Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 28, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press. Tuesday. April 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 1s77 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. Darrell j. Armstrong 32, was slain in the Kitchen of his East St. Paul Home on sunday night police cite love 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 Armstrong 32, late sunday evening. When they were called to 3760 Hendert son Highway. Armstrong apparently died from a single Shotgun wound to. The Chest a suspect Gordon Langlois was rested later sunday night and was. Charged yesterday with 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 v four Young children were Home at time of the shooting arid could be heard screaming daddy after the shot was fired. Joyce Naturk of 3749 Henderson Highway said she heard a car Bacr firing just after the hockey game Ana 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 had a better father. He was devoted to them. I just Don t know what is going to happen to relatives said Armstrong was. Parted from his wife and had retained custody of the children. Neighbor Janet Easton said she heard the sirens and walked Over in 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 realtors scrambling for houses Saks have jumped by 100% during the first Quarter of 1981 in Winnipeg 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 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 chairman 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. 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. Jim Ottee press by Andy Blicq realtors looking for prospective buyers a year ago Are now scrambling to find houses to meet the demand for residential property in Winnipeg. Sales jumped 100 per cent in the first Quarter of 1981, compared with the first three months of 1980, and realtors interviewed yesterday were optimistic about the. Future of residential sales in the City. But Gordon Swail Winnipeg real estate president noted volume of unit sales for the first Quarter of 1981 compared with in the same period in 1980 returned to a Normal level for this time of year following a slump in 1979 and 1980. There s no huge positive increase being created by demand. All i can Tell you is people Are asking More for the House than they were asking six months House prices up Swail said All of South Winnipeg is tighter than hell for listings and House prices generally Are up 10 per cent Over this time last year. In fort Richmond there is nothing available for Sale to speak he added. Prices of Homes in the River Heights area have increased 15 per cent during the last four or five months Harv Grayston sales manager at Canada permanent said yesterday. He said he has fairly regular in quiries from out of town investors about apartment blocks rental houses and older properties. There Are two investors from Van Couver for every one from Calgary he added. Despite the interest in Manitoba property among out of province investors Swail said i Don t think the single family Homes Are being stimulated by out of province buyers Are looking for investment property he said. He and other realtors said Winnipeg Gers now Are accustomed to High mortgage interest rates and Are going ahead and buying. He predicted steady growth in the Winnipeg Market with Price increases following inflation. Gordon Mackenzie vice president of a. E. Lepage said increases in uie prime lending rate have slowed sales but not appreciably and the Market is still very finding listings in Winnipeg is a problem he said. In some cases houses Are Selling at prices at which they were listed while Many Are listed within five per cent of the Selling Price he said. Mackenzie predicted House sales will slow slightly during the next year but the Market will continue to be Good and prices will increase an average of 15 per cent. It has been a very Active and will continue to said Muraj Sigmar Manitoba Region general Ager for Block Brothers realty. Our company is enjoying a Market that is a lot better than we be seen for a 4qng r. Out of town people have bought of single family dwellings and Side Sigmar said adding there have been a few Hundred houses outside investors. He said he is confident of a Strong Market continuing in Winnipeg for the next 12 months. 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. Garbage at velodrome was collected by residents association from along Omand s Creek. Assistant fire commissioner deny 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 to them. He said he thought the children were following him never of life leave their room. The three children were found in the room by fighters. Fire officials testified that two of children were found lying face Dow Iro it. Their bed and a third was found on Fofi floor. All were unconscious and showed no signs of life. J. Reports of the medical examiner indicate Monica died As a results smoke inhalation and severe Burns j of Shock and smoke inhale a Tion and Lonnie died from Carob monoxide poisoning and smoke in Hatas Tion. 520 buses to get two Way radios Manitoba Telephone system was awarded a contract yester Day to install a two Way radio system Iii 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 syst Tern 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 fiet City will assume in costs on items such As engineering in Houise preparatory work on buses and financing. Total Cost of the project will be per cent or Over budget. The its schedule Calls for delivery installation and testing of radios in 50 buses by next april witty completion of work by june 1982 ;