Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 28, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press tuesday april 28, 1981 3 loc3 Gas co. Offers to reimburse service charges by Brian Cole the greater Winnipeg Gas co. Has offered to reimburse customers who were forced to pay for service charges during the recent strike by service and maintenance workers. But the offer was immediately Dis missed As a cheap attempt at buying off the Public by progressive party chair Man Sidney Green who said the company was attempting to save face and apologize for an indefensible position. The Inkster la also repeated charges that the government sided with four injured in 2 separate accidents four persons were injured in two separate traffic accidents in Winnipeg last night. Police said they Are searching for a car believed to have been involved in a hit and run Accident which sent two motorcyclists and a passenger on one of the motorcycles to Hospital last night. The three unidentified victims two of whom Are in their 20s, were injured in a collision at Corydon Avenue and Ken Aston Boulevard shorty before mid night last night a police spokesman said. One of the motorcyclists is reported in critical condition while his compan ions Are in serious and stable conditions police said. Police said they believe the car which May have been involved is a 1977 to 1980 dark Green or Brown Buick with dam age to the right front Side. The car was last seen travelling West on Corydon Avenue police said. Meanwhile a woman 73, suffered head injuries after she was struck by a car while attempting to Cross Portage Avenue near her Home last night. Police said Kathleen Collins of por Tage Avenue was hit by an eastbound car after stepping off the curb. She was taken to Grace Hospital where she is listed in satisfactory condition. The company by letting them use the service charge fee As a weapon during the strike. He said the government should have forced the company to pay for the service charges during the strike. It s an awfully cruel joke to play on thousands of Consumers when you offer to pay for it the but let them think that you Green said in an interview yesterday. Gas company spokesman Bill Salo said yesterday the company had Al ways planned to pick up the service charges once the strike by 230 Energy and chemical workers Union members was Over. He said the company did not announce its intentions during the strike because it would have been construed As Salo said he was not certain if the government knew of the company s position. Green called that position Ludi he said the company s position makes it appear customers would have been strike breaking by hiring private service personnel and the company did not want to support them through reimbursement. The company is ignoring the fact strikers wanted the Gas company to pay service charges during the walk out Green said. He also rejected suggestions the company had planned to pay for the charges All along. They said they would t pay during the strike. They were liars then or they Are liars now but they Are Green concluded. He also noted the company faced a Legal Challenge and a private member s Bill both authored by Green which would have forced the company to pay the charges. Salo said the company is prepared to reimburse customers to the extent that our Normal service would have pro he said he did not know How much it would eventually Cost the company. The employees who returned to work last week after a 79-Day strike agreed to a 25-month contract which gives them a 15-per-cent wage increase in the first year and 13 per cent in the Sec Ond. Jul rite mess Darrell j. Armstrong 32, was slain in the Kitchen of his East St. Paul Home on sunday night. Police cite love Triangle in killing police believe a Man found shot to death sunday in an East St. Paul House was the apparent victim of a love Triangle. Police found the body of Darrell j. Armstrong 32, late sunday evening when they were called to 3760 Hender son Highway. Armstrong apparently died from a single Shotgun wound to the Chest. A suspect Gordon Langlois was arrested later sunday night and was charged yesterday with first degree murder. He was remanded in custody for one week. Police said they believe Armstrong was killed during a confrontation with another Man Over his involvement with a woman. Neighbors reported that Armstrong s four Young children were Home at the time of the shooting and could be heard screaming daddy after the shot was fired. Joyce Naturk of 3749 Henderson Highway said she heard a car Back firing just after the hockey game and the children screaming but they often got excited so i did t think anything of it until i heard All the Naturk said she was shocked by the killing and especially concerned for the four children who could t have had a better father. He was devoted to them. I just Don t know what is going to happen to relatives said Armstrong was separated from his wife and had retained custody of the children. Neighbor Janet Easton said she heard the sirens and walked Over to find police everywhere and one of the Little boys screaming where s my i just could t believe Darrell had been shot. He was such a Nice Man. He loved life. And now he s child custody decisions in limbo supreme court ruling could put children of separated parents up for grabs attack Sparks request for Tunnel monitoring women members of City Council led by Deputy mayor Pearl Mcgonigal persuaded civic works and operations committee yesterday to take another look at a television monitoring system for the Tunnel Between the Public safety building and Centennial concert Hall. The councillors said they were concerned after reports a woman was indecently assaulted april 20 by two teen age youths who confronted her in the Tunnel. Police said the woman talked the youths into taking a Cheque for a prostitute s services rather than rape her. A youth 17, was arrested the next Day when he tried to Cash the Cheque. Mcgonigal and councillors Alice bal Sillie Anne Zorowski and Evelyne Reese appeared before the committee to request a better Security system in the Tunnel which also connects with the City Hall Complex. The committee referred the matter to the commissioner of works and operations for a report at its next meeting May 11. It s not just a female Mcgonigal said. It could be a male who is attacked perhaps in a different manner or it could be a child who is attacked in the committee chairman John Angus noted that in 1979 City Council rejected a 14-camera system the civic administration said would be needed to Monitor the Tunnel. Zorowski said she had voted against the system then but would be prepared to change that vote now. By Mary Ann Fitzgerald child custody orders granted by Manitoba s provincial judges court during the last 18 years could be wiped out in a pending supreme court of Canada ruling attorney general Gerry Mercier warned yesterday. If the court determines provincially appointed judges do not have authority to Deal with custody and visiting Privi Leges it could mean children of separated parents would be up for grabs again he said. 900 applications last year provincial