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The Citizen, 2019-09-05, Page 16PAGE 16. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019. Writer protests new building Local food bank defends distribution charges Winding down As the Blyth Festival season enters its final weeks, so too does the Blyth Festival Art Gallery season, which opened its final exhibit on Friday night. “Heaven and Earth” is an exhibit that connects the pottery of Catherine Weir, centre, and the paintings of Elizabeth McQueen, left. Festival Gallery Chair Carl Stevenson, right, made the introductions. (Shawn Loughlin photo) THE EDITOR, As reported in recent articles in The Citizen I find the ongoing saga of the cannabis facility and its neighbours in Vanastra very intriguing and pitiful. The levels of government admit that they have no jurisdiction on private or a corporate property. This is a civil matter of common law. Why do people run to their municipal office looking for help to punish their neighbours? This issue may be resolved by using common law and should be resolved without hiring a lawyer or going to court. For more information, do the research required. You will need proof of harm. People need to stand up for their rights and solve their own problems. If this is important to you, you have to do the work! Our veterans went to war for these rights. Don’t give them away! Ray Storey. THE EDITOR, “Some people seem to think that the answer to all of life's imperfections is to create a government agency to correct them. If that is your approach, then go straight to totalitarianism. Do not pass ‘Go.’ Do not collect $200.” This quote from the writings of Thomas Sowell, a respected American economist and social theorist, captures perfectly the mindset that has taken over current Canadian thinking. The result is that we have seen the size of government increase by about 500 per cent over the past 40 years, according to a long-tenured municipal administrator. Historically, all our economic growth and development in Huron County was accomplished with minimal government interference at any level. As a result, for decades Huron County’s economy grew exponentially, and our public infrastructure was the envy of the province. The county had an efficient staff while municipal offices were run out of homes and the works department consisted of a roads boss and one or two workers in most municipalities. Today it is said that the County of Huron vies for the dubious distinction of largest employer in the county. And then you have all those employed by municipalities. What increased benefit do we see that reflects the swollen governments we are supporting? At the same time, allocating funds to maintain public infrastructure is a constant battle. One effect of growing our government is that there is little or no “development” that can be carried out without some form of permit from the municipality or county – from putting up a tent or large garden shed, all the way to a barn or industrial complex; and all at a cost to the property owner. For whose benefit? Furthermore, the controls coming down from the planning department only increase year by year. The planners express the need to engineer every aspect of our lives. The growth in government has resulted in huge social and financial costs to the taxpayers and residents of Huron County. This self- perpetuating growth of policy- creating government is unsustainable. An example of such is the Huron Natural Heritage Plan, a completely needless initiative undertaken by the planning department, for no benefit. While we are told that it is nothing new, we raise the question: Why has so much planning time (years) and money (unknown) been spent on something that already exists? This is expensive housekeeping, as the planning department calls it. There is an undiscussed alternative to building a new county government facility – downsize our Huron County bureaucracy to the size which serves our resident needs, just as it did in the past. This would see an immediate saving to taxpayers of up to reportedly $25 million for not putting up a new county building, as well as year- over-year saving of significant proportions in eliminating salaries paid to positions that add nothing to our economic output. Will Huron County Council give this very viable option the consideration we the taxpayers deserve? I refer again to the wisdom of Thomas Sowell: “Much of the social history of the Western world, over the past three decades, has been a history of replacing what worked with what sounded good.“ We had a good thing going. Why destroy it by going “straight to totalitarianism”? Under the government Monopoly, “Go” is “Stop”, and there is far more than “$200” at risk… . By the way, if you’re looking for a job, Huron County advertises an opening in the Planning Department, starting at $42.60 an hour, plus benefits. John Schwartzentruber, Brussels, ON. THE EDITOR, This letter is in response to an Aug. 22 article in The Citizen quoting Huron East Mayor Bernie MacLellan related to the county’s annual funding of the Huron County Food Bank Distribution Centre, located south of Exeter. Mayor MacLellan had expressed concerns on Aug. 14 at Huron County Council regarding how the Distribution Centre was using the $66,000 in annual funding. The mayor heard from some source that the Distribution Centre was actually charging for the food it was delivering to county food banks. The Board of the North Huron Community Foodshare would like to respond to Mayor MacLellan’s concerns. Every other week, a delivery truck from the Distribution Centre visits our Wingham location and drops off several skids. We pay a monthly charge of $300, not for the food, but to help offset the Distribution Centre’s delivery costs, specifically the fuel and truck. North Huron Foodshare gladly supports this cost of delivery so the Distribution Centre can dedicate more of its budget toward the purchase of food for local residents. Delivered items vary but usually include: canned goods, cereals, potatoes, frozen meats and desserts, fresh produce from local greenhouses, fresh milk and eggs, plus at Christmas, frozen turkeys and hams are supplied for over 130 families in need. When you factor in today’s high price for food, the value of everything delivered far exceeds the monthly delivery charge of $300. If you do the math, it equals to thousands of dollars of food, for an annual delivery charge of $3,600. The North Huron Foodshare is fortunate to be surrounded by generous and caring communities, that support our various fundraising efforts throughout the year. However, our ability to continue to operate without the support of the Huron County Distribution Centre would be seriously impacted. The need for low-income families to access this county’s food banks continues to rise. The need for ongoing funding from Huron County Council has never been greater. The Board of the North Huron Community Foodshare. Keep up with the latest agri-businesses and the best of rural living! THE MAGAZINE OF AGRICULTURAL LIFE ... $2.50 PM 40037593 TheRural Voice Owner of trout hatchery feels like a “rock star” raising trout to eat and stock ponds July 2019 TheRural Voice FISH FARM HEAVEN Family business puts new life into old tractors with salvaged parts TRACTOR TRANSPLANTS Harvesting marijuana to support medical needs a developing area for individual growers GROWTH POTENTIALGROWTH POTENTIAL The magazine of Agricultural Life $20 for 12 issues $35 for 24 issues Please make cheques payable to North Huron Publishing Inc. Subscribe Today www.ruralvoice.ca The Rural Voice 405 Queen St., P.O. Box 429 Blyth, ON N0M 1H0 Letters to the Editor ‘Proof’ needed: writer Questions remain with plan says Hill THE EDITOR, I feel the need to respond to reporter Shawn Loughlin’s coverage of Huron County Council’s Aug. 14 meeting regarding the proposed Natural Heritage Plan. Changing the name to the National Environment Update is akin to putting lipstick on a pig. This pig is not made any prettier. Warden Jim Ginn is quoted making reference to “special interest groups at play”. I consider myself to be a member of such a group – landowners – who feel our property rights are not being adequately protected by our elected representatives. I feel that this proposal is a regulation to address a problem that doesn’t exist and will be a trojan horse to introduce, in the future, further bureaucratic regulations that restrict personal property rights. These questions remain unanswered: • What is the stated purpose of the proposed HNHP? • What is the demonstrated need? • Who benefits from a HNHP? • Where did the proposal originate? • How will current and future landowners be compensated if personal property rights are restricted now or in the future? I feel that this regulation is another example of the long arm of our provincial government reaching into rural municipalities to further take private property under public control. Bev Hill, Varna.