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The Citizen, 2007-03-22, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2007.Editorials Opinions Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie GroppAdvertising, Ken Warwick & Kelly Quesenberry The CitizenP.O. Box 429,BLYTH, Ont. N0M 1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 P.O. Box 152,BRUSSELS, Ont. N0G 1H0 Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 E-mail norhuron@scsinternet.com Website www.northhuron.on.ca Looking Back Through the Years 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 $32.00/year ($30.19 + $1.81 G.S.T.) in Canada; $92.00/year in U.S.A.and $175.00/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: Monday, 2 p.m. - Brussels; Monday, 4 p.m. - Blyth. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40050141 PAP REGISTRATION NO. 09244 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPT. PO BOX 152 BRUSSELS ON N0G 1H0 email: norhuron@scsinternet.com March 15, 1950 Famous actress Barbara Britton was photographed helping to address envelopes with two young children as an act of charity to the Society for Crippled Children. The envelopes being addressed were to be sent out as part of the Society’s 1950 Easter Seal Campaign, a month-long campaign which would raise funds for the care and treatment of handicapped children. In a related story, a six-year-old boy named Russell Miller had been chosen as the official poster boy of the Easter Seal Campaign. Russell was a young victim of Palsy since birth and had to use crutches to get around. As poster boy, Russell would be making radio and personal appearances in connection with the Easter Seal campaign fund drive. March 15, 1961 John Bailey officially resigned from his positions as the chief constable, street foreman, and caretaker of Blyth. He wished to retire and spend more time with his family. Bailey had been hired in 1953, but had lived in Blyth for 30 years. For the 29 of those years he had been employed in various jobs in Blyth he had never missed a single day of work. A probate court clerk had a strange and unexplainable experience when a large window in her office shattered suddenly for no apparent reason. Mrs. Perry, who worked in Cleveland, Ohio, was working late in her office when the window closest to her desk cracked into thousands of fragments, but stayed inside the window frame. Investigators had yet to come up with an explanation. A set of iron train track in Indonesia became a reminder to not only the country but to the world of how powerful nature can be. A landslide, which was triggered by an earthquake, literally twisted the tracks upside down as it hung over a deep gorge in Trowek, Java, in Indonesia. An Etruscan warrior’s head, a long-treasured piece in a New York museum collection was named a forgery by historians and archeologists. The sculpture, which had currently been on display at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, had a black glaze over its entirety, a glaze which examiners concluded could not have possibly been applied 2,000 years ago, the age of which the museum had initially dated the piece. A large timber wolf was on the loose in the streets of London, England. The wolf, which weighed in at an intimidating 140 pounds, was named Devil Face and belonged to June Ffytche, wife of a barrister. An animal enthusiast, Ffytche had been caring for the timber wolf as well as its mate, Angel Face, insisting that the animals were gentle and not at all a threat to anyone. Devil Face had been loose for two days before it jumped a seven-foot wall and became trapped between the wall and an adjacent small shed. Despite cries from a distraught Ffytche, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals workers on call slipped a noose around the wolf’s neck, and covered him with a net before forcing an iron bar between his teeth and taping his nose and feet. The wolf fought the restraints convulsively, but to no avail as the animal was dead by the time it was lifted up. An inspector reported that Devil Face had died on account of “strangulation and shock”, but then commended the "hunters" on a job well done. Those watching encountered a heart-wrenching scene as Ffytche desperately tried to massage her pet back to life, all the while crying out to the crowd that “They didn’t have to do it this way - - it was murder”. March 15, 1972 Residents of Seaforth, Clinton, Brussels, Blyth, Walton and surrounding rural areas experienced power blackouts after a cat climbed on to a transformer at the Ontario Hydro Station, east of Seaforth. The blackout affected 10,000 Ontario Hydro customer, though only for 30 minutes. A Blyth man was killed when his vehicle hit a patch of ice on Hwy. 4, striking several guide posts. The man was taken to hospital but died of internal injuries. The passengers, three young children, between the ages of eight to 14, were taken to Clinton Public Hospital and treated for minor injuries before being released. March 13, 1991 Grey Central Public School received several brand new instruments thanks to a generous donation from two area service clubs. The Brussels Optimists and the Brussels Lions Club donated the funds so that the school could purchase the much needed instruments to be put into use in its music program. The East Wawanosh Federation of Agriculture celebrated its 50th Anniversary. The Blyth Library was to re-open in a new