HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2002-02-20, Page 4et .
MINISTER
FLAHERTY TO MAKE
HOMELESSNESS
A CRIME
SPECIAL POLICE 54
Looking Back Through the Years
PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2002
Editorials
Opinions
Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp
Advertising Manager, Jeannette McNeil
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The Citizen
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Member of the Ontario Press Council Will4raM
THE EDITOR,
The Ontario Conservative
government since its election in
1995 has consistently removed
money from public education. in
only its first year in office, it cut
more than $1.7 billion from
education.
The former Perth and Huron
boards were among the most
financially responsible boards in the
province, trimming programs and
services to the bare minimum
required to meet the needs of the
predominantly rural, community-
based school system.
The government's funding
formula, which was to equalize
funding across the province, is
based on the number of students and
failed to take into account the needs
of communities and the additional
costs incurred by rural Ontario
schools.
Avon Maitland District School
Board Trustee Meg Westley needs to
be commended for her courageous
attempt to make school community
members aware of the immense
discrepancy between what is funded
and what is needed at the local
school level. Trustee Westley
introduced a motion at the board
meeting of Feb. 12 which would
have asked school councils, in
conjunction with school principals,
to prepare a needs-based budget for
each school which would be "used
to create a needs-based budget for
2002-2003, that reflects the actual
needs of Avon Maitland District
School Board students".
The trustees defeated the motion.
The chief reason for voting against
the motion was that it might "create
false expectations by school
councils and parents".
On the contrary, such an exercise
would only have made exquisitely
clear the fundamental problems with
the funding formula and may have
made parents demand that the board
take a firm stand in opposing the
funding formula by filing a deficit
budget, one "that reflects the actual
needs of Avon Maitland District
School Board students" and not the
desires of the Conservative
government.
Sincerely,
Bill Huzar
President, Ontario Secondary
School Teachers' Federation
District 8 Avon Maitland.
Feb 18, 1960
An estimated $30,000 fire
destroyed the building, stock and
equipment of the Rutledge Dry
Good Store and the above
apartments. It damaged adjoining
building and at times threatened to
engulf the entire business block.
Mr. and Mrs. Rutledge and their
nine-year-old son Terry escaped
from the upstairs apartment with
only the clothes they were wearing
when the alarm was raised by
Louise Smith, who had seen the
flames in the store's interior.
When Mr. Rutledge locked the
store to go upstairs for the noon
meal there was no indication of
anything amiss. The couple's 16-
year-old son, Brian was at school in
Wingham.
The New American Hotel and the
Brussels Home Furnishing Store
both narrowly escaped destruction
and suffered heavy water and smoke
damage. Bystanders pitched in and
aided Jim Edgar in removing much
of the stock from the, store and
articles from the threatened portion
of Mrs. Baker's hotel.
W. L. Baeker, PPDGM received
his 50-year jewel for faithful service
to St. John's Lodge AF and AM.
The North Huron Junior Farmers,
twice winners of the county trophy,
presented their drama festival entry,
The Pink Dress, at Brussels Town
Hall. The cast was: Mr. Willard
played by Jim Bowman; Cora,
Sheila Black; policeman, Harry
Brydges; Mrs. Willard, Ruth
Procter; Miss Dennis, Bessie
Johnston; director, Mr. R.W.
Kennedy.
A 48-oz tin of Stokley's tomato
juice sold for 27 cents at Stop 'N'
Shop. Kraft Cheese Whiz was 61
cents.
Feb. 18, 1987
Blyth council voted to ask
Canadian Pacific Rail for more
clarification of its claims that the
Goderich to Guelph line was losing
money and the railway should be
alloWed to close it.
• - After months of reading hundreds
of 'submitted scripts Katherine
Kaszas, Blyth Festival's artistic
director had chosen four plays to
premier that season: Girls in the
Gang, by John Roby and Raymond
Storey; Bordertown Cafe, by Kelly
Rebar; Miss Balmoral of the
Bayview, by Colleen Curran and
Bush Fire, by Laurie Fyfe. Also
returning was Another Season's
Promise by Anne"Chislett and Keith
Roulston.
The news blackout imposed on
contract talks between the Huron
County Board of Education, its 350
elementary teachers and a provicinal
mediator was still in effect. Wages
was only one of the items on the
bargaining table in the ongoing
dispute.
The teachers were seeking a salary
grid increase of six per cent which
would bring the top salary for an
elementary teacher to $48,124,
while the board was offering a two-
year package which would bring the
top salary to $47,436 by the end of
the year.
