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The Citizen, 2015-12-03, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2015. Editorials Opinions Publisher: Keith Roulston Editor: Shawn Loughlin • Reporter: Denny Scott Advertising Sales: Lori Patterson & Brenda Nyveld 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 December 5, 1979 Donald McDonald was acclaimed to another term of heading up the Huron County Board of Education for the next year. The Brussels representative said the board would be facing some major decisions in the very near future and he said one of the most important things the board would have to do would be to keep the issues “hot in the minds of taxpayers.” One of the biggest issues McDonald said the board would be facing in the coming years was declining enrolment and he said there were very few things that he, the school board or its trustees could do to combat it. The Brussels Brownies were already in the holiday spirit as they held their Christmas concert, called “The Christmas Doll”. The concert was a resounding success throughout the village and raised $40 for the group, which would then be put towards caring for their foster child. December 5, 1990 Brussels Village Council was in the midst of considering approaching the Brussels Fire Department about possibly creating a new fire hall fund that would eventually raise funds to go towards a new fire hall. The issue first came to council when the fire hall’s floor began to sink in and a report was made to council by Hugh Nichol, an employee of the village. A new cement floor would cost about $1,000 Nichol told council, adding that some of the building’s brickwork was also in rather bad shape. Reeve Gordon Workman said he would hate to put money into an old building if a new one was very clearly necessary, adding that he was surprised that there were very limited funding options for small governments that need new fire halls. Blyth Village Council was receiving plenty of inquiries into the Pride Fund grant it had applied for that was possibly going to bring $400,000 in grant funds into the village. Councillors asked residents for their help on how to spend it and they were overwhelmed with the response they received. Morris Township Council decided to commit $10,000 to the planned renovations at the Belgrave Community Centre. The project, being spearheaded by the Belgrave Kinsmen, would replace the front of the building, install new washrooms and kitchen facilities and new change rooms and meeting rooms. Over 450 supporters of the Liberal Party were in Exeter for a special event to honour retired Huron MPP Jack Riddell at the South Huron Community Centre. A handful of local performers, calling themselves the Blyth Church of God Puppeteers, were heading to Kingston, where they were going to perform a handful of shows. Walton’s Ron Stevenson had a lot of new hardware to put on his mantle as he received the Vincent Farm Equipment Trophy as the top member in the Huron 4-H Agricultural Machinery class. In addition, Stevenson also received a pin for completing six projects in the year. December 5, 2001 With some Huron County schools seemingly flirting with closure, several members of Huron County Council decided to weigh in on the debate, including Huron East Deputy-Mayor Bernie MacLellan. MacLellan proposed a motion that stated that until the Avon Maitland District School Board could prove savings would be realized by closures, no decision should be made. December 4, 2014 Six couples took to the “stage” at the Brussels Legion for the first-ever Brussels Cadet Corps Youth Dance Challenge. The couples, each made up of one cadet and one veteran dance student, each took their turn trying to impress the judges after months of practising together. Brussels’ Curtis Terpstra and Hannah Garrick of Clinton were tops in the competition, winning it all with their routine to “Greased Lightning” from the movie 1978 Grease. Blyth Farm Cheese, headed up by local cheesemaker Paul Van Dorp, cleaned up at various different awards ceremonies. The product, as well as the company, was recognized locally with several Huron Manufacturing Association awards, while also taking various top spots and in the flavoured gouda categories at Toronto’s Royal Winter Fair. Van Dorp said it was good to have all of his hard work recognized on such a large stage as the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. “It was a really good feeling, and it was good to be recognized for the work we do,” Van Dorp said. “It was especially good for the smoked cheese to be recognized. It’s a very special flavour. We age it for a year, then smoke it here with applewood smoke.” 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 The dirt on climate change Events such as the United Nations Climate Summit in Paris this past week can seem distant from a Huron County farm, but agriculture is such a huge user of land on this planet that it will be a tempting target for officials seeking to reduce emissions linked to climate change. Earlier this week a pair University of Guelph professors (not from the agriculture side of the school) wrote in The Globe and Mail that agriculture isn’t getting the attention it should be in climate change discussions. After all, food and farming systems contribute 30 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, Evan Fraser and Sylvain Charlebois stated. The majority of these emissions come from livestock production and from the fields themselves, the professors said. The problem when urban-based commentators start throwing around figures on agriculture’s contribution to climate change is that too often it forgets the “change” part of the problem. The current problems we have with man-made climate change are caused by an increase in the natural production of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane. Even if humans didn’t exist, grass in grasslands and trees in forests would be dying and rotting, releasing carbon dioxide back into air. Decomposition in swamps would be putting methane into the atmosphere. Animals in the wild would be defecating, creating methane (imagine how much methane isn’t being emitted because the huge herds of millions of prairie bison were wiped out more than a century ago). The emissions from land that farmers take up in this world is part of the baseline carbon released into the atmosphere and should not be considered part of the problem of climate change. Only emissions caused by how farmers have altered their practices should be included into climate change discussions. With powerful equipment and nitrogen fertilizer, which requires huge amounts of energy to produce, farmers certainly have increased their energy footprint. On the other hand, through practices like no-till farming, farmers are also reducing their overall impact. Farming has a role to play in helping fight climate change, but it mustn’t be asked to save others who have caused the real problem. — KR Talk is cheap According to a poll conducted for CTV News and The Globe and Mail that was released last week, the vast majority of Canadians support our government taking bold action to combat climate change – at least until the bill comes in. The Nanos Research Group polls showed 72 per cent of people polled think the science of climate change is irrefutable, 79 per cent believe Canada’s international reputation has been damaged by its weak response in the past and 63 per cent said they’d be willing to pay more for certain products if it meant Canada could meet its climate change commitments. Notice the drop in support for battling climate change when a cost is brought into the picture – and that’s when there’s only a verbal cost to be paid. Bring in higher gasoline prices or electricity prices and see how quickly the support for bold action fades. Look at how unpopular wind turbines are across rural Ontario. Most people just want the climate change issue to go away. Few are very enthusiastic about being part of the solution if it costs money or inconvenience. Businesses will move to places in the world where it’s cheaper to operate if governments put more of the burden of dealing with carbon they emit on their own shoulders. A large part of the population is happy to support action as long as it doesn’t mean they have to alter the lifestyle they enjoy – a lifestyle that’s been based on spewing carbon dioxide into the air. Pity the politician who believes the polls that the public supports “bold action” because he/she may suddenly find voters no longer support such action if the costs begin to bite. No matter what the national leaders at this week’s United Nations Climate Summit decide, action to combat climate change ultimately comes down to us, the ordinary people who have to be willing to change our lifestyles and pay the price governments impose through carbon taxes or cap and trade carbon reduction schemes rather than turf out of office any government and initiates such programs. The problem began with us. The answer depends on us. – 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.