Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 10, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba Million award is highest in Manitoba by Pamela Fayerman a Man who suffered devastating in juries in a 1977 Accident that changed his life and dashed his Hopes and dreams was awarded nearly Mil lion in damages yesterday by a court of Queen s Bench judge. Inv hat is believed to be the largest award in Manitoba s history or. Jul Tice Benjamin Hewak ruled yesterday that Daniel John Macdonald 23, is entitled to in damages As a result of the Accident which turned him into an adolescent mentally and physically into an almost totally Handi capped Cloudy tonight -2 sunny tomorrow 13 damages were assessed by judge Hewak at a record million. However he found that Macdonald was 90 per cent responsible for the Accident so the amount was halved. Judge Hewak said Macdonald has suffered permanent brain damage near total blindness in the right Eye impaired vision in the left Eye no sense of smell minimal taste and slurred speech. Macdonald who now lives in Vic Toria b.c., is dependent on either a wheelchair or canes. Judge Hewak said Macdonald s intellect is now at the level of a Grade 5 or 6 student and his personality has changed so drastically that he is extremely unpleasant to be around. Macdonald who was Riding a motor Cycle was involved in a collision with a provincial government owned car driven by Glenna Alderson. The Accident occurred at the inter Section of Pembina Highway and Crane Avenue on june referring to the fact that Macdonald was not wearing a helmet judge Hewak said he was unable to conclude on the facts As presented whether a helmet would have prevented or minimized Macdonald s head injuries. Counsel for the provincial govern ment w. G. Mcfetridge said the government vehicle carried a minimum insurance policy so the prov Ince will pay the balance. Judge Hewak said that before the Accident Macdonald was a Normal healthy Happy go Lucky youth just be ginning to experience life. That is no longer the the Case is made sadder by the fact that Macdonald has a slight memory of what life was like before the Accident he said. He possesses the Normal healthy sexual appetite of a 19-year-old and he realizes in his impaired Way that life holds no opportunities for him As a husband father or Winnipeg on restaurant Friday april 10, 1981 free Sun rises . Sets . Moon rises . Sets . Final 200 30e with supplements for Home delivery 957-0550 or 942-2161 classified 956-2330 space shuttle Columbia will sit on pad 39-a at the Kennedy space Centre in Cape canaveral until at least sunday morning after computer problems forced today s launch postponement. Racism a Sleeper Issue Quebec liberals Hope to capture vote in ethnic Ridings by Michael Doyle Winnipeg free press Montreal with Only Days left before monday s Quebec election the silent Issue dared discuss has become Public property As desperation and worry pushes the provincial liberals into new frankness. The Sleeper Issue around which this whole Campaign has been fought is racism. The liberals contend the parti quebecois has plenty of it sheltered in its closets and they argue that it is showing in pm legislation. The pm has not been discussing the subject except to say that the treat ment of Quebec s Large anglophone population is Yards ahead of the treat ment received by Ontario s big Popula Tion of francophone or even new Brunswick s acadians. How can Quebec be accused of Rac ism when a Franco ovarian cannot even Register his child s birth or his will in French and Why did a fran co Manitoban have to take a parking ticket to the supreme court of Canada to Deal in his own language parti quebecois workers ask. Even prime minister Trudeau would not Force perennial Premier Bill Davis to change the Law so that Ontario s francophone would get similar treat ment to the angles of Quebec. It s emotional stuff but party work ers argue that the whole Issue of que s right to self determination to Equality by necessity been an emotional subject from the Start. However it is not the pm who Are playing with the subject. It is the liberals who have brought the ques Tion of racism to the fore As they go into the final Days of what could still be a Cliffhanger vote. The Buzz phrase used the Liberal candidates is to Deal with the subject a Quebec for they use it to mean that italian Quebe cers greek Quebe cers and even anglophone que Beers will get a fair break should they come to Power. They Hope it will work magic in Montreal where As much As one third of some Ridings consists of so called ethnic groups. Take Christos Spirros a greek run Ning in Montreal s Laurier Riding for the liberals see Quebec Page 4 computer problem delays space launch Cape canaveral Fla. A a wayward computer today forced the . Space Agency to scrub its Long awaited test flight of the space shuttle Columbia yet another disappointing delay in a program that already is More than two years behind schedule. The postponement until sunday at least came with the astronauts in the cockpit waiting for their release to Fly. A requirement to empty More than half a million Gallons of volatile fuel from Columbia s tanks and to purge them before refilling a 48-hour pro Cess makes a saturday blast off impossible. The astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen were within 16 minutes of the planned . Cost liftoff when they discovered a fuel cell problem. No sooner was it solved than the computer difficulty cropped up. Launch director George Page announced the postponement when it be came apparent that the computer problem could not be corrected today. Future hangs on we Are stopping the said National aeronautics and space administration spokesman Hugh Harris at . Cost three hours after the scheduled launch time. We re sending out a Crew to open the Hatch of the orbiter and take the astronauts out to their Crew about 9.5 Kilometres from the launch pad Harris said. He said the earliest time for Resche Duling a launch is . Cost Sun Day. Today s first delay hit when the astronauts spotted a fuel cell warning Light glowing on their cockpit console. No sooner was that problem resolved when the computer snafu