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The Citizen, 2004-08-12, Page 4Publisher, 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 S30.00/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 Canada We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance, Program (PAP) toward our mailing costs. The Citizen P.O. Box 429, P.O. Box 152, BLYTH, Ont. BRUSSELS, Ont. NOM I HO NOG 1H0 Phone 523-4792 Phone 887-9114 FAX 523-9140 FAX 887-9021 E-mai1norhuron@scsinternet.com Website www.northhuron.on.ca .A0Cna + CNA eui o Member of the Ontario Press Council MZIMIll We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are Copyright PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN. THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2004. Editorials Opinions The cost of sleeping Recent weeks have seen citizens groups in Hensall and Bayfield hold meetings to explore how to get their communities out of amalgamated municipalities. It begs the question, where were these people when their community was getting into amalgamation? The lack of public participation when municipal amalgamations were being proposed was truly distressing for those who cared about their communities. It wasn't the municipal politicians' faults. They held meetings to discuss the issue but few people came out. They tried to solicit public opinion but people didn't seem to care. Now people are paying the price for sleeping through the whole process. Members of the Bayfield Ratepayers Association are complaining of the roadblocks they're finding in trying to get their community out of the Municipality of Bluewater. It will be infinitely harder to undo marriages which might have been easily avoided if ratepayers had argued against them in the first place. Many politicians didn't really believe in the amalgamation process and might have given in to local pressure against the process but felt pressured by the provincial government and, when the public didn't object, felt they had little choice but to proceed. Now people are realizing the defects of amalgamation that were perfectly predictable in the first place. Bayfield residents complain they have just one voice on the 10-member Bluewater council. They feel they have little control over their own community with people from Hensall and Zurich and the surrounding rural areas deciding what can be done in the community. They complain the high number of cottagers in their community means they pay 21 per cent of the municipality's taxes but the benefits seem to go to others, citing the new Zurich arena. Of course Zurich residents worried earlier that they might be left without an arena because taxpayers elsewhere in Bluewater felt there were already arenas in Hensall and Bayfield so a third arena wasn't necessary. It isn't just in Hensall and Bayfield that there's unrest about amalgamation. If a referendum on amalgamation was held in most of the county right now, many people who stayed quiet before would be expressing their desire for a municipal divorce. People feel disenfranchised, feel the large municipalities don't care about their corner of the world. The momentum now, however, is with amalgamation, despite its faults. The bias of provincial officials, through successive Tory, Liberal and NDP administrations, has always been for amalgamations and now that they have them, they're unlikely to make it easy to undo them. The status quo is also now on the side of the larger governments and it will take a lot of time and effort and money, to undo amalgamations, even if we'd be better off if it happened. Those who have awakened to the problems of municipal amalgamation are paying the price for lapsed vigilance earlier. This is why democracy requires staying informed and involved. — KR We're good guys, but going broke Canadian farmers who produce products covered by supply management have a right to feel betrayed if they voted for the federal Liberals because they thought that party was the best hope for protecting orderly marketing. Last week the government signed onto a World Trade Organization (WTO) framework agreement that calls for negotiations on monopoly powers in orderly marketing systems like the supply management'and the Canadian Wheat Board. Trade officials claim they agreed to discuss these uniquely Canadian solutions to providing farmers with decent returns as part of an effort to persuade other companies to reduce their farm subsidies. But as the National Farmers Union president Stewart Wells says, being the good guys in trade in the past has created the most serious farm crisis since the great depression. When Canada signed on to the original WTO agreement, the government immediately started cutting farm subsidies. The problem was, other countries cheated and didn't reduce their subsidies. Meanwhile the government's dreams of more agricultural exports have been realized as exports soared. No doubt money is being made from this but it's not coming to most farmers. Statistics showed the average Canadian farm lost $20,000 last year. Farmers are subsidizing exports by taking off-farm jobs to pay the bills. Since the only farm