Editorials - April 5, 2024

In a year featuring a once-in-a-lifetime total solar eclipse and another Trump campaign, most Americans probably thought 2024 couldn’t get much weirder. And yet, right on the heels of the solar eclipse, as the soil warms to 64 degrees, parts of the southeastern United States will see the biggest cicada emergence in decades; possibly centuries.

 

Cicadas stay buried under the ground for years at a time, and this year a double cohort of 13-year and 17-year broods will emerge at the same time for the first time since 1803 and the last until 2245. 

 

Unlike their more voracious cousins, the locusts, cicadas don’t eat crops and only pose a threat to very young trees. The noise of the millions of emerging cicadas which can approach 110 decibels (or a close approximation of a jet engine) and the deluge of carcasses as they die off in June will be the biggest annoyance for their human neighbours.

 

The sheer numbers that are expected this year - one million per acre over 16 states from Alabama to Vermont, adding up to hundreds of trillions of the bugs - have entomologists calling it “Cicada-geddon”. 

 

Excited scientists will descend on these states, and especially in a few counties in Illinois where the two broods will intersect. According to Georgia Tech biophysicist Saad Bhamla, “It’s like an entire alien species living underneath our feet and then some prime number years they come out to say hello.” If only the universe could find a way to send the Trump campaign away for 13 or 17 years. – DS

A number of Wilmot farmers are said to be “devastated” as they face the potential expropriation of 770 acres of mostly farmland. The story goes that, through a numbered company, Vive Development offered $58,000 per acre for farms in the area. No offers were accepted, and then Canacre began its work to assemble land at the behest of the Region of Waterloo to create shovel-ready development land. The offer is said to be $35,000 per acre with expropriation as the alternative. 

 

Farmers and supporters have since assembled quickly, gaining the support of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, the Waterloo Federation of Agriculture and local MPP Catherine Fife. What exactly the land will be used for, once procured, isn’t quite clear, but those in opposition to government land assembly efforts say that the prime agricultural land in question should be used to farm and farm alone.

 

As towns, municipalities, regions and counties are put under increased financial pressure and seek to develop further and attract more people to pay more taxes, that desperation could lead to more situations like this. And, as a result, boring old farmland could start looking more like apartment buildings just waiting to be built than a way to grow food to lazy politicians hunting for easy solutions.

 

Huron County has long championed the protection and preservation of farmland, but as financial pressures mount and funding dries up, desperate times may call for desperate measures. We should all be watching what happens in Wilmot very closely. – SL 

The Wingham Town Hall Theatre is an incredible asset for the Township of North Huron. The caliber of talented performers who’ve graced the historic stage over the years is staggering. The list includes legendary Canadian troubadour Jim Cuddy, Christmas season chanteuse Serena Ryder, Newfoundland-raised comedian Shaun Majumder and Saskatoon’s bluesy rockers The Sheepdogs, to name just a few from only the last couple of years. Finding an equally intimate venue to witness the magic of live performances from big-name acts locally is a fool’s errand, notwithstanding Blyth’s Memorial Hall - another tremendous arts and culture asset that benefits community residents and visitors alike.

 

In 2015, a volunteer group formed to raise money to restore the hallowed space in Wingham to its former glory. Following their successful efforts, several of those volunteers have continued to offer their time as ushers for special events to keep the facility’s operating costs lower. Because of their hard work, local businesses enjoy an increase of economic benefits as the shows bring more people to town.

 

A report from Director of Public Works and Facilities Gregg Furtney presented to council on Tuesday, suggests that performers entering the facility on weekdays is disruptive to staff operating in the same space. Furtney offered four possible options for direction: status quo, limiting performers’ weekday access to evenings only, limiting performer access to weekends only or to allow a maximum of six events per year to take place between Monday and Friday while closing town hall on those days. In the end, council decided to defer the issue for a month, wanting to first hear a proposal from the Wingham BIA on management of the theatre.

 

North Huron needs to attract new residents to the community in order to secure a prosperous future. Sacrificing the energy and enthusiasm that comes with live shows because it slightly and infrequently disturbs bureaucrats is a tone-deaf approach toward achieving that goal. – SBS