was disco Vered. Crippen reported the software pro Gram in a backup computer did Noi agree with the programs in the four main computers that control the flight of the spaceship. The backup computer is not communicating properly with the other Nasa spokesman Harris reported from the control Centre. Launch control Centre attempted to see computer Page 4 people in Winnipeg unemployed seeking work there Are people unemployed and looking for work in Winnipeg Fig ures released today by statistics Canada indicate. The unemployment rate in the City Rose to 7.8 per cent in March up 1.4 percentage Points from the february rate of 6.4 per cent. The City s unemployment total is up from the year s previous i High of in january. Winnipeg has a workforce of across the province unemployment in March Rose by 1.2 percentage Points to 6.3 per cent from 5.1 per cent in february. However Manitoba s rate remains More than a full percentage Point below the seasonally adjusted National rate of 7.4 per cent. The March figure is up .2 of a percentage Point. Can t find jobs the Canadian press says in. An Ottawa report on the statistics Canada figures that the number of people across Canada unable to find work Rose to in March from in february. The increase was concentrated in the 15-to-24-year-age group where the rate Rose for men by 0.6 to 14.1 per cent and for women by 0.4 to 12.7 per cent. Among persons 25 years of age and Over the unemployment rate Rose slightly for men by 0.1 to 4.5 per cent and remain unchanged at 6.2 per cent for women. The seasonally adjusted rate rate in creased in All provinces except Saskatchewan and new Brunswick. Labor Force increases the labor Force including those with a Job and those looking for work in creased to from in february. The seasonally adjusted ratio of employment to population declined by 0.1 to 60 per cent in March. Newfoundland continued to have the highest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rising to 13.2 per cent from 12.7 in february. Alberta had the lowest rate at 4.1 per cent up 0.5 from the previous month. The rate Rose in Prince Edward is land to 12.8 per cent from 10.8 per cent in Nova Scotia to 10.3 per cent from 10 per cent in Quebec to 9.8 per cent from 9.5 per cent in British Columbia to 6.1 per cent from 5.9 per cent and in Ontario to 6.6 per cent from 6.5 per cent. In Saskatchewan the rate dropped to 4.6 per cent from 5.3 per cent and in new Brunswick to 10.6 per cent from 11.1 per cent. Of major cities surveyed the Auto Industry Centre of Windsor ont., continued to have the highest unemployment rate at 12.9 per cent despite a Large drop from 16.1 per cent. Statistics Canada warned however that figures for All cities Are based on Small samples and can fluctuate wildly from month to month. The unemployment rate for the other cities surveyed with the february rates in brackets was St. Johns nfld., 11.0 Halifax 9.1 Saint John n.b., 8.2 Chicoutimi Jonqui�re que., 12.2 Quebec 9.3 Montreal 10.2 Ottawa Hull 6.7 Sudbury ont., 8.3 Oshawa ont., 6.2 to Ronto 5.5 Hamilton 7.1 St. Catharines Niagara ont., 10.8 London ont., 8.1 Kitchener Waterloo ont., 8.8 Thunder Bay ont., 10.3 Regina 5.8 Sas Katoon 10.0 Calgary 4.3 Edmonton .4.9 Vancouver 4.9 Victoria 8.1 bid to probe charges against Craik vetoed by John Sullivan conservative Las yesterday voted Down an opposition proposal for an investigation into charges that Deputy Premier Don Craik misled the Legisla Ture in a cover up of threats made in order to prevent a court Challenge to the 1979 Tritschler inquiry. A bitter Day Long debate centred on allegations by a former Manitoba Hydro director that Craik had threatened to fire the Hydro Board if it accepted Legal advice to Challenge the tory appointed inquiry in the courts. The Tritschler inquiry headed by former Manitoba court of Queen s Bench chief Justice George Tritschler found that improper plan Ning of Northern Hydro projects in the 1970s and political interference by the former nip government had Cost Manitoban millions of dollars. The new democrats dismissed the inquiry As a political Kangaroo court designed to smear the former govern ment headed by Edward Schreyer now Canada s governor general opposition Leader Howard Pawley charging a conspiracy to suppress information after Craik first denied and then partly admitted the allegations demanded a hearing into the minister s conduct by the legislature s see opposition Page 4 two policemen win second assault Appeal by Steve Pona the Winnipeg police commission is expected to hold a special meeting within a week to review the status of two City constables following a Manitoba court of Appeal decision yesterday which overturned their convictions on an assault charge. Constables Ronald Albert Chambers and Lawrence Ernest Obirek had been convicted of the offence on dec. 16 by chief provincial judge Harold Gyles. They were sentenced to three months in jail but were released on bail Pend ing the outcome of their Appeal. In a 37-Page majority decision made Public yesterday or. Justice Roy Matas said the guilty verdict was unreasonable and cannot writing for the two member majority judge Matas said there were Seri Ous inconsistencies and discrepancies in the furthermore the judge said the Case of the Crown does not have that degree of certainty which is required in see constables Page 4 Giscard leads French president Valery Giscard d Estwing seems Likely to be re elected. This makes frenchmen furious but not enough to vote against oilers gushing the hustling oilers got big league goal ending from Rookie Andy Moog who faced 41 Montreal shots to take a surprising 2-0 series refugee Aid external affairs minister Mark Macguigan says Ottawa will contribute million this year in new Aid for african buyer beware a judge has dismissed a claim brought by a Winnipeg Man who bought a painting which turned out to be a Index Ann Landers 14 answers. 45 autos. 23 Bridge. 14 business.35 classified.46 Cleverley. 7 comics. 20 crossword. 14 deaths.2, 46 editorials letters.6 entertainment.-. 15 Horoscope. 14 Jumble puzzle.50 klady.15 Mullro Yontov. 16 movies. 17 relax.45 sports. 57 sports record.60 stocks.38 sullivan.45 Tempo. 11 to listings.45 ;