Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - May 26, 1978, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press Friday May 26, 1978 City news 2nd class mail registration number 0286 Alice Krueger on Fol Lorama Winnipeg is a City known for its Many ethnic groups each carefully preserving its own unique cultural traditions. Each year since 1970, that cultural and ethnic diversity has been dramatized in a week Long festival of nations an event thai has become the highlight of our summer. Fol Lorama officials Call it the largest ethnic festival in North America and boast of More than a million visitors annually. Each year More and More tourists attend from outside the province. Festival chairman Henryk Lorenc says inquiries about this year s cultural Kaleidoscope Are pouring in from All Over the United states Chicago Kentucky Milwaukee and Minneapolis to name a few areas to bring in major tour groups for the event. Although Fol Lorama 78 is still More than two months away planning is already Well under Way for an even bigger Celebration this year. A new Board of directors has been elected and two full time coordinators have been hired to help put it All together. As Well a two Day seminar was held recently for representatives of All the pavilions to discuss ways of improving displays shows and food service and thereby alleviate some of the Long lineups of previous years. In addition to last year s 30 pavilions a number of new attractions Are planned for this year s folklore a set for aug. 12 to 19. And there la be More time in which to make the rounds and Sample the arts crafts food drink song dance and costumes of the Many nationalities. Lorenc says the festival will be staged Over two weekends this time to accommodate visitors from out of town starting on a saturday and running through to the following weekend. At least four new pavilions Are planned swe Den native Indian Russia and Latvia. Negotiations Are also under Way for a French Canadian Pavilion but Lorenc says it May not be ready on time for this year s festival. Another difference will be the Price. Like everyone else the various sponsoring organizations of the pavilions Are faced with increased costs therefore the Price for passports will jump to is compared with the Price in previous years. The Fol Lorama chairman said it won t mean any More Money for the Community Folk arts Council. It will continue to get from each passport but the sponsoring organizations will get the extra Buck. All things considered however it s still a bar gain for this unique glimpse of the world without Ever leaving the City. A total of passports were sold last year but that does t include children younger than 12 years of age and elderly citizens who Are admit Ted free of charge. Lorenc estimates total attendance last year was easily a million and he s confident it will hit at least that number this summer. He said festival organizers Are going to try and make some kind of head count of out of province tourists this year. The festival reported earnings of More than last year and Lorenc said it now is Well on its Way to becoming self sustaining. Organizers have had to rely on civic Grants in previous years but Lorenc said that kind of assistance from the City won t be necessary this year. The Council will however ask some Large organizations to help out with printing costs and other expenses. There Are still some Legal Battles hanging Over Fol Lorama dating Back to the Days of former chair Man Julius Koteles but present organizers Are anxious to put All that behind them. As far As the Public was concerned it did t mar last year s festival and there s no reason to believe it will have any Adverse effect on Folk Lorama 78, the official said. Winnipeg woman 38, Dies 7 hours after hit run Accident a 38-year-old Winnipeg woman died this morning after a hit and run Accident in St. Boniface thursday night. Winnipeg police Are look ing for the Driver of the vehicle. Barbara Merkley. Of 1048 Grant Avenue suite 10, was struck by the vehicle while crossing tache Avenue near Bertrand Street about . She was taken to Hospi Tal and died shortly after 6 . Today. A police spokesman says the victim was crossing the Street from East to West on her Way to St. Boniface hos Pital where she was an employee. She was struck by a southbound car on tache. Photo by Dave Banner Token Bacon during Snikeris in latvian National costume left presents some traditional foods including Raisin bread and buns while Weaver Susan Tait gives a demonstration of her Craft spinning Brown and White Wool into yarn a Beehive of activity thursday at the Winnipeg Art gallery festival of Art and food. Delicious mix of food and Art gobbled up at gallery festival three hours after the doors opened thursday for the three Day Winnipeg Art gallery festival of Art and food Many of the ethnic delicacies had been gobbled up and All but one special portfolio of 10 Manitoba artists Origi Nal prints had been sold. You re too said the Good natured Bakers of icelandic i Narberta prune filled Multi layered lithuanian Cream puffs finnish karelian Piira Khas Rice stuffed Rye flour past latvian pastries and jewish Chal Lah braided egg there was barely enough time to grab the last piece of a moist creamy chocolate torte from the ukrainian food Booth and Sample a jewish Kee chel an airy puff pastry leavened by beating the eggs for 10 minutes. It just explodes in the oven and melts in your the gallery s main foyer was a Bee hive. Viewers circled a Central exhibit of pottery Glass jewelry Woven pillows and dolls then spiralled off oozing and aching to the Wall of breath taking prints specially commissioned for the event. They stopped fascinated by Winnipeg weavers Betty Kirby rhythmically working an