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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2000-08-16, Page 4PAGE 4, THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2000 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 $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 The Citizen PO. 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 E-mail norhuron@scsinternet.com jpcna ^cna Member of the Ontario Press Council Easier decreed than done On the surface, last week’s announcement by the provincial government about tougher regulations to protect drinking water is a good thing, but for municipalities who will be forced to spend to upgrade their water treatment systems figuring out how to pay for the improvements may be a headache. In making the announcement, Premier Harris said the province may be making the rules but it’s up to the municipalities to find the money to make the changes. The problem for municipalities is that they’ve been undergoing tremendous turmoil in recent years and it’s difficult to know just how much financial flexibility they have. First came the forced downloading of services such as roads and ambulances from the provincial government. For a long time there was fear on the part of municipal officials that the cost of these programs wouldn’t be matched by the fact the province was taking over all funding of education. With some short-term provincial funding the switch has more or less worked out, but municipal officials are still getting comfortable with the new arrangement and wondering how long short­ term provincial grants will continue. After that uncertainty comes municipal amalgamation and a whole new reality to deal with. Again these changes were made under threat from the provincial government and leave municipal officials struggling to understand just how all the financial ramifications of uniting various municipalities will work out. It's easy for Premier Harris to look like a man of action by declaring new edicts from on high. It's much more difficult for the mere mortals w ho run municipalities to make his new world work the way he envisions it. — KR Leaving the past behind This week’s controversy over anti-Maritimer statements by a highly- placed Alliance Party adviser shows the difficulty party leader Stockwell Day has in trying to keep past support while winning new converts. The Alliance’s core of success is based on the old Reform Party stronghold of western Canada, particularly Alberta. The party grew there because of a regional sense of grievance and moral superiority about the “old world” of the east. Like many “self-made” people, Albertans in particular feel they are deserving of their own success and not valued enough by the rest of the country. Like many “self-made” people, they feel that others less fortunate could be just as successful if they’d just get off their duffs and work hard or, in the case of Maritimers, move to where there are opportunities, like Alberta. That kind of thinking is fine in building a regional protest party. The problem comes when the party wants to move outside that regional base to become a national party. How do you keep your angry regional supporters wh’le at the same time appealing for the support of the very people your frustration has been directed against for years. It has been galling to many Reform diehards, and now to many Alliance supporters, to have their hope for forming a government depend on Ontario support, when much of the original impetus of the party was anger against Ontario. And as for the Maritimes — well that’s a world, with its reliance on government programs, that’s hard to fathom at all. If Day is successful in breaking out of the west and winning support in Ontario or even the Maritimes, the compromises he’s likely to have to make may lead to a new western protest party to voice the kind of angry opinions a national party can’t hold if it wants to get elected. —KR Letters to the Editor Sunning themselves Photo by Janice Becker Looking Back Through the Years THE EDITOR, The Ashfield-Colborne- Wawanosh Transition board is concerned that the substance of the mail-in voting issue has been lost in the rhetoric that has taken place in recent months. The issue has been concluded but the board wishes the public to know the basis of its position. Prior to making application to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing for approval of the amalgamation of the three townships of Ashfield, Colborne and West Wawanosh, two sets of negotiations took place, first between Ashfield and West Wawanosh, and then between the three townships. The first set of talks determined that Ashfield would be responsible for the 2000 election, but the issue ol the type of election was not raised at either of the negotiations. At the time there was no suggestion from any quarter that the election would be anything other than a conventional election. When faced with the proposal to implement a vote-by-mail election the councils of the townships of Colborne and West Wawanosh voted unanimously against the proposal, as did the six members ol the transition board (two of whom, of course, are members of Ashfield council.) In spite of the resolutions of the two municipalities and the transition board, three members of Ashfield council persisted in forcing the passage of a bylaw to implement mail-in ballots for the 2(X)0 election. The opposition to mail-in voting is based on a number of points. Firstly, the principle wherein Ashfield chose to raise the issue only after it had been given responsibility for Continued on page 5 Aug. 6, 1950 A 1/2 lb. package of Bacon cost 36 cents at Grewar’s Grocerteria. Brussels Public School Board decided at a meeting that the rates for teaching pupils from families living outside the Village of Brussels, were to be: $25 for one pupil, $45 for two, $65 for three and $75 for four. Aug. 3, 1975 Barring last minute changes, Blyth was to be getting a mechanical sewage treatment plant rather than a lagoon system. The cost of graves at Blyth Union Cemetery was raised to $60 with the charge for opening the grave being $75 and the mausoleum charge remaining at $15. A close vote was held at the August meeting of Blyth council on the matter of liquor in the village. The matter first came before council when Don Scrimgeour and G. Griffiths appeared representing a group of Blyth businessmen who were in favour of the establishment of a combination beer and liquor store in the village. The vote in favour of investigating the acquisition of the liquor store for the village was carried two to one. James Roy, artistic director of the first Blyth Summer Festival expressed his gratitude to the people to Blyth for helping to make it the success it was. Aug. 5, 1990 Loma Fraser was sworn in as a Blyth councillor to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Ken Brown. It took two ballots before Jim Fitzgerald was named Liberal candidate for Huron in the provincial election. A gymnasium full of Tory supporters stood and applauded as Ken Campbell was chosen to lead the Huron Progressive Conservative (PC) Party in the provincial election. Robert Hunking, RR1, Auburn and Debbie Craig, RR2, Blyth hosted Pam Buckle of Somerset England and Lynette Young of Port Pirie, South Australia as part of the international exchange program for young farmer's clubs. August 16, 1995 Two incidents of vandalism were reported in Blyth. A resident who lived next to Trinity Anglican Church noticed graffiti painted on the north and west side of the building, which was anti-religious in nature. Union Gas released a statement regarding the safety of their lines when TransCanada Pipelines Ltd.'s natural gas lines burst. The fourth annual TransCan National Motocross Championships was once again going to the Lee farm outside of Walton. Problems were caused by the high humidity and rainfall “grossly over” the average. Rev. Ian Diamond and his family came to Blyth United Church through an exchange program. The Diamonds traded places with Rev. Stephen Huntley and his family who assumed the position of pastor in the parish at Bowral, Australia. Brian Machan, a graduating senior from Central Huron Secondary School and son of Robert and Teresa Machan of Blyth, received the 1995 Devey Institute half-tuition scholarship. Two men were charged in relation to a July 26 break-in at The Old Mill. Thirty leather jackets valued at $4,000 were recovered. Police continued the investigation in the hopes of finding the remaining 60- 70 coats.