Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 24, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba 1 Winnipeg free press Friday april 24, 1981 3 Saskatchewan Only Thorn in Western Power Grid pact by Cecil Rosner Nelson River station. Co Nawana. For second acts. To a Minn Lougheed Date not critical Deputy Premier Don Craik said yesterday Alberta and Manitoba Are pretty much in Complete agreement Over major terms of the proposed Western Power Grid but Saskatchewan could delay signing of the pact. Craik who was in Edmonton wednesday for continuing discussions Between the three provinces said in an interview Saskatchewan wants More time to consider details of the Grid. Slim Chance he indicated there was a slim Chance an agreement could be announced at next week s Western pre Miers conference at Thompson but he did not Rule out the possibility. Western Power Grid negotiations will be among six or seven major items to be discussed when the four premiers meet tuesday and wednesday. Craik previously set april 30 As a deadline for completion of the Grid agreement the Date by which new Hydro construction must be committed for delivery of Power in 1987. Legislature he said he was still optimistic about the time Frame. It in t quite the end of april yet but it s getting awfully Saskatchewan Premier Allan Bla Keney who has never been As enthusiastic As the other two premiers about the project said a final decision on his province s participation could still be a few months away. The proposal would see Manitoba shipping megawatts of Hydro electric Power to Alberta and 500 megawatts to Saskatchewan at an undetermined Price for 35 a transmission line from the Nelson River to Calgary would Cost up to billion while the project would virtually mean the immediate Start on construction of the estimated Limestone generating station. Craik said if Limestone is committed before Alcan decides on whether to build a smelter in Manitoba the province May have to commit the next Nelson River station Conaw Apa Tor speedy construction. It would mean several billions of dollars in additional borrowing requirements for the prov Ince. Robert Steele Deputy minister of utilities and telephones in Alberta said yesterday Alberta and Manitoba would be close enough to sign a letter of intent on the agreement if they were the Only two parties involved. Steele said agreement Between the two provinces has been reached on the key Issue of Power pricing considered the main stumbling Block before negotiations began. There is also Basic agreement on the amount of to be shipped the lifespan of the contract and the preferred route of the trans Mission line. The final leg of the transmission line will go from Saskatoon to Calgary As has been generally agreed upon by All parties. Environmental considerations As Well As economic factors will affect which route is taken on the first leg. One route runs diagonally from the Nelson station to Saskatoon a second goes to Brandon first then North to Saskatoon while the third would go to the Swan area and then on to Saskatoon according to Saskatchewan officials. Date not critical the april -30 deadline is not that critical from Alberta s standpoint Steele said. The province currently has two proposals involving construction of Thermal generating plants in 1986 and 1987 and hearings into the proposals will not be held until this fall. The Power Grid discussions at Thompson will be of Little interest to British Columbia which took part in Early discussions but pulled out of the scheme because it decided it could derive no Benefit by exporting Power to its neighbors. In addition to considering the Power Grid the Western premiers also will discuss the state of Federal provincial relations Grain handling and transportation fiscal and economic mat ters a health manpower training study and a report on regional co operation. Blakeney wants More time pickets demand safer intersection by Gregg Shilliday angry parents and schoolchildren staged a demonstration at a St. Boni face intersection yesterday in an at tempt to pressure the City to improve traffic safety at the crossing. Upset about the High number of Acci dents at the Corner of Marion Street and Archibald Avenue the parents set up pickets and told curious passers by that pedestrians Are targets on the Busy intersection. Carol Monney Mother of three said an Accident at the intersection wednes Day was the last Straw and parents could no longer stand by wondering if our kids will get Home there s two elementary schools arc Wood and King George that Cross Here. The accidents Are getting so bad that the arc Wood principal is coming out in the morning to help the kids across. Some parents Are even pulling their kids off the school patrol. They just Don t think it s lower Speed limits Monney said the streets leading to the intersection should be posted with lower Speed limits and traffic lights should be set up More efficiently. We re not the experts Here. We just know there is a problem and that something has to be done about arc Wood principal lome Ferley said parents have a legitimate con Cern. We seem to be on the wrong Side of a dangerous Street. I be been Here 10 years and this has always been hanging Over he said he has written a letter to his superintendent pointing out the prob Lem and underlining the parents Seri by withdrawing their children from the school patrol. District 5 police supt. Ken Mccaskill said he was unaware of the parents concerns and suggested it was outside his jurisdiction. Free press schoolchildren display their concern to passing motorists at St. Boniface intersection yesterday. Into it. It certainly sounds like it bears looking Angus said he will raise the