Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 14, 1978, Winnipeg, Manitoba It s too painful to talk about woman says of life on welfare by Steve Why Saul Helen did t want to talk about her life on welfare. It s too painful right now. I m just trying to get Back on my feet. I can t Tell you what it s like. I m right in the Middle of it. Do you under Helen a woman in her Early 30s, worked with an arts group for Many years before marrying to Settle Down in Winnipeg. She landed on the City s welfare Rolls last month after her husband deserted her. The breakup took her by Surprise and left her feeling shocked and alone. I d never been alone before and i found i just could t handle she did t have a Job and could t get one. She did t have any savings to fall Back on and did t have any friends to stay with. Everything suddenly went wrong in my life. It was just a series of Helen not her real name is one of people now on City welfare. She gets a month for rent a month for clothes and a month for personal and household items such As toilet paper detergent soap deodorant. Other people on welfare include those who Are employable but can t find a Job those who have health or family problems and Are Only marginally employable and Moth ers with children who have been deserted by their husbands and Are waiting to qualify for provincial Wel fare support. Every Penny handed out in Wel fare is fixed by a special Cost of living Index drawn up by the City welfare department which sends out workers to Check on current prices. For instance a family with a baby under six months old is assumed to need Only three dozen diapers Cost ing a year. An average family of two adults and two children aged two and four living on welfare receive about a month which Breaks Down to for food for clothing for rent and for household and per Sonal items. It is also assumed that a Man on welfare needs a new coat and sweater Only every three years. The welfare department reckons the Man should be Able to buy such a lasting coat and sweater for and respectively. The department also assumes the Man needs a new safety razor Cost ing Only every five years and a new 35 cent comb once every two years. A woman on welfare and there Are More than of them with children at the moment is assumed to need a new Winter coat and a pair of Snow boots once every three years. She is also expected t6 make a Bra and a pair of socks costing 92 cents last a year. The welfare department is asking City Council for an 8.6 per cent in crease in welfare rates but the civic executive policy committee this week chopped that to six per cent. The matter goes to City Council wednesday. Advertise mind Long term smokers successfully treated., see Page 5 Winnipeg free press saturday october 14, 1978 City news and class mail registration number 028g it leaves you breathless. Barbara Cansino the hard Core there Are some people in this cold Prairie town who have grit and others who Don t. One of the pleasures of Spring time and summertime was cycling around the Assiniboine Park Bicy Cle trails. Not on a sunny sunday afternoon when the Cycle Trail traffic Jogger to tricycle pull toy to Peugeot makes the grand prix course seem like the Sahara. But on a monday to Friday morning in the 6 . To 7 . Slot when silence prevailed except for the Birds which Sang the rooster which cock a Doodle doomed and the same six people who said i or Good morning or Lovely Day today in t As they cycled past on the trails or walked by with their dog. The 6 . Cycle Slot no longer exists. This can t be helped be cause the Earth has a tilt on its Axis revolves around the Sun the Northern hemisphere is moving away from the Sun and the Days Are getting Shorter and Shorter. At 6 . It s dark outside. At 7 . It s dark outside. At too. Of course it s possible to go out in the dark but then you Don t see the the last Golden leaves the ice patches and the old 6 . Friends. Or what s left of them. And so one adjusts. Set out time changes daily. Fri Day morning Sunrise was at so was the time to Start out in time to catch the pre Dawn Light. Two sweatshirts Are now needed instead of one to shirt and socks under sandals Are needed too. But it s still too Early to give in to gloves and toques even at one degree celsius. Setting out the scene and the scenery have already adapted to change. The morning Light is Man made Street lights Are still on and driving West along Grant the cars Are guided to work by the Glare of head lights. The Trees Are still Golden in places but there Are More leaves on the ground than on branches. And the trails Are As denuded of people As they Are of overhanging boughs. The first Good morning used to occur on Shaftesbury blvd. Now the first and Only Good morn comes seven minutes later on the Corydon strip. It was from one of the two White haired gentlemen from the Early july set still hang ing in but now hanging in under a Navy Blue Goose Down jacket and a White hat. Pedalling on there was one other human a new face on the beat out for a walk in a Tan coloured jacket and Black leather gloves. And that s it. The hard Core. The Only other sounds and sights of life Are