HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2001-06-13, Page 4Looking Back Through the Years
PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2001
Editorials
Opinions
Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp
Advertising Manager, Jeannette McNeil
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The Citizen
P.O. Box 429, P.O. Box 152,
BLYTH, Ont. . BRUSSELS, Ont.
NOM I HO NOG I HO
Phone 523-4792 Phone 887-9114
FAX 523-9140 FAX 887-9021
E-mail norhuron@scsinternet.com
Website www.northhuron.on.ca
ocna ENA „-&
Member of the Ontario Press Council 111M6I10-°''
THE EDITOR
As fire marshal of Ontario I'm
disturbed by the number of deadly
fires involving young children. I
appeal to parents and caregivers to
make sure their children do not have
access to matches and lighters.
Children are naturally curious
about fire. Most of the time they do
not realize the consequences of their
actions. In fact, children are often the
victims of the fires they start.
When young children set fires that
get out of control, they often become
afraid of what they have done and try
to hide in a closet or under the bed,
instead of escaping to safety. That's
why it is critical that parents and
caregivers keep matches and lighters
out of the sight and reach of
children.
All homes should have working
smoke alarms bn\ every level and
outside all sleeping areas. Everyone
should know what to do and where
to go when the smoke alarin sounds.
The most important thing you can do
is to make sure a fire doesn't happen
in the first place, and to ensure that
your children don't have access to
matches or lighters. If you smoke,
you should have only one lighter so
you can keep track of it at all times.
So far this year in Ontario, 10
children have lost their lives in tires,
including two young brothers who
died in a house fire recently in
Toronto. During 1995-1999, a total
of 84 children died in fires in
Ontario. There were 1,462 fires
caused by children aged 11 or under
playing with items such as matches
and lighters, resulting in 181 injuries
and 21 deaths.
Most Ontario communities have
intervention programs to help young
people involved in tire play or tire
setting. The most popular program,
TAPP-C, is supported by the Office
of the Fire Marshal, Toronto Fire
Services and the Centre for
Addiction and Mental Health. If you
have concerns about your child and
his or her interest in fire, call your
local fire department for
information.
Bernard Moyle
Ontario Fire Marshal
June 14, 1950
Brussels Legion was planning a
soap box derby for Sports Day.
Contestants, the news report said,
"must consist of a boy and a girl and
must be under 14 years of age"
Two new chest clinics were
starting in Huron County through the
health unit. At Clinton hospital
where the tuberculosis association
helped finance a new x-ray machine,
the service was provided every
month. In Exeter, where no hospital
facilities were available the clinic
was to be held at a local church.
Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town was
playing at the Capitol Theatre in
Listowel.
The Blyth and Brussels Lions
Club Boys and Girls Bands Monster
Band Tattoo was to be held in the
Brussels Agricultural Park.
Participating bands were the London
All Girls Band, Banockburn Pipe
Band, 1st Div. RCASC Band of
London, Hanover High School Girls
Trumpet Band, Blyth Lions Club
Boys and Girls Band and the
Brussels Lions Club Boys and Girls
Band.
Mr. and Mrs. David Hastings were
hosting the Ladies' Auxiliary Garden
Party.
Men's gabardine and satin summer
sports jackets were on sale for
Father's Day at The Arcade Store
from $7.95 up.
June was beauty month at F.R.
Smith Rexall Drug Store. A DeLuxe
home permanent refill kit cost $1.95
while Revlon's new Sunny Side Up
lip stick was 65 cents.
June 11, 1986
A delayed decision by Huron
County council as to whether
$250,000 should be set aside
annually for three years in order to
renovate Huronview resulted in a
loss of provincial funding.
The new Brussels, Morris and
Grey community pool opened._ and
despite abnormally cool weather
local youngsters were anxious to get
in the swim.
Karen knight, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs, Jim Knight was preparing for a
summer in Switzerland as part of the
Lions youth exchange.
Radford's had its grand opening in
Brussels.
Hullett taxes jumped 4.7 per
cent.
IIn that there was very
n
little for boys ages five to seven to
do in Brussels the local Cubs held an
information night with • regards to
forming a Beaver Colony.
Ross Stephenson, RRI, Ethel was
honoured with a medallion for 30
years of service as a Grey Twp.
firefighter. The presentation was at
the Ontario Fire Marshall's office at
the Gildwood Inn, Sarnia.
The Brussels Cubs won the
general proficiency award at the
Saugeen West District Cub
Camp.
Blyth Festival ticket sales were up
20 per cent from the previous year
and 100 per cent from two years
, earlier.
