Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - March 1, 1978, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press wednesday March 1, 1978 examiner urges inquest into Snowma race death by Jim Haggarty or. William Parker the province s chief medical examiner has recommended an inquest be held into the death sunday of a snowmobile Driver during the Sno pro races in Beausejour Man. Normally the recommendation to the provincial at Torney general s department would come from because Jour area medical examiner or. De Dike. However he Beausejour doctor has disqualified him self from this Case because he is also a director of the Canadian Power Toboggan championship organization. Jerry Bunko 27, of Ros strip Minnesota killed sunday afternoon after his snowmobile tangled with an other coming out of a turn. After he lost control of his machine Bunke was hit by his racing teammate Brad Hillings who was following him. Bunke s body Lay about 50 feet Down the track from his machine when the Snow cleared. Parker said bunk suffered a fractured Skull lacerations Lorn lungs and conclusions of he brain in the mishap. Bunke was last year s top Points Winner on the professional racing circuit and named Driver of the year and was also to appear in Sweden Early in March for the premiere of inc pro races outside North Ameri Ca. He had just celebrated his 27lh birthday last thurs Day. The Accident has prompted members of Manitoba s snowmobile communities to question whether the machines which Are capable of reaching 100 Miles an hour and More Are Loo fasl. Team Decker a seven member race family from Jerry Bunke Bloomfield Wisconsin is Adamant thai sunday s fatal Ity was not because of the machines. In a Telephone interview tuesday Richard Decker and two of his sons Allen and Mike said conditions at the race track at Beausejour were absolutely Ridick and racers were driving Way Over their although he was t at the race sunday Richard Decker said his family Felt there was a Day and night difference in the Iracks Lur Day and team Decker with 22 Rac ing Snow machines at their disposal placed in the top three in 11 races on Satur Day and most were first. A big difference in the two Days of racing were the groupings on the track and Iii Walher Allen Decker said. On saturday the Amateur racers were More spread out and the weather was warmer. But sunday the professional factory teams were clumped closer together in the turns and coupled with colder temperatures ice shavings on the track created visibility problems he added. Chuck Decker another member of the family learn had an almost identical Acci Donl As Bunke s earlier in the Day. In a smaller machine class Decker tangled Wilh another machine Angling for the Lead position coming out of the first turn and into the second on the Oval track. Hillings the Polaris Driver was running third and hit Decker when the Wisconsin racer lost control of his machine. Brad Hulings probably never saw brother Allen said. It was pretty hard to see in the groups he added and if somebody fell off in front of another machine they were damned hard to it was a super bad agreed the three members of the family. Team Decker were extremely upset Over the condition of the racing surface. Richard Decker explained the track at Beausejour was solid ice but it should have had a heavy base of sawdust to keep the Snow dust ice shavings Down. The Carbide front skis and tracks on the snowmobiles just Chew up the the machines Are twice As Safe As the year Richard said but Sno pro circuit has t had a decent track this year with one possible you got to blame the track and the Way he race was father and sons agreed. Many of the Drivers have been phoning the Decker family complaining about the Starling methods the re starts and the racing sur face he added. Running in fifth or sixth position i could t even see the Allen said. It was like having a White Sheet Over my he repeated that Satur Day s races weren t As bad because the Drivers weren t bunched sunday the races Gol started late and they began to cram things he added. The Road grader Clearing the Snow dust from the track was almost useless he said. It Efla half Inch of Snow on the Richard Decker said the track should have been cleared Wilh a sweeper and if one was t available a plough. Mike Decker said he will not return to i Beausejour under any conditions but the rest feel if the track is improved they would race there again. However if it in t improved none of the family we return. It s just too Richard Decker said. Leaders of civil liberties group rights commission to speak Here Gordon Fairwe Alhar chief commissioner of the Canad an human rights commis Sion and Alan Borovoy executive director of the Cana Dian civil liberties association will be the keynote speakers Friday and Satur Day at a forum on human rights and responsibilities. The forum sponsored by the Canadian Council of christians and jews will be in the student Union building Manitoba rooms 316-.120, at the University of Manitoba. Neva Steak and shrimp 6 of. Sirloin Steak strip with 3 Large tantalizing Fantail shrimp. Com plete with baked potato and Bonanza Toast. 