sectors that are financially sound right now are those with supply management, surely we should have realized by now that sacrificing the healthy in the hope fair international trade will help the fin- ancially ailing is a foolish strategy. But maybe as long as exporting coth- panies make money, the government doesn't care about farmers. — KR Letter to the editor THE EDITOR, for younger people, and renews My congratulations to the editor memories for us older resi- and staff of The Citizen for the dents. excellent edition of "Auburn 150 A souvenir paper to keep. years of history". Thank you. It certainly helps preserve history Ruth Jardin. Looking Back Through the Years Aug. 13, 1952 Brussels soccer team tied Winthrop 1- 1. Two new kitchen aids to make summer meals "easier" included a portable hand-operated mixer and a wall-type coffee mill that grinds enough beans for 12 cups of coffee. Brussels council passed the by- law prohibiting any motor vehicle from performing U-turns on Turnberry Street in Brussels. If caught doing so, the driver could be fined $10. Aug. 9, 1972 Reeve Jack McCutcheon of Brussels reviewed county, matters with warden Jim Hayter of Goderich during the annual County council picnic at the Seaforth Lions Park. Three men at work on the Morris Twp. bridge, had a narrow escape from serious injury after the form on which they were working, collapsed, dropping the men 26 feet to the river bottom. At a well-attended meeting held at Carl McDonald's home in Ethel, municipal chairman of the Huron Federal Liberal Association for Grey Twp., elected poll captains for the township. About 300 people gathered to help celebrate Mr. and Mrs. George McCutcheon's 25th anniversary. K.G. Rupert who had been manager of Maitland Teleservices Ltd. at Brussels, returned to work at the Bell Telephone company in Kitchener. Maitland Teleservices Ltd. announced in a letter to its customers, that rates would be increased by about five per cent. Delicious roast beef was one of the things on the menus when the Huron Beef Producers Association held a barbeque at Seaforth Community Arena. Nancy Craig, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Craig of Blyth, graduated from the Perth-Huron Regional School of Nursing Stratford. With 37 teams competing, the Brussels Centennial Softball tournament was a big success. Aug. 13, 1986 More than just cars got washed as a water fight broke out among the kids during the Blyth recreation program's car wash. A car owned by Joan Reid of Windsor, was parked in the alley behind the Blyth Memorial Hall while she enjoyed a performance inside. Suddenly, the car began rolling backwards, north down the lane and managed to miss other vehicles parked along the way. It crossed Drummond Street and went down the hill crashing into the home of George Hamm Sr. The estimated damages were $1,000 to the house and about $1,000 to the car. In an unanimous vote, Brussels council agreed to go ahead with the purchase of a 13-acre parcel at the north end of the village. The Newry Royals captured the A championship at the Blyth Slowpitch tournament. Members of the Yeung Company of the Blyth Festival., went all out to promote a bake sale to raise money for the children's workshop program at the Festival. Brussels, Morris and Grey swim team finished third in its first-ever swim meet held at Wingham pool. Aug. 10, 1994 Rob Mitchell of Walton, took part in the motorcross event held in Red Deer, Alberta. After lengthy discussions Brussels council opted for long term efficiency over short term savings in deciding to extend water and sewer lines down George Street to serve the new fireball rather than a makeshift arrangement. Joanne King was presented with the Citizen of the Year award. Henry N.R. Jackman, lieutenant governor of Ontario, was one of many people in attendance for the delicious dinner presiding the 20th anniversary retrospective celebration at the Blyth Festival. Members of the Auburn and District Lions were present to bid farewell to visiting exchange student Viggo Ravn from Den- mark. Julie and Angela Verburg were just two of the entertainers at the gospel concert held in Blyth. Two Belgrave children were hospitalized after being infected by E.coli food poisoning. The seriously ill children were treated at London hospital. • Aug. 4, 1999 Blyth firefighters worked amid clouds of smoke battling a fire in grain stubble on a farm in Hullett Twp. the fire, which covered an acre, spread from a garbage fire. About 10,000 people were expected to attend the'-- annual TransCan motorcross championship in Walton. Eleanor Babcock presented a gift of appreciation to Bev Elliott for her efforts in pulling together the Communities in Bloom project in Blyth. Cleaning up the downtown core of Brussels was the predominant focus of a survey answered by residents and business owners. With 78 per cent of businesses responding and 25 per cent of homeowners, the survey showed that improvements were needed. Though Huron County council rejected the single-tier option by a 40-21 vote, the Concerned Citizens for the Promotion of a Single Tier Government was not going to give up.