Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 12, 1978, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press wednesday july 12, 1978 City news 2nd class mail registration number 0286 Alice Krueger Public hearings take 57 politicians and let them go at one another for three or four months until they re All tired and worn out. Then throw something highly controversial at them like family Law legislation increase the hours of sitting so that they re seeing at least 12 hours of one another each Day. Add some hot july weather to heat up the Manitoba legislative building by a further 10 degrees and you get the picture of what is happening Over on Broadway. Sooner or later. Something has to give. Somebody is bound to say or do something they la regret later. Someone is sure to blow his Cool and that must be what happened to government House Leader Warner Jorgerson during the weekend. Not even at the half Way Mark of hearing the More than 50 Public family Law Jorgen son lost his head and let go with an astoundingly ill considered threat to end the Long standing practice in Manitoba of Public hearings on legislation. The outburst was even More remarkable coming As it did in a Day of so called participatory democracy and from a Veteran la who is considered one of the staunches defenders of the parliamentary system. His comment was obviously made in the heat of the moment shortly after hearing a particularly bitter attack on the pc government by Winnipeg lawyer Alice Steinbart on behalf of the coalition on family Law. Ever since the 1970 aut Opac debate Jorgenson said he had noticed a disturbing trend Public had gotten into the Nasty habit of using legislature commit tees As a forum to Heap abuse on the government. Instead of constructive criticism people were using the Opportunity to give the politicians a piece of their mind. He said he had discussed it with some nip members on occasion and they agreed with his sentiments. If there were such discussions nobody in the nip is admitting it. Opposition House Leader Sidney Green made it Clear monday any talks he had concerned the possible imposition of a time limit. At no time did they talk of ending the Public s right to be heard or the Content of presentations. Jorgenson feels the True purpose of committee Public present constructive and specific suggestions on proposed legislation has been lost. The drafting of legislation is an imperfect he said and it s a useful exercise for legislators to hear from the Public because often times those who will be directly affected can anticipate unforeseen difficulties in a Law s application. Instead of getting such useful suggestions however there has been a trend toward political attacks and that must be reversed he said. And if we can t do thai then we May have to discontinue he added. By monday morning however the House Leader had apparently cooled off and had time to think about the consequences. But Green could t resist the Opportunity to get in a few barbs. Was in True he asked that i he government was planning to change the rules in future to allow Only those briefs complimentary and Friendly to the govern ment perhaps it could be made retroactive to 1970, he suggested facetiously. Jorgenson told the House it was not his intention 10 end Public participation but he maintains that some guidelines must be Laid Down to Slop the abuse. That there has been abuse in the past cannot be denied. Not just during the Stormy aut Opac debate or now during hearings into family Law. There have been other instances As Well. Trouble is. Who is going to determine what is or in t acceptable in the future. And How the danger is. Of course that theoretically anyone opposing a particular legislative measure might be abusive and ruled out of order. No doubt it would make things a whole lot less uncomfortable and unpleasant for any government if in could silence All criticism and hear Only approval for its actions. But a cheering Section it will never get in Public hearings. Not that there in t support for what the pc government has done to the family Law package. There is probably considerable support among lawyers and businessmen. The fact is Public hearings on legislation usually attract Only those who disapprove some stronger than others of course. People Don t usually speak up unless it s to complain. If people like a particular piece of legislation it s not Likely they re going to waste their time to come Down to the legislative building to sit in a hot. Stuffy committee room especially on a Friday or saturday night in july. About the Only solution that s Likely to come out of Jorgenson s outburst is the setting of a time limit on presentations. That Way if the government does t like what it hears at least it Only has to listen for o Long. It s a move not Likely to be opposed by the nip. Who did l exactly enjoy those Long hours of abuse either when they were in government. Perhaps they just had a higher tolerance level. Photo by Paul Del cake some people shout it from roof tops. Most people choose a private moment in a quiet spot to declare their love and pop the question. Bill whoever he might be chose to ask Grace on a billboard on Donald Avenue at Stra Brook Street which is far from a private or quiet spot. Well at least she got it in writing. Defied Federal government tax rebel alleges intimidation by Cecil Rosner a Winnipeg businessman who has de fied the Federal Revenue department for seven years said tuesday the govern ment is using intimidation in trying to make him pay his taxes. Don Oliver an accountant said the government won t prosecute him for failing to file a return because they Are afraid of losing the court Battle. He claims the Federal government s in come lax legislation is unconstitutional and said Many people Are starting to take advantage of this by not giving income information on their tax forms. Earlier this