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The Citizen, 2000-10-18, Page 4PAGE 4, THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2000 Editorials & Opinions Ethics vs. the bottom line Canadian farmers and Canadian Olympic athletes may not seem to have much in common but both are victims of a clash between the principle of fairness and a bottom-line mentality that makes ethics a joke. This week Canadian kayaker Caroline Brunet learned that the Italian competitor who upset her at the Olympics to win the gold medal, had tested for many times the normal level of human growth hormone before the Olympics began. The Italian Olympic Committee, however, ignored the test and sent her anyway. Similarly, U.S. officials have reportedly ignored failures of drug tests dating back to the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Those were the games when Canadian gold medal winner Ben Johnson was caught cheating and Canada vowed to have the cleanest athletic program around. Apparently, however, the bottom line of winning matters mere to other countries. Canadian farmers are caught in the same situation in international trade, but the stakes are much higher than gold medals. The future of Canada as an agricultural nation may be at stake. At the time of the free trade debates the line proponents often spouted was “We don't want free trade, we want fair trade”. Well as farmers have found out we do have free trade but we don’t have fair trade. Canada, naively, went along with the free trade ideals, using them as an excuse to cut farmer programs. The U.S. talked free trade, but used the power of its government treasury to drive down prices and capture world markets. So we have Canadian farmers getting low world prices with little government help while American farmers get $65 an acre more in support. Like the Olympic athletes, we can't afford to force our farmers to play by one set of rules while the competition simply winks at the rules and' goes on going to the gold. If we want farming, and the maintenance of a rural lifestyle, our governments have got to take up the challenge. — KR Let's be grown-up There’s a nice surprise in the mail boxes of Ontario residents this week asjhe $200 tax rebate cheques roll in. It’s hard to look a gift horse in the mouth but, if we really care for fiscal responsibility, shouldn’t this money have gone to pay down the debt instead? The deficit and the debt was an easy target for right wingers in the provincial Conservative Party and the national Reform and Alliance parties when it was an excuse to cut back on government services they didn't support anyway. We were mortgaging the future of our children, they said. Now that the deficits are gone, however, suddenly the taxes The Citizen taken in are “our money” and should be returned to us. But isn’t it also “our debt” and shouldn't we as responsible adults, want to write off that debt as quickly as possible so our children and grandchildren won’t be burdened by it? There was the naive belief in the 1980s and 1990s that government debt wasn’t real debt and the things government gave us somehow came from thin air. That was wrong, of course and Canadians finally realized it. But now an equal naivete has struck from the other direction, that somehow we can have the goodies without paying for them in taxes. Isn’t it time we grew up, took responsibility and just paid our debts?— KR Letters to the Editor THE EDITOR, I recently had the pleasure of travelling to Edmonton for the Communities in Bloom National Finals. I was not on the Blyth ‘Communities In Bloom'committee. My main purpose was to see the west, as I had never been before. However, as my stay in Edmonton continued, I soon realized that my purpose for this vacation was changing. From the moment I arrived at the hotel in Edmonton, there was a buzz around the place. ‘Communities in Bloom' were everywhere. There were many delegates from coast to coast as well as some delegates representing international communities. Everyone was friendly and eager to share information about his or her part of the country. There was Blyth, smack dab in the middle of it all! It was fantastic. I was so proud. I knew that the ‘Communities in Bloom' program was good but I now have a whole new appreciation for it. It was not just about flowers. It's more about people and the pride that they show in their community. When people show this pride, it benefits everyone who lives here. Tourists want to come to our village because it is unique and the people who live here love where they live and it shows. It’s quite a combination and it’s something we all need to continue working on. I’m now joining the Blyth Communities in Bloom Committee not because I was asked to but because I chose to belong. I want to be involved. I want to thank the current committee for doing such a wonderful job of bringing this program to the village. Thank you to the citizens of Blyth, who cut their grass, planted their gardens and helped Blyth become a national first runner-up winner. If you are interested in finding out more about the program, come to Memorial Hall on Oct. 19 and find out why I'm so excited about it. It really is worth it! Anne Elliott. 