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The Citizen, 2003-05-07, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 2003. Editorials & Opinions Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Advertising, Alan Young, Patty Van der Meer 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 $28 00/year ($26.17 + $1.83 G.S.T.) in Canada; $80.00/year in U.S.A, and $100/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. We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP) toward our mailing costs. Publications Mail Reg. No. 09244 Canadian Publication Mail Agreement No. 40050141 The Citizen P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. N0M 1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. NOG 1H0 Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 E-mail norhuron@scsinternet.com Website www.northhuron.on.ca A°cna®“ > Member of the Ontario Press Council Using our natural advantage Small towns like Brussels and Blyth have many disadvantages economically in the modem “big is better” world but they also have a natural advantage when it comes to getting people together to make things happen. A meeting to be held in Blyth tonight will try to put that advantage to work to help remedy the most obvious small town problem of this era: main street decline. Trying to rally public support for solving the problem of vacant storefronts is new, but there have been plenty of examples in the past of how people of these communities have come together in the past to meet the crises of those times. From building schools to creating a local telephone system to rallying to rebuild condemned arenas, our villages and their surrounding communities have risen to the challenges in the past. Traditionally community action wasn’t needed for something like a town’s main street because entrepreneurs wer always ready to fill the stores on their own. But with the changing economy, with regional shopping centres devastating main streets in much larger towns as well as villages, a different approach is required. Only those communities that show creativity and determination in reinventing their retail sectors will have a future. Those that don’t take action, who somehow hope that someone will wave a magic wand and make things better, will end up presenting a face to the public that is a sad reminder of what the community once was. Now is the time for communities like ours to come together and seek solutions before the decline becomes permanent. As in the past, we have the opportunity to use our natural advantage of community action to overcome problems we cannot solve as individuals. — KW What have they been smoking? This week Huron County council will debate a bylaw to ban smoking cigarettes in public places. Last week the federal government announced plans to reduce the penalties against smoking marijuana. What’s wrong with this picture? The county’s bylaw is rightly designed to protect people from the dangers of second-hand smoke in public places. Smokers should not have the right to pollute the air that others must breathe. From the point of view of smokers, however, this must seem like the latest weapon in an ongoing campaign to ostracize and humiliate them. Take the situation with smoking in schools, for instance. When smoking was banned in school buildings, smokers simply moved outside. To make it tougher, smoking was banned on school property so the smokers moved to the sidewalk, but most kept on smoking. But the federal government’s decriminalizing possession of marijuana for personal use is sending signals of acceptance for pot smoking. Leaving aside the whole issue of the narcotic effect of marijuana, surely people breathing in smoke from whatever source, cannot be healthy. So while we’re discouraging cigarette smoking, we’re giving an official stamp of approval to smoking pot. What’s the government’s thinking, that someday they can tax marijuana like they tax cigarettes and find a new gold mine? This whole debacle has the stamp of Allan Rock of gun registration fame. He was the guy who promised people who needed marijuana to ease medical problems that they could have it — yet the only way they can get it is to buy it from illegal drug suppliers*. This seems like one of those issues that gains irreversible momentum even if there’s little real thought behind it. — KR Letters to the Editor |.A. rltSPoLotf AFTER WATCHING TAPES OF THE LIBERAL LEADERSHIP DEBATE, IT OCCURRED TO BUD THAT HE'D FOUND A CURE FOR HIS INSOMNIA. Looking Back Through the Years THE EDITOR, Don’t be fooled by Emie Eves’ recent visit to Blyth Public School. The announcement he made was not new, nor will they actually be investing the amount of money their own task force said they took from our children’s education funds. This re-announcement photo-op had more to do with Conservative election hopes in Huron-Bruce than with providing real solutions for our schools. The original inadequate announcement was made several months ago and has been recycled since in a number of ridings across the province. The Conservative-sponsored Rozanski report concluded that $2 billion is needed just to restore the ill-conceived cuts the Conservatives made to our education system. They took this money away from our children to fund tax cuts for the wealthiest Ontarians and left our schools in disarray. Now, instead