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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2000-12-13, Page 4PAGE 4, THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 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 + $l .76 G.S.T.) in Canada; $62.00/year in U.S.A, and $l00/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 RO. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. NOG 1H0 Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 RO. Box 429, BLYTH, Ortt. N0M 1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 E-mail norhuron@scsinternet.com Website www.northhuron.on.ca ------Aocna€s~A > Member of the Ontario Press Council California dr earnin’ Winter hasn’t officially begun but already our part of Ontario has been hit three times in the past four weeks with good old-fashioned, snowbelt weather. With improved roads and better snow removal equipment we’re probably better equipped to handle bad weather than ever before but one has to wonder if even our advances can let us live the lifestyle our society and economy are being reshaped for. In times long gone, local conditions shaped the style of living for each region much as animals and plants adapted to their habitat. People living here in the snowbelt knew they couldn’t depend on traveling in the winter so they built a life of self-sufficiency. Farmers, for instance, had wood in their woodsheds to heat the house, feed in the barn for their livestock and » food for themselves in their pantries and basements. Communities, too, were prepared for the worst and could survive for several days without restocking from the outside. Today we’ve built an economy based on travel. People drive long distances to work. They drive miles to shop We’re dependent on our ability to travel for medical care. Even our local governments are moving farther from us. Those industries we have in the region, depend for the most part on roads to transport their goods to market. The most reliable form of transport in bad weather, the railway, has been ripped out. Part of this is due to the edification of rural Ontario. More and more decisions are being made outside our area, often in major cities like Toronto. Torontonians think we should all live just like them and meanwhile they’re trying to pretend they’re California. So we have the big box concept sent to the snowbelt, with the idea that everyone within 30 miles should drive to one store. The people making those decisions • don’t know about the conditions in the snowbelt. They live in a centre that panics if they get four inches of snow! But we in rural areas have bought into this way of thinking. We have made ourselves vulnerable by rushing to accept the city version of life, even if it doesn’t fit well with the realities of our area. Perhaps the three storms we’ve already had will be the last of the year and we can go back to the kind of easy driving we’ve had in the past few winters. One of these years, however, we’re going to see a return of the traditional snowbelt winter and one wonders how we’ll cope. — KR Who’s being subsidized? When it comes to the cost of food, farmers are apparently expected to produce at a loss forever just so everybody else can have a bargain. That was the attitude expressed by the Canadian Consumers Association, the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association and the Food and Consumer Products Manufacturers of Canada when they held a news conference last week to blast proposed increases in the price of milk. Bui the increases that upset the groups were not really gains for farmers. Much of the increase was due to the federal government dropping the dairy subsidy and farmers trying to get the price they need from the marketplace. In fact only 29 per cent of dairy farmers can produce at the cost of production in the current price-setting formula. Unless farmers are going broke, apparently, they’re overcharging.— KR A in the fence Photo by Janice Becker Looking Back Through the Years Letters to the Editor THE EDITOR, Merry Christmas from Indiana. I can’t wait to get home for the holidays. I have realized that you do not always appreciate home until you are away from it for awhile. I can almost smell those cinnamon buns baking. I would like to thank all the people from Brussels and area for all the support they have shown to me and my family over the past year while I attended school in Culver, Indiana. I really appreciate the e-mails and letters and thanks to ail those who have made the trip to visit me here. That brings me to another reason why I am writing. My family and I have been asked by the school to sponsor a young lady from Germany over the holidays. Thanks Mom and Dad for opening up your hearts and home to her. Her name is Katrin Grunwald and she is on an exchange trip for one year with the ASSIST program and attends school with me this year. She is from the city of Cologne, Germany, that's in the middle eastern part of