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 rhe 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 P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. N0M 1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 E-mail norhuron@scsinternet.com Website www.northhuron.on.ca Aocna®™ Member of the Ontario Press Council ME0ESM Ready for his close-up Photo by Janice Becker Looking Back Through the Years Oct. 20, 1960 At the Wroxeter Community Hall, there was a dance with music by the Ramona Orchestra. Admission was 75 cents. There was also a Masquerade dance at the Ethel Community Hall with music by Archie Mann’s Orchestra. Admission was also 75 cents, with the proceeds going to a swimming pool. On Oct 31 at the Brussels Town Hall, there was the annual Halloween Party for the children of the community, sponsored by the Brussels Lions Club Oct. 22,1975 Simon Hallahan, reeve of East Wawanosh and one of the original organizers of the Belgrave Co­ operative cut the ribbon to open the new UCO Belgrave store. Also taking part in the ceremony were Don Moffat and Bob Coulthard, from UCO head office, Bob Downs, director of UCO, Fred Meier, head of the Belgrave UCO council, Robert McKercher, long-time UCO director and Murray Lougheed, Belgrave store manager. Morris Twp. awarded contracts for winter snowplowing when it held its October meeting. The contract for plowing with a grader was at $17.50 per hour and $8 per day standbywhile the truck plowing was for $12.20 per hour, and $7 per day standby. Also, $225 was donated to the Blyth Union Cemetery Board and Robert Grasby seconded the motion. A grant of $75 was also given to the Bluevale cemetery board. The publishers of The Standard assumed the ownership of The Teeswater News. The 101-year-old newspaper serving Teeswater and district brought to four the number of publications published from the Blyth office. Oct. 17, 1990 Mary Beth Mann, and her daughters Tracy and Kendra accepted the Huron County Federation of Agriculture Award for Outstanding Contribution to Agriculture at the federation’s annual meeting in Brussels. Mrs. Mann, formerly of the Moncrieff area, was joint winner with her late husband. Both Manns had been active in work of the federation along with community affairs iri Grey Twp, Brussels Bulls retired the sweater of Jason Kraemer, one of four youths who died in a car accident earlier that year, and presented it to his family, Todd Hamilton, Susan Kraemer, and Clayt Bell. Radford Auto in Blyth and Brussels offered Blue Bux in return for old automotive batteries. In an effort to do their part for the environment, McKerlie-Millen, of which Radford’s is an associate, collected the batteries and shipped them to a recycling firm in Pennsylvania where the lead, acid and plastic is removed. Oct 18, 1995 Assistant Coach of the Brussels Bulls Mike Henry was called in to run the bench in a game against the Hanover Barons, after Head Coach Jim Bridges announced he was RO. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. NOG 1H0 Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 stepping down. Henry came up through the Blyth Minor Hockey system to play Junior C with the Goderich Sailors, then serving as coach in Minor Hockey prior to joining the Bulls. Steve Knight, president of the Brussels Optimists Club presented a cheque for $2,500 to Mike Thomas of the Park Recreation Development Committee to assist with the work at the new ball diamond and soccer field. The Old Tyme Fiddlers, comprised of Harvey McDowell, Bob McClinchey, Arnold Bruce, Bert Pepper, Ian Diamond, Ron McBurney, Alex Robertson and Mary Coultes had toes taping during their performance at the Blyth United Church Variety Concert. A large crowd was on hand at Memorial Hall to see and hear many talented individuals from Blyth and area. The Master of Ceremonies was Ted Johns, Ruby Philp, whose husband Del was pharmacist in Blyth for 40 years in the building where Luann Taylor’s Luann’s Country Flowers is now located, came to visit and see the renovations last week. Using the picture of Philps Drug Store, Luanne has restored the building to some of its former glory, including the wood floors and uncovering the tin roof. Net sales from the Brussels Mennonite Self Help Craft Sale were $4,427.18. The money raised from the sale helps Third World families by retailing their items at a fair price. Every $1,400 raised supported a family for one year.