10 of. Top sirloin dinner specially prepared the Way you like it Choice 10 of. Top sirloin Steak with baked potato and Bonanza Toast. Youth Choice Only Don t forget our free All you can eat salad bar with these All Day specials Bonanza Tough crackdown on drinking sniffing Shamattawa taking Bull by the horns family restaurants by Bob Lowery Shamattawa Man. There is striking evidence of change in this Remote North Ern Community which has become known for its heavy drinking and gasoline sniff ing. In the summer of 1976, Sha Mattawa More than 500 Miles Northeast of appeared in newspaper headlines when More than 60 of its children and Young people suffering from the effects of gasoline sniffing were flown to the Winni Peg health sciences Centre for treatment. One of the patients 15 year old Leonard Miles son of chief Judah Miles died. Since then the Federal health and social services and Indian affairs depart ments the non medical use of drugs Branch and the Manitoba alcoholism foun Dation have made concentrated efforts to improve the situation. The Shamattawa Indian band Council set up a patrol which hours the Community from noon to Midnight daily watching for sniffers. Chil Dren and in some Case adults found sniffing Are promptly checked by the Community nurses. When necessary they Are sent out for treatment. Numerous recreation pro Grams have been tried and several attempts were made at setting up a drop in Centre. Despite these efforts Inci dents of gasoline sniffing and drinking remained High. Last april the Community patrol workers caught More than 70 children sniffing. The count stayed at a critical level throughout the sum Mer. In october Here were 12 incidents. Then in november patrol Leader Alex redhead says number dropped to 14 and to Zero in december. In january the count was two adults and four children. So far this month there have been 11 cases. But the figure includes five children who were caught twice this month redhead says. He says their parents have gone Back to drinking. The patrol leaders say that at one Point the number of drinkers in Shamattawa included almost everybody now it s Down to about 10. Redhead and Community Constable Robinson Namao Kesik said the reason for the dramatic drop is the Strong action taken by chief Miles and the band Council with the support of most of the local residents. This action began in Early november at a band meeting where two band councillors were removed from office because of their drinking. Band councillor Silas Miles said we simply told the people they had to Settle Down Slop drinking and care for their the councillor feels that child neglect caused by parents drinking is the reason for sniffing. The Council backed ils words with Tough bylaws. People found drunk on Alco hol or bean juice a local product brewed from Pota toes and raisins Are fined for the first offence. Fines increase to for the second and for the third. As Well offenders on Wel fare have their welfare Money Cut in half for a month. Knur Lime offenders Are off completely for a 110-Day period. Proceeds from the fines Are used by the.1 band Council for various Community projects. When people get their rations Cui they soon come Miles said. Young people caught sniff ing Are taken to the Community Constable by the patrol workers. The chief Council lors and parents Are in formed. Sometimes they Are kept at the police Headquarters for Brief periods. In some cases with the parents permission an old fashioned spanking is administered. Two Grade 3 students say they have sworn off sniffing at least partly because of the spanking. School teachers say class attendance is up More than g5 to 70 per cent compared with last year. They say the students have much More Energy and interest in school As the effect of the sniffing wears off. Adults found under the in fluence of Loo much drink have to answer for he mis Demeanour before the Council and sometimes at Community meetings. Last week the new 000 Leonard Miles memorial drop in Centre was officially opened Wilh government officials from Ottawa Winni Peg and Thompson present. The Well equipped facility Wilh snack bar and Large meeting room will have seven Day a week programs for Young and old. Ii is under the direction of Bennett red head and a Community com Mittee. The official opening included a meeting where chief Miles and his Council presented Vernon bolts cd acting regional director Gen eral for Indian affairs Wilh a series of proposals for eco nomic development in Sha Mattawa. After the meeting about of the s residents attended a feast. In the evening a local fiddler and guitar player provided Happy school children at Shamattawa on a slide music for Square dancing involved with developments and a jigging contest. The merriment continued at High pitch until a . When people began leaving in Shamattawa for the four years. Anglican i no scr Rev. For Home. The Council has Ralph who Pilo cd a banned the use of Snowma Bush plan from a re Mold Biles after that hour. Miles thanked the govern Northern Ontario Post to at tend the opening said men representatives for their assistance in helping Oday some Lhing to to the Community overcome been Pray my for. He s been Many of ils problems. The visiting the Community for 12 names of 30 outsiders and years local residents Are to be Miles his councillors and posted in the drop in Centre Many people in Shamattawa Wall in recognition of their Are Well aware that they Are contribution to establishing in a Battle thai will Lake the new facility. Months maybe years to win. Or. Lyle Black director beyond the social needs Are some Lough economic issues that have to be answered. Hut the healthy thing about Sham Allawa today is that ils people know Hoy have to Genera of program manage input with the health and so Cial service department in Ottawa said there is no question a very great change has taken place Here in or. Black has been problems. Face and solve their own photo by Bob lows re the Shamattawa Community patrol searches for gasoline sniffers both children and adult every Day from noon to Midnight. 