Issue at a committee meeting monday and pass it on to the experts for a review. If they can come up with with a realistic solution to the problem then Well certainly go ahead with As far As safety is concerned we can Only enforce whatever the City chooses to put up there. It s not up to us to design safety he said he was unsure of How danger Ous the intersection is. A spokesman for the City s streets and traffic division confirmed that the intersection was one of the worst in the City with 40 reported accidents in 1980 and 57 in 1979. Civic works and operations commit tee chairman John Angus said last night that if these people Are so concerned obviously Well have to look City All but out of Job program labor management committee going it alone on Federal make work projects by Ron Campbell the City has All but pulled out of a Federal make work program to help unemployed tradespeople re qualify for unemployment insurance but the joint labor management committee is going it alone anyway. The joint labor management com Mittee is the Manitoba Winnipeg build ing construction trades Council and the construction labor relations association of Manitoba. Leo Desilets president of the trades Council representing approximately 000 tradespeople in 17 trades said unemployment among the trades is run Ning around 35 per cent. He said the labor management com Mittee wanted City participation be Lieving the City could identify make work projects that could be done with out infringing on the rights of the City s largest employee Union Canadian Union of Public employees local 500, and the private building contractors. The committee wanted the City to identify jobs and Job Sites supervise the projects and Supply the materials with All of the going for wages. But after consultation with the civic Board of commissioners about two weeks Agot the committee decided to take on the entire program itself. It was my opinion that the Board of commissioners did not seem too enthusiastic about participating in the 000 department of manpower program said Desilets. But yesterday morning the commit tee got a Cheque from the manpower department As the first in Bead surgery rights hearing stalled pending decision on jurisdiction by Pamela Fayerman the hearing into a motion to prohibit the Manitoba human rights commis Sion from investigating a complaint about a doctor who stitched beads on an Indian patient during surgery last no vember has been adjourned indefinitely. The adjournment was granted by chief Justice . Dewar of the Manitoba court of Queen s Bench yesterday so that Elsie Miles the patient May be served with the originating notice of motion. The motion filed by or. John Teskey a pulmonary surgeon at St. Boniface general Hospital says that the com Mission does not have the necessary jurisdiction to Deal with the complaint and that part of the human rights act is unconstitutional. The motion asks for an order Block ing the commission from further proceedings on a complaint filed by Jesse Rieber who wanted to know if the patient s human rights had been violated when or. Teskey sewed the beads to the Chest sutures of Miles after an operation to remove a benign lung lesion. Miles said after the operation she suffered humiliation and grief Over the incident. In a report on the incident former supreme court of Canada Justice Emmett Hall said the doctor hoped the beads would please the patient. He said it was not a joke or an act of racism. Stalmen and will put people to work at a week starting monday he said. Without City participation part of the Money will have to go for materials and this will reduce the number of workers who can participate Desilets said. He said the supervision will now be provided by the lab for management committee. The program is expected to be totally completed in four or five months or possibly sooner he said. At civic executive policy committee yesterday mayor Bill Norrie said fed eral restrictions on the program and cupe local 500 s desire to get its own unemployed members into the projects before agreeing to them had Hung up City participation. Only 11 jobs Federal restrictions on the program would have meant that Only 11 jobs would have been created the mayor said. He said he raised this problem with manpower minister Lloyd Axworthy s staff on his trip to Ottawa last week and will continue to take it up with depart ment officials. Executive policy committee which recommended City participation in the program March 12, yesterday simply received As information Nome s letter outlining the difficulties. Residence rate increase okayed at u of the University of Manitoba Board of governors last night approved a 13.9 per cent increase in residence rates. The increase proposed by the univer sity s administration after an analysis of costs and overhead including food services which Are included for Many live in students was first discussed with student representatives. The University official said apart from inflationary pressures increases Are necessary because summer Resi Dence income is expected to fall Short of last year because conference activities this year lag behind 1980 Levels and Utility rates Are up 27 per cent. Residency rates for Mary speedily Hall and tache Hall will Rise to from for single occupancy for the Winter session while double occupancy rates increase to from meal plans will Range from to up from a to Range. P at University College residence rates go to from for single occupancy and to from for double. Discussions leading to the determination of the increase involved the Provost of University College the act ing director of residences the director of food services and executive Mem Bers of the residence students association. While