Germany. Her mother, Elke, is a teacher. She teaches Spanish, French, and Government. Katrin speaks German, English, French, and Spanish. Her father, Rolf, works in a bank. She has one 14-year-old brother, Sven, and she likes cats. This may be a tough time for her, I can’t imagine the holidays without my family. I really want to help her by keeping her busy and entertained. I am looking forward to introducing her to all of you and taking her on the Optimist hay ride, to the Christmas Eve service, skating, visiting Brussels Public School, playing road hockey with my brother and sister, going to their hockey games and watching movies with my friends. She wants to go for a snowmobile ride, build an igloo, and go shopping in Canada. I’m looking forward to showing her what Christmas is all about in small town Brussels, Ontario, Canada. See ya’ll soon! Brook Wheeler Dec. 8,1960 Grey Twp. reeve, four councillors and three school trustees were returned by acclamation. For reeve it was Clifford Dunbar, and George W. Hutchinson. Councillors were Archie Mann, Lawson Ward, Glenn Huether and Kenneth Bray. School trustees were Wm. H. Smith, Stanley Fischer and John Conley. Stewart Procter won the reeve’s spot in Morris. Election results for the councillor positions were: Ross Duncan, 269; William Elston, 488; James Mair, 396; Walter Shortreed, 349; Ross Smith, 331 and Gordon Wilkinson, 238. The Brussels Pipe Band placed second in the band competition at the Seaforth Santa Claus Parade. William R. Alcock obtained the degree of chartered accountant in the recent examinations. Alcock was the first man to be trained in the County of Huron. Dec. 10, 1975 Ken McKinnon, district representative to the Ontario Mild Marketing Board, spoke to a gathering of disgruntled dairy farmers at the Huron Federation of Agriculture meeting in Clinton. Mr. McKinnon told farmers not to overreact to the government’s cutback on industrail milk subsidy. Any cut in production, he said, could lead to a milk shortage. The regular euchre was held Monday evening. Winners were: high lady, Mrs. Hugh Rinn; high man, Gordon Murray; low lady, Zora Cook; low man, Margaret Nesbit; ladies lone hands, Elsie Shaddick; men’s lone hands, Nora Kelly. It was a night of shutouts in Blyth Broomball league action as Auburn blanked Belgrave 6-0. Grads squeaked out a 1-0 win over 8th Liners and Mr. Stereo had an identical 1-0 win over Blyth Bears. Londesboro Women’s Institute was hostess for the Huronview birthday party. The program included solos by Victor Fox, accordian numbers by Genevieve Allen, mouth organ and guitar selections by Bert Shobbrook, piano duets by Genevieve Allen and Gail Lear and a reading Christmases / Like To Remember: by Helen Lawson. President, Jessie Tebbutt was emcee. Miss Marilyn Day of Stratford who was a representative of Huron- Perth Presbytery in the 50th Anniversary Youth Exchange sponsored by the United Church of Canada spoke in Belgrave United Church. She showed slides and told of her experiences in Korea the past summer. Dec. 11,1985 New Brussels Reeve Hank Ten- Pas signed his oath of office at the inaugural meeting of Brussels council. Also taking part in the ceremony were Malcolm Jacobson, councillor; Henry Exel, public utilitites commissioner; Betty Graber, councillor; Gordon Workman, councillor; Harold Bridge, public utilities commissioner and Dave Boynton, councillor. Blyth Centre for the Arts which operates the Blyth Festival showed a surplus for the seventh consecutive season. Retiring Blyth Brownie leaders were honoured by their pack. The leaders were: Sheron Stadelmann, Bev Blair, and Mary Rouw. The Blyth branch of the Royal Canadian Legion has announced the winners of the poem and essay contest on a Rememberance Day theme for students from Blyth Public School. Top junior division poem was by Michelle Nesbit, with Karli Yanchus and Angie Hesch taking second place and Lori Bailey taking third. Lisa Bailey had the top poem in the senior division with Kelly Cook taking second and Cathy McDonald taking third. Top essay in the junior division was written by Tammi Medd with Laurie Wharton taking second place and Tammy Nobel taking third. Leah Richmond had the best senior essay with Jennifer Roulston taking second place and Karrie McClinchey, third. Dec. 12,1990 Sharing the Christmas spirit, there was an Ecumenical Youth Food Drive in Brussels. The Brussels-Walton Trail Blazers Snowmobile Club completed its third driver instruction course for young people between the ages of 12 and 16. Eight young people received their certificates after passing the final test. They were: Andrew Sproul, Jason Vertraeten, Robert Steiss, Steve Leonhardt, Jeffrey Zehr, Tricia Zehr, Kevin Grisdale, and Lanette Todd. Eleven Tweenies became Brownies in the 1st Blyth Brownie Pack: Becky Archambault, Diana Bakelaar, Julie Cowan, Kelly-Ann Dalton, Christina McLure, Robin Mason, Rachel de Boer, Amanda Fidom, Rosalyn Hartman, Sara Plant, and Ashley Taylor.