Loading...
The Citizen, 2017-04-27, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 2017. Editorials Opinions Publisher: Keith Roulston • Associate 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 $36.00/year ($34.29 + $1.71 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. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40050141 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPT. PO BOX 152 BRUSSELS ON NOG 1H0 email: info@northhuron.on.ca The Citizen P.O. Box 429, P.O. Box 152, BLYTH, Ont. BRUSSELS, Ont. NOM 1 HO 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 Canada Aocna r . CCNA Member of the Ontario Press Council We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada. CMCA AUDITED We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are m Copyright The minister's not being honest Communities up in Grey and Bruce Counties, currently going through the same struggle to save their schools that we lost here in Huron a few years ago, got a dishonest justification from Ontario Minister of Education Mitzie Hunter when she visited the area last week. After Hunter toured one of the schools under threat of closure and met with school officials and board officials, she said her government turned down the idea of a school closure moratorium because decisions should be made by school boards at the local level. She said she understands these decisions can be difficult. "Each of the school boards are at different stages and we need to give them the opportunity to make decisions that are right for their local communities," says Hunter. It must be comfortable for the minister to be able to hide behind the shield of district school boards as small communities across the province lose their schools. She manages to ignore that the local school boards are operating under ground rules set by the province — rules that virtually guarantee schools are going to close. Here in northern Huron, for example, even before the accommodation review for schools in Belgrave, Blyth, Brussels, Ethel, Turnberry and Wingham was completed, the provincial government short-circuited the discussion by announcing millions for a new school that would accommodate students from many of those schools. Then there's the fact that there's provincial money for some education costs but not for others. One of the initial arguments for closing Brussels Public School was that it needed a new roof that the Avon Maitland District School Board couldn't afford — yet the province had millions for a new school. There also seems to be no shortage of money to bus kids out of their own communities to big new schools. So be honest, Minister Hunter. Your government has cooked the books when it comes to school closures, creating a funding model that encourages shutting community schools, further undermining rural economies. School boards are just playing by the rules you set. — KR Irony thy name is Trump Maybe Donald Trump doesn't even understand the term irony, which would explain how the U.S. President could keep a straight face last week when he announced new protectionist measures in the morning and then complained about Canada's supply management system for milk production in the afternoon. Trump signed executive order called "Buy American, Hire American" designed to make it harder for federal contractors to use cheaper imported products when building roads and bridges with public money. He then went to Wisconsin and blamed the problems some Wisconsin dairy producers are experiencing on Canada's not accepting more U.S. surplus milk which would undermine our own dairy producers. There are plenty of critics of Canada's supply management system for balancing supply with demand for milk, eggs and poultry, but Donald Trump should be the last person to complain. His whole argument, including a proposed tax on imports, is that American markets belong to America and should be protected from cheap imports. How, then, can he complain about a system that does the same in Canada? Despite our dairy policy that limits imports, the U.S. exported $631 million worth of dairy products to Canada last year. Because our dairy system is built on providing just enough for the Canadian market, our exports to the U.S. are small, $112.6 million in 2016. Canadian critics of supply management, including farmers who produce commodities that aren't under the system, may be tempted to gratefully accept Trump on their side in the battle to get rid of a system they hate, but they should be careful. While he may use the term "fair", Trump sees fairness as whatever helps get a deal that is to his, and his country's advantage. While many farmers might be willing to sacrifice supply management in a new North American Free Trade Agreement, if he wins that battle Trump's likely to turn his focus on other farm commodities such as pork, beef and grains. Donald Trump is on nobody's side but his own. — KR The discontent continues The frustration of voters that led to the election of Donald Trump as U.S. President and the referendum vote for Britain to withdraw from the European Union continued in the