Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - December 1, 1978, Winnipeg, Manitoba Cab fares would be among nation s highest with boosts by John Sullivan Winnipeg taxi ares would be among the highest in Canada if a proposed rate increase is approved by the provincial taxicab Board next wednesday. Under the new fare application filed two weeks ago by the greater Winnipeg taxicab owners association Winni Eggers would pay for a one mile trip up 10 cents from the current rate of or an increase of 5.7 per cent the fare for two Miles would jump 8.5 per cent to a 20-cent in and ten per cent to for three Miles up 30 a comparison of these rates with those in eight other major Canadian cities indicates Winnipeg would have the highest first mile rate except for Edmonton where cabs receive or five cents More. The average rate among All nine cities is now about and would be Little changed by the Winnipeg increase. The current first mile fare in Winnipeg is already tied with Ottawa for the third highest among the cities surveyed behind Edmonton and re Calgary has the lowest rate for a one mile trip in Canada at followed by Toronto Montre Al Quebec City Van Couver Winnipeg and Ottawa Regina and Edmon ton on longer cab trips of two or three Miles Winnipeg s proposed fares would fall in the Cross country stand Ings but never below fourth place. At and respectively they would be tied with Ottawa but again behind Edmonton on the two mile jaunts and would rank below both cities As Well As Vancouver on three mile trips. As Well Winnipeg s two mile rate which now equals the nation Al average would exceed it by 18 cents if the cab owners proposal is approved by the Manitoba taxi Board. The City s three mile fare is now below the National average but would exceed it by ten cents under the new rates. Peter Kapusta chairman of the local taxi owners association and manager of Duffy s taxi insisted thursday that Vancouver Calgary and Regina would still have a 35-cent jump on Winnipeg fares for the average three mile ride even with the proposed rate hikes. He said the owners of Winnipeg s feel entirely justified in asking for the additional Revenue because of the sizeable increase in operating costs since the last fare boost two years ago. The Price of new taxis alone have risen by to in that time a 28.7-per-cent increase Kapusta said. As Well the Cost of two Way radios is up 27 per cent body repairs up 28 per cent garage service up 30 per cent and tires up 20 per cent he claimed. Winnipeg free press Friday december 1, 1978 City news 2nd class mail registration number 0286 Alice Krueger expensive hearing if you be been trying to ignore the Tritschler inquiry into Manitoba Hydro maybe it s time you paid some attention. It s costing you enough. While the Tritschler inquiry is Busy looking into expenditures of Manitoba Hydro maybe someone should be looking into expenditures of the Tritschler inquiry. A full scale inquiry might not be such a bad idea except they re a darned expensive exercise As you will see. The sequel could be called an inquiry into Cost Over runs of the inquiry into Manitoba Hydro Cost Over runs. When the one Man commission into Manitoba Hydro was first announced a year ago it was Given a budget to carry out its probe of the scope direction Tim ing scheduling and Cost of North Ern Power projects. Granted it was a pretty Measley sum for a Mission of that magnitude. Nonetheless that s what the government initially said it would Cost. Nine months later Cost Esti mates of the inquiry had soared to inc Dently that s not unlike what happened to Cost Esti mates of the Jenpeo project now under scrutiny by the commission although when you talk of Hydro projects and their costs it s always on a much grander scale. You automatically talk in terms of Mil Lions or even billions of dollars. This three fold increase in the inquiry s budget was made in a gust when the province extended the Job of the commission to in clude a look at the roles of Manitoba Hydro and the Public utilities Board in setting Hydro rates. But even if the commission is somehow Able to stay within its new More generous budget and that s does t seem very Likely even at this Early stage just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what the inquiry is really going to wind up costing Manitoban. On top of the is the Cost of this inquiry to Manitoba Hydro and it s a pretty Safe guess it will almost certainly equal or even sur pass that of the commission expense. While precise calculations of this sort Are often difficult to make one needs Only peek inside room 253 of the legislative building and see who s sitting around in those Public hearings to get an idea of what it s costing the Utility. Of course an inquiry would be Able to establish the exact Cost without any difficulty. Why the Bill just to have Hydro lawyer or. Stewart Martin sit there Tor four hours each Day will be staggering. Martin who has t asked a single question to Date does t come cheap. He s on a retainer with Manitoba Hydro so y May be getting his services at some kind of discount. However his regular fees Are said to be in the Range of an hour. That could be More than a Day right there. And the Public hearings could go on Well into february according to inquiry counsel Charles Birt. So figure it out. Maybe even longer if Hydro decides to Call its own wit Nesses. Then there s the Cost of the other Hydro lawyer Bob Smellie who is doing most of the talking for Hydro. His regular rate is said to be an hour so that could be another a Day. Hydro chairman Leonard Bate Man has attended All the hearings to Date with the exception of a couple of Days last week when he was away on business. While hit exact salary in t known it is in the Over a year bracket. Add on what it s Costig to have Hydro s Public affairs director Earl Mills there every Day. And what about some of those Manitoba Hydro engineers who now say