Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 10, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba Q Winnipeg free press Friday april 10. 1981 Norrie plans race relations committee mayor Bill Norrie says he plans to establish an advisory committee on race relations to head off racist at tacks such As those recently denounced by the City s East Indian Community. Norrie described his plan to form such a committee in a letter yesterday to civic executive policy committee. Policy committee member coun. Harold Macdonald suggested the advisory group be called the mayor s advisory committee on race relations and Norrie indicated later he would comply with that suggestion. Wednesday police commission member coun. Alt Skowron told the commission the City should establish a race relations committee to help de fuse racial problems. Endorses proposal Skowron said he had discussed this with Norrie and the mayor agreed it was a Good idea. The police commission also thought it was endorsed the proposal and asked police chief Ken Johnston to report on How such an organization would work. In his letter to policy committee Norrie noted the police commission had endorsed such a committee and agreed to co operate with it. Works and operations committee chairman John Angus was curious about what had precipitated the race relations committee proposal. Norrie said a member of the sikh Community bad a pretty derogatory sign painted on his House. This was an apparent reference to the plight of Sansar Singh Mannas 43, whose Antrim Road Home for the past two years has been subjected to sever Al racist attacks the most recent being two weeks ago when obscenities were painted on the sides of his House. Complaints to politicians and police had accomplished nothing Mannas said. Angus said there had been a similar incident in his area. But he questioned the value of an advisory race relations committee since it would have no Power. Norrie. Said it would be a sounding Board for the Community plugged into the various ethnic groups in the City having close Contact with the police commission the mayor s office and City Council. In an interview Norrie said he will make appointments to the advisory committee based on recommendations from City councillors and the Public and will also be in touch with the International Centre. The committee should be set up in 10-to-14 Days he said. Norrie will appoint members Core area plan almost ready a report on How to spend million of Federal provincial and City Money to revitalize Winnipeg s Core area should be presented to civic executive policy committee in 10 Days or two weeks mayor Bill Norrie said yesterday. A final Date will be set in Ottawa on wednesday when he meets with fellow members of the Core area initiative committee provincial attorney Gener Al Gerry Mercier and Federal employ ment and immigration minister Lloyd Axworthy. Norrie said wednesday s meeting will Deal with three or four outstanding items remaining for Resolution before the Cai committee s proposals Are presented to policy committee. City seeks Protection for water Winnipeg s insistence on Little or no mining development near its Shoal Lake water Supply May be a some what unrealistic mayor Bill Norrie said yesterday. But the City should ensure adequate Protection of its water source if mining does occur in the District he said. He said he has written the Ontario minister of the environment asking that the City be formally advised when mining projects Are proposed for the Shoal Lake area. Effluent from settling cells contain ing tailings from eco explorations Ltd s proposed molybdenum mine at the East end of High Lake ont., would flow into High Lake. City s water source Waters from this Lake flow into High Creek and via the Falcon River into Shoal Lake. Shoal Lake the City s water source for More than 60 years has such pure water it requires Only conventional chlorination. The City fears contaminants from the tailings could adversely affect that water Quality and in a March 26 Brief to the Ontario environment ministry asked that eco explorations be denied a mining licence. Norrie also reported to the commit tee privately on an aspect of the controversial Shoal Lake Indian band no. 40 s desire to build a 350-lot cottage development on the Lakeshore a development the City fears could also pollute the Lake. The mayor said his private report dealt with property acquisition matters he discussed in meetings with Provin Cial officials. On monday Manitoba environment minister Gary Filmon said his depart ment has reached agreement with on Tario that ensures the eco mine won t have a detrimental effect on Shoal Lake. City move approved executive policy committee yester Day endorsed a recommendation that two City departments move into the historic Hamilton building owned by the Canadian Imperial Bank of com Merce. The committee also agreed with a recommendation that the City sublet the historic Bank of Commerce build ing it agreed to lease from the Bank along with the Hamilton building 395 main Street. Spend no Money however coun. Abe Yanofsky moved that the motion be amended to ensure that no Money is spent on additions or renovations to the Bank of Commerce building 389 main until a tenant is found. Part of the recommendations from the City s acting chief commissioner and approved by the committee in clude re