Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 20, 1979, Winnipeg, Manitoba 14 nation with freq free february 1979 maritime Energy agreement hailed yta1 stay Halifax up fed eral fief by minister alas Tair Gillespie and the pre Miers of the three maritime provinces out lined details monday of their weekend agreement to establish a maritime Energy Mec to undertake construction of regional Energy projects and transmission Gillespie and the pre Miers hailed Mec As a unique partnership which will help stabilize volatile electrical costs in the mail times by lessening the re Gions dependence on imported the Federal government will take a 48 per cent equity share in the corporation and the three provinces 52 per an arrangement Ottawa has with no other Gillespie although Many details remain to be worked the agreement requires each participant in the Mec to take As their initial investment a share of the Point nuclear plants output when it comes on Stream in the Lepreau which is expected to Cost about double its original Mil lion estimated will be the corporations first major the agreement signed by the premiers projects the Cost of Lepreau at Mil ninety per cent of this will be financed through Lon term debentures and Alastair Gillespie Energy pact unique the remaining 10 per cent by the three partners in the proportion in which they contract to Purchase Power from the Plant the Federal government will assume 50 per cent of the 10percent Cost being carried directly by the As a result of the agree the new Brunswick Power commis Sion will renegotiate its loan arrangements for the nuclear Plant with atomic Energy of the initial million to launch the Mec will be shared by the with Ottawa picking up the premiers and Gille Spie said during the week end that Fundy tidal Power would be the next logical project for the the agreement includes a provision that additional work on Fundy tidal Power projects would be carried out under the opposition Leader Gerald who As Premier of Nova Scotia was involved in the Mec negotiations until last said after Reading the agree ment monday that it appeared that Ottawa and the new Brunswick had succeeded in Selling Nova Scotia a pig in a Regan said it appeared Ottawa was bailing out the costly Lepreau Plant by using the desire of the maritime provinces for greater cooperation on Energy Charlie Brown of Brantford collegiate Institute had a rough Day last week when he was sold to a Grade 13 student in a slave auction to support student Counch the student ordered Brown to mop read a poem while standing on a cafeteria and sing some Ottawa knew of Exxon Oil diversion in january Tawa Oppi Ottawa up Energy minister Alastair Gillespie acknowledged that the government had received word in january that Exxon planned to divert venezuelan Oil destined for Eastern Canada to other but the minister continued to insist in the commons that he did not know until 8 that those plans involved diversion of barrels a Day about on Quarter of the total venezuelan imports by Imperial Oil Canadian subsidiary of he was told then at a meeting in his office with Imperial he said it was thought that the diversion would be about barrels a since Imperial has announced that the planned diversion has been reduced to to barrels a Day from Gillespie said there were some preliminary discussions Between Imperi Al and senior officials in his department at some time prior to 8 about possible diversionary tac he also confirmed that a letter was sent in late january to the National Energy Board by Imperial setting out plans by Exxon to divert some ship ments of venezuelan Gillespie was responding to new democratic party Energy critic Douglas who said the ministers statements appeared to directly contradict those of an Imperial spokes the spokesman said Friday the 24 letter to the Energy the Federal regulatory contain ing an application to Swap Western Canadian Oil with the set out de tails of the planned she also said senior Energy depart ment officials were informed separa Tely of the Gillespie said the Energy Board is an Independent Agency that does not seek his advice on a Day today Douglas was overstating the situation the minister Douglas said the diversion of such a Large volume of Oil posed a serious threat to the country Energy sup either there was a Gross dereliction of duty by a department official who did not inform the minis Ter or Gillespie was guilty of income he wont a lower return fare Winnipeg to Regina 78 Saskatoon Calgary Edmonton if youve shopped youll know that these prices Are As Low As any for you could save up to 31 of the regular fare depending on where youre youll Fly on regularly scheduled air Canada flights on your youll enjoy air Canadas Topflight service on the ground and in that Means a and you dont have to pay extra for the conditions of travel Are quite just Book and pay for your flight at least 7 Days before and plan on staying at least until the following sunday or As Long As 46 there is a cancellation penalty of and the fares Are Only effective until May so plan now and Book