West Wawanosh council gave
$1,500 to the Auburn Community
Hall board to -assist with necessary
changes to the water system.
June 12, 1991
Some 400 pigs were lost in a barn
fire at Lot 8, North Half, Conc. 6 in
Morris Twp.
Ted Johns' latest play The Two
Brothers opened the Blyth Festival's
17th season. In its ninth week of
sales 40 per cent of the season was
sold.
The art gallery at Memorial Hall
was officially renamed the Bainton
Art Gallery.
Gordon Daer was installed as the
new president of the Auburn Lions
Club.
Work began on a new soccer field
for Blyth.
June 12, 1996
Wingham's medical community
received a shot in the arm when Dr.
Greg Antoniadis confirmed that he
was coming to Wingham to take
over the medical practice of Dr.
Peter Long.
Farmers with winter wheat were
facing difficulties, primarily because
of "backward spring weather
conditions."
A barn blaze at South Half of Lot
17, Conc. 7 in Morris resulted in a
complete loss.
The new Blyth Legion executive
was John Battye, Dwight Chalmers,
Sam Dougherty, Alex Blair, Kathy
Bromley, John Stewart, Susan
Haggitt, Brad Montgomery, Ralph
McCrea, Gord Haggitt and Bob
McInnes.
Five new Belgrave Pathfinders
were Candace Procter, Amanda
Palmer, Laura Meier. Chrissy
Adams and Heather Black:
A $1,200 donation from the
Brussels Optimists enabled the
purchase of new equipment for
soccer as well as team shirts.
Maegan Reinhart and Kim
Veenstra of Hullett Central Public
School received recognition for their
strong showing at a regional spelling
bee in Clinton.
Blyth Ladies Auxiliary exec -Was
Connie Schiell, Edythe Glousher,
Shirley East, Connie Bromley. Betty
Bowes, Kay Hessel wood. Val
Pethick, Deb Stryker, Brenda
Finlayson, Janice Henry, Mildred
AMent, Susan Hubbard. Erlene
Caldwell-
Short-term tax savings
As the Mike Harris government celebrates its sixth anniversary, if there
i§` one area where its policies have failed it's education.
Harris has received support from the voting public because many parents
agreed with his diagnosis that something was wrong with the school
system. Given the depth of that feeling, people were ready to stick with the
government when it decided it needed radical surgery, even if some of the
tactics like teacher-bashing were not supported.
The problem is the government has tried to change the system by remote
control. It wanted to recapture the system from teachers unions it felt were
too powerful but instead of actually legislating against the unions, it tried
to starve school boards into reining in unions.
This battle of attrition, however, is leaving innocent victims. While the
government tries to cut costs in the short term, the consequences may cause
long-term pain for short-term gain for taxpayers. Students who don't
achieve their potential will be liabilities to the economy for a long time.
In the Kitchener-Waterloo area, for instance, the school board, strapped
for cash, is looking at closing down two schools for students with special
needs. These are students who weren't functioning well in a regular school
setting. They were alienated and skipping school before they were referred
to the two small, intensively administered schools.
Here, with special focus by teachers in small classes, many of them
blossomed. The schools taught both academics and the skills needed to
cope in life. Students who might have dropped out of school instead were
getting good marks and looking forward to going on to post-secondary
education. Faced with the possibility their schools might close, many of the
students worried about their futures if they were put back into the regular
education factories schools have become in the name of efficiency.
But what is efficiency in education: the number of students churned out
per dollar of tax money spent, or the ability of the system to help each
student become an economic asset rather than a liability? If, in our efforts
to save money, we lose students like those in these schools to the welfare
rolls, if they stay on assistance or, at best hold down low-paying jobs
instead of getting post-secondary education or training, then the ongoing
loss of tax income for the province will dwarf the savings of today.
Harris wants us to adopt old-fashioned values. Perhaps those in charge of
the education system should remember the old fashioned saying that "a
stitch in time, saves nine." It works with tax dollars too. — KR
In the name of peace
Alliance Party MP Rob Anders caused a storm last week when he refused
to give unanimous consent to a motion to-confer honorary Canadian
citizenship on former South African leader Nelson Mandela.
Anders claimed Mandela was a terrorist and a Communist and there is
some truth in at least the former claim. Mandela did support violence
against the govertmeLit that tried to enforce apartheid. But how else was
evil to be overthrown if-no violence was used?
Last week a veteran was talking on CBC radio about his visits to schools
to teach children about World War II. On his very first day a young child
accused him of being a murderer. It's a sad -thing but sometimes the evil of
violence is the only weapon available to overcome greater evil. — KR
Letters to the Editor