Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 22, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba Crts clears Way for pay to in Canada Ottawa up pay to will finally arrive probably by next year but it will have a distinctive Canadian Fla Vor. The Canadian radio television and telecommunications commission said yesterday that companies seeking a licence to provide a pay to service first run movies sports and entertain ment specials not otherwise Avail Able must apply before july 10. Hearings Are scheduled for the fall. But the regulatory body also issued guides saying the service will not be a monopoly and that at the Start it will be free of advertising. It also said pay to services must not Only provide Canadian programming but some of the profits must be allocated to produce such Content. Crts chairman John Meisel told a news conference he is opening pay to to virtually anyone with a plan mean ing that in some areas there could be several such services. The Cable to Industry estimates the Cost to the subscriber would be Between and a month. The crts said applicants must include a user fee schedule in their submissions. Gordon Keeble head of the pay Tele vision network a consortium set up by the Cable to Industry to apply for a licence to Market pay to said the crts is on the right track and has opened the Way for innovation. The crts said that besides Broad casters and Cable operators anyone wanting to lease facilities from Cable to operators or set up other transmission systems May apply for a pay to licence. But superstate those which would beam regular programming nationally under the Guise of Are out. Broadcasters won t be Al has been the Case in the United states switch their sys tems to pay to from free to during their regular broadcast Day. The Call for applications comes after a debate which started in 1975, culminating in a crts committee report last year which said pay to should come after licences Are approved for Remote and under served communities. The approvals came last week the crts said it will not at this time License pay to service drawing on advertising and applicants must show that some profits will be spent to produce Canadian pro Grams. A major objective in the introduction of pay to is that it produce a flow of Revenue to Canadian program producers from Canadian audiences with a minimal disruption to the operations of existing Billy Carter May face charges Over libyan Cloudy tonight 0 Cloudy tomorrow 11 wednesday april free press Sun rises . Sets . Moon rises . Sets . Final is for Home delivery i 957-0550 or 942-2161 i 956-2330 Dave Johnsona Winnipeg free press a stranded passenger catches some sleep at Winnipeg depot after bus workers went on strike. Bus travellers stranded greyhound Drivers from . To Sudbur Ygo on strike by Tom Goldstein about 15 westbound bus travellers were stranded in Winnipeg last night As greyhound workers Between Vancou ver and Sudbury went on strike. About members of the Amalga mated transit Union local 1374, which covers workers Between the West coast and Sudbury ont., went on strike at Midnight local time after last ditch talks in Calgary Between the company and Union failed to reach a Settle ment. About 150 Drivers ticket clerks of fice workers and mechanics in the Union s Winnipeg unit set up picket lines around the mall terminal at 6 . Talks were to resume this morning in Calgary. I think a certain amount of Progress was made in the talks but we re still a considerable distance said Mel Little vice president of the Union. I would Hope we could have a Settle ment As quickly As possible and i m optimistic right however both the Union and management have indicated they Are pre pared for a Long strike the first by greyhound workers in Canada since they won bargaining rights in 1947. Of the passengers stranded in Winni Peg last night four spent the night with friends while the others looked for alternative accommodations or settled in at the mall terminal. Most expected to resume their trips by train this afternoon. A group of passengers who arrived from Eastern Canada about . Yesterday said they were not informed of the impending strike action until they were already in route. Nobody knew the trip was going to terminate Here until we were on our said Patrick Burrell of Yar Mouth . Cathy Dies who was to Start a Job in Banff today said she first Learned the strike was possible from the agent who sold her a bus ticket monday in Hamilton ont. He told me i d make it on time but we were told in Sault Ste. Marie that we d Only make it to see Cost Page 4 god Prairies earn Liberal recognition in Patria Tion plan by Michael Doyle Winnipeg free press Ottawa the Federal liberals have decided to put god in the Constitution and to do away with a Section of its amending formula which would have left the Prairie provinces in a weaker position than most other provinces on future constitutional changes. The liberals also accepted nip amendments strengthening the rights of women and aboriginal Peoples Al though the latter did not go As far As native leaders sought. Justice minister Jean Chretien said the government had been getting thousands of letters because there was no reference to god in the Constitution. What premiere fought a spokesman for Premier Sterling Lyon said last night Lyon was unaware of the new Liberal proposals and would not comment. Immigration minister Lloyd a worthy the my for Winnipeg fort Garry said changes in the amending formula favouring the Prairie provinces will go a Long Way toward negating charges made by the tories and follow ers of former Liberal defence minister James Richardson. Until yesterday the amending for Mula placed on the table by the Federal government would have required agreement from Ontario Quebec two Atlantic provinces plus two Western provinces with More than 50 per cent of the population of the Region. Cut . Clout the new amendment tabled yester Day by the liberals drops the 50-per cent clause. Under the old scheme . Would have held the lion s share of Power because it would Only need one