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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2005-06-09, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2005. Editorials Opinions Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Advertising, Heather Armstrong & Dianne Nonkes 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; $85.00/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 PAP REGISTRATION NO. 09244 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPT. PO BOX 152 BRUSSELS ON NOG 1 HO email: norhuron@scsinternet.com / Canada We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through me Publications Assistance Program (PAP) toward our mailing costs. The Citizen P.O. 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 Website www.northhuron.on.ca jpcna (Sna Member of the Ontario Press Council We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright Saving us from ourselves Huron County councillors faced a classic debate between concerns of the individual and concerns of the larger society when they spent nearly a third of their June 2 meeting discussing the merits and demerits of “rumble strips” at St. Joseph. Some councillors championed the plight of nearby homeowners along County Rd. 84 who are disturbed at all hours of the day and night by the sound of tires on the rumble strips, designed to remind drivers there’s a stop sign ahead at Hwy. 21. Others sympathized with the homeowners but felt the safety of drivers who might go thiough the intersection and collide with traffic on the busy provincial highway trumped the inconvenience for the homeowners. Though it wasn’t mentioned during the debate, one county councillor later explained part of the problem is that traffic is travelling so fast on that stretch of County Rd. 84 (a large prop irtion at 120 km per hour, he said) that the noise is much louder than it would be if people were travelling at the posted speed. Of course the fact that drivers were travelling so fast made it all even more important to remind them there was a stop sign ahead. Years ago, during a debate on increasing the speed limit on county roads to 90 from 80 km per hour, some councillors argued that drivers were already travelling 90 km so the increase would make no difference. At the time, former Grey Twp. reeve Leona Armstrong warned that if the speed limit was raised, people would still drive faster than the limit. She has proved prophetic as the speed of traffic on county roads has gotten faster and faster as people convince themselves their driving skills are so good they can handle the extra speed and their time is so important they can’t afford to waste an extra minute getting to their destination. It’s a tough job for government leaders, trying to protect us from our own worst instincts, to create safe conditions when we simply see any improvement as an invitation to drive even faster. After all, we argue, if we’re wrong we’re the ones who pay the price. It won’t be just us who will be harmed by our errors, however, but our passengers and the drivers and passengers of other vehicles we might collide with. As the great debate of St. Joseph shows, innocent people can be inconvenienced even if our speeding doesn’t result in an accident.— KR Getting to know ourselves With the 61st anniversary of the great D-Day invasion of Normandy marked on Monday, it would be interesting to know how many Canadians were even aware of the pivotal role Canadian troops played in the beginning of the end for the murderous Nazi regime in Germany. Canada’s role has always been ignored in British or American retellings such as the movie The Longest Day. More attention is paid to the small number of Free French troops than the Canadians who were entrusted with one of the six beaches that day. Recent statistics of the Bureau of Broadcast Measurement showed only two of the 20 most-watched television shows in Canada were Canadian. If we continue to see the world through the eyes of our neighbours, we’re never likely to know our own history. — KR Letter to the editor LA- H8CPOUON Gurmant Grewal and Ujjal Dosanjh are two MP’s at the centre of probes by the ROMP and by the elhics^cQfnmissioneuwerJheir ...... ? L: j : Mark Felt, ex FBI official, admittei he was the legendary informant j "Deep Throat" of Watergate Looking Back Through the Years THE EDITOR, With only two of nine members appointed to the Ontario government’s Greenbelt Council coming from agriculture, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is frustrated with the council’s make up. Farmers have spent an inordinate amount of time delivering the message to Queens Park that agriculture had to have a majority of seats on that council. Considering much of the land being designated with the greenbelt area is farmland, OFA and the farmers it represents felt that request was reasonable. Farmers named to the council include Donna Lailey, a grape grower from Niagara-on-the-Lake, and Howie Herrema, a full-time farmer from the Uxbridge area in Durham Region. Others named to the council come from legal, environmental, academic and business backgrounds. Former Ontario cabinet minister, lawyer and neurosurgeon Dr. Robert Elgie will chair the council. OFA will be asking the government to ensure the new council sets up regional sub-committees with a majority from agriculture to reflect the diversity of crops, land values and agricultural product values within the greenbelt area. In