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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2002-02-13, Page 4t455roLoN anthnesp@wincOrn.net ALL RIGHT, YOU GUYS, FORM A LINE RIGHT HERE. WE'RE ABOUT TO SWITCH TO OUR DESERT CAMOUFLAGE UNIFORMS. 11111110MOINUMINOI1111111MOMmilln1111•00101 Looking Back Through the Years Letters Polk The Citizen welcomes letters to the editor. etters must be signed and should include a daytime lephone number for the purpose of verificatio only: tters that are not signed will not be printed. Submissions may be edited for length, clarity and ntent, using fair comment as our guideline, The Citizen serves the right to refuse any letter on the basis of unfair bias, prejudice or inaccurate information. As well, letters can only be printed as space allows. Please keep your Letters brief and concise. PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2002 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 ($26.17 + $1.83 G.S.T.) in Canada; S80.00/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:- Blyth. We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are m 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. 09244 Canadian Publication Mail Agreement No. 40050141 The Citizen P.O. Box 429, P.O. Box 152, BLYTH, Ont. BRUSSELS, Ont. NOM 1H0 NOG 1H0 Phone 523-4792 Phone 887-9114 FAX 523-9140 FAX 887-9021 E-mail norhuronOscsinternet.com Website www.northhuron,on.ca ,,,ante ocna C +CNA s9 Member of the Ontario Press Council III!M1 The value of health care While there's a temptation in places like Blyth and Brussels to watch with bemusement the battle over the location of a hospital to serve Goderich and Clinton, there are also lessons to be learned to the future of our own communities. As far as the boards of the Clinton and Goderich hospitals were concerned, it was all decided. They'd purchased a site near Benmiller and planned to build a new regional hospital that would be bigger and better than either of the current hospitals and would hopefully attract more health care professionals. But while politicians in Clinton can see the practicality of the proposal, Goderich council has been battling it every step of the way, even though the new hospital will be considerably closer to Goderich than to Clinton. Goderich wants a combined hospital on the edge of the town or it doesn't want a combined hospital at all. It would rather have a new, smaller hospital to serve only Goderich , than to have a bigger hospital a few miles outside of town. While those of us in Huron's villages have had to accept long ago, that we couldn't have our own hospitals, and while there's a temptation to think that Goderich is spoiled and just thinks it should automatically have everything, the fears of the Goderich town fathers are understandable. Medical care is becoming an essential selling point for municipalities looking to attract business and industry — and even just homeowners. Goderich officials recognize that the perception that no hospital in their town will stand in the way of some of the long term economic goals. In his book Boom, Bust and Echo, David K. Foote, for instance, says there's a potential for rural communities to attract baby boomers as they seek a quieter life in retirement, but only if the community can offer good medical care. Blyth and Brussels are already suffering from that kind of perception. Even before the Seaforth Medical Clinic pulled out of the two villages in December, some elderly residents and farmers retiring from the nearby countryside had been moving to larger centres where they'd be near doctors and hospitals.. If our communities are to stay vibrant people must come together to solve this problem. Though it's difficult to attract doctors to any small town, perhaps there's some way of using the nurse practitioners to provide an ongoing medical presence. Whatever the possible solution, we must try to find one. If even Goderich is worried about the loss of medical services, our villages need to take the matter seriously and take action. — KR What about country kids? There's been much discussion, lately, about the cost of post secondary school education. Whether tuition is high or not depends on who you are and where you live. If you live in Toronto or Kitchener, with several choices of schools to go to, you can live at home. At $4,000 a year, tuition is expensive but you needn't come out of school too deeply in debt. For rural students, however, there's no such choice. They must go off to a city and set up a second household with all the costs involved. Tuition then becomes a small part of the debt burden they'll assume when they graduate. While it might be possible to get a summer job thatmill pay the bulk of tuition fees, there's no way they can earn enough money in four months to pay for tuition and eight months' living expenses. Likewise if students do graduate with a heavy debt burden, city graduates can, though probably reluctantly, live with their parents while getting jobs in their field of expertise. Graduates from rural areas, unless they studied