year Oliver announced publicly that he had t been paying taxes for the last few years. Shortly after his statement. Revenue Canada sent him a letter demanding he file returns for the last five years. Oliver filled out the forms in full meticulously answering each question with the statement that he was Refus ing to provide any information which might incriminate him or infringe his rights. The government replied by sending him a letter demanding full particulars of his income. The letter was delivered monday by two uniformed ramp offi cers which Oliver said was designed to intimidate him into supplying the information. They Send letters like that to most people by registered Oliver said. I told them the ramp that unless they had a search and seizure warrant they weren t Welcome on my proper Oliver said his next course of action will be to reply to the government saying he has already answered question on the income tax forms and adding that he has no Legal obligation to release any More documents. If the government lays charges against him. He said he will select irial by jury and is confident of victory1. Oliver s Case was raised in the House of commons two months ago by Winni Peg South Centre my Dan who asked How in was possible for the Man to avoid paying taxes for so Many years. The Federal Revenue min ister promised to investigate the mat Ter and provide a reply. Oliver does not try to disguise his dislike for Revenue department officials whom he Calls self styled Strong armed he. Also insists on referring to it As the department of National arguing that the title Revenue Canada came about after an illegal name although he is an accountant by profession. Oliver said he in t in a position to advise other people to follow the same course he is undertaking. But he said he has shown others his documentation and knows of several people doing the same thing. If convicted of failing to file a return Oliver said he would face a s10.000 Fine and six months imprisonment on each charge. Cost of water and sewer connections City urged to Appeal ruling Winnipeg s civic finance committee recommended tuesday the City Appeal a Manitoba court of Queen s Bench decision requiring in to assume the full Cost of water and sewer connections on what it advertised to be a fully sen iced residential lol on grand ave nue. A report to executive policy commit tee said unless the decision is Over turned inc cily could find ii self having to pay water and sewer connection charges for All the ill lots sold in the development area since 1975. The action filed by flair Homes Ltd. Although not started As a class action has the support of 12 other prop erty owners in the area who Are in a Smilar the report said. These owners arc urging the cily to abide by the decision of the court to resolve issues As they relate to their respective positions. There arc a total of i lots sold in the area wherein the City could possibly encounter a claim for it said. Advertisements for Sale of Lols in the area bounded by Grant Avenue. Park Boulevard. Swindon Way and Edge land Boulevard North of Bard Avenue indicated that municipal services were fully paid and no exception was made for the lot line the report said. All these lots were fully sen iced and As such were offered for Sale with the following municipal services included in the Purchase Price storm sewer sanitary sewer Watermain Concrete pavement Street lighting boulevards and however in notes the court judgment overlooked the fact that As least two cily bylaws clearly define inc responsibility of inc landowner for these a notice of Appeal has been filed in Advance of Council s consideration it said. Flair Homes purchased the lol at 50 Stanford Bay in the second phase of development for a Lender cd Price of which was nol intended to in clude the buyer s s512.81 share of water and sewer connection charges the re port said. The connections were installed by inc cily to each and every lol primarily to save costs and secondly to avoid cutting into the so Reed Al a later in said. All attempts to recover this sum from the company proved futile and the cily was forced to add the same to the lax Roll for inc enforced recovery there after which the company Success fully petitioned the court to declare Hal the Cost of sewer and water connections Are included in the Purchase the report is scheduled to be discus sed Al a Memling of policy commit item thursday. Winnipeg urged to ask for Boundary changes Winnipeg s civic Board of cominis Jowen has recommended City Council request the provincial government to change the boundaries of the City of Winnipeg at the next session of the legislature. In a report 10 executive policy committee thursday. The Boari Reed amends the City s boundaries. He wow redefined to include arms whih Fie lire limits of trunk Highway 1w. Provin Cial trunk Highway 101 and the red River the Board said the changes which include minor adjustments which Are More tidying up than anything would eliminate from the City areas isolated by a major physical Barrier while annexing those planned or Tomi Urei suitable or Urban by the Mohrie Highway ill and the red River fwd Way. Each of which precludes a satisfactory delivery of services supervision and lands Given up by the City would be tamed Over to the neighbouring Manki Pafitis of West so Pawl and Ritchot. While portions of the Rural Munki panty Springfield. East an West so Paul hmm he annexed by Rural municipality of Rosser and the Rural municipality of Macdona would be no a Todd in the additional zone until such Lime As Urban expansion retirements warrant and an application h made for an Onker in Coon i a report to be considered thursday by civic exec list policy committee gives no reason for the recommendation saying Only the provincial government docs the same thing and that pay Cal of fees for solicitors should begin in 1979. New period the week tar ;