of offering real, practical solutions, they offer photo­ ops. The truth is that the Conservatives will only invest half the money Rozanski said our schools needed. Their so-called plan will not make up the Conservative- created funding crisis under which our schools are suffering. Perhaps if Mr. Eves had visited my children’s school he would have understood that practical solutions are needed immediately. Our community has had to invest a great deal of time and energy to try to prevent the possible closure of our only school because the Conservatives do not give our vital public services the priority they really need. What our schools really need is public power so that no schools will have to close because of provincial government underfunding. Grant Robertson, NDP Candidate, Huron-Bruce. May 7, 1958 A crowd of 500 people attended the first sale of the Brussels Livestock Sales Yard. This business had been opened in an effort to help the farmers of the surrounding district to have a home market for their livestock. Baptized at St. John’s Anglican church were Dianne Eideen Wesenberg, Patricia Ann White, Kim Lee Humphries, Roger William Humphries, Susan Ann Humphries. A front page notice in The Brussels Post warned that all dogs must be kept tied, or on leash during the gardening season. Owners of dogs found running at large in Brussels would be “severely prosecuted.” Pat Boone was singing and dancing in April Love at the Capitol Theatre in Listowel. At the Llashmar Drive-in it was Henry Fonda and Anthony Perkins in Tin Star. Seaforth’s Regent Theatre had a Saturday matinee feature of Denver and the Rio Grande. Specials at Rutledge Grocery included two bottles of Hunt’s ketchup for 35 cents and one pound of Nestle’s Quick for 57 cents. May 9,1968 About 400 public school students from Brussels, Blyth and Belgrave competed in the second annual music festival. Laurie Haines, Belgrave Central School took top individual honours. Other winners in order were: girls seven and under, Peggy Gibson, Mary Elston, Michelle McCutcheon and Anne Liebold (tied); boys under seven, Laurie Haines, Andrew Koopmans, Edwin Haines; girls nine and under, Nancy Cousins, Marilyn Whightman, Julie McCall; boys nine and under, Murray Bone, Gary Hopper, Danny Lamong; junior duet, Tilly Van Amersfoort and Marsha McNall, Danny Lamont and David Stapleton, Bill King and Chris Brigham. - . - Eight men were seeking the Liberal nomination in Huron for the Summer election. They were: Maitland Edgar, Dr. Frank Mills, Beecher Menzies, Calvin Krauter, Charles Thomas, Rev. John Boyne, Archie Currie and William Elston. Fire completely destroyed a bam on the 12th concession of Grey Twp. The estimated loss was $7,500. A half-gallon of Nielson’s Jersey ice-cream was selling for 89 cents at Weber’s General Store in Ethel. Three 40-oz tins for Allen’s fruit drinks were 89 cents. May 11,1988 The Toronto Severe Weather Office investigated reports of a tornado having touched down in the Dungannon area. Several people said they ahd seen a funnel cloud just prior to a brief but violent windstorm which hit in the late afternoon. Jack Bryans was named the Brussels and area Citizen of the Year. Cadets receiving awards for their year’s work were: Cpl. Martha Boon, Jr. NCO Award; Chief Warrant Officer Jody Boynton, certificate of service; Master Warrant Officer Jeff Boynton, MWO award; Cdt. Steve Martend, most improved Cadet; Warrant Officer Marc Barbour, Glanville Warrant Officer Award; Cptl. Paul Willie, top shot, Brig. Murdoch competition. Boon, MWO Boynton, Barbour and Willie also won certificates of service. Three Blyth youths and a Londesboro businessperson were among those who received awards during the Excellence in Education banquet - CHSS students Julie Howson, David Sparling and Steven Souch and John Radford of Radford’s Farm Equipment. CHSS teacher Keith Allen of Goderich, formerly of Blyth was presented with the top teacher award at the school. May 5,1993 Six area people received medals for their contributions to the community - Don McCaffrey, June Robinson, Robert Hunking, Mary Hunter, Bev Brown and Keith Roulston. Blyth firefighters were unsure who started a blaze at an abandoned West Wawanosh farmhouse. They were called to the scene by a neighbour who was concerned that the fire would spread to a surrounding cornfield. Paul Carroll was named as the new director for the Huron County Board of Education. The Brussels Beavers, Cubs and Scouts had an adopt-a-tree program. Adoption papers were available at several local businesses. Cost was from $4 for a Norway spruce to $6 for a Colorado blue spruce. May 6,1998 Students concerned about the future of their schools could rest assured there would be no closures in the district for at least a year. Alyssa Gowin of Brussels placed second in her category for the Bluewater Recycling Association’s hazardous waste collection days poster contest. Shawn Clark of Blyth received a certificate for his second place victory at the district level of the Legion’s Remembrance Day essay contest. Leading the Brussels Bulls new executive were: president, George Langlois; first vice-president, Mark Pennington; second vice-president Grant Williams; secretary, Frank Stretton; treasurer, Dianne Huether. Steve Coulter was named GM while Roy Gingerich accepted the position of coach.