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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2018-05-10, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2018. Editorials Opinions Making it happen President: Keith Roulston • Publisher: Deb Sholdice Editor: Shawn Loughlin • Reporter: Denny Scott Advertising Sales: Brenda Nyveld • Heather Fraser 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 $38.00/year ($36.19 + 11.81 G.S.T.) in Canada; $160.00/year in U.S.A. and $205/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: Mon. 2 p.m. - Brussels; Mon. 4 p.m. - Blyth. Canada MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40050141 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPT. PO BOX 152 BRUSSELS ON NOG 1H0 email: info@northhuron.on.ca There's always a debate about whether government should be subsidizing private businesses but as Community Futures Huron celebrated its 25th anniversary recently, it seems obvious that the money the federal government has invested into Huron County through the program over the years has been well rewarded. The organization, with its headquarters in Brussels, has invested $32 million in federal funds in Huron over 25 years, creating or maintaining by their own count, 7,500 jobs — or an investment of $3,275 per job. Even allowing room for a little boosterism on the agency's part, that's a good return on investment. Compare that to the announcement last week that the federal and provincial governments will provide $110 million each toward Toyota Canada's $1.4 billion upgrade to its Cambridge and Woodstock plants for a total of 1,450 new jobs (1,000 of them co-op jobs) — which works out to $75,000 per job invested by each government. You're not going to get any government to drop $110 million on any company located in Huron County because with our distance from a 400 series highway, we're simply not going to have some multi -national company investing $1.4 billion in our area. That makes it all the more important that Community Futures Huron makes the kind of investments it does — through seeing the potential for a small entrepreneur to expand her/his business and providing the financial support needed. While it's exciting to think of one big game -changing industry coming the county, we've also seen that big companies like Volvo can suddenly decide to leave. In the long run Community Futures Huron's support for dozens of small businesses that are building our economy today, businesses committed to our county, is probably a better way to grow. — KR Blame the government Emergencies this past week from the flooding in New Brunswick to the eruption of Mount Kilauea's volcano in Hawaii demonstrated again the contradictory attitudes citizens hold toward government. When authorities in both emergencies warned people to evacuate, quite a few refused to go. Understandably they wanted to protect their property but often they also thought they knew more than government officials anyway. In one area in New Brunswick where a mandatory evacuation order was not issued, a homeowner tried to stick it out at home, only to realize the water was rising faster than he thought. On television he grumbled that it would have been nice if somebody had warned how fast the water was rising. While some people think that government officials are just ill- informed pests, others tend to blame the government for not having prevented the emergency or they think they should be compensated when things go wrong. Recently one homeowner on Lake Erie whose property was being eaten away by high waves claimed the federal government should either prevent the problem or buy his house. One of the key services of government these days seems to provide a convenient straw man that can be beaten up whenever we need to vent our frustrations. — KR Yes Men only please It's never pleasant to have to listen to people point out your mistakes and faults, but when it comes to politics, it's an essential part of the system. Too bad more politicians don't believe that. The most obvious example of never wanting to hear a discouraging word is U.S. President Donald Trump, who cries "fake news" every time journalists point out one of his lies or contradictions. Here in Ontario it seems like the Progressive Conservative Party is adopting the same attitude with its media strategy leading up to the June 7 election. Early on, the party announced it would not have a media bus follow leader Doug Ford around the province during the campaign. Now the party has unveiled its own "Ford Nation Live" website that covers Ford on the campaign trail in what looks like a newscast. The hope, apparently, is that these "newscasts" will be passed along on social media looking similar to reports of actual professional television stations, but saying only good things about Ford. This isn't a problem of just one political party. During the 2007 an aide of former Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty, made several similar videos using the phrases "Liberal News" and "Liberal TV" and sitting at a desk like a news anchor Journalists are not infallible. Like everyone else they can make mistakes and they can let their own emotions interfere with their work. Still, we need their outside view to tell us what's going on as