something like agriculture, aren't likely to find work in their chosen field and still live at home. Those kinds of jobs just don't exist in small towns. The danger is that rural students will think twice about getting a college or university education. The low tuition fee system we built in the 1960s and 1970s helped people from all classes go on to get a higher education. Our country has prospered because we didn't put barriers in the way of people with bright minds achieving their potential. We all lose if bright people don't reach their potential. — KR Feb 11,1960 An ad headlined "Polio threatens in 1960" urged anyone under the age, - of 45, who had not already obtained polio protection to see their doctor about immunization. Public health clinics for anyone who did not have a physician were open in Wingham and Seaforth. The East Huron Agricultural Society was busily preparing for the Centennial Year of the society, which would occur in 1961. The committee was composed of fair board president, Clem Steffler; Richard Procter; ladies' division president, Mrs. Earl Cudmore; Mrs. J. Lowe and secretary-treasurer, James Mair. Officers for the St. Ambrose Altar Society were: president, Mrs. Gerald Ryan; vice-president, Mrs. Lawrence Ryan; secretary, Mrs. Leo Deitner; treasurer, Mrs. F. Connelly. The retiring president was Mrs. Gordon Blake. Danny Kaye and Barbara Bel Geddes appeared in The Five Pennies playing at the Lyceum Theatre in Wingham. Winterweight men's shirts were selling for $2.47 at Wood's. Feb. 12, 1986 Huron County council took its first step toward the dissolution of the library board. A recommendation was made to have a Private Members Bill introduced in Queen's Park which would see council as the new board. The levy of the Blyth and District Fire Area board was to rise 10 per cent. The increase in Blyth would see the cost of fire protection jump from $5,130 to $5,700. The budget was allowing about $10,000 extra in working funds for the department as in the previous few years, the board had been so short of money it had held up payment of firefighters' salaries until part of the next year's levy had been paid. - Kevin Wheeler of Brussels and his partner Michelle Menzies competed at the Canadian Figure Skating championships in North Bay. The pair were fourth after the compulsory program and pulled into third after a superb performance in their four-minute program. The report stated, "They weren't expected to be in the medals as was made obvious by the fact that CTV didn't even tape their programs." There was to be a bigger presence in downtown Blyth of the Huron Pioneer Thresher Reunion as part of the 25th anniversary, council decided. In previous years council had helped pay the cost of the band for the short parade, however, because of the significance of this year's event it was felt more should be done. It was suggested that artifacts be moved downtown, prizes be awarded for the parade, and Reeve Albert Wasson pledge co- operation on council's behalf in anyway possible. Blyth Legion honoured four members: Russ Wilson, the only surviving World War I veteran and Tom Thompson, Clare Vincent and Bill Riehl as life members. Blyth Lions members received attendance pins: John Stewart, 10 years; Gord Jenkins, 15 years and Harold Cook, 20 years. Former Chicago Blackhawk Bill White was in Blyth to coach local youngsters under the Fundamentals in Action program. Feb. 12, 1992 Nobody could ever come much closer to being elected leader of his party and not make it, than Murray Elston did. The Morris native led balloting to become-the leader of the Ontario Liberals on the first ballot then fell behind and finally rallied on the fifth ballot by only nine votes. Members of Blyth Christian Reformed Church congregation bid farewell to Dr. Warren Lammers and his family, who accepted a call in Platte, South Dakota. A former United Church minister at Bluevale and Whitechurch, Rev, Wilena Brown gained new recognition as an author. Miss Brown wrote Rays of Dawn: Locating Hope in the Rural Situation, drawing upon her experiences in the rural ministers she had served. A study done by the Canada Council reported that Blyth Festival pumps $2 million into the local economy. Feb. 11, 1998 A group of 20 concerned parents and educators formed the Huron Coalition for Quality Education to continue to oppose recent actions of the provincial government, particularly with regards to the passing of Bill 160. The possibility of a regional North Huron police force was facing. East Wawanosh council agreed to continue with OPP, leaving Morris Twp. as the last link for the force to serve Blyth or other municipalities in the south. A former Brussels resident was appointed assistance deputy minister of the Agriculture and Rural Division of OMAFRA. Jim Wheeler of Guelph had been a civil servant with the Ministry for over 20 years. A son of Lloyd and Helen Wheeler, he had been raised in Grey Twp., was educated at Brussels Public School and F.E. Madill Secondary School. He started work with OMAF following graduation from the University of Guelph.