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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2004-04-01, Page 4TCRTIR,z1IT Or )-vuuNimuuNTT scusrum, THE POLITICIAN THE BUREAUCRAT THE TREASURER " I NEVER ORDERED " I WAS LEFT TOTALLY " I JUST WROTE SOME THOSE PAYOFFS:" OUT OF THE LOOP." CHEQUES AS ORDERED." Letters Policy The Citizen welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be signed and should include a daytime telephone number for the purpose of verification only. Letters that are not signed will not be printed. Submissions may be edited for length, clarity and content, using fair comment as our , guideline. The Citizen reserves the right to refuse any letter on the basis of unfair bias, prejudice or inaccurate information. As well, letters can only be printed as space allows. Please keep your letters brief and concise. PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2004. Editorials & Opinions Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Advertising, Jamie Peters and Alicia deBoer 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 $30.00/year ($28.04 + $1.96 G.S.T.) in Canada; $80.00/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. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40050141 PUBLICATIONS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM REGISTRATION NO. 09244 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPT. PO BOX 152 BRUSSELS ON NOG 1H0 email: norhuron@scsinternet.com We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP) toward our mailing costs. We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are Copyright ocna +CNA „& ‘ Member of the Ontario Press Council 111.2:¢1111 P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. NOM 1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 E-mail norhuron@scsinternet.com Website www.northhuron.on.ca The Citizen P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. NOG 1HO Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 Brightening a sad situation Humane Society officials found a tragic situation when they raided a Bruce County farm this week. There they discovered some cattle starving while others had already died. Some of the surviving cattle may have to be destroyed. While no details about the owner of the cattle were released, in the past cases like this have often resulted from extreme depression on the part of a farmer. When things get really bad, some farmers who normally care deeply for their animals, just can't face going to the barn. There certainly is plenty of depression out there on the farm these days as the trade embargo on live cattle after the single case of BSE on an Alberta farm slashed prices. At the recent Huron County Federation of Agriculture's Members of Parliament briefing, Huron-Bruce MP Paul Steckle was told of one farmer who shipped two Hereford cows to market and after transportation and other fees, netted $1.57, less than the price of a pound of hamburger at retail rates. That's why the federal government's announcement of more than $600 million in aid to farmers of cattle, sheep and other ruminant animals was so important last week. While it won't replace the income lost by farmers, it will give people hope. It will give them cash to plant crops this year, which in turn will benefit the businesses that sell supplies to farmers. Hope is a rare commodity these days among farmers involved in livestock where the market has been destroyed by the border closure. It's understandable but sad to hear farmers say they will discourage their children from wanting to take over the family farm, a move that in some cases will bring an end to generations of family history on the land. Beyond the personal loss, there will be a community loss if we lose farm families at an even faster rate than we have been, meaning fewer children for our schools, fewer families in our churches, fewer players on our sports teams, fewer people to shop in our stores. So the greatest benefit of the federal government's generosity may be hope. Now let's all hope that U.S. election-year politics don't delay the reopening of the border and that some greedy U.S. cattle producers don't punish Canadian producers further with the trade action they threatened last week. — KR Looking Back Through the Years Finding the balance How do you give proportion to a scandal? When someone has squandered $100 million of taxpayers' money that could have gone to provide more advanced equipment for hospitals or more aid for students to go to university, how do you say: "Okay, we've beaten this horse long enough, let's get on with life?" Somebody must pay for the misappropriation of funds in the "sponsorship scandal" but must the whole country be reshaped by this one event? Certainly opposition party politicians hope so as they seek to use this as the springboard to do what was once seemed unthinkable: drag Paul Martin down and win the next election. Polls show voters seem - to be agreeing with them. It's an old maxim that people don't vote for one party, they vote against another. Right now many people's anger makes them wish to punish the government, forgetting that Canada has been able to do a rare thing during the term of this government. In eliminating deficits, running surpluses, paying down our debt, cutting taxes and reducing