allocation to the two historic structures of originally slated for additions and renovations to a civic building at 100 main Street. The Hamilton building will be occupied by the civic environmental plan Ning department and the claims Branch of the finance department. The City estimates it will Cost be tween and to make the Hamilton building suitable for occupation and about for the Bank of Commerce building. Ottawa cuts funding on child abuse study special delivery letter Carrier Phyllis Thorkelson picks up her daughter Erika Jane when her shift is done. Thorkilson a Post office employee for three years says that when she was a child she would sometimes follow the mailman for blocks and blocks. The Federal health and welfare department will halt funding for a major National child abuse study May 1 six months before its expected completion Date. Jeanne kurd of the health sciences Centre s child development clinic said pulling the plug on the two year study now would jeopardize the inroads that have been made in clarifying and solv ing the problem. Surely a government that is committed to children s rights could not do anything so said kurd. Headed by Ottawa lawyer Corinne Robertshaw the study s mandate was to evaluate the extent of child abuse across Canada the status of existing legislation and the measures that can be taken to prevent it. Sponsored meetings in the two years Robertshaw has worked on the study she has travelled to eight provinces which have Hospital based child abuse programs and has reviewed existing legislation. As Well the study sponsored two meetings in february 1980 and March 1981 which brought together 40 prime movers in the Field from government and the private sector. In february Robertshaw produced a 196-Page discussion paper which de tailed unreported cases of deaths due to abuse spotty prevention programs and a Lack of published information about the problem. The lawyer found that there were 54 deaths due to child abuse in 1977 in All provinces excluding Quebec and Saskatchewan. Allowing for those prov inces Robertshaw estimated 82 Chil Dren died because of abuse. The paper noted that the Federal health and welfare department should help interested provinces adopt effective and uniform mandatory reporting provisions. Robertshaw stressed in the discus Sion paper that the document was Only a preliminary version of her findings. She was working on a final report which incorporated additional material and recommendations when the government said it planned to Stop the study. Informed wednesday Hurd said or. Norman Eade head of the Montreal children s Hospital s child abuse clinic was informed of the government decision by letter wednes Day. After the second meeting Eadie and others wrote to health minister Moni que begin urging that the study be carried on to completion. We believe it the discussion paper represents a vital document for change and Progress in this Complex and Trou bled Field and that the future of child Protection in this country can Only Benefit from a Pursuit to the end of the work already undertaken but As yet they wrote. Responding to the letter begin said the formal research phase of the study could not continue although she pledged the government s commitment to the child abuse problem and promised to use Robertshaw s preliminary paper in its discussions with the provinces. But Hurd said Ottawa s commit ment to child abuse is embodied in Robertshaw she is the Only person at the Federal level involved in child abuse. As Well Hurd maintains there has been minimal consultation by the Federal government with the provinces on child abuse. Let buyer beware judge rules in Case involving fake Art by Pamela Fayerman a court of Queen s Bench judge yesterday dismissed a claim against the owner of Carter s auction rooms brought by a Winnipeg Man who bought a painting there which turned out to be a fake. In dismissing the claim against the auctioneer and three other defendants including the sheriff who ordered the Sale or. Justice Benjamin Hewak said the purchaser Ernest Shapiro should have relied on his own knowledge and judgment because he was sufficiently familiar with the artist Marc Aurele de Foy Suzor Cote to recognize that in the Circle of people who collect or Deal in Art such a painting if authentic would be a valuable piece of in an interview after the judgment was made Public Shapiro said he plans to Appeal because the ruling puts the onus on the purchaser to prove the authenticity of goods. It Means that for everything you want to buy you Are expected to be an expert. There is no Way to protect yourself except if you buy from the Best most reputable galleries which allow lifetime guarantees or unconditional warranties on the Art if it turns out not to be Shapiro said. Court was told that the painting was seized by sheriffs after the original owner lost it through a Bank Sei Zure. Meyer Steiman owner of Carter s auction rooms appraised the painting and got a second opinion from Woodrow Fine arts operator Samuel Saidman. There was no evidence to satisfy me that anything Saidman did in providing an appraisal. Was a negligent exercise of care on his judge Hewak said. Authenticity doubted after emerging As the successful bid Der at the auction Shapiro consulted with various people knowledgeable in Art whose opinions cast doubt on the authenticity of the