the politicians campaign. When parties set their own "news" agenda they may hear what they want to hear but it may undermine democracy. — KR We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada. - But _TM working on a Federal Government Summer Jobs grant! The Citizen P.O. Box 429, P.O. Box 152, BLYTH, Ont. BRUSSELS, Ont. NOM 1H0 NOG 1 HO Ph. 519-523-4792 Phone Fax 519-523-9140 519-887-9114 E-mail info@northhuron.on.ca Website www.northhuron.on.ca �ocna M Member CMC AUDITED CCNA Member of the Ontario Press Council We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright 50 0/4-igte am I I - - viecistatetti 4o+? British Colcurnbia ...1 Avirt ■ yia 10010", 1 Looking Back Through the Years May 14, 1958 A number of young musicians were successful at the recent hosting of the Huron County Festival in Goderich. First- and second -place honours were won by Brussels residents John Pipe and Geraldine McTaggart in the saxophone classes and Gerald Thomas won first class honours in the clarinet class David Kennedy placed first in four different saxophone classes and also won the "Marie Thornton" Woodwind Trophy at the Oxford Festival of Music in Woodstock. David's brother Robert had won the same award four years earlier. May 17, 1978 Huron County reported that there hadn't been a maternal death in any of the county hospitals for the previous five years. The Huron County Health Unit presented its annual report to Huron County Council at its May meeting, saying that 861 babies had been born in the county in 1977. It wasn't the highest rate of births in one year of the previous five, however, as 900 babies had been born in 1976. On the morning of May 17, caretakers at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Blyth were upset to find that the church had been vandalized since the Sunday mass. The Wingham OPP found that toilet paper had been strewn all over the church and that papers had been thrown around. Bob and Helen Freer were being welcomed to the Blyth community as the new owners of Sparling Hardware. Grant Sparling had sold the business to the Sarnia natives after owning it for 27 years. The Freers had lived on a cash crop farm in Sarnia for years before moving to Blyth. Elwood Mitchell, Robert Radford and Neil Cartwright were busy celebrating in Londesborough as the hamlet's United Church was marking the 100th anniversary of its manse. The trio helped plant a tree to help mark the occasion and a special outdoor church service was also held as part of the festivities. May 15, 1991 Blyth Village Council had approved the purchase of a new computer, complete with software for the Municipal and Public Utilities Commission office for a whopping $28,300. The computer would take on the duties of issuing hydro and water bills for the commission, as well as carrying out additional functions for the municipal office. Grey Township approved its annual budget that included $1.17 million in expenditures. The budget represented an increase of 18.6 per cent to the township's taxes. The rise in taxes was due to having to make up for a $25,000 deficit, which was caused by the unexpected purchase of a new fire truck. In addition, the township had to purchase the Walton landfill site in 1991. It had been leasing the site for years. Rob Richardson and Eric Ross had been sharpening their dart skills and were ready to make their way to British Columbia where they would take part in the Legion's national dart championships. This came after they won the Legion's provincial competition the previous month. Blyth residents were told that while they may be eligible for composting in the near future, it would still be a while until the village could authorize a recycling program in the village. May 15, 2008 Paul Nichol, an economic development manager with the Huron Business Development Corporation, was in the early stages of a downtown revitalization study in Brussels. Invitations to take part in the first phase of the study had already been mailed out, he said, which would be followed by a special public meeting on May 21. "We want to come up with some ideas that are going to maintain the vitality of the downtown. We don't know exactly what those are going to be, but we know they'll cover several areas, possibly marketing strategies, new business development and the physical state of the downtown," Nichol said. The meeting was exclusively for business owners and those who owned property on the village's main street, he said. "We want to talk to those who have made an investment and have properties in the downtown. Some are full, some are empty, but we all have one thing in common, we all have a stake in the downtown." Morris-Turnberry Council was in the process of finding a new use for the Belgrave Women's Institute Hall. After a meeting with members of the organization, councillors decided to co-operate with members in order to find a new use for the building after members said that, for various reasons, they could no longer afford to maintain the hall. Daniel Fritz of Brussels had recently returned from a special trip authorized by the Make A Wish Foundation and, after he spoke on his trip several times, the foundation decided to include his success story on its website, making him an official spokesperson for the foundation.