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The Citizen, 2016-03-17, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016. Editorials Opinions Publisher: Keith Roulston Editor: Shawn Loughlin • Reporter: Denny Scott Advertising Sales: Lori Patterson & Brenda Nyveld 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 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 Canada ..ocna CCNA Member of the Ontario Press Council We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or Department of Canadian Heritage. photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright CMCA AUDITED Where to draw the line Uncertainty expressed at last week's meeting of Central Huron Council over the servicing of two Blyth -area developments shows that the area is still paying a price for the clumsy rules set for municipal amalgamations more than a decade ago by the Harris government. The province at the time was twisting arms for municipalities to amalgamate but in doing so, insisted on the integrity of municipal boundaries, not communities So we ended up with situations such as the one in question, where the Cow Bell Brewing Company and the new Tim Hortons outlet are very much part of the Blyth community but sit across the municipal boundary in Central Huron, complicating the provision of services. Because the services would come from Blyth (now part of North Huron) but the taxes would go to Central Huron, the issue of what a fair sharing of costs can get in the way of development. This issue plagued relations between North Huron and Morris- Turnberry for years until the recent historical agreement between the councils of the two municipalities. There's the potential for similar problems if a major development was to be built in Morris-Turnberry on the edge of Brussels, now officially part of Huron East. The reality is that the towns and villages are the centres of their communities. They may no longer be the shopping centres for many residents in the area surrounding them but they still provide essential services such as fire protection and recreation that cross the current artificial borders. Councils are going to need all their wisdom, as North Huron and Morris Turnberry showed, to overcome the problems built into municipal amalgamation. — KR This debate's destructive Unnecessary east -west battle lines are being drawn in Canada over competing regional issues surrounding support for an oil pipeline versus federal government investment in the railway and aeronautics giant Bombardier. Both are good. It shouldn't be one or the other. Old western grievances have arisen again in Alberta and Saskatchewan as oil prices have tumbled, taking the economies of the two provinces with them. The situation is made worse because opposition to oil pipelines in the United States and British Columbia mean western oil has been prevented from reaching foreign markets. The solution seemed to be to reverse a current pipeline that took oil westward from the east coast so that it could carry western oil to Atlantic ports — but then Quebec politicians voiced their opposition. Meanwhile Quebec has invested $1 billion in the Montreal-based Bombardier which has a cash-flow shortage because of the high cost of developing a ground -breaking, fuel-efficient new jetliner. Bombardier wants a similar investment from the federal government but western anger at Quebec is so bitter that many westerners see such an investment would be seen as a slight to their situation. We need the oil to get to seaports as safely as possible (not by rail cars). We need the spinoffs that a leading-edge aircraft maker creates. We don't need petty politics getting in the way of either project. — KR So many fit the bill Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's announcement last week that the next set of bills issued by the Bank of Canada will include the first Canadian woman to be featured on Canadian currency has created an interesting and worthwhile debate about who that woman should be. Suggestions have ranged from Agnes MacPhail, the Grey County resident who was the first woman ever elected to Parliament, to civil rights pioneer Viola Desmond, who defied a ban on blacks on the main floor of a Halifax movie theatre in 1946, to iconic West Coast artist Emily Carr, all of whom are fitting to recognition. Even our own Alice Munro has been suggested, although (thankfully) ineligible because of the requirement the candidate not be living. The debate is as important at the honour, making us consider the outstanding contributions of so many women. Here's hoping there are several of these worthy women chosen to be featured on various denominations of our currency. — KR Letters Policy The Citizen welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be signed and should include a daytime telephone number for the purpose of verification only. Letters that are not signed will not be printed. Submissions may be edited for length, clarity and content, using fair comment as our guideline. The Citizen reserves the right to refuse any letter on the basis of unfair bias, prejudice or inaccurate information. As well, letters can only be printed as space allows. Please keep your letters brief and concise. GOVERNMENT ACCESS X6,000 Looking Back Through the Years March 18, 1959 On March 12, members of the Blyth Masonic Lodge hosted their wives and friends at their annual At - Home meeting in the Eastern Star Lodge rooms. Those in attendance reported having a good time full of cards and a social time. Police were busy investigating a break-in at the Belgrave Co- operative where $250 worth of items were stolen. Once inside the store, thieves stole tires, a milking machine and a battery. Police said the thieves made entrance to the building through a side door in the mill, making their way into the store second. The break-in was discovered by an employee, who then reported what he found to the local police. March 19, 1970 Brussels played host to its annual ladies bonspiel on March 11 and 16 teams made the effort to compete for the tournament's top prize. The A. Bender team from Listowel placed first in the 9 a.m. draw, while Jackie McPhail's team from Harriston won the 11 a.m. draw. Ken Scott, principal of Brussels Public School, was welcomed by the Majestic Women's Institute in Brussels as the guest speaker for the group's March meeting. Members found Scott's discussion to be funny and informative, while interspersed with music and jokes. March 12, 1986 The Blyth architectural firm of Christopher Borgal was awarded the $190,000 contract to design the new Huron County Pioneer Museum project. The Blyth firm was among six that presented their plans for the project at a special meeting of the museum committee, which then made recommendations to Huron County Council. The northern half of Huron County was essentially closed for business as a result of what was being called the most vicious storm of the winter. Temperatures plummeted and landscapes were swept with snowsqualls and harsh winds that made driving around Huron County nearly impossible. Huron County Council was asking a series of tough questions at its first meeting of the month after the Huron County Library system, for the fourth consecutive year, had exceeded its budget. Overspending in the library budgets, in most cases, tended to fall under the category of book purchasing. Tom Cunningham, Hullett Township Reeve and chair of the library board said that the library was $52,000 over its annual budget, largely due to book purchases in November and December. March 20, 2002 With the implementation of the Nutrient Management Act on the horizon, debate was raging as to whether it will be the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, or the Ministry of the Environment that will enforce the new act's regulations. Huron -Bruce MPP Helen Johns spoke about the ongoing debate at the Huron County Federation of Agriculture's annual parliamentary dinner. While some producers have said that the beginning of the maple syrup season had been slow, most said that recent days had an excellent impact for maple syrup producers. "We are doing quite well. The temperature has been just perfect," said Suzanne Robinson of Robinson's Maple Syrup at RR2, Auburn. The hope is that frosty nights, followed by spring-like temp- eratures during the day would continue, helping the production of sap. The Blyth Midget Bulldogs picked up a pair of wins over the weekend to take a four -point lead in the six -point All -Ontario Midget E final over their opponents from Sunderland. The Bulldogs opened the series on Saturday with a 5-2 win. They followed up that effort with an overtime win in the second game of the series. The Sunderland team tied the game at four with just minutes remaining It didn't take long once the overtime period started, however, as Blyth's Micah Loder jumped onto a loose puck just six seconds into the overtime period and scored the winning goal for his team. The Midgets weren't the only team still alive, as the Brussels PeeWee Bulls beat up on a team from Cayuga to advance to the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) final where they would take on Deseronto. Sara Little of Brussels was on top at the All -Ontario Legion Darts Championship, held in St. Catharines, where all of her hard work and effort culminated in a first place finish. Little would now advance to the national competition, which was scheduled to be held in Edmonton on the Victoria Day weekend, where she aimed to be Canada's best.