painting. Shapiro requested a refund about a week beyond the time limit imposed by Steiman. The attorney general s department advised Steiman and Shapiro the Sale was final. Judge Hewak said he accepted the opinion of Montreal Art gallery owner Walter Zlinkoff who inspected the painting in Montreal. Zlinkoff said the painting s style Content Brush work and signature led him to believe it was not by artist Suzor Cote. City urged to establish information Branch Winni Eggers baffled by civic bureaucracy May soon be Able to get help from a proposed Public information department within the City administration. Executive policy committee yester Day endorsed a recommendation from the City s Board of commissioners Al lowing for a one year trial period for the information department which is to respond to citizens inquiries about City services. No new staff the recommendation will now be passed on to Council for final approval. The proposed information depart ment will be staffed by a supervisor and two clerks. The new department suggested by Deputy mayor Pearl Mcgonigal will not require the City to hire any new staff As employees will be re assigned from the vital statistics Branch is to be phased out. Along with establishing the new department the committee agreed with recommendations from Mcgonigal that an and hoc committee be struck to review Public Access to information. Mcgonigal confessed she occasionally does t know where to go to in the City administration to get information. The committee will Deal with Public Access and the effect on confidentiality Cost the present Quality of information distribution and safeguarding personal information. The and hoc committee is to report Back within 60 Days. The executive policy committee referred to the Board of commissioners the Issue of reviewing the adequacy of procedures for citizens to Appeal administrative decisions As suggested by coun. Bill Neville. Fol Lorama Council Lent for suit by Ron Campbell the Community Folk arts Council of Winnipeg inc., the group which runs Fol Lorama has Lent interest free to the plaintiffs in a civil suit against Julius Koteles. During 1978 and 1979, the Council Lent that amount to help with Legal expenses of the now defunct Folk arts Council of Manitoba and seven of its former directors. The fact and directors Are suing Koteles who was chairman of the fact from 1972 to 1976, for alleged misappropriation of funds. Koteles lawyer John Sinclair said of the situation i m shocked at that revelation. It s hard to believe. I m just Koteles now. A non practising Law yer qualified for Legal Aid on both the civil suit and a previous criminal trial involving the same subject matter his lawyer said. Acquitted on charge i received a Little under from Legal Aid for the 12-Day preliminary hearing and the 10-Day trial sin Clair said. Koteles was acquitted on a charge of theft of Money from the Folk arts Council of Manitoba following a jury trial last october. Lawyers for both sides in the civil litigation were to appear before or. Justice James Wilson of Manitoba court of Queen s Bench yesterday to set a Date for the civil trial. But the matter was t dealt with yesterday because judge Wilson was in Brandon. In May 1977, the fact Board Dis solved the fact and the Community Folk arts Council of Winnipeg inc. Was created to run the ethnic festival. On March 9, 1977, the fact and seven of its Board members Henry Lorenc Ena Sutton August Bairos Andrew Bileski John Fargey mar Jorie Forzley and Vera Weremiuk filed a statement of claim against Koteles launching the civil suit. Generally the suit alleges that Koteles received Money and negotiable instruments on the fact s behalf deposited some to his own and others credit and refused to account for these funds. It asks the court for a declaration of Koteles personal liability in these matters and an order that he make restitution. On june the a fact Board of directors unanimously approved a 000 loan to the defunct fact. Sidney Ritter current president of a fact said the express purpose of the loan was to help the fact defray Legal expenses in connection with the Koteles lawsuit. On nov. 9, 1979, the a fact Board approved another loan to the fact for the same purpose with the proviso there would be no More Loans. Five of those named As plaintiffs in the Koteles suit along with the fact Lorenc Sutton Bairos for Ley and at various times members of the a fact Board. Members abstained Ritter said the minutes of the meet Ings which dealt with the Loans expressly show Board members connected with the suit abstained from debate and voting on the Loans Issue. Ritter said the fact loan collateral other than personal liability assumed by the former fact directors who Are named As plaintiffs. The loan bears no interest has no repayment terms and no maturity Date Ritter said. He said a fact expects to be reimbursed from the proceeds of the Koteles suit providing the plaintiffs Are successful. They will eventually probably see fit to turn it Over to the Community Folk arts Ritter said be cause it was generally agreed when the a fact took Over from the fact in 1977 that any recoveries would accrue to the a fact. But even if the plaintiffs Aren t successful the a fact will get Back the principal amount of the loan under the personal liability documents they signed Ritter said. Koteles target of Cryil suit ;