Editorials - June 27, 2025

While many may have been “Talkin’ World War III Blues” over the weekend as global conflicts raged and crept closer to home, to borrow a Bob Dylan-ism, peace and celebration in regularity and tradition played out in Blyth as another season of Blyth Festival on-stage drama and Blyth Festival Art Gallery creativity opened at Memorial Hall. 

 

The toll of the hall’s bell, the crowds in the shops and on the sidewalks, the cars on the street all mean a new chapter of summer living in Huron County: art is back in Blyth for another year.

 

It can be easy to take for granted as a Huron County resident, with a storied theatre and celebrated art gallery just a stone’s throw away. And yet, conversations with those who come from away to partake serve as a constant reminder of just how lucky we are. New and classic Canadian plays across two stages, beautiful and challenging art in a rural Ontario space and a community that embraces this annual metamorphosis are all ingredients in a stew that, for many reasons, shouldn’t work, but does.

 

During last year’s 50th anniversary season for the Blyth Festival, Artistic Director Gil Garratt said that just as important as looking back at the past 50 years was looking ahead to the next 50. Well, that half-century begins now. Similarly, the gallery marks its 50th anniversary this year, with a nod to those who’ve come before and a bold, unique season that will challenge the norms of art as so many know them.

 

Congratulations to both the Blyth Festival and the Blyth Festival Art Gallery and thank you from Huron County residents. May the seasons be successful and may your art tell our stories for years to come. – SL

While pedestrian-traffic-only regulations may ultimately be a fitting fate for a historical bridge with certain limitations like Ball’s Bridge, it’s unfortunate that Central Huron and Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh (ACW) Councils have had their hands forced by the unfortunate circumstances of vandalism, misuse and a general lack of care.

 

Earlier this month, Central Huron Council opted to close the bridge to vehicular traffic, pending a similar decision from ACW Council, which looks to be coming in time. This ends the chapter that began nearly 20 years ago, after an extended campaign on the shoulders of a dedicated and focused group of volunteers who championed the bridge and raised funds to recognize its historical value and improve it.

 

“This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” is more than a Taylor Swift song, it’s a mantra repeated by parents who watch their children destroy this or that. It’s been adapted to be used by societies with a careless few who destroy opportunities for the many. 

 

It’s an all-too-common refrain. And while the measures the two councils will take to keep bad actors and their cars off of the bridge have yet to be confirmed, we can only hope that they do, indeed, leave the bridge alone. Built generations ago as a symbol of love, the bridge has endured as one of the area’s most beautiful, tucked-away treasures. It would be a shame to lose it entirely, all because of a few bored residents who care not for the property of others. – SL 

As the drums of conflict grow louder in the Middle East, Canada finds itself at a crossroads. On one hand, we are pledging record defence investments and deepening ties with NATO and the EU; on the other, we’re bleeding personnel from within our own ranks.

 

Recent announcements from Prime Minister Mark Carney - boosting defence funding by $9.3 billion, edging toward NATO’s 2 per cent GDP benchmark through a 20 per cent pay hike and an upfront $2.6 billion for recruitment - are newsworthy commitments. Yet behind these numbers is a troubling truth: we’re recruiting more, but keeping fewer. Over 6,700 new recruits entered basic training this year, a 10‑year high. But more than 5,000 service members exited from 2024 to 2025 - almost a 20 per cent increase in attrition. Replacing them is neither quick nor cheap.

 

What is at stake is Canada’s sovereignty. As the U.S. and Iran descend deeper into military conflict, and Donald Trump’s tariffs and threats reverberate along our southern border, free riders among allies may lose credibility. That makes our personnel crisis all the more urgent: a flawed force projection cannot be papered over by weapons or budgets alone.

 

Canada’s defence identity cannot rest solely on recruitment spikes or summit pledges. As Carney signs security agreements in Brussels, Belgium and attends NATO meetings, pushing allies toward five per cent GDP spending targets on defence infrastructure and readiness, Ottawa should ensure domestic readiness mirrors foreign ambition.

 

Let’s not treat soldiers as revolving entries in Ottawa’s ledger, but offer them stability like real compensation, career support, housing, mental health resources and a clear path to meaningful service. If Canada is serious about sovereignty and solidarity with allies, then investment must be people-centred as well as policy-driven. Otherwise, the risk is stark: a well-funded military that no one stays in. – SBS