they disagreed with the scheme of things but whose Lack of any overriding responsibility to the Public caused them to remain silent at the time. What is it costing Manitoba Hydro customers to have these Guys away from their desks while they appear As witnesses before the commission there were eight of them present one Day last week when task Force members were called to testify. A conservative estimate would be about an hour for each of them so figure about a Day there. Of course some Hydro critics might argue that based on past performance the longer the Engi neers Are away from their desks the less it s going to Cost in the Long run. In addition Manitoba Hydro is footing the Bill for any out of town employees who Are called to appear such As John Van gent who oversees the Jenpeo project at the Northern tip of Lake Winnipeg. As for the commission s expenses there is no Cost for former chief Justice George Tritschler. He offered his services for free. Inquiry lawyer Charles Birt says most of the Money is going toward payment of staff which consists of two lawyers two engineers and secretaries and a consulting firm. The Tritschler inquiry has hired r. L. Walker and partners an Ottawa firm of engineering Consul Tants with experience in the inter National development Field. It s providing seven or eight Consul Tants with expertise in the area of finance computer and Cost accounting. The inquiry was forced to go outside the province for help be cause it had difficulty finding Engi neers locally who had not been touched by Hydro Birt explained. The inquiry is also picking up travel food and hotel expenses for Star witness David Cass Beggs who is scheduled to appear next week. Birt emphasized the expenses Are to travel from Ottawa not from England where the former Hydro chairman resides part of the year. Part of the follow up inquiry s terms of reference might include looking at this particular expense to determine whether it was even necessary. It might be argued that Cass Beggs whose name was being dragged through the mud almost daily by earlier witnesses Proba Bly would have Beta sufficiently fired up to travel Here at his own expense just to get in a word or two especially after one of his finder underlings called him a son of a Bitch. The question of course is whether it s All Worth it. That we won t know until the final report is in. And then it la just depend whose Side you were on. No Street play rejected civic executive policy committee thursday shied away from a recon mentation that children be prohibited from playing on City streets. The recommendation to Amend the City s streets bylaw started with Winnipeg police chief Norm Stewart and the police commission. Civic works and operations committee unanimously approved it two weeks ago at thursday s meeting coun. Pear Mcgonigal said it was silly. She suggested it be sent Back to the civic bodies that supported it. Just kill it Here urged coun. Lome Leech chairman of the police commission. We Don t want to Dis cuss it you talk about mayor Robert Steen said gesturing to Gary Filmon chairman of the works and operations committee. We Don t want it said Filmon the committee decided to Send it Back to works and operations and the police commission. Tax Rise looms Over sewers by Ingeborg Boyens the unexpected escalation in costs of the Winnipeg storm sewer Relief program has got councillors wonder ing How the City is going to pay for its 1979 capital program without raising taxes. The City treasurer cautioned the executive policy committee Council lors thursday that the extra million requisitioned by the civic administration to cover the construction costs of the Clifton and Ash District sewers could drive the City s borrow ing beyond acceptable limits. The Price tag for the City s crash program to repair the straining sewer system was readjusted this month from to million to compensate for unaccounted inflation costs. Additional redesign requirements have caused some councillors to Peg final costs for the seven year pro Gram Between and million. Nevertheless the committee agreed to revise the preliminary 1979 capital estimates by adding the extra million arguing that the Esti mates could still be pared Down by the up coming review process. The City currently has a sound financial status with International Money lenders but tight economic conditions High interest rates and slow growth of taxable properties May put Winnipeg in a squeeze said City treasurer j. C. Gilmour. He said councillors should be aware of the implications of proceeding with the sewer program in what May be Bleak economic conditions. Gilmour said the City had several options increasing the annual Bor rowing limit by million for the seven year duration of the program extending the program period to 14 years or deferring other capital projects so the storm sewer Relief program could be carried out within the City s existing million self imposed borrowing limit. Historically Winnipeg has a reputation As a financially conservative City. This is a reputation that should not be said Gilmour urging that councillors proceed with the last option. In terms of spending i think you have done pretty Good Job. My own Bias is that you stay within the limit and establish your priorities for said the treasurer. The City s existing net annual charge to pay off debts is about million or 18 to 20 Mills on the tax rate said the treasurer. Repayment of the debt is the very first charge against the cautioned Gilmour. Exceeding next year s borrowing limit by million to cover the costs of the two sewer improvements would Cost the City in debt service charges or one half a Mill indicated the treasurer. Although inflation has caused the construction costs of projects to in crease Gilmour said he did t think the City s borrowing limit should be raised to reflect the effects of inflation. Inflation has not been applied to property taxes which form