unemployment, Canada has become a model for other countries to follow. Only time brings perspective. Sir John A. MacDonald, regarded as one of our greatest prime ministers, was driven from office at one point by scandals over contracts for the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Angry voters felt he was a scoundrel and turned against him, though they later re-elected his party to finish building the railway that is generally regarded as the single most important act of nation-building in our history. The individuals who were to blame for siphoning off money from the sponsorship fund should be punished. The job now must be to put in place the safeguards to make it harder for this kind of abuse to happen in the future. Still, inexcusable as it is, this scandal should not be the single reason to change the entire direction of a country.— KR April 2, 1959 Mrs. Jennie Turnbull was the one to guess correctly when the the Lions barrel would go over the dam. Brian Prescott, a student from- Listowel District High School, was declared best impromtu speaker in the Ontario public speaking contest. April 3, 1969 Ted Elliott, past president of the Brussels Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, was elected deputy zone commander for zone Cl for a two year term of office. Mrs. Wallace Black won $100 on the Hot Spot from Oldfield Hardware. Brussels and Whitechurch combined broomball team won the Blyth broomball tournament trophy and also an individual trophy for each player. The Brussels Ladies Broomball team won the North Huron broomball trophy in Blyth for -the sixth year. Fred Martin of Richmond Hill, formerly of Walton, was appointed manager of the new branch of the Toronto-Dominion Bank at Thornhill. April 5, 1972 Huron County council agreed to pay their membership fees for another year in the Midwestern Development Council. Murray Gaunt, Huron-Bruce MPP, announced approval of a provincial grant for $5,250 to the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority for a preliminary engineering study on a proposed weir in the Falls Reserve Conservation Area in Colborne Twp. The executive committee of Huron County council brought a report to a meeting which turned out to be the most controversial one to come before members. The issue was the recommendation to change the grant structure to the five county hospitals. • A local restaurant was sold to Mr. and Mrs..James Small. The Centennial celebrations in -Brussels were fast approaching and Brussels council approved an increase in the grants payable to the Brussels Horticultural Society. They gave an annual grant of $125 for the society and added an extra $75 in recognition of the contribution the society made to the Centennial. The Brussels Novice hockey team topped Lucknow by a 4-1 score, winning the best-of-three series in two straight games. April 2, 1989 Huron County council gave its approval to a road committee recommendation that the existing wrought iron Ball's Bridge, south of Auburn, remain as a county structure open to traffic at the existing standard for a maximum period of 10 years. Bob Vodden of Hol-den Farms took the award for runner-up herd average and for greatest production increase at the Huron County milk recording committee's annual banquet. Also winning awards were Jim McKague of Belmore, for breeding efficiency and highest plus production cow. The entire roof of the former Blyth Meat Market was removed and a second story was being added for the unofficial grand opening of Lyle Youngblut Plumbing and Heating. Approval from the Huron County budget meant new renovations for Huronview. March 30, 1994 Area residents notified the local fire department about seeing a fire back in a field behind the sewage pumping station at the north end of Brussels. The blaze was caused from a faulty woodstove. Huron-Bruce MPP Paul Klopp presented a cheque for $72,000 from the Ministry of Health to The Ark, a youth drop-in centre in Brussels. The grant gave The Ark enough money to hire two full-time staff members to run the youth facility and to provide them with the basis to become self-sufficient. A Clinton-area couple opened the Kountry Kettle in Blyth, which was formerly Tim's Restaurant. Brussels Bantam and Midget player, Jeff Elliott was the recipient of the Donald Higgins Memorial Trophy at the Brussels Minor Hockey Banquet. Ladies Curling Club president Brenda Linton, presented Mervyn Bauer, Grey Twp. representative on the Brussels recreation board, with a cheque for $250 to go towards the ice machine. April 7, 1999 Blyth area resident Doug Scrimgeour showed off the exeptionally deep holes bored in a tree at his home by a rare pileated woodpecker. The large bird, close to the size of chicken, drilled more than halfway through a small tree. Lori Carter and April Van Amersfoort were among the Central Huron Secondary School students modelling fashions from local merchants in the fifth annual student council fashion show. It was a red-letter day at Wingham and District Hospital as construction of the long-awaited medical clinic got underway. At a meeting of Forest Lodge Wroxeter, Worshipful Brother Robert L. Cunningham was presented with his 50-year pin. Londsborough Lions, John Hoggart and Carl Nesbitt were at the grill for the Old Tyme Country Breakfast at Londesborough Hall.