910 ave. It Malm Hwy. 3500 a. 1315 he Timon Hwy. 1012 81. My re. Porn a local concern prof i. Ottawa special control of pornography should be handled at the Community level because no Universal definition of what it is can be arrived at a University of Ottawa criminology professor told the commons Justice committee tuesday. Or. Jacques Laplante head of the University s criminology department said Lack of a Clear definition makes it difficult for the police and judicial systems to Deal uniformly with pornographic cases across the country. What constitutes pornography in Victoria May not be the same As pornography in Abi Tibi Laplante said. He referred to historical examples of sexual customs and taboos including the fact that incest was tolerated in Early mediaeval society and virginity was not then highly prize to illustrate changing tastes and mores. His views on the highly subjective nature of pornography met with Chili Licis from some members of the committee which is attempting to draft a report on its findings before the end of March. Waller Dinsdale asked Laplante if he did not believe in Concrete moral standards and agree that incest was a criminal offence. The Elmin Logist said his experience with incest Situa Lions suggested that in some instances criminal intent was not present. These were cases where there was agreement among the parties concerned and the female was of the age of consent. He said that punitive measures in these cases were Mere injurious than the practice. Asked by Dinsdale what he thought about bestiality la Plante said it was an infamous and incorrect practice bul its presence As a criminal code offence was another Mailer. On he question of kiddy porn he told the commit Lee that offenders should be prosecuted but not under the heading of pornography. They would be Betler prosecuted for inciting to delinquency he said. Simma Holt was sceptical of Laplante s historical examples of changing attitudes to sexual practices and heaved an audible sigh of Relief when the witness said he had never appeared in a court Case to give expert testimony. Says school failure Factor in delinquency by Jim Robb free press correspondent Ottawa Early school failure broken Homes or disorganized families Are potent factors in creating juvenile delinquents an Ottawa psychiatrist Lold a Senate committee tuesday. Or. D. R. Offord professor of psychiatry at the University of Ottawa said that re search by him and two associates showed that 50 per cent of delinquent boys were Early school failures. The committee is studying the effect of Early childhood influences on later criminal behaviour and has heard a number of psychiatrists and social workers in recent hearings. Offord said however that the researchers found non delinquent Brothers of offenders also failed school at the same rate. He said it was possible that one boy turned delinquent and the other did not because the delinquent reacted angrily rather than passively to what the considered to be an unfair assessment of Iii school Poten the psychiatrist said that when he and his colleagues compared families of a delinquent boy with families from the same socioeconomic class who had a boy who was not a delinquent significant differences showed up. Deline Ucol families were More Likely to be broken have parents with a history of mental illness father with a criminal record be on welfare and have a Large number of children living at Home. One stage in the development of Delin quent behaviour involves insufficient Parent ing of the Offord suggested. Anything that reduces the parcs is ability to care for their child increases the risk of antisocial behaviour and delinquency he said. Offord s research also found a correlation Between neighbourhood and delinquency. Delinquents were More Likely to be living in a Public housing Complex he said. Certain factors or Luck can protect a boy from becoming a delinquent Offord and his co workers found. Sulci Luck included friends who were non delinquent or the presence of a hero such As an athletic coach Wilh whom the boy could identify. An unusually competent Mother in a sin Gle Parent family might also be Able to provide enough pre Lection to prevent her boy from becoming delinquent he said. Offord said there appear to be three stages in the development of antisocial behaviour. Symptoms of such behaviour appear be tween the Ages of four and six. It persists if parenting is insufficient or because of the temperament of the child or other fac tors to about age 11. If it has not been corrected by then the child becomes stigmatized. That is he is seen by others and himself As a troublemaker and a delinquent. This implies Offord said thai the major goal for research has to be what stops anti social behaviour rather than what causes it. He referred to Oiler studies that have found that no adult with a sociopathic or criminal personality was not antisocial As a child. Antisocial symptoms include truancy fighting and stealing he said. The Best single predictor of anal social be Havior in a child is an alcoholic father Offord said ;