because seats Are and dont we also have charter class Canada fares to every City we serve in Canada More than 640 Kilometres ask your travel agent or air Canada about All our their advice wont Cost you a and it could save you a pretty Al r Canada Knowles gives Ottawa heritage Day reminder Ottawa up the government got its annual scolding monday for failing to give canadians another National statutory Holiday heritage but heritage Day was marked All the same in some through a heritage Canada Cam although workers and children were not Given the Day off from jobs and for the sixth consecutive Veteran member of parliament Stanley Knowles Rose in the com Mons to lament the fact that parliament has notes to abolished a new statutory the new democratic party my from Winnipeg said he Hopes that whichever government is in Power after the election will sup port the idea meant to re mind canadians of our Rich National he asked for support from maps for a motion expressing regret that six year old legislation to Cre ate heritage Day has not been the support was All Al party parliamentary committee first pro posed the new Holiday in Stanley Knowles wants Holiday it would fall on the third monday of every feb the Bill was almost passed one year but progressive conservatives said canadians already have enough the government said another Holiday would Cost too much when the Economy is not at its heritage can an organization which promotes historical traditions and preservation of historical launched its own heritage Day the organization allocated to distribute Post ers showing a log Cabin and to award prizes to Chil Dren entering a heritage poster design the Federal government did not completely forget heritage it announced establish ment of a committee to study ways to encourage preservation of heritage the committee will study a suggestion that current tax Laws encourage the demolition of heritage the Parks Branch of the Indian and Northern affairs depart ment said in a costs for demolishing heritage buildings now Are tax the release the study also will look at proposals including tax deductions for owners of heritage properties who enter into protective agree accelerated write off of renovation easier financing for persons wishing to Recycle older buildings through the guaranteeing of Loans and re Moval of the 12percent tax on building a department spokesman Issue is political dynamite supreme court Date set for language Law Case Ottawa up deciding the constitutionality of Quebec language one of the most politically explosive issues Ever heard before the supreme court of will begin june the Date was set a few hours after the Quebec government was Given leave to appear Quebec court rulings that portions of the Law Are permission was granted by justices Louis Philippe Yves Pratte and William at Issue is Quebec right to name French As the Only official language of its courts and National portions of the language Law dealing with education and business Are being challenged in separate cases in More Junior the Case carries serious political prime minister Trudeau has opposed the Quebec Law officially known As the charter of the French language because it counters his vision of a bilingual he and other federalists say the Law discriminates against Quebec English speaking minority and plan to Campaign in the next elec Tion on insertion of minority language rights in the the parti quebecois sees the Law As the Cornerstone to the development of Quebec into a politically Independent French speaking it wants Quebec to be As French As Ontario is the Case concerning the language of the courts and National Assembly was initiated in Quebec Superior court by three Montre Alarea lawyers Peter Roland Durand and Koine they were represented in supreme court monday by Donald Liberal my for the English speaking Montreal Riding of lawyers for the Federal government were also attached to the Case is a parallel one initiated by another Montreal Henr Wilfrid grand Nephew of sir Wilfrid Quebec Superior court and then the Quebec court of appeals declared the contested portions of the Law Are unconstitutional because they run counter to Section 133 of the British North America ban act document which serves As Canadas Section 133 says French and English have equal status in Quebec judicial and legislative the Quebec government argues Section 92 of the 112yearold act permits it to pass legis lation superseding Section documents submitted to the supreme court emphasize that the Quebec government maintains that a free hand is Given to the provinces by the ban act to legislate in areas affecting Only their own the ban act in a constitutional Law which attributes to the Ca Nadian organs provinces a legislative competence which each one in its As Large As the one of the British the Quebec government the documents also say the language Law does not forbid the use of English in courts and the National Assembly in both languages Are still being the gives French precedence and Only the French ver Sions of Laws and court judgments Are considered a ;