the students did not endorse the rate increase they have indicated they Are prepared to accept the in crease if it is kept to less than 14 per cent. As it turns out the increase comes in at 13.9 per the University official said. He said food services will not break even in the 1980-81 academic and Resi Dence year. Four level Park system in City plan a four tier Parks system for Winni Peg is featured in the Parks and recreation component of plan Winnipeg presented yesterday to civic executive policy committee. The committee recommended the policies outlined by the Parks and recreation department document be included in the plan Winnipeg bylaw which is expected to be approved in principle by Council july 15. Major objectives of the Parks and recreation component Are to equalize opportunities for use of these facilities to upgrade open spaces to preserve historic and Scenic vistas increase use of Public lands and use of the school system at the neighbourhood level. The policies Deal with existing and possible future Parks in the City. Under the initial level of the system neighbourhood Parks for every neighbourhood of people be built in association with an Elemen tary school site when possible. A second tier Community Parks would serve three to five neighbor hoods or a total population of about people and would be built in association with a High school and major recreation facilities. Regional Parks such As the existing la Barriere and Assiniboine Park areas would protect unique landscapes for nature oriented activities and would serve people in three or four communities. Urban provincial Parks such As Bird s Hill would protect major regional landscapes and provide facilities for More extended uses such As Camp ing and hiking. In addition to the four tier Park sys tem the plan makes recommendations on 14 other components of a Winnipeg Parks and recreation system. Included in these recommendations Are a major downtown Winnipeg Park and Riverbank Parks the creation of Low maintenance commons for activities such As gardening on vacant City owned properties transportation corridors and hydroelectric rights of a 400-Kilometre system of pedestrian and Bike paths to link City Parks a linear Riverbank Park system the designation of major streets As image routes and the designation of other thoroughfares As Scenic City eyes litter bylaw property owners will be under strict liability to keep their premises clean if City Council approves anti litter bylaw amendments recommended yesterday by civic executive policy committee. The amendments put the onus on owners or occupants of private property to ensure litter does not accumulate so As to be unsightly. The changes also put the responsibility on the owner to ensure litter is not blown or carried from the property to a Public place or other private property. Interest in reviewing the 1975 anti lit Ter bylaw was sparked by a feb. 20 provincial judges court Case in which Junior s drive inn restaurant 2565 Portage Avenue was acquitted of littering charges Laid under the provincial clean environment act. Shoal Lake buy studied the acquisition of land at Shoal Lake May answer some of Winnipeg s water Supply pollution problems but the Solu Tion won t be cheap. Shoal Lake Indian band chief her City Hall notebook Bert red sky said yesterday the Price tag for the land which the City wants in order to prevent possible environmentally hazardous development would be in the millions of dollars. Well take a Good hard look at any offer but it has got to be reason the chief said during a Telephone interview. Winnipeg mayor Bill Norrie said the City and the province Are considering making an offer to Purchase the land which is located next to a water intake pipe at Shoal Lake the source of the City s drinking water. Acquisition of the land would prevent the Indian band from proceeding with a planned 350-lot cottage development which the City feels would have a harmful effect on the water Supply. The potential pollution problem has prompted the provincial government to stall the the project by not giving the band permission to build a Road across Crown land to the prospective sue. The decision angered red sky who says the band needs the development to help offset High unemployment on the Reserve. Although withholding the permit pro Vides the City some Security natural resources minister Harry Enns has said he wants to find a final solution including a possible land Deal to rid the City of the problem forever. Red sky says while his people need the development to offset unemployment Money from the land Sale also could be used to provide jobs. Norrie has said Purchase of the land would be his personal preference. Because of the nature of the problem red sky agreed the land Deal May be the Best solution. Court rejects evidence from wiretap bookmaking charges against James Stephen Wilson were thrown out of provincial judges court yesterday after a judge accepted a defence motion of no evidence. Provincial judge Ian Ubienski granted a defence motion that there was not enough evidence to substantiate nine betting related charges including live of keeping a common bet Ting House. Wilson 36, who pleaded not guilty to All the charges still faces one count of conspiracy. Earlier this month judge Ubienski refused to accept evidence obtained under four wiretap authorizations stat ing the manner in which the police accumulated it would bring the administration of Justice into the judge also refused to allow police officers to testify about things they Learned through the wiretaps. Crown counsel Phillip Schachter said that after the judge made the ruling the Crown presented its other evidence which was ruled not sufficient ;