the cock a Doodle Doo which still issues from aunt Sally s farm the singing of Birds which travel in groups now and As you come West along Corydon for the last Lap the cleaning ladies who get off the bus to go to work in Tuxedo. Back Home again hands Are red with cold instead of wet with sweat. And one More sweatshirt would have helped. But there s not much Early morning time left for the hardest of cores. So see you soon after dinner in skates on the Duck Pond. Big Chance a millennium is one of those words thrown about without much thought to its meaning. It s a Long time a thousand years. Once a millennium is the Chance of 10 life times. One of these chances comes up at . On february 26, 1979 the last total solar eclipse of the millennium in Canada or the United states. And the Best place in the world to observe it is in South Ern Manitoba. When a total solar eclipse takes place the Silhouette of the Moon is seen crossing the Sun and the Sun disappears behind the Moon. The Only illumination comes from the glow of the Sun s outer Atmo sphere the Corona which forms a Halo around the Moon the Cli Max of the greatest celestial drama. However it is dangerous to look directly at the Sun and people have damaged their eyes by looking at the eclipse when the Sun is not completely covered. Eclipses when worlds align a new show at the planetarium discusses Safe ways to observe an eclipse. Pre views Start oct. 13. As Well the department of astronomy at the University of Mani Toba is presenting a pre eclipse program at Glen Lea Observatory a three hour program at 1 p.m., Jan. 6. The program will provide Back ground for understanding the eclipse indicate what to look for advise on the use of optical instruments and photographic equip ment and suggest precautions Nec Essary to avoid danger to eyesight. Advance registration Date is dec. 29. The fee is Contact the continuing education division University of Manitoba. Those eyes Good grief it s True. In thursday s column a Story called doctors wives dealt in jest with the agony of the doctor s wife bad enough went the fable that nurses in hospitals and women at cocktail parties hitch onto these men they can. Now according to Eaton s cur rent display window the last has Tion of medical sexless Ness has been penetrated the doctor s of fice. Four women in Satin Scavette teddies and dance pants Are wearing those things to visit the doctor. In jest Friday morning a Middle aged married Winnipeg doctor who shall remain nameless for the Sake of his life phoned up to reminisce when i was an intern and worked in the operating room i became absolutely fascinated by this nurse because of her eyes. You could t see the face because of the surgical mask the hair because of the hat and the body is All covered in a shapeless gown. The eyes were absolutely fantastic. I be forgotten her name now but i took her out a number of times. I seem to recall the realization that the total person was t up to the expectation of the eyes. But that was More than 20 years go he drifted off be fore getting Down to the parties and life in the office. As a matter of fact he never did get Down to the parties and office. His manner changed abruptly very abruptly. Either his wife not a nurse was on the Extension or a nurse had transfixed him Over a mask. What about women at parties do you feel they huh come on to doctors i Don t think so. Not the people with whom i mix. They Only do your women patients come dressed in teddies and dance pants you Don t see the under so what s the Point of them wearing those teddies and dance pants i have no idea. You la have to ask Eaton s about Good news it has been reported that a 41 year old woman from Trujillo Peru whose husband walked out on her a few months ago has Given birth to quadruplets All girls. She and her husband have six other children. I Hope he comes Hack when he hears he Good Ana Rosa Aguilar said. Bets a Concrete Barrier recently constructed on Disraeli Bridge is designed to bring an end to head on collisions along the Bridge. Monday talks set to Avert strike by Cecil Rosner a last minute negotiating session has been called for monday morning in an Effort to resolve a dispute which could see Manitoba s unionized health care workers begin strike action tuesday. Representatives of the Manitoba health organizations and the can Dian Union of Public employees have agreed to the meeting which was called Friday by provincial Concilia Tion officer Jim Davage. The Union has set tuesday As the deadline for beginning selective rotating strikes. Many Manitoba hospitals have already discharged some patients and restricted admissions of others in expectation of a strike. Union spokesman Eugene Kostyra said Friday he was hopeful the negotiations would result in a settlement but stressed that the strike deadline was still in effect. The Union had earlier delayed the deadline by one week in an Effort to involve health minister l. Sherman in negotiations. Kostyra said the minister met with the Union and was told of the impasse in negotiations. Sherman was receptive to their representations but would make no commitments to the Union he said. Sherman