Blyth Horticultural Society
officers were: Vera Hesselwood,
Harvey McDowell, Alma Madill,
Susan Howson, John Hesselwood,
Betsy Allan, Dan McInnes, Mary
Walden, George Harrower, Hary
McCallum, Marjory Earl, John and
Reta Blake, Sheron Stadelmann.
Mrs. and Mrs. Arnold Egli of
RR3, Walton were the winners of
the Huron County Pork Producers
Index Competition in the 1,000 and
over category, with an index of
106.8.
Tamara Bearss was the advanced
division champion in the Knights of
Columbus basketball shoot-off,
taking home the regional winner's
trophy.
Ross Stephenson of RR1, Ethel
was honoured with the presentation
of the national exemplary service
award by MP Murray Cardiff in
recognition of his 31 years with the
Grey Twp, Fire Brigade.
Feb. 19, 1992
Ross Stephenson was presented
with a plaque for 35 years of
dedication and service to the fire
department.
After the past few years when just
getting enough snow to hold a
snowmobile rally was a problem
there were no worries for this year's
event.
At the annual innovative design
awards program in London, Blyth
Memorial Community Hall's capital
building project was awarded first
prize for architectural design of
excellencd.
Feb. 18, 1998
Raymond Verburg and Dan
Baarda volunteered to have their
heads shaved by the highest bidder
as a fundraiser for 12 youths from
Blyth Christian Reformed Church.
The youths were participating in
SERVE, a Youth Unlimited project,
which would send them to
communities in Wisconsin, Iowa,
Washington, D.C. and Ontario to
provide help where needed.
The Clinton hospital opened an
ophthalmology service.
Lillian Moses won $151,880 in
the Lotto 649 draw.
Cheryl Armstrong received third
place at the zone level for her
Remembrance Day essay. Other
Brussels Branch winners were Joel
Hemingway, Samantha Thomas,
Cory Chapman, Catherine Rushton,
Jill Johnston, Zach Horne, Jessy
Longlade, Shayna Park-Shaw, Matt
Kroll and Joe Oliver.
Vigilance or vigilante justice?
Canada and other U.S. allies are in a tough spot as U.S. President
George W. Bush steps up the pressure to take on the "axis of evil" in Iraq,
Iran and North Korea. While they want to support the U.S. after the Sept.
11 terrorist attacks, they don't want to become part of a vigilante justice
mob in which the U.S. alone determines what's good and evil in the world.
At thiS point the Canadian government has taken the proper tone, not
saying it won't support the U.S. as it increases the pressure to attack Iraq,
but saying it wants the U.S. to show proof of its claims that Iraq is part of
the terrorist threat that killed more than 3,000 in September.
President Bush hasn't made it easy for his allies with his "you're either
with us or against us" stance with vague threats that America will look
after it's interests, perhaps including retaliation in other areas like trade.
But must support for the U.S. include signing a blank cheque which means
we just go along with every adventure they want to undertake? That seems
to be the position of the Canadian Alliance, which says the government
has gone soft on terrorism.
But for many others, there's the uneasy Peeling that George W. wants to
finish the business his father George Sr. started when he led a coalition of
Nato allies to drive Iraq out of Kuwait a.decade ago, but stopped short of
deposing Saddam Hussein. The U.S. and allies like Britain seem to have
regretted not finishing the job ever since. There's no doubt that Hussein is
not a good man, even to his own people, but if there's evidence that he's a
threat to people elsewhere in the world, it needs to be shown.
Canada is saying this is a job for the United Nations. The U.S., like those
who are impatient with the slow movement of our own justice system,
doesn't want to leave it to an international court of opinion like the UN. It
wants to take action when it wants to take action.
The U.S. has a point in that things happen faster when they do it
themselves. Certainly the Americans ended the evil rule of the Taliban far
faster than a UN force could have, even if the UN had got around to
agreeing to do something. Still, vigilante justice in the old west was swift
too — it's just that in their haste for justice, sometimes the mob hanged
the wrong man. — KR
Expanding their power
Canada's provincial premiers constantly complain about the federal
government interfering in their business but last week's astounding goings
on in Moscow show they like to take over federal responsibilities too.
In the middle of a news conference in which Prime Minister Chretien was
asked about the Kyoto Accord on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, Alberta
Premier Ralph Klein took over the microphone to read a letter signed by nine
premiers denouncing the government's plans. He hadn't revealed the letter in
the four days the men had travelled together.
Apart from being incredibly bad manners, Klein's stunt on an international
stage steps way beyond the power of premiers. One of the few areas the
provinces agree the federal government has authority is on the international
stage — at least until they want to take over that power too. — KR
Letters to the Editor