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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2000-05-31, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 31,2000. Editorials & Opinions The Citizen Walkerton’s message: take care So much has been written, so much has been said, about the tragedy of the contaminated water at Walkerton that has killed five and injured hundreds, that it’s hard to decide what lesson we can all take away from it. For those of us in rural and small town areas the message seems.to be take the potential of bad water seriously. What seems to be clear in the Walkerton situation, which has now become a huge, nation-wide scandal, is that someone didn’t take the consequences of E.-coli in the town’s water supply seriously. Early evidence seems to point to local officials who tried to fix the problem instead of warning people that the water was contaminated. There seem to have been plenty of warnings that there was bacteria in the water but rather than ask people to boil the water, someone thought it was better to try to solve the problem quietly. That someone in a small Ontario town wouldn’t take the dangers of bacteria seriously isn’t surprising. There are plenty of us who tend to poo-poo the seriousness of things like E.-coli in the water or safety in food preparation and handling. Farmers find it hard to take seriously the concerns of their neighbours over manure because, after all, manure has been around as long as farming “and it never killed anybody before”. We can all recall how our great-grandparents weren't as fanatical about cleanliness as people today and they didn’t die. In rural areas we tend to have a kind of “macho” idea about food and water safety that says only the wimpy people worry about such things. The tough will survive. And in the Walkerton case, the tough among the nearly 1,000 infected people, did survive. Unfortunately some elderly and children were not tough enough. Even some of the infected children who do survive, may have kidney problems for the rest of their lives. We need to take seriously the issues raised by Walkerton's tragedy. It's easy to shuck off' the issue by saying it was the mistake of one man or several people or special circumstances in that one town, but that would be foolish. In this day of antibiotics, we’ve forgotten just how deadly bacteria can be. We need to respect this killer and make sure the decisions we make in our daily lives don’t endanger others. From care in handling manure to care in personal cleanliness to precautions in food handling and preparation, we can all do our part to make the world safer so there won’t be more deaths as happened in Walkerton. — KR New name, same old party The idea of burying the Reform Party in favour of the new Alliance party name was to make the party more acceptable in Ontario, but problems in Tom Long’s campaign for the party leadership seem to prove you can change the name but you can’t change the party. Reform had an image of intolerance in Ontario and party leader Preston Manning felt it would never live down the image so a new party must be formed. But according to The Globe and Mail, some right wing social conservative groups have been attacking Long for not coming out strong enough against abortion or rights for gays. One group’s web site posts the names of people working on the Long campaign that the group claims are homosexuals. It’s a distasteful idea that people must be “exposed”, harkening back to the kind of Communist witch hunts of the McCarthy era in the U.S. when people could be destroyed merely by suggesting they had been, or had associated with, Communists. What is truly frightening is that the Alliance party could, through being the only alternative to the Liberals, someday be the government of this country. In such a scenario these bigots will be running the government, fomenting their poison with the backing of the power of the federal government — and in our name. — KR Letters to the Editor THE EDITOR, This concerns the actions of BMG Rec board and the Brussels Minor Soccer Association. In a recent meeting with the board, Maxine Houston, representing the executive of Brussels soccer, presented concerns about the care of the soccer fields. A fine of $100 to BMSA by the North Perth Soccer Assocaition was imposed last year, due to the field not being cut and cared for prior to a game. Cutting is supposed to be done by the arena manager or an employee of the board. Could the board not have made a motion at their meeting to reimburse the soccer club, or does the soccer club now have to do all the maintenance of these fields too? If so, the board should not be paid their levy by the soccer association. This past weekend, my son and I cut the fields so they would be ready for soccer games starting May 22, as they were not cut. With a 38 inch cut it took 8 1/2 hours, plus trimming. Are we going to have to continue this? The club has decided to purchase the lime and lime the fields themselves. We want the soccer fields to be kept in good condition, for the players, who enjoy soccer and so Brussels Soccer Club will not be fined again. Sincerely, John Gillis Executive Member Brussels Minor Soccer. 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 $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 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 © Copyright We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP) toward our mailing costs. Publications Mail Reg. No. 09244 Canadian Publication Mail Agreement No. 1374990 PO. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. N0M 1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 E-mail norhuron@scsinternet.com xocna <*cna Member of the Ontario Press Council Photo by Pauline BlokRipple effect Looking Back Through the Years May 29, 1974 John Lyndon, the 54-year-old Goderich theatre manager won the Huron-Middlesex Liberal nomin­ ation in the then upcoming federal election. R.G. Shrier, an expert in advertising and promotion was to be the guest speaker as the Blyth Board of Trade held its second quarterly meeting for that year at Memorial Hall Shirley Weary, a 39-year-old Goderich resident won the nomination of the New Democratic Party for the Huron-Middlesex riding in the July 8 federal election. Two Blyth girls, Karen Giousher and Sherry Marshall performed for a charity fundraiser on CKNX. Headliners for the telethon, which raised money for the arthritis society were Paul Henderson, Catherine McKinnon, Don Harron, Bill Walker, Jack Duffy and Dave Broad foot. The Huron District of the Oddfellows and Rebekah Lodges presented an eye testing machine to the Huron County health Unit, valued at $500. Funds were raised by clubs in Clinton, Goderich, Wingham, Exeter, Hensall, Brussels, Brucefield and Seaforth. Jesus Christ Superstar and Joe Kidd starring Clint Eastwood were playing at the Mustang Drive-In in Goderich. At Brownie’s Drive-In Theatre, of Clinton, Roger Moore starred as James Bond 007 in Live and Let Die. May 30, 1990 In a pamphlet to be distributed to taxpayers in Huron County, the Board of Education (HCBE), warned that taxes on education would increase dramatically over the next few years due to circumstances that had often been beyond the board’s control. Westfield-area resident Simon Hallahan had been chosen Citizen of the Year for the Blyth area. The 91- year-old community leader was recognized for his work with the Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association of which he was a founder, and served as secretary. Among his many other volunteer accomplishments Hallahan was also a long-time 4-H leader. Members of Brussels Scouts attended a special weekend in Penetanguishene as the 49th Regiment. The group participated in re-enactments and drills, similar to those that would have taken place in the early 1800s. About 600 Scouts from Canada and the United States were involved in the event which was formerly held at Fort York. A group of 39 purebred swine left Bodmin Ltd. in Morris Twp. destined to add new genetics to a large and sophisticated pig breeding P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. NOG 1H0 Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 operation near Bangkok, Thailand. The new executive of the Blyth Legion Ladies Auxiliary was Ruby Pattison, Brenda Finlayson, Sharon Stadelmann, Helen Lapp, Edythe Giousher, Janice Henry, Kay Hesselwood, Mildred Ament, Lillian Riehl. The Legion executive was Beverley Martin, Keith Lapp, Donna Govier, Donna Dougherty, John Battye, Ralph McCrea, Mary Lou Stewart, Bob Mclnnes, Gordon Haggitt, Dave Overboe, Penny Overboe. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were “Lean, Green and on the Screen,” at the Park Theatre in Goderich. May 31, 1995 A Brussels businesswoman Dorothy Cummings, owner of Barmy Tech, would be featured on Global Television’s Town and Country Ontario. An all-candidates meeting was held at "Central Huron Secondary School to discuss health issues pertaining to the Huron area. First-place winners of the Brussels Public School track and field day were: Drew Thomas, Candice McLellan, Scott Glitz, Jodi Sellers, Ryan Mawhinney, Amy Douma, Jason Boivin and Amanda Van Beek. Crimson Tide played at the Park Theatre.