location in the north wing of the Blyth Memorial Hall from its former location. The new library would include a children’s area and a study/reference area with increased seating. Playing at the Park Theatre in Goderich was King Ralph, starring John Goodman and Peter O’Toole. By Geri Kamenz, President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture Agriculture’s expanding role in environmental stewardship, and its new-found abilities for energy production are giving the industry increased credibility and attention from political leaders. Rather than appearing before this country’s elected leaders with lists of items agriculture needs, we’re now in a position to also offer agriculture’s services to governments. Ontario’s political leaders regularly talk about the province’s needs in the energy field – they want cleaner sources of energy; they want more sustainable supplies of energy. Agriculture is now positioned to provide both. Ethanol is an increasingly popular fuel source, and our farmers produce acres and acres of crops that can be converted to ethanol. We also have thousands of potential sites for wind generation turbines capable of contributing electricity to the province’s power grid. In all instances, though, we need rules and regulations from the provincial government that make it feasible for our farmers to make the investments needed to get involved. We also need serious investment in agricultural research to keep our producers and processors on the leading edge in a very innovative and competitive world. Our farmers continue to struggle to escape the economic hole they slipped into over the previous two years – a situation created by highly subsidized international competition. At Premier McGuinty’s recent Summit on Agri-Food, a vision of growth and innovation was highlighted. To be able to participate in that growth and innovation, we have told our governments that farmers need an immediate investment to overcome the years of economic losses. With a new provincial budget on the horizon, the timing is ideal to address these issues. Our farmers have critical contributions to make to the province’s economy and We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP) toward our mailing costs. We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright Writing off most of Canada Recent census figures released by Statistics Canada are giving new ammunition for those who see Canada’s future in the cities and who say it’s time to write off rural Canada. Figures showing the continued concentration of population in cities prompted Globe and Mail columnist John Ibbitson to start his column: “Canada is a country of three real cities, three or four contenders, and nothing else that matters.” Ibbitson has moved way beyond being a booster of Toronto to being an advocate of having everyone else pay for the growth of major cities, seeing them as the drivers of the economy. Later in his column he says: “Agriculture and the fishery would shut down if it were not for government subsidies. By distorting market forces, those subsidies may be doing more harm than good.” If Ibbitson were alone in this ignorant view of what Canada is it would be one thing, but it’s a view that is becoming the accepted wisdom, in varying degrees, among the media and the intelligentsia concentrated in Toronto, people who are helping shape the perceptions of both federal and provincial politicians. Despite calling itself Canada’s “national” newspaper, for instance, the Globe virtually ignores everything outside of Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. Since it is the newspaper most read by politicians, it means leaders get a warped view of Canada. Notice, for instance, that Ibbitson’s view of “rural” includes everything but “the real cities” and “three or four contenders”. In his view third-tier cities like London with its famous medical research facilities, Windsor with its auto plants, and Kitchener-Waterloo, hub of Canada’s electronic innovators, don’t really matter. As for his belief that market forces should be allowed to take their natural course, he doesn’t really believe that either. While he argues there should be no money for rural areas so the resources can be saved for areas of growth, he also argues against providing money for infrastructure for where the census shows growth is really going: the suburban areas around cities. This growth should be choked off to promote downtown densification, he says. From the distance of the countryside, it’s easy to see what hogwash all this is. Since it’s only people like Ibbitson who get a voice in the major media, however, who’s to hear the other side? — KR Money for a hopeless cause In an attempt to help Quebec Premier Jean Charest win next week’s provincial election over his separatist opponents (not to mention helping his own hopes in the next federal election) Prime Minister Stephen Harper shoveled billions of additional dollars into Quebec in Monday’s budget. Like many politicians before him, the Prime Minister is bound to be disappointed with the results of what he calls “dealing with the fiscal imbalance”. For Quebec, as for indeed all provincial governments, the federal government is just too handy a bad guy. Once this money is absorbed, it will be no time before there’s a new grievance against Ottawa. No amount of money will undo a culture of victimhood. — KR & OFA Commentary Continued on page 11