other province to Block a constitutional change whereas the three Prairie prov inces would All have had to agree to achieve the same effect. . Has a population of 2.6 million whereas Manitoba has one million and Saskatchewan just under one million. Alberta has about two million. The result is that any two provinces regardless of population can agree to constitutional change and let it carry while any three could Stop it. Favors Ottawa opponents Are Likely to argue that the change favors the Federal government but Axworthy said yesterday its chief value is that it removes the charge that the Prairie provinces got a particularly raw Deal under the Federal proposal. On god the Federal liberals have decided to insert the following Short preamble whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of god and the Rule of Law. Chretien said the government has decided to reject an omnibus Amend ment proposal proposed by the conservatives. That proposal would have held the provinces to a charter of rights affirmed women s rights and native rights but would have left the prov inces free to opt out of other changes. It would also have required further agreement from a majority of the prov inces leaving final constitutional proclamation on ice for two years while the final agreement is being worked out. Chretien said last night he would make a speech today explaining Why the government opposes the tory Posi Tion. Among other things the conserva Tive proposal would have affirmed property rights removed the controversial Senate veto on constitutional change agreed to under pressure from the rebellious Senate and guaranteed equal rights for males and females. The conservatives also planned amendments on abortion and capital punishment. Nothing in this charter affects the authority of parliament to legislate in respect of abortion and capital punish reads the wording sought by the tories. Opposition Leader Joe Clark said the main advantage of his proposal is that it recognizes the provinces As equal partners in confederation. He said it rejects the extremes of unilateral action undertaken by prime minister Trudeau and unanimity a a formula for change sought by some premiers. Clark said his definition of the consensus necessary to change the Constitution is two thirds of the provinces representing 50 per cent of the Popula Tion. See god Page 4 liquor wine Price to increase May 5 Manitoban will pay Between 75 cents and More for a bottle of liquor and 60 cents More for some wines when annual Spring Price in creases go into effect May 5. Increased Federal and provincial taxes coupled with inflated costs from suppliers Are behind the higher prices for most liquor and wines. In addition the province s share of Revenue on liquor sales Only is going up by five per cent in line with an announcement in last week s budget. Finance minister Brian Ransom said the province expects to collect million More in the next year because of the higher Mark up. The Canadian Dollar has been doing better against european currencies lately and that Means some imported wines will maintain their current prices or drop slightly. But most Domestic and imported wines will increase up to 60 cents a bottle. The Price changes will affect All of the approximately wines Spir its and imported Beers sold in the province. The exact Price change will depend on product Type and supplier. A bottle of Canadian club Rye currently Selling for will go up to for example while imported Beefeater Gin goes up to from drinkers of imported Black Tower wine on the other hand will see the Price drop to from Gas workers voting on new pact today the greater Winnipeg Gas co. And the Union representing its service and maintenance workers have reached tentative agreement to end an 11-week strike. If the pact is ratified by a general membership meeting this morning the workers will Likely return to their jobs tomorrow Arnie Makinson president of Energy and chemical workers Union local 681, said last night. Picket lines up since feb. 2, would be removed from company locations this afternoon. Makinson refused to provide details of the tentative settlement reached after about hours of off and on negotiations yesterday. He said the Marathon bargaining session was prompted by the rejection Friday by 91-per-cent of the Union s membership to the company s last offer. That made both sides More realistic about he said. Makinson said the Union has lost at least three of its 260 members since the strike began but Only one As a result of the walkout. The Union had initially sought a 35-per-cent wage increase Over two years to achieve parity with Saskatchewan Gas workers but later lowered its demand to 32 per cent. The company s last offer was 28 per cent up from the 24 per cent which led to the strike action. Workers earned a net weighted aver age of an hour under their Previ Ous pact which expired Jan. 31. They earned a week strike pay. Regular company service was suspended during the strike As supervisors handled emergencies. The withdrawal of regular maintenance caused heated debate in the Manitoba Legisla Ture where opposition members unsuccessfully demanded the company re store the free service and pay for such work done by private contractors. Fire one the . Last month amazed delegates from about 150 countries when it torpedoed the seven year old in Law of the sea let it be titanic buffs urge two Winnipeg titanic buffs oppose any notion of raising the Gigantic passenger Surprise Many Whites said they d leave Zimbabwe if Robert Mugabe became prime minister. Now More than a year later Many who remained Are pleasantly More missiles a proposal to reopen an anti ballistic missile site near the North Dakota Manitoba Border is gaining momentum in . Defence Index Ann Landers. 32 answers. 41 Bridge. 35 business.47 classified.52 comics. 46 crossword. 28 deaths.2, 52 editorials letters.6 entertainment.36 Tood guide.17 horoscope.33 Jumble puzzle.59 klady.37 Mullro Yontov. 37 movies.38 Russell. 7 sports. 65 sports record.70 stocks.48 sullivan.41 tempo.25 to listings.41 werier.6 ;