judges court officials say 900 applications for custody were filed last year. Custody was granted in 450 cases 50 others have not yet been determined and the other 400 applications were withdrawn. Mercier said an Adverse ruling could eliminate All such orders As far Back As the circumstances of the Young people Are recognized As adults in Manitoba at age 18. Appeal at Issue at Issue is an Appeal to the supreme court of a British Columbia court of Appeal finding that provincially appointed judges in that province s family court do not have authority to Deal with custody visiting privileges or sole occupancy of the marital Home after separation. Family maintenance orders issued by the family division of the provincial judges court and adoptions dealt with by the federally appointed county court would not be affected by the supreme court decision Mercier said. Questioned in the legislature by Saul Chemack John s and out Side the House by reporters Mercier said provincial legislation would not remedy the situation. It could cause a lot of administrative concerns and could cause a lot of personal concerns where there Are on going Battles for custody. It would t necessarily be unlawful for parents who did t have custody to remove the child from the said. The problem would be one of National proportions and one of such urgency that it must be dealt he said. One Short term remedy would be for the Federal government to agree to give provincial court judges authority to Deal with All aspects of family Law including child custody he said. Could create Strain otherwise he said it could put a Strain on the county court and court of Queen s Bench which earlier this year reported a heavy Load of family Law matters. Mercier said a longer term solution to an Adverse judgment would be through the lengthy process of constitutional change. Robyn Moglove Diamond a family Law expert with the attorney general s department said the matter was frustrating because during last summer s constitutional talks the provinces unanimously agreed that they would like All family Law matters transferred to provincially appointed judges. It did t even require an amending formula since there was unanimous Diamond said yesterday. But the agreement led nowhere. Judge at fire inquest suggests shut off mechanism for stoves by Pamela Fayerman the provincial fire commissioner s office will consider a judge s Sugges Tion made after hearing testimony at an inquest into the feb. 21 deaths of three children aimed at reducing the number of House fires caused by Over heated food on stoves. The children Monica Carriere 11, Naomi Carriere 7, and Lonnie Carriere 6, died when a pot of Erogies left on High heat on the stove overheated and caught fire. Provincial court judge Ian Ubienski yesterday suggested stoves be manufactured with devices which would automatically shut off elements left on High for prolonged periods. Residents group commended for Creek cleanup when the Isaac Brock residents association finally got through the red tape at City Hall yesterday there was a civic commendation in the offing. Civic works and operations commit tee approved the commendation yesterday for the group s efforts sunday in cleaning up garbage along Omand s Creek. Garbage collected sunday by Resi dents including 15 shopping carts and a no dumping sign was stacked at the velodrome but association president Greg Agnew said he had trouble finding the right City department to collect the debris. Works and operations committee John Angus said the garbage was picked up yesterday afternoon. About 85 residents picked up garbage strewn along both sides of Omand s Creek from St. Matthews Avenue to the velodrome on part of the Railroad land East of the velodrome and under a railway trestle in the area. Agnew said the Volunteer cleanup is the first such activity the association has organized since its formation feb. 2. Jim free press garbage at velodrome was collected by residents association from along Omand s Creek. Assistant fire commissioner Derry Newton told the judge the suggestion is original and has Merit. But in an inter View following the inquest he expressed some reservations about the feasibility of implementing the judge s idea. He said there Are situations however when people want to prolong Maxi mum temperatures while cooking cer Tain foods. Newton said other considerations Are the Cost and nuisance level of the apparatus. However if the fire commissioner s office decides the idea is workable a recommendation for legislation can be made to the labor minister. Judge Ubienski said it was Clear from testimony at the inquest that the fire resulted from the actions of the dead children s sister Tracy who placed the pot on the stove but forgot about it. Although it was revealed that Tracy who wept throughout the inquest had been drinking the night of the fire the judge did not find her alcohol consumption a contributing Factor to the deaths. Hysterical state referring to police evidence that Tracy was unable to answer questions in a consistent concise manner the judge said it does t take a very Good imagination to appreciate her Frame of mind and her hysterical state and confusion right after the fire. Judge Ubienski said the deaths could probably have been prevented if the House was equipped with smoke detectors. It seems beyond reason that people spend All kinds of Money on other things but not a couple of dollars on smoke he said. The fire was first noticed by Don Ducharme a guest at the Carriere House at 1933 Alexander Avenue. Ducharme said everyone in the House was sleeping when the fire broke out. He said he was awakened by the smoke and he scurried about waking everyone else. He ran upstairs to a bedroom in which the three children were sleeping and yelled fire to them. He said he thought the children were following him but they never did leave their room. The three children were found in the room by fire fighters. Fire officials testified that two of the children were found lying face Down on their bed and a third was found on the floor. All were unconscious and showed no signs of life. Reports of the medical examiner indicate Monica died As a result of smoke inhalation and severe Burns Naomi died of Shock and smoke inhalation and Lonnie died from Carbon monoxide poisoning and smoke inhalation. 520 buses to get two Way radios Manitoba Telephone system was awarded a contract yester Day to install a two Way radio system in 520 City buses. Three bids ranging from to were submitted on the project. International a radio Ltd. Was the lowest bidder but could not meet tender specifications and the transit sys tem s functional requirements in sever Al respects. The High bidder was Motorola corp. The its tender was but the transit department deleted certain features to bring the Cost Down. In addition to the contract the City will assume in costs on items such As engineering in House preparatory work on buses and interim financing. Total Cost of the project will be 6.2 per cent or Over budget. The its schedule Calls for Supply delivery installation and testing of radios in 50 buses by next april with completion of work by june -1982 ;