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The Citizen, 2003-08-27, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 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 Mall Agreement No. 40050141 The Citizen P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. N0M 1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 E-mail norhuron@scslnternet.com Website www.northhuron.on.ca RO. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. NOG 1 HO Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 A°cna€sNA < Member of the Ontario Press Council BBQE^BI The people came through Ontario’s power system may have failed last week but the performance of the general population shows that when given a common cause, people can still set aside their short-term interests for the greater good. Given the “me-first” mood that has seized this country for the past two decades, the willingness of the majority of people to cut their power use to try to prevent rolling blackouts until the power plants came back on line after the Great Blackout of Aug. 14 was truly reassuring. After witnessing a generation of people concerned first and foremost about “what’s in it for me” it was easy to wonder if we would ever be able to pull together in times of crisis such as Canadians did during the Second World War, for instance. But when crisis hit the good side came out in most people. There were those who immediately threw themselves into directing traffic to help unsnarl the chaos brought about by stoplights that didn’t work. There were those who looked in on their elderly neighbours to make sure they were safe. And there were the millions of people who willingly curtailed their electrical use to try to help out. Almost as important, there was a strict public disapproval of those who didn’t cut back on their electrical use. People put pressure on those who wasted power by complaining about companies that left their office lights on at night or abused air conditioning. Our trial was relatively short and we didn’t have to live with such hardship as those facing the loss of their homes in British Columbia’s forest fires but it’s heartening to see the way people can still come together in the face of an emergency. — KR Mixed news on privatization For proponents of privatizing government services, the last week has brought mixed news. Supporting the argument for privatization was the performance of privately-owned Bruce Power in getting its nuclear power station up and running much more quickly than publicly-owned Ontario Power Generation did with its Pickering station. For those who had been taught that our publicly-owned Ontario system was the best, it was a sobering eye-opener. Yet private sector energy companies didn’t come off so well when it was revealed that the Ohio company where the Great Blackout apparently originated, has been a source of concern in the past for putting profits ahead of the public interest. It would be easy to argue both sides of the argument for or against privatization of electricity following the blackout. On another front of great debate over public versus private funding, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine said the U.S. system of health care, funded mostly through private insurance companies, costs three times as much to administer as the Canadian single-payer, government system ($1,059 U.S. per person versus $307). But when you’re committed to a philosophy, figures can’t get in your road. Two policy analysts with the right-wing Fraser Institute immediately fired back. Writing in The Globe and Mail they argued, rightly, that the overhead savings in the Canadian system don’t matter much if people have to wait longer to see a specialist or have surgery, and have a hard time getting access to expensive medical equipment like CT scanners. The fallacy in their argument, of course, is that if we took that $1,000 Cdn. a year administrative saving and actually applied it to improving the health system instead of cutting taxes, we could have much better health care. The strength of Canada throughout the past century has been the pragmatism of our people and leaders. We’ve been willing to try new things that seemed to hold out the best possibility of delivering what we wanted, and not be stuck in a rut because of ideology. So we tried publicly- owned electrical generation because it seemed to solve the problems of small companies that couldn’t work together. If that system doesn’t work now then we should be open to change. We should use common sense and not be caught up in ideology whether from the right or the left.— KR f.A. ifeflWN I • z J wrfF.. . - . .’'Z^ZVf fe^SO, THE GREAT WAR AGAINST THE EMERALD ASH BORER HAS CLAIMED ITS FIRST CASUALTY I SEE -- MY GOOD TEA-TOWEL 1 > .2,Z- t.% H ' 1 1 ■—— [ Ri L AI1 A View From My Backyard BY JANICE BECKER Letters to the Editor THE EDITOR, The Blyth Brook Greenway committee was meeting on the Greenway Thursday night, Aug. 14, during the blackout. Although we were sitting in the severely vandalized kiosk on the Greenway, we were encouraged to see the number of people walking the trail that evening. Even more encouraging was seeing the Festival cast and crew heading down the trail, instruments in hand, to set up an impromptu performance. Then came the audience. Carloads of people lined up with their headlights aimed at the “stage” and many more came by foot. We are proud of the work that the committee and many others have put into setting up and maintaining the Greenway trail, and get very discouraged when we see the vandalism. To see so many people enjoying the Greenway in a variety of ways, makes worthwhile. Thanks to all the thanks to the Blyth making us feel appreciated. Donna Taylor Secretary, Blyth Brook Community Greenway Committee. It is with mixed emotions that I write this column as it means I am saying goodbye to a family I have come to cherish. That family is not just the people I have worked with since starting at The Citizen in 1993, but the people of the communities I have come to know, those who have welcomed me into their homes and their lives, allowing me to tell their stories and experiences whether uplifting, educational or sometimes even sad. It will be strange to no longer drive the backroads of northern Huron County or walk the streets of the villages with the camera bag slung over my shoulder, seeking interesting pictures. I will miss attending the variety of sporting events and community functions, the Brussels Fall Fair, and the Threshers Reunion as well as performances at Memorial Hall. But honestly, I won’t miss attending four-hour council sessions, a task I gratefully gave up a couple of years ago. I will miss visiting the public schools to watch the children attempt the high jump or perform in the annual concerts. I will miss Mr. Potter with his wonderful stories of war time heroism, the Legions’ colourful bands as they honour those memories, the Santa Claus parades with snowflakes matted on the camera lens, the Lions and Optimists who support their communities and the many people who volunteer their time to make our small towns and communities the best places to live. There are so many who have helped me do my job for the past 10 years, from my first story on Sips and Nibbles in Belgrave to the most recent inquiries with regards to the power outage. It would be impossible to mention them all, but know that I have always appreciated your contributions and the time you took to answer my questions. Now for those I have worked with all these years. To my editor and mentor, Bonnie, who taught me how to write for a newspaper while becoming my friend. She still corrects teh, oops, the spelling in my stories when my fingers refuse to do what my brain is telling them. Dianne, with her magical ability to fix a computer glitch simply by walking into the room, and Joan, her partner in crime, both keep the office filled with giggles. To Alan, always in search of a “word guru” and all the other advertising people, it has been interesting trying to help write copy to “grab attention”. It was always nice to see Jill wander into my office. She brought the cheques. Vicky came with questions, stories and explanations. And from Keith, I have always tried to remember one piece of advice h offered after I had been with the paper just three months, though we all falter at times. “It is better to look foolish to one person by asking the same question twice than to look ridiculous to hundreds of people when an error appears in print.” The past 10 years have been a wonderful experience and yet I look forward to the challenges of the new job with excitement and anticipation. I won’t be going too far so I hope to still see those friends and acquaintances I have made through my years with The Citizen. And please, continue to support those who work so hard, with dedication and sincerity, to publish this quality newspaper each week for our communities. Looking Back Through the Years the work walkers, and Festival for August 27,1958 Rev. William K. Jaggs, assistant curate of St. George’s Anglican Church, Windsor would be taking over the charge of the Brussels. Henfryn and Walton parishes. At the Llashmar Drive-in Theatre, Listowel it was Robert Stack and Jennifer Jones in Good Morning Miss Dove. August 29, 1968 D.M. MacTavish retired after 43 years in business. He came to Brussels from Wroxeter in 1925 as manager of the Farmers Co-operative. Local teachers attending the annual Ontario Federation of Women Teachers Association convention in Toronto were Mary Heuther of Brussels school and Evelyn Merrill of Blyth. Aug. 29,1973 Rev. Stanley McDonald of Londesborough United Church was elected High Chaplain of the High Court of the Canadian Foresters for the Dominion of Canada at a meeting held in Vancouver, B.C.