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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2000-02-09, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2000. C itizenTheNorthHuron Aocna ^►CNA P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. NOM 1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. NOG 1H0 Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Advertising Manager, Jeannette McNeil Member Ontario Prose Council E-mail norhuron@scslnternet.com 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 $100/year in other foreign coun­ tries. 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 © Copyright. Publications Mail Registration No. 09244 Canadian Publication Mail Agreement No. 1374990 Editorial ■ ::zz'zzzz~] misunderstanding between Goderich Lack of co-operation costly The inability of Huron County municipalities to come to an agreement on county-wide policing cost Huron County taxpayers nearly $1 million last year. Continued conflict could cost another $1 million this year. The stalemate, which resulted in the county repealing its bylaw which made policing a county responsibility, arose over the botched effort to let Wingham continue to have its own police force while the rest of the county realized the savings of county-wide policing. Of greater long-term concern, however, is the canyon of and the rest of Huron that could have lasting repercussions for trying to build co-operation in the county. From the beginning, Goderich council felt that policing should be shared across the county on the basis of property assessment rather than based on the level of service a municipality required. Policing should be just like, libraries or old age homes, Goderich argued. It joined Wingham’s court challenge to the county’s bylaw to prove the point. One can see the logic in Goderich’s argument but one can also see why rural municipalities didn’t see the argument the same way. The only reason they were contemplating shared policing was because they’d been hit with a charge for OPP policing. At $90 a household policing suddenly became a major cost, especially when rural councillors didn’t feel they were getting their money’s worth. Goderich’s plan, however, would make $90 a household look cheap by comparison. Grey Twp., for instance, would see the cost of policing go from $1 10,000 under the $90 per household charge, to $164,000. Goderich, on the other hand, would see policing drop from the cost of its current contract, $1.26 million, to just $850,000, a saving of 33 per cent. Goderich would, of course, expect to continue to receive the same level of service such as foot patrols on The Square. If police suddenly disappeared to patrol the concessions of Grey Twp. no doubt Goderich would not be happy. Ironically the taxpayers of Goderich, just like everyone else, are paying the price for county wide policing not going through in 1999. Goderich would have saved $141,000 through a county-wide contract based on level of service. That saving has been lost as has the rest of the savings municipalities would have reached under county-wide policing. Now that the county has renounced its plans to making policing a county responsibility (pending the results of the court challenge) there are still opportunities for savings by municipalities grouping together to sign a joint contract with the OPP. Such a move will, however, require a greater sense of co-operation than has been manifest of late. — KR Without a backbone Small businesses, including farms, are the backbone of their communities, according to rural sociologist Tom Lyson of Cornell University in New York state. If Lyson is right, Canada’s governments seem ready to see if rural communities can exist without a backbone. In a study of U.S. census data, Lyson found communities depending on smaller, locally-owned businesses were better off economically than those depending on large businesses owned by out-of-town interests. Not only are local business owners more committed to their community, its schools, hospitals, and service clubs, but so are their employees. And so Lyson is involved in Farming Alternatives: Cornell University’s Agriculture and Development and Diversification Program. As well as promoting U-pick farms, farmers markets, agritourism and fresh produce stalls at service centres on the New York State Thruway, Lyson sees a need for developing unique, regionally identified products. He notes that since the Farm Family Winery Act was passed in 1975, New York State now has 100 wineries. Why not a similar program for cheese factories, he wonders? Lyson says cheese factories put six times as much money into the local economy as production of milk alone. Federal and provincial governments in Canada obviously believe in a different philosophy. Nearly all initiatives from recovery of food inspection costs to support to multinational companies promotion biotechnology, have been designed for big corporations, not small ones. Tougher laws hurt everything from the sale of ungraded eggs in farmers’ markets to the viability of local abattoirs. Such rules concentrate food processing in large city plants, far from the countryside. A rural diversity plan like Lyson promotes would be impossible with out a reversal of the current government attitude in Canada. — KR Photo by Janice Becker Looking Back Through the Years From the files of the Blyth Standard, Brussels Post and North Huron Citizen Feb. 5,1975 The great dump debate between members of the Blyth and Hullett council and representatives of the Ministry of the Environment seemed to have ended in a draw. Jo Anne Snell of Londesboro was crowned Queen of the Clinton Winter Carnival. She was one of eight girls vying for the title. Blyth village councillors voted themselves a raise at the regular meeting. If that meeting was any indication of what was ahead, how­ ever, the pay raise wasn’t likely to meet minimum wage requirements, as the meeting dragged on until midnight. Huron County council approved a 1975 roads budget of $2,536,000, a 23.8 per cent increase over the 1974 budget. Feb. 7, 1990 While debate still raged at Huron County council on the future of the Huronview redevelopment project, Brussels council put the last piece in place for the legal work for building Huronview North at the edge of the village’s southerly lim­ its After a year of unravelling the elaborate scheme that almost let Klaus Henschel, former owner of Brussels Stockyards, off with $790,000, Judge R. G. E. Hunter sentenced Henschel to 18 months in jail on a temporary absence permit. The Huron County Board of Education trustees decided they would monitor the teaching of reli­ gious education in the county’s public elementary schools follow­ ing the recent ruling by the Ontario Court of Appeal. Feb. 8,1995 Over 100 Hullett Twp. residents attended the Hullett council meet­ ing to express their opinions and to hear the council’s decision on the- controversial municipal coun- cil/administration building. Dr. Maarten Bokhout, medical officer of health for Huron County donned a Captain Active suit and participated with staff and students at Brussels Public School in the finale of the month-long Families in Motion program. The Western Junior C League held its annual awards banquet in Wingham and the Brussels Bulls came home with the most presti­ gious award. Fifth-year Bull Greg McNevan won the Most Valuable Player award. Many from the Walton communi­ ty gathered in an effort to resusci­ tate the failing Walton Hall, brain­ storming and discussing the options which were available. Winners of the Royal Canadian Legion contest received their awards and certificates at Blyth Legion from Zone Chairman Len Stilling. Melissa Snell won second for her black and white poster. Tammy Walker who won first for her intermediate black and white poster also won third for the inter­ mediate poem and first at the dis­ trict level for her poster and Matt Anderson won third place for the junior colour poster. The district of Eastern Canada of Motormaids Inc. met at the Brussels home of Sandra Clark for their 15th annual meeting. Membership internationally is 400, while in Canada there are 36.