came along) it's damaging a private business. The U.S. post office provides a similar parcel delivery service to Canada Post but under Chapter 11 of NAFTA, a company can't sue its own government. A second case in point: A U.S. company is currently suing a Mexican town because it refuses to allow a chemical dump (sorry, processing plant) in the town. The company says the town is violating its rights under NAFTA. Seems under NAFTA, American companies are the only ones who have rights at all. — KR Carved by nature and man Photo by Ashley Gropp Looking Back Through the Years Feb. 15, 1950 The United Church Young People's was held at the home of Isabel Dennis. Scripture was given by Donna Cudmore. It was decided to have a skating party. The directors of the Huron County Federation of Agriculture held an open meeting to discuss the proposed change in the educational curriculum for Ontario Schools, as proposed by Minister of Education, Hon. Dana Porter, The advantages of eliminating the entrance examination were carefully presented. In Huron County, 95 per cent of all pupils who tried Entrance examinations passed and 93 per cent went on to high school. It was finally agreed to have the resolution redrafted and sent on to the Minister of Education. Feb. 19, 1986 Entertainment and education go hand in hand in the. Kids on the Block program which had been touring Huron County elementary schools. The program used puppets to explain the problems of the handicapped. Paul Rich and Patricia Daer operated the puppets at the East Wawanos h Public School presentation and answered questions from their classmates. The Queen's Hotel in Brussels, in sad decline in recent years, was coming down to make way for a new supermarket on Brussels' main street. Total Demolition of Brussels was in charge of dismantling the historic building. Many people sat down to a meal of pancakes served by the ladies of St. John's Anglican Church. It was wall to wall snowmobiles at the Blyth Snow Travellers clubhouse when the Blyth Lions Club sponsored a poker rally. Snowmobilers from all over the county took part in the event. A growing number of people had their picture on their driver's licence under a new program by the Ontario government. The Brussels snowmobile club held a poker rally. Blyth Public School students took advantage of the facilities at The Pottery for classes. Huron County Warden and Grey Twp. Reeve Leona Armstrong was honoured with a presentation from the Bank Of Commerce in Brussels in a ceremony at Brussels council. Making the presentation was John Cooper, manager of the Brussels Branch. From the back of a station wagaon to an expanded schoolhouse tilled with clothes and shoes, Jim Rice created a thriving business when most people were planning their retirement. Rice's store in Hullett continued to expand as more and more people found their way down the concession roads to its location. Blyth Public School proved to be double trouble for the opposition at the Central Huron elementary school volleyball tournament in Clinton, as both the boys and girls teams came out victorious. The boys team included: Ricky Howson, Craig Bauman, Micheal Kerr, David Bell, Kevin Gross, coach Graham Yeats, Scott Cronin, Michael Pawich, Troy Chambers, Craig Snell and Phillip Hubbard. Playing for the girls team were: Jane Whitmore, Tamara Bearss, Kim Medd, Krista Lawrie, Lisa Bailey, Karrie McClinchey, Jennifer Roulston, Cathy McDonald, Jennifer Allen, Lisa Watson, Sandra Hessels, Lori Armstrong and Nicole Richmond. The coach for the girls was teacher Betty Battye. It was a full house at Maxine's restaurant in Auburn as seven huge salt trucks were parked in the lot out front at one time. It may have been busy keeping all the costumers fed inside, but at least they brought their own salt. Feb. 21, 1996 Students of Grey Central School in Ethel had the opportunity to go one on one with their parents during the family activity day, which was part of the Families in Motion project happening throughout February. The focus was to get families up and moving. The month of participation wrapped up with an assembly in the school auditorium. Blyth Legion President Gord Haggitt and Blyth Legion Ladies Auxiliary President each presented the village with $2,500 to be used for Memorial Hall. Accepting the donations was Blyth Clerk-Treasurer John Stewart. Members of Majestic WI were busily preparing a quilt, the sale of which was a fundraising project for the Brussels Ark. The Funds will be used for the running of the SAFE (Substance Abuse Free Environment) program. This taught pre-teen and early teen participants how to make wise choices and skills on dealing with outside influences and pressures. Graeme Craig was chosen as the chair for the 1999 International Plowing Match and Farm Machinery Show committee. The event was to be held in Dashwood in September of that year.