indicated last week that there were no further funds available to the mho to raise its offer. Unless the health organizations Budge from their position it is unlikely there will be a settlement Kos tyra said. He said the Union has already made concessions in its de mands and is Down to Rock Bottom in its offer. The Hospital s last offer was about 10.7 per cent Over a two year period while the Union was asking for a mini mum of 17 per cent spread Over 20 months with a Cost of living clause which would be triggered at six per cent. Kostyra said that in the last round of negotiations which concluded last weekend the mho improved its amusement tax Relief sought offer by Only one fifth of one per cent. The negotiations affect 52 Provin Cial health facilities including the health sciences Centre. The average wage for Many of the workers affected by the contract is a month. Negotiations Between the two groups began in March and broke Down in september when the Provin Cial conciliation department was called in. A spokesman for mho says offers have been made to the Union on the basis of both one year and two year agreements. The offered increases Are in excess of the approved budget increases received by hospitals in 1978, the spokesman said. Assiniboia Downs and world adventure Tours Are formally asking the City to exempt them from charging patrons a 10-per-cent amusement tax on admission prices. Civic finance committee will receive and possibly Deal with the re quests on tuesday. Handed by the province to the City in 1974 As a Means of raising More Money the tax is facing a test since City Council sept. 20 exempted the privately owned Winnipeg jets hockey club until 1987. Normally Only non profit or publicly owned organizations putting in various forms of entertainment Are exempt. Assiniboia Downs Points out in a letter a substantial contribution to governments in 1977 amounting to before Federal or provincial income or corporate taxes. As Winnipeg s Foremost tourist attraction recreational tax contributor and recreational Assiniboia Downs says 19 per cent of its visitors last year were tourists item ploys More than full and part time employees and replacement Cost of the facility would be 000. Amusement tax Revenue from Assiniboia Downs amounted to about in 1977. The City collected in amusement taxes from All sources last year. Had jets fans been ordered to pay the tax after the hockey club became privately owned they May have been supplying the City with annually City officials have estimated. World adventure Tours an illustrated lecture series on the world argues in a letter from its solicitors the films it screens Are educational in nature and classified As general family Tours says no commercials Are Ever seen or heard excepting Forth coming events and that its presentations Are of a serious educational and cultural while civic finance committee con siders the two requests for exemption it is possible other firms in the entertainment business Are preparing cases. Festival seeks for permanent Home festival do Voyageur Winnipeg s Foremost Winter attraction is asking the City for financing to help with its plans for a permanent Home in Whittier Park. Because of a substantial Cash flow shortage that could be fatal to the festival it would like a loan from the City to be repaid Over five years. Civic finance committee will hear a delegation from the organization next tuesday. A letter from the group states festival do Voyageur has t lost any Money Over the last seven although its budget has grown tre but the availability of credit has not kept after spending during 1977 78 for the move into Whittier Park we have assets which to us Are Worth the investment but log Cabins on City owned property do not represent much collateral to chartered the group says it would repay the loan in instalments of each and proposes the City could pay resulting interest Cost by reducing the festival s annual Grant by half to each year for the duration of the agreement. Pointing out this represents a lend ing rate of almost 18 per cent the group states the proposal would be a sound investment for the City which immediately assures a very High return and in the Long run Means great economic activity at no Cost to the City Council approved a master plan earlier this month for the City s development of Whittier Park to be carried out Over a period of 15 to 20 years As funds become available. Who is this Man joining other hard line Arab Lead ers Syria s president has stated his opposition to the Middle East agreements reached at Camp. David. Can you name this important Middle Eastern Leader did the number of workers repro. Seated by labor unions increase of. Decline last year in which weight category is can Ada s Gary Sumner Hays the Commonwealth boxing Champion think you know the want to take a guess and find then turn to the news quiz on Page 83 of today s free press. The free press publishes the quiz each week it is available and challenges you to test your aware Ness of current world National and sports events. The news quiz is also an important part of our continuing school news program. Check it out today ;