the City s sole Means of Revenue he added. Since Winnipeg s growth is less than one per cent a year the present taxpayers will have to carry the costs of heavier borrowing. And if taxes Are raised indiscriminately the ratepayers will eventually not be Able to pay their taxes said Gilmour. City Council promised earlier this year that the 1979 Mill rate would be retained at the same level As in 1978. It would be beneficial to the City if it could convince the province to assume the costs of education Gil Mour said. Photo of wave Glowacki storekeeper Dave Baumel wrestled a loaded .22-calibre handgun away from a Youthful would be robber. Sends would be robber running by Tom Goldstein Dave Baumel says anyone would have tried to disarm the masked youth who was brandishing a hand gun inches from him. Whether anyone would have is debatable but the 54-year-old store keeper did manage wednesday to out muscle a would be robber and successfully thwart the first such attempt in the 24 years he has operated Dave s shop in Centre 1856 Bannatyne Avenue. Baumel whose store has been broken into a few times said thursday he was eating supper alone about 6 . In the Back room of his Brooklands neighbor Hood grocery when he heard a Bell ring indicating a potential customer May have entered the store. He went out front and was con fronted by a gun toting person wearing a ski mask. Gimme your he Baumel recalled. Are you no i m not joking Baumel said he initially thought the attempted stick up was just a prank being played by a neighbor Hood youth and that the gun was a toy. However As the attacker eventually came to within inches of where Baumel was standing at the far end of the meat showcase at the Back of the store it became apparent the weapon was real. Police described the weapon As a loaded .22-calibre handgun the gun was so close i figured it would be easy to take Bau Mei said explaining Why he decided to try to Block the robbery attempt. Baumel grabbed the handle of the gun and he and his attacker struggled about three metres towards the front of the store. In the scuffle the weapon fell to the floor just by the door. The attacker knocked off the sex tailor s glasses and fled on foot. Without my glasses i can t Baumel said. Otherwise i would have chased after him on the although he said anyone else would have done the same thing As he did the five foot four Inch 165 Pounder who Cut a Finger in the altercation suggested there were circumstances Peculiar to the Inci Dent which caused him to react the Way he did. If i would have been standing Here behind the Waist High Cash counter instead of there beside the meat i would t have tried to take the he said. Baumel also said he would not have tried to disarm someone larger than the would be robber whom he described As being about five feel tall slim and perhaps 15 years old. Water storage in streets increased costs for the redesign of the City s storm sewer system had some City councillors proposing their own schemes thursday to protect Homes from basement flooding. Some executive policy committee councillors Felt the Best Way to reduce costs of the program that is now priced somewhere Between Mil lion and million was to consider scrapping it altogether and replacing it with alternative strategies to re Duce basement flooding. Several councillors suggested City streets could be used to store water after a storm. Since we Are always rebuilding streets Why not increase the storage said Conn. Ai Ducharme the Clifton sewer area in the inner City s West end will soon require considerable Street work said Ducharme recommending that the ele vation of the streets be dropped and higher curbs constructed. The curbs in Louisiana Are three feet deep said Ducharme. If worst comes to worst we can always hire lifeguards to patrol the said the councillor. I think people would prefer to have water bonded in the streets rather than in their agreed coun. Jim Ragsdill Springfield examples of Street pending in some Winnipeg suburbs have worked Well said Ragsdill. Administrators however cautioned that replacing Street pave ments would Cost the City much More than the total sewer program. Re paving costs Are listed at about a linear fool. Although pending has worked in some new developments the older City s sewer systems carry sew age As Well As storm run off said Penman. You would end up having sewage in the said the director. Women supplying Oion names on coupons mailing list claims questioned by Manfred Jager women themselves May be Supply ing their names to mail out houses through coupons contained in women s and Home maker Maga Zines or. J. B. Morison registrar of the College of physicians and surgeons said thursday. Morison said some of the information coupons require a doctor s counter signature before free samples or information booklets will be sent to expectant mothers. The College has conducted inter views with a number of prominent Winnipeg obstetricians to find out How names of mothers to be might be winding up in the hands of companies who then try to sell goods and ser vices to the women. The practice came to Light through news reports earlier this week after an unidentified Winnipeg woman complained she was inundated with offers of goods and services after her pregnancy which ended in a still birth. The offers mostly by mail upset the woman because they reminded her of the ordeal she had just gone through. Morison said none of the obstetricians contacted by his organization admitted to forwarding patient names to Industry. Morison said the College has not received a single complaint from a patient that her name was Given out to businesses by a physician. If complaints were received they would be followed up and might Lead to action by the College. Morison said doctors he spoke to say there is a possibility that patients themselves May be supplying their names by asking for a doctor s counter signature on coupons ;