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The Citizen, 2013-09-12, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2013.Editorials Opinions Publisher: Keith Roulston Acting Editor: Shawn Loughlin • Reporter: Denny ScottAdvertising Sales: Lori Patterson & Sue Brindley The CitizenP.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; $130.00/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 September 14, 1961 Over 500 people were in attendance as the new Centennial Gateway was dedicated at the Brussels Fairgrounds. Ida Davis and Beth Cooper unveiled the plaques on the stone pylons, which were dedicated to the Brussels Agricultural Society and to the pioneers. Both women had been dedicated members of the ladies division of the Brussels Fall Fair Board for years. Polio vaccinations were being made available at Brussels Public School over several dates in September, October and November. The vaccination was made available to both adults and to pre-school children. September 14, 1988 With the potential of a municipal election in November, all four Blyth councillors announced that they would not seek office again, meaning that the village council would have a drastically new look after its next election. Reeve Albert Wasson told The Citizen that he had not yet decided whether or not he would seek re- election. The 27th annual reunion of the Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association drew a record crowd to Blyth. The year’s reunion was officially opened by long-time secretary Simon Hallahan, who had recently retired from the position, giving way to Blyth’s Marian Hallahan. The Blyth Lions Club served nearly 450 plates of food at its annual Sunday night meal. The Blyth Legion Ladies Auxiliary announced that it had served 1,000 dinners on the Saturday of the reunion, while serving 500 lunches that same day. Angela Nethery was crowned Queen of the Brussels Fall Fair, beating out Corinna Stephenson, the runner-up, and April Ten Pas, Miss Congeniality, for the coveted position. David Fox was on the Blyth Festival stage in Bordertown Café. Fox filled in for Jerry Franken when the play was set to tour throughout the province. September 14, 2006 Kitchener RCMP officers were near the Walton area when they seized marijuana plants from a field. Over four days over 5,500 plants were recovered. Alyssa Gowing was crowned Ambassador of the Brussels Fall Fair by 2005 Ambassador Yvonne DeWit. The Walton Brewers of the Huron County Fastball League were crowned champions after the year- end tournament. The team won four games on the road over the course of the double-elimination tournament. Abi Corbett of Brussels, a breast cancer survivor, was named as the leader of the 2006 Terry Fox Run, and would act as the community’s Terry’s Team member for the run. The Peters brothers, of Blyth, began the next chapters of their hockey journeys as 15-year-old Anthony Peters completed his first training session as a member of the Ontario Hockey League’s Oshawa Generals. Twenty-year-old Justin Peters had just departed from Blyth for training camp with the Stanley Cup-winning Carolina Hurricanes. Brussels Public School welcomed John Carr as its new principal. Carr came to Brussels from Stratford where he was the Grade 7/8 vice-principal at Stratford Central Public School. September 13, 2012 The former Blyth Public School property was to be formally offered up for auction by the Avon Maitland District School Board on Sept. 20. The sale of the 3.51-acre property, along with the 19,040-square foot building, was being handled by Garner Auctions. Huron County Council voted to reduce its number of councillors from 16 down to 15, effectively dropping a councillor from Bluewater, the only municipality with three representatives, after the next election, which was scheduled for 2014. Brussels native Josh Nichol was chosen to train future players for Canada’s volleyball program, which hoped to send teams to the Olympics in the future. The Queens Bakery opened on Blyth’s main street. A co-venture between Les and Jackie Cook and Rick and Anne Elliott, the shop formally opened its doors for the first time on the morning of Sept. 8. Several Huron County staff members, who had been placed on non-disciplinary leave, were officially let go by the county, including Chief Administrative Officer Larry Adams, Treasurer David Carey and Director of Human Resources Darcy Michaud. Clerk Barb Wilson had also abruptly resigned from her position on Sept. 5, citing personal reasons for leaving the position. Blyth’s Peter Gusso, of The Station House and Part II Bistro, was named Huron County’s top chef after he came out on top of the Taste of Huron’s Chef Challenge. Gusso beat out two other competitors even after being given last choice of meat. The chefs were then given 90 minutes and $20 to shop for ingredients at the Goderich Farmers’ Market in order to wow the judges with their dish. 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 Do the research first One of the first duties of municipal councillors is to look out for the best interests of their constituents, but in doing so, one would hope that they first take the time to do the research to find out what the facts are. Currently Huron County, through its Economic Development Service, is conducting a study into the feasibility of turning the former CP Rail line from Guelph to Goderich into a trail for hikers and bikers in summer and skiers and snowmobilers in winter. Issues being explored include the potential impact on adjacent landowners. Plans call for meetings with landowners to identify any problems that haven’t already been recognized. At the Sept. 3 meeting of Morris-Turnberry Council, a report on the county’s study was included, at the request of Mayor Paul Gowing, for the information of council. No action was required to be taken, yet councillors immediately jumped on the issue and passed a resolution, stating their opposition to the whole concept, to be sent to other municipalities along the route of the trail. One councillor complained that it’s not the backyard of the proponents of the trail that it would run through. Certainly the rights of adjoining landowners must be protected. However, if the trail can operate without causing grief to the farmers along the way, it has a huge potential to benefit the area, including other residents of Morris-Turnberry. Trails are becoming increasingly popular forms of recreation and tourism. The Guelph-to-Goderich trail is particularly attractive because it links a rapidly-growing urban area with a well-known lakeshore community. This trail is long enough that it will require several days to hike or bike, meaning there will be requirements for places to eat and to stay along the route. Imagine the boost it could mean for a village like Walton, one of relatively few urban settlements along the old railway line, if tourism could be added to the local economy. Adjacent landowners are right to demand due diligence to make sure they won’t be adversely affected, which the county’s study plans to do. It’s hard to see how turning the old railway right-of-way into a proper trail, with trail monitors to govern trail users, could create more problems than can already take place. The railway bed is already there and will remain there, purchased by the province in case it was ever needed for a water pipeline from lake Huron to the tri-cities area. It’s open, in most places, to anyone with a motorized vehicle, to drive to a secluded place and have a party. That’s the kind of activity that’s most liable to cause headaches for farmers from things like broken beer bottles thrown into fields. People walking with nothing but a backpack aren’t likely to lug along excessive amounts of beer for drunken parties. As well, the type of person who likes hiking in nature is the type most likely to respect his or her surroundings. In addition, the county’s study is looking into fencing that would be required to protect adjacent farmland in some areas. It’s been 25 years since CP abandoned this line and in that time the areas of the right-of-way off the hard-packed rail line bed itself, have naturalized in many areas, adding a barrier of trees between what would be the trail and the adjacent fields. Nearly half the Guelph-to-Goderich rail corridor is already operating as trails. The Kissing Bridge Trail runs from Guelph to Millbank. The Maitland Trail Association operates a trail from Goderich to Auburn along the old railway bed. Landowners along these areas of trail should be interviewed to see if they have had problems with trail users. There seems to be some resentment to the idea of urban residents traipsing through the Huron County countryside but at a time when the distance between urban Ontario and its farmers is growing, it would seem to be a benefit to farmers to get as many responsible urbanites as possible out into the country to learn more about farming. Morris-Turnberry represents a relatively short, but important, piece of the potential trail’s length. One would hope that municipal councillors – and adjacent landowners for that matter – would keep an open mind to the project. Demand a fair hearing. Demand the facts be established. Don’t, however, say no before you even do the research. –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.