The Citizen, 1996-10-16, Page 4Hangers _on
Photo by Bonnie Gropp
Letters
THE EDITOR,
The Huron County HIV/AIDS
Network would like to extend a
heart-felt thank you to all those
who shared in this year's "Walk for
AIDS" held in Goderich on Sept.
29. The more than 60 walkers
:ombined to raise over $6,000 for
community education, and for the
support of clients living right here
in Huron County whose lives have
been forever altered by HIV/AIDS.
The Network has taken out an ad
to properly thank the numerous
contributing sponsors, however, the
bountiful generosity shown by
"Zehrs Food Plus" simply can not
be overstated. Honourable mention
should also be given to: John and
Sandy Masskant, The Huron
County Playhouse, The Children's
Aid Volunteer Clowns, the face
painters, nine area restaurants,
Champion Road Machinery with
their employees, and last but not
least, A. Falker, with the St. John's
Ambulance Corps.
Whether you pounded the
pavement, or lightened your pocket
book, we at the Network would like
to say thank you, for together, we
have accomplished more than
raising much needed funds. We, as
a community, came together last
Sunday, around a disease that has
been viewed through eyes of fear,
ignorance and disdain. Together we
look past our pre-conceived
perceptions of HIV/AIDS. We saw
our mothers, our sisters, our
fathers, brothers, our sons and our
daughters, who are forced to live
daily with both our perceptions,
and this devastating disease. And if
we can see and if we can help, we
have accomplished a great deal.
So again from the heart, we say
thank you.
Our sincere regrets are sent out to
Mr. Paul Steckle, who graciously
informed us of a previous
commitment, and to Mrs. Helen
Johns, who did not.
Trisha Ryan
Secretary, Huron County
HIV/AIDS Network
THE EDITOR,
As a supporter of Wingham and
area projects, I feel it is important
to draw public attention to the
plight of the Wingham Town Hall
Heritage Theatre.
The first season of live concerts
in the Town Hall began six years
ago. The mandate of the founding
board was a plan to rebuild
Wingham's heritage as an
entertainment centre, that provided
opportunity and development for
young Canadian talent.
The first four seasons in the
Theatre were presented under the
banner of Primetime Country and
focused almost exclusively on the
traditional country music format.
During the last two seasons,
under the direction of theatre
manager, Cliff Edwards, the
direction has shifted significantly.
"The Town Hall Heritage Theatre"
is now being marketed as a theatre,
not just for Wingham, but for the
extended community as well.
Concert themes have been
broadened to take in more
contemporary music styles and
tastes, including folk, bluegrass,
pop, gospel, maritimes music, and
children's entertainment.
Since the beginning, the level of
community support for the Theatre
has been an on-going concern.
Currently it has an active, but
unfortunately, limited number of
local patrons. From the first season,
the Theatre has continually
provided quality concerts at a
reasonable price, but after six years
of building the concept, the old
adage of "use it or lose it!" is upon
the doorstep.
While business relations have
developed with several large tour
groups and bus companies, to bring
groups to the Theatre, competition
is stiff and over the years consistent
group business has been difficult to
sustain.
Over the last six years, the
Theatre has gratefully receis,ed
sponsorship dollars from several
community-minded corporations
and retailers, but the on-going
economic picture has been difficult
and the needed growth in corporate
support has not been realized.
What the community does not
know is that during the last year,
the board of directors, as well as
several individuals, have personally.
Continued on page 5
PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1996
C ti
O
i zen
The Nor th Huron cn
ACA
P.O. Box 429, P.O. Box 152, Publisher, Keith Roulston
BLYTH, Ont. BRUSSELS, Ont. Editor, Bonnie Gropp NOM 1HO NOG 010
Phone 523-4792 Phone 887-9114 Advertising Manager,
FAX 523-9140 FAX 887-9021 Jeannette McNeil PAW
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I
It cuts both ways
Few people would be upset or surprised when David Crombie's
"Who Does What?" commission last week recommended the province
take over welfare funding altogether, but the "spin" put on the
annothicement was interesting.
Crombie noted that the
province pays 80 per cent of
welfare costs but, he
complained, it didn't have
enough of the say in how
welfare worked. Thus, he said, the province should take over funding of
welfare completely and have all the say.
It's interesting Crombie should complain the province needs more
say on welfare, which was originally a municipal responsibility, at the
same time as the province is saying that power should be shifted to the
government that's closest to the people. While Crombie was saying the
province didn't have enough say in welfare, municipal politicians have
long complained about being saddled with provincial welfare eligibility
regulations that they didn't like. They would, for instance, have been
much tougher on providing welfare to 16-year-olds who left home if not
for the rules set down by the provincial ministry.
Crombie's proposal also came at a time when Huron was one of a
group of municipalities across the province chosen to design local
"Ontario Works" workfare programs. The Huron proposal seems, at
least in theory, to be eminently sensible, turning social workers into
people who design action plans for individual welfare recipients to get
them off welfare and back to work. The program is designed to meet
local needs and local sensibilities.
Crombie's recommendation also came in the same week when the
government appeared ready to abolish local school boards and take all
administration of education to itself.
All this could be good news for local governments, or bad news for
any local sense of control. It may be a shifting of jurisdiction to take
costs like welfare and education off local taxes, leaving municipalities
with extra cash to deal with the added burden of supporting local roads
and bridges without provincial support (and getting new highways
thrust on them without adequate finding to maintain them). The danger,
however, is that there will be no ability of local people to have any
input into how such programs are designed and administered.
There's no clear indication of a consistent direction from the
Crombie commission as yet. Until there is, rural residents can only
stand on guard to make sure they're not going to be left with the bills,
but no power to make decisions. — KR
At last, service comes first
Lost in the announcement last week, that the federal government has
told Canada Post to get out of the business of delivering flyers, was
even better news to rural Canada: the government has told the post
office to forget closing rural post offices.
It's been a long hard fight to keep this important part of rural
communities alive. Canada Post was determined to close post offices
and open retail outlets in the back of businesses. Yet, at the same time it
wanted to simplify delivery of postal services, it kept complicating its
own operating procedure to the point where part-time clerks in stores
would never be able to answer customers' questions.
The moves seem to be a recognition that Canada Post's first
obligation is service, not profit. Thank goodness some reality has
returned. — KR
A loss to the community
Sadly, at a time when people were giving thanks this weekend,
Brussels lost one of its giants with the death of Jack Bryans.
Jack was a man who helped create one of the village's largest
businesses with Brussels Livestock but did so many other things that
played an equally large part in the community. He donated land for the
new arena. He was the first person to offer to invest in this newspaper.
Recently he has worked tirelessly to do research on the Brussels history
book. He did many, many other good deeds with little recognition.
Citizens like Jack Bryans are all too rare. We cannot afford to lose
people with his kind of humanity and generosity. His family, of course,
nas lost the most, but a whole community shares the loss. — KR
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