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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2018-6-21, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 2018. Editorials Opinions 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 + 51.81 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 We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada. 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 ab CCNA Member of the Ontario Press Council CMCA AUDITED We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright Elections don't change reality Premier -designate Doug Ford promised last week that his first priority when he takes office June 29 will be to get rid of Ontario's cap and trade system which aims to lower greenhouse gas emissions. When it comes to climate change Ford has taken on the role of King Canute, ordering the tide not to come in. Much as they might want to, Ontarians can't escape the cost of climate change simply by electing a premier who doesn't believe there's a problem. For him and many of those who voted for him, the real crisis is that gasoline costs too much. "I promised that we would make life more affordable in Ontario. I promised we would reduce gas prices and respect your hard-earned money," he said Friday. Cutting the carbon tax will go part way toward the 10 -cent -per -litre reduction in gas prices he promised during the election. But just because you save money in the short term on taxes and gasoline, does not mean you can save money in the long term. Already insurance companies are reporting that the largest claims they are facing come from severe weather events — flooding, wind storms, wildfires. These costs are real, not the product of overactive imaginations of environmentalists. As these weather extremes drive up insurance claims, we're all going to face higher insurance costs. Perhaps we can use our gas savings to help pay our insurance bills. Ironically, while we all like the idea of cheaper gas, Ford's move is just making the problem worse. Most of us won't alter our behaviour until we feel the financial pinch. High gas prices make us buy more fuel- efficient vehicles which put less carbon into the air, thus making our own small contribution to combating climate change. Global problems like climate change don't disappear simply because we elect a government that thinks there's no problem. We're already paying a very real price for climate change and it will become even worse for our children and grandchildren. It's wishful thinking if we believe electing a premier who refuses to admit there's a problem is the solution. — KR They'll just keep coming Whether it be Italy turning away a boat carrying 600 migrants rescued from sinking rafts on the Mediterranean or the furor over U.S. officials arresting adults illegally crossing its southern border and separating them from their frightened children, the hard-liners trying to halt waves of migrants looked hard-hearted this week — and a little foolish. Many angry voters have gotten the crackdown on migrants they wanted from U.S. President Donald Trump and Italy's powerful Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, leader of the anti -immigrant League which is part of the new coalition government. But while they may make noises that sound good to those citizens who want to halt the influx of unsanctioned migrants, these strongmen may be helpless in the face of an overwhelming mass of people desperate to find safety and security. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions last week justified the horrible optics of the nearly 2,000 children separated from their parents by claiming that when word got out to other migrants, it would act as a deterrent. But some 3,100 migrants drowned trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Africa last year — the fourth year in a row that at least 3,000 people died in the crossing — and yet still the desperate people come. If fear of death won't stop people, will jailing them and separating them from their children? Supporters of a tough stance on illegal immigration claim that many of those on the move are not really refugees, but are economic migrants looking for a better life. But these people are so desperate that they'll risk their lives, or risk arrest, or in the case of Canada, risk freezing to death in winter border crossings. The only way to stop this massive tide of humanity is to improve people's lives where they live so they don't feel so hopeless that it's worth risking arrest or death to seek a better life. In the case of the U.S., while Trump claims his country has been beggared by bad trade deals, the truth of America's prosperity is in the number of people who keep making arduous journeys and risking arrest to get in. Ironically, the best way of keeping Mexicans, for instance, from seeking a better life in the U.S. is to give them good, prosperous jobs in Mexico. But by insisting on rewriting the North American Free Trade Agreement so that it repatriates manufacturing jobs from Mexico