intricate design on a massive treadle loom and Susan Tait patiently spinning Brown and White sheep s Wool into Yam. And moved on to More Walls full of Fibre hangings fabric delicate Ink drawings Watercolours Wall pots miniature paint Ings and More prints. Around one Corner bargain Hunters poured through old books. Around an other the culinary artistry Cookbook featured ethnic recipes compiled from this year s food offerings. An adjacent Niche held plants galore from Cactus to violets and summery Hibiscus Flowers beginning to Bloom. At the opposite end of the main in trance the equally keen of Eye checked out the old persian vase 18th Century Silver spoons and new Arti cles a portable television tricycle Canoe paddles donated for a mini auction at . Saturday. The festive air spilled outside to me Morial Boulevard As potters magically lifted lumps of Clay into streamlined vases and rotund containers. Several Steps away sculptors created fluid forms from globs of plaster. Upstairs diners polished off More ethnic goodies prepared in the gallery restaurant or waited for the Beer Gar Den to open at 3 . Outside on the sculptural roof Garden. Arab states twisting arms of City firms by Mary Ann Fitzgerald a Winnipeg based firm attempting to do business with an Arab country was asked to sign a declaration that it had no business dealings with Israel according to a 1977 report of a private commission studying economic discrimination in Canada. The firm was not identified in the report. Another firm Winnipeg cold storage co., was named in the report As being on the Arab blacklist. William f. Hayes the firm s managing director said in a Telephone interview he had no idea Why his firm was blacklisted. Lloyd Axworthy a fort Rouge quoted from the re port in the Manitoba legislature thursday when he introduced a Bill which would Amend the province s human rights act aimed at prohibiting the use of economic and business contracts As a vehicle for discrimination. The report was commissioned by several National organizations. Its commissioners included corporations minister Herb Gray former Secretary of state Judy Lamarsh former nip Leader David Lewis Emmett Hall former judge of the supreme court of Canada and University professors. While the report did t identify the Winnipeg firm it described it As one involved in an Agency agreement in Iraq which was asked to sign a declaration incorporating both secondary and tertiary discrimination. The declaration it was asked to sign was headed Princi pals of Trade Boycott of Israel for foreign companies having business interests in Arab the principals were we do not have a Branch of our factory in Israel. We do not have an Assembly factory in Israel directly by us or on our behalf. There Are no general agents or Central offices for the Middle East in Israel. We do not Grant the right of use of our name in Israel. We do not participate in israeli factories or compan ies. We do not give advice nor expertise to israeli companies. We or our firm do not have any relation with Israel. Axworthy said the commissioners he had contacted did t want to publicize the name of the firm. He said he had not received any complaints from Winnipeg firms about such coercion. Fund denial leaves City steaming Winnipeg civic administrators criticized the Federal government thursday for adding to the City s looming waste disposal crisis by re fusing to Aid proposed construction of a million steam conversion Plant. We be found this to be the usual Federal chief civic commissioner d. I. Macdonald said of Ottawa s rejection this week of a City request for million toward the solid waste Recla mation project approved in principle by Council last sep tember. It s just an excuse not to do Macdonald said Federal Urban affairs minister Andre Ouellet s suggestion to consider using hot water instead of steam generation in any new solid waste Plant was simply not feasible in Manitoba s climate. Civic works manager Craig Sommerville said a hot water Plant would re quire a dual piping system. While the existing steam Plant on Amy Street uses Only a single pipe. I certainly can t support going into any further Casa ability study if no Federal funds Are going to be Avail Sommerville said. It does t make any Ouellet wrote mayor Robert Steen this week that no Federal capital funds for District heating systems were available or Likely in the near however he offered to discuss financing for non capital studies on the hot water method alternative incineration methods site selection and marketing. Policy committee voted to express interest in a new offer by Grumman International inc. To study build and operate a smaller scale reclamation Plant if it wins a billion Federal contract to Supply Jet fighter aircraft to Canada. Grumman one of Many companies bidding on the contract has offered to do a feasibility study in Winnipeg at its own expense. If Ottawa accepts its bid the company plans to construct steam plants in two or three cities As part of its commitment to return 80 per cent of the con tract s value to Canada. Macdonald warned the offer is tentative but said the company with its proven and established technology in the Field might also be interested in building the Winnipeg Plant without the fighter contract. A report on solid waste disposal commissioned from consultants James f. Maclaren last year said a Plant consuming tons of Gar Bage a Day could produce heat equalling 16.4 million Gallons of Oil annually. Macdonald said the City can t postpone indefinitely deciding what to do with the Amy Street steam Plant and Maude Street incinerator both of which face provincial clean environment commis Sion orders to add about million in pollution control equipment. At a closed door works and operations