the past, the government has failed to follow recommendations from its own greenbelt task force with respect to farm viability so we know we have our work cut out for us on this issue. Hon. John Gerretsen, minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, in making his government’s announcement said, “The members of the Greenbelt Council are experienced, knowledgeable and dedicated to greenbelt protection. Dr. Elgie said, “Ontario’s greenbelt plan recognizes the importance of protecting agricultural lands and the associated natural and environmental features.” We know our farmers to be environmentalists who want to do the right things for the environment, but if the government isn’t prepared to address the future viability of agriculture, protecting farmland from urban growth is no more than an academic exercise. Ron Bonnett, OFA President June 9, 1948 Ontario’s provincial election ended with the Progressive Conservatives back in power with a reduced majority amd the CCF taking over aS the official opposition in place of the Liberals. The winner in the Huron-Bruce riding was John Hanna, while Tom Pryde won in Huron. The congregation of Trinity Anglican Church in Blyth celebrated the 70th anniversary of the church’s opening. An advertisement in The Standard was a cartoon depicting a man on bended knee before his love. The caption read, “I don’t care if you can’t cook, darling — so long as you can open packages of Post’s Grape Nuts Flakes.” Playing at the local theatres was Twilight on the Rio Grande with Gene Autry, Sterling Holloway and Adele Mars; The Ghost Goes Wild with James Ellison, Anne Gwynn and Edward Everett Horton; The Fabulous Texan with William Elliott and Katherine McLeod and The Yearling with Gregory Peck, Jane Wyman and Claude Jarman. Specials at Superior Food Store included a five-pound bag of cake flour for 34 cents and the six-ounce jar of French’s mustard for 10 cents. June 7, 1950 J.E. Longstaff, registered optometrist purchased the practice of Ross Savauge in Seaforth. Longstaff originally came from Guelph. He served five years overseas, then attended the Ontario College of Optometry. Interested people in Brussels met to discuss ways and means of obtaining floodlights and bleachers for the local ballpark. An executive was established: chairman, H. Pearson; secretary, K. Ashton; treasurer, H. Allen. On the finance committee were D.A. Rann, F. McCutcheon, R. Nichol. G. Stephenson, R.J. McLaughlin and T.L. McDonald. The construction committee was William Speirs, H. Thomas, h. Stretton, J. McDonald, S. Workman and S. Lowe. The Story of Seabiscuit with Shirley Temple and Barry Fitgzerald was playing at the Capitol Theatre in Listowel. At the Regent in Seaforth it was Man-Easter of Kunioan with Wendell Cary, Sabu and Joanne Page. A story in The Post read: “With the arrival of a fifth set of twins, Mr. and Mrs. Henry White of Durant, Oklahoma, have run out of names for their children. Since their marriage, the couple has had 19 children, 16 of whom are living.” At Listowel Car Market 1939 cars were selling for $500 and under. T-shirts were selling at The Arcade Store for $1.29, while dress shirts were $4, $4.50 and $5. June 11,1986 The former postmaster of Blyth, William Joseph Riehl passed away. He had also served on village council for several terms, was a long-time member of the Blyth Legion Branch and had been awarded a life membership . A delayed decision by Huron County council as to whether $250,000 should be set aside annually for three years in order to renovate Huronview resulted in the loss of provinical funding. The medical officer of health said that people using the Brussels health unit office did not need to worry it would be closed. Rumours' were circulating regarding financial problems that would result in the closure of the office. Despite abnormally cool temperatures kids were in the swim as the new Brussels pool opened. Evalena Webster received the Citizen of the Year award for Blyth and area. Ross Stephenson, a Grey Twp. firefighter was hnoured with a medallion for 30 years of service. In response to a concern that there was very little for boys aged five to seven to do in Brussels, an information night was held regarding the possibility of forming a Beaver colony. Radford Auto Farm and Industrial Parts opened its store in Brussels. Steve Souch competed in the Ontario track and field championships. It was all machismo at the local theatres with Tom Cruise in Top Gun, Sylvester Stallone in Cobra and Arnold Swarzenegger in Raw Deal. June 10,1998 Crops in the area were going backwards as temperatures dropped and rain refused to soak the ground. Blyth and Brussels libraries would receive new computers due to an $87,000 legacy left to the county by a Morris Twp. native. After growing up in the area, Susannah Lattimer of Mississauga became a school teacher. Before passing away in 1993 in her 90s, she remembered her old community. z A donation was made to The Ark through proceeds from a Battle of the Bands, organized by a local punk band, Perish, with help from the Brussels Optimists. The remaining profit went to the Kids Help Foundation. It was chick flicks at the theatres with Sandra Bullock and Harry Connick Jr. starring in Hope Floats and Robert Redford and Kristin Scott Thomas in The Horse Whisperer. Cassie Fischer, a Grade 7 student at Grey Central Public School was page at county council. She was introduced by Grey Twp. reeve Robin Dunbar.