to the U.S., Trump will create even more pressure for people to try to get to the U.S. Meanwhile there were 65.6 million people forcibly displaced worldwide at the end of 2016 — and the figure seems to be increasing annually. Citizens and governments of western governments are less and less interested in risking the lives of our own troops to try to solve the wars that are displacing people from their homes. The pressure of desperate people to find safety and prosperity will not stop, no matter how hard-hearted people like Trump, Sessions and Salvini try to be. — KR Looking Back Through the Years June 25, 1958 Rev. Frederick E. Jewel, rector of the Anglican parish that included St. John's in Brussels, St. David's in Henfryn and St. George's Church in Walton, was appointed to the parish of St. John's at Walpole Island. Rt. Rev. George N. Luxton, Bishop of Huron, made the announcement. Rev. J. L. Brown of Brussels United Church was the guest speaker at the Brussels Cemetery's annual decoration service. Members of the Western Star, I.O.O.F. and Morning Star Rebekah Lodge, alongside members of the Brussels Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion and the Women's Auxiliary marched to the cemetery, led by the Brussels Legion Pipe Band. The service was led by Ross Nichol, Western Star Noble Grand. Forty descendants of local resident John Lowe met for their annual reunion at Lions Park in Seaforth. Attendees traveled from Windsor, Hensall, Ayr, Walton and Brussels. June 28, 1978 Huron County 4-H club members were excited to be hosting 19 fellow club members and chaperones from Lafayette County, Wisconsin as part of the 4-H exchange program. The delegates were expected to enjoy Huron County events and locations throughout their stay including a picnic, pot luck supper and campfire. The group also planned to visit with Huron County Warden Gerry Ginn and take a tour of the Huron County Pioneer Museum. Huron 4-H Club members were set to visit Lafayette County later in the year. The Blyth Legion Ladies Auxiliary penny sale was heralded as a success by its organizers. The Blyth Figure Skating Club held a bikeathon, raising $30 in pledges for the club. Jeff Clark and Norris Flynn were the last two bikers to finish the event. The Belgrave Country Fayre was attended by a large crowd. June 25, 1991 Hullett Township Council approved a 4.7 per cent increase in taxes. A property assessed at $50,000 was expected to pay $956, an increase of $43.35 over the previous year. The mill rate was increased 2.89 per cent to raise $272,224 to present a balanced budget of $852,914 for the year for the rural municipality. McKillop Township residents also saw their annual contributions to their municipality go up slightly with a tax increase of 4.9 per cent. The annual Blyth Rutabaga Festival was a success according to organizers. Imaginative entries into the various competitions were cited as one reason for the festival's success. Main street businesses decorated to mark the occasion and to claim prizes for their efforts. Wilson's Health and Gift took top prize with a live rutabaga patch. Second place went to Christmas and Country for its rutabaga Christmas tree. Blyth Variety took third place with an exhibition that featured two exotic fowl. Honourable mentions included Gore's Hardware, Webster's Clothing and Footwear and Hamm's Car Sales. The festival also featured a baking contest in which the Brussels hotel excelled. The festival's parade awards went to Dougherty's for the commercial float, the Blyth Thresher and Hobby Association for best rural or agriculturally -themed float and the Blyth Soccer Club for the best float by a church, service or seniors club. The best municipal float was won by Blyth. June 25, 2008 Brussels Transport Ltd. celebrated its 50th year in business in late June. The business, which opened in 1958 when George Jutzi moved to Brussels and bought the trucking business from Lorne Bryans. He then changed the name and moved the business several times before landing in its current location north of Brussels. The saga revolving around a proposed exhaust fan for the Brussels Fire Department was brought to a close without the device being installed. Installing the fan, which firefighters felt necessary when the hall was tagged as a home for a Huron County ambulance, had proved a controversial move. The ambulance, which needs to maintain a specific temperature for the medications carried by the vehicle, would need to run constantly and the fumes were seen as a concern. Fire Chief Marty Bedard had pushed council to go with a higher quote from a local company, which resulted in some delay for the installation. The move coincided with Huron East Council trying to craft a "buy local" policy. Eventually, the issue was rendered moot as the ambulance parking space was relocated to Huronlea Home for the Aged at the south end of Brussels. The Blyth Festival's 2008 season opened with Against the Grain which then -editor of The Citizen Bonnie Gropp labelled as a solid start to the season.