committee meet ing tuesday civic administrators recommended Clos ing the incinerator july 1 in favor of the City s three land fill Sites. This would save about a year and avoid another up grading Cost to meet occupational Hygiene and efficiency standards. Sommerville said a steam marketing study is near completion to determine if Amy Street s downtown clients can be increased beyond the current 235. Board of commissioners should receive a Winnipeg Hydro re port on the Plant within two weeks he said. Winnipeg cautious on summer olympics Winnipeg will seek further information on the possibility of presenting the 1988 or 1992 summer olympics but it should t actively negotiate for the costly Honor civic executive policy decided thursday. The matter was handed to mayor Robert Stern of Winnipeg to pursue at his Leisure with some councillors chuckling that this could take considerable time. The committee rejected a move by councillor George Provost to have the mayor begin negotiations with the International olympic com Mittee on a Winnipeg bid after Steen warned this could imply Advance approval of the venture by City Council. The idea of simply putting out feelers on Provost s gambit was heartily supported by coun. Lome Leech Independent citizens election Val it can t Hurt to investigate the Leech said. Provost said councillors were prejudging the Issue because of the sour taste left by Montreal s billion Dol Lar olympic disaster in 1976. But the games committee is trying to return the olympics to the athletes and get away from Monument and Winnipeg could Cash in on this trend in 1988, Provost said. Union ratifies contract operating engineers thursday night ratified a new two year contract offi Cally bringing to 12 the num Ber of unions with agree ments As Winnipeg s construction strike enters its fifth week. The members of International Union of operating engineers local 901, with a two thirds majority approved the same 10 cent-60 cent wage settlement other trades have accepted. Engineers spokesman Lloyd Schreyer said while there was some negative reaction to the contract most workers recognized current economic conditions and Felt the contract was adequate. Five unions still remain on strike while two non striking unions Are without Settle ments. Jets offer to spend million on Arena expansion by Steve pox the owners of the Winnipeg jets hockey club proposed thursday to spend an estimated million to expand the Winni Peg Arena to More than seats if City Council agrees to sell the Structure to them for a nominal failing that club owners Michael Gomboty and John urged councillors at a meeting of Civ executive policy commit tee to postpone plans to construct a new Arena is the Down town in East Yards site and to undertake expansion them selves. We War we seats we wast wore item cheap and we want them Shanski said. We Are asking for an expansion almost starting Tom the s2.5 million Cost of their proposal prepared by w. Sefton and associates Ltd. Of Toronto who recently expanded Maple Leaf gardens is by far the lowest of any quoted so far and allows for washrooms and paint mule Zbanski said. It s a Stopgap interim Mea sure that s All it proposed to make the feb a viable economic win a nation Al hockey league Otho fran Ali allow tree Mil arts to be constructed at a better i jew than the Shanski said. We Don t want a Monument built for the Home of an Uhl hockey team that does not Shanski said alluding to a task Force recommendation that a new Arena be constructed Only if the club wins a franchise and then Only if senior Levels of government contribute a minimum of million. I can t see is petting that Arena for eight to 10 at wbb title it would be too Date to be of any help. He said. Without immediate action on the Par the City we it very diff Ioji to up a Little earlier. We could very easily move the the club s plan Calls for the roof Over the 10.200-seat Winni Peg Arena to be raised and 6.360 additional seats inserted in tiers and rows along All four sides i four phases with work expected to last about two years. Phase 5 would provide for 20 Felly furnished and decorated Ftp boxes measuring 20 feet Long by seven feet wide to accommodate 10 people each on the East and West sides of the Cost of the boxes which be teased to is at As Wasy As seals of Titi he added by rap ing the roof Over the ice area although the Cost at each would be far in excess of the to quoted for each of the proposed expansion seats. At the least the owners re commended Council undertake to build three phases with 5.500 seats at a total Cost of million. Councillors greeted the proposal with caution. Especially the claim that expansion could be petted for less than s3 million. The task Force report estimated the Cost of 5.0d6 Addi citizens election committee Grant s chairman of Winnipeg enterprises corporation and a member of the Council task Force said i m concerned that three or four local peo ple say it s going to Cost considerably More. Gobuty said in an interview after the meeting that the jets owners 8 hockey ventures inc. Would be willing to Peird As As s3.5 Mii Ion to minion on expansion if they were allows to the tonal seats at and r estimates have varied Tiff How. Jim enss backed by d. A. F Abe Jeiter of Friy p Bly insist the jets sign a lease to cover the 10 to 15-year term of debt payments to guarantee a steady source of income for an expanded facility. Shanski replied the jets would be willing to sign a lease for five years but no More. We re not willing to pay for expansion our selves because there Are others using the he said. The club s offer to buy the Arena valued at about Mil lion was discussed. The expansion and Purchase proposal were referred to the Force for Aruj . With a report Doe Back within Days. J ;