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The Citizen, 2015-11-26, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2015. Editorials Opinions Publisher: Keith Roulston Editor: Shawn Loughlin • Reporter: Denny Scott Advertising Sales: Lori Patterson The Citizen P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. N0M 1H0 Ph. 519-523-4792 Fax 519-523-9140 P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. N0G 1H0 Phone 519-887-9114 E-mail info@northhuron.on.ca Website www.northhuron.on.ca Looking Back Through the Years CCNA Member Member of the Ontario Press Council 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 N0G 1H0 email: info@northhuron.on.ca November 28, 1979 Brussels was set to host its annual Santa Claus parade on Saturday, Dec. 8. There were a number of awards up for grabs in connection with the parade. Best float of any type would win $20, while the best original clown costume would net the winner $10. The best decorated bicycle would earn the rider $8 and the best decorated wheelbarrow would win $5. The featured acts in the 1979 Santa Claus parade would be the Brussels Legion Pipe Band and the Wingham Debutants, among others, including, of course, Santa and Mrs. Claus. November 28, 1990 Theresa Knox of RR1, Blyth won the top Huron County 4-H award, in the form of the Murray Cardiff Citizenship Trophy. Since beginning her 4-H career five years earlier, Knox had completed 24 different 4-H projects ranging from dairy to personal finance. As part of her work in the world of agriculture, Knox had also won a number of other awards. Whether it be the Marion Pardy Women’s Institute Scholarship or being crowned County Grand Champion Dairy Showman in Huron, Knox was no stranger to coming out on top. The Blyth Festival Singers were all set to celebrate “Christmas in the Village” at Memorial Hall with a special concert. The Singers would be featured on the hall’s main stage by the Exeter Public School Junior Choir. The Huron County Board of Education was in the midst of considering boundary shifts that would address increasing enrolment in areas where schools were already dealing with issues related to over- crowding. One of the schools said to be too crowded was Hullett Central Public School. Therefore, one of the boundaries being considered for change was that of Clinton Public School, that would address issues at Hullett Central. November 28, 2001 Huron East Council, at its Nov. 20 meeting, decided that it would fight the Avon Maitland District School Board on its proposed closure of a number of schools. Huron East stood to be hurt gravely by the proposed school closures, with three of the municipality’s four schools facing potential closure. Council agreed to put its money where its mouth was, providing $5,000 to help aid a communications committee in the fight to keep its schools open. The Blyth community mourned a well-known business owner as Gordon Boyd Elliott passed away at the age of 86. Elliott was the second generation of the family to operate Elliott Insurance Brokers in Blyth, first joining the firm in 1936. Elliott was also active in his community through his involvement with the local Masonic Lodge. He served as the Lodge’s Past Master and Past Grand Steward. November 27, 2014 The Blyth Festival’s new Artistic Director Gil Garratt, less than a month after being named to the position, announced his first season that would be produced at Memorial Hall in 2015. Garratt announced that the Festival’s 41st season would open with Annabel Soutar’s Seeds, followed by The Wilberforce Hotel written by Sean Dixon, Fury by Peter Smith and Mary’s Wedding by Stephen Massicotte. The season would also include a small production of world-renowned puppeteer Ronnie Burkett’s Edna Rural’s Church Supper in the Festival’s Phillips Studio. Ahead of the work he would have to put into the 2015 season, Garratt praised the Blyth audiences, where he had spent so much of his professional career. “What I love about the Blyth audiences is how hungry they are, because that’s not always the case,” Garratt said. “There are plenty of places where people will line up to pay $80 to have a snooze. They aren’t hungry, but in Blyth, the audience is always ready to go somewhere with you.” The Canadian Centre for Rural Creativity, housed at the former Blyth Public School, gave the public its first glimpse into the future, previewing a number of courses that would be offered at the institution in the coming months. The Fire Department of North Huron continued its torrid pace, nearing the 200-call mark for 2014, which would put the department on pace for its busiest year ever. The newly-formed Huron County Economic Development Board added former Blyth Festival Artistic Director Peter Smith as a member, while at the same time naming Steven Sparling as its new vice- chair. A new route was being proposed for the annual Santa Claus parade in Brussels, due to the ongoing construction of Turnberry Street. The parade stayed further south than it did in most years to accommodate the ongoing construction in the north end of the village. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage. We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright Recreation still community need The current debate at Huron East Council over recreation expenses is sadly illustrative of the unintended consequences we’ve been living with ever since municipal amalgamation. Huron East is the most ungainly of Huron’s amalgamated municipalities, stretching nearly from Listowel in the northeast to almost Exeter in the southwest. It was a marriage of convenience for municipal leaders who feared the Harris government’s direction that amalgamated municipalities needed a minimum number of voters. The result was that a Brussels-centred community was united with a Seaforth-centred area. Municipal amalgamation was supposed to bring about economies of scale that would make it possible to maintain community services. But as costs have risen and provincial funding has shrunk, Huron East has been studying service cuts. One of the services being questioned is recreation. Mayor Bernie MacLellan has wondered out loud if the municipality can continue to support community centres/arenas in both Seaforth and Brussels and floated the idea of one new arena to serve the whole of Huron East. Part of the problem is the declining use of the arenas. Perhaps that’s another of the unintended consequences of amalgamation: a decline in the willingness of residents to take ownership of facilities. Anyone who can remember how the Brussels area rallied to build the Brussels, Morris and Grey (BMG) Community Centre and how volunteers raised money every year to keep it going, knows how important the centre is for the local community. But when government gets larger there can be a tendency to relax and let the government take over instead of the community taking control. Brussels would be a pale imitation of itself without the BMG Community Centre. The idea that somehow one community centre can serve far-flung Huron East just doesn’t work. At the same time, the Brussels community needs to reassert a sense of ownership to make it as self-sufficient as possible again. — KR A few bad apples Canadians in general should not be judged by the actions of a few hateful idiots who have used recent terror attacks as an excuse to strike out at Muslims in Canada, whether it be burning a Peterborough mosque or assaulting women wearing religious clothing. Of course neither should a vast majority of peace-living Muslims be judged by the actions of a relatively few extremists, whether misguided young Canadians or international terrorists. We are individuals and need to be judged on our own actions. A woman wearing a niqab is not a terrorist, as some attackers have labelled innocent women. Ordinary Canadians (or French or Americans) aren’t responsible for acts by governments which seem to be the excuse for terrorists to attack innocent people. The problem is not religion or geography, it is extremism, whether it is warped Muslim fundamentalists seeking to destroy “infidels” or hate- filled Canadians striking out at people who look different than they do. We can’t let a few bad apples spoil attempts to build peace and understanding. – KR More reason than ever to spend Several pundits have wondered if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will alter his plans to go into a deficit to fund infrastructure projects designed to stimulate the economy after the revelation last week that Canada is already facing a $3 billion deficit this year. Actually the message should be that the economy needs stimulation more than ever. The proposed spending is not frivolous. Canadian provinces and municipalities face a huge deficit in upgrading infrastructure, whether it be roads and bridges or mass transit. We’ve been living foolishly for decades, keeping our taxes low at the expense of replacing these public utilities as they wear out. We’ve been delaying spending to the point our children and grandchildren are going to face a diminished lifestyle and higher taxes in the future. The proposed infrastructure spending is essential. If the projects help stimulate the economy and create jobs so much the better. – 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.