French Presidential election Sunday where a far -right populist candidate came a too -close second. The only person to get more votes than Marine Le Pen of the anti - immigrant National Front was centrist Emmanuel Macron, who started a new party only a year ago. Traditional parties were buried. Although Macron is now favoured to win the run-off presidential election on May 7, the continued discontent of voters is still disturbing. We must create a system that gives voters confidence or even more may choose extremist leaders. — KR I SEE THE REAL ESTATE MARK1' SHOWS NO SIGNS OF COOLING OFF., ANON Looking Back Through the Years April 26, 1944 The Huron County Victory Loans Committee placed an advertisement in The Brussels Post to tell readers that Huron County needed to invest over $3 million in Victory Bonds. The committee said that while the job would be a difficult one, it was one that needed to be accomplished by the people of the county. The Goderich Music Club was set to host the Huron County Music Festival the following week for the fourth year in a row. The first-ever musical festival was held in Goderich at the Victoria Street United Church in the spring of 1942. That first festival featured 28 contestants. Huron County Council was making reforestation a priority after a recommendation from the agricultural committee that 200,000 trees, including pine, spruce and white ash be distributed to a central point in each of the county's municipalities. April 27, 1967 The Rt. Rev. H.F. Appleyard, Bishop of Georgian Bay, was present at St. John's Anglican Church in Brussels and bestowed the Rite of Confirmation on 16 candidates. Bowling in the village was over for another season. Don Jacklin won the men's high single category with 271 points, beating out John Cousins and his 263 points. The men's high total category was won by Bill Stephenson with 966 points, edging Dave Hastings and his 960 points. Karen Hastings won the ladies high single category with 261 points over Marlene Rutledge and her 254 points. Hastings also won the ladies high total category with 904 points over Marilyn Higgins and her total of 857 points. The Brussels Lions Club was working towards hosting its annual amateur variety night at the Brussels Legion Hall. The special evening of entertainment was scheduled for Friday, May 5. April 29, 1981 Between 50 and 60 firefighters from Huron County were set to attend a regional fire school in Clinton, sponsored by the Ontario Fire Marshal's office. The school would feature five instructors from the Ontario Fire College in Gravenhurst. Over 2,000 invitations had been sent out to those that organizers hoped would attend the 125th anniversary of Morris Township. A number of locals were on the water, taking advantage of the warm spring weather as part of the annual Clinton Kinsmen canoe race. Those participating were raising money to battle Cystic Fibrosis. Helen Gowing and Mildred McAdam of the Blyth Centre for the Arts were pictured in The Blyth Standard accepting a plaque acknowledging Wintario funds, which went towards the construction of the addition to Memorial Hall. Huron -Bruce MPP Murray Gaunt made the presentation. Fred Meier, a Belgrave-area dairy farmer, was sworn in as an East Wawanosh councillor at council's April 7 meeting. Meier assumed the position of Councillor Jim Hunter, who had resigned the previous month. F. Stewart Toll, a native of the Auburn area, had recently been promoted to the position of director of education for the Middlesex County Board of Education. This came after Toll had spent four years as the board's assistant director of education. April 30, 1997 Tragedy struck Londesborough when Luke Anderson, the nine-year- old son of Ken and Diane Anderson, was hit by a passing motorist while cycling on County Road 17 in Hullett Township. Anderson collided with a car at the intersection of County Roads 15 and 17 and while the cyclist was wearing a helmet, he was pronounced dead at the scene. No charges were laid as a result of the incident. A 23 -year-old Blyth man was charged with attempted murder after an early morning stabbing incident in the village. The man was released on his own recognizance and scheduled to appear in court again on June 2. Huron County was set to hold a strategic planning day, during which issues like policing and emergency medical services would be considered by councillors and staff. Both services were set to fall to municipalities as part of the provincial government's "mega - week" announcements. As a result of the announcements, municipalities would have to pick up the cost of ambulance services, while any municipality without its own police force would have to pay for the OPP to police it. The Blyth Festival was set to host another of its mystery dinner theatre shows in the form of Gail and Brad's Marvelous Wedding Adventure, which starred Rob Bundy, Floyd Herman, Anne Elliott and Kira Stuckey. Members of the Blyth Brownies were out in full force in the village as part of their Earth Day efforts. They were pictured in The Citizen cleaning up Threshers Park and Blyth Lions Park.