Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 29, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba 4 Winnipeg free press wednesday april 29, 1981 _ _ sep i say Sasu u Del 13 u h m conference Board predicts economic upturn Ottawa up virtually All re Gions and most industries especially construction and banking will enjoy improved economic growth this year the conference Board of Canada says in its quarterly provincial forecast. The most noteworthy Accel Era the forecast notes Are projected for Newfoundland where last year s 3.8-per-cent decline in product Ion will be followed by five per cent growth this year and for Saskatchewan where a 0.4-per-cent drop in 1980 will be dramatically reversed by a 1981 growth rate of 5.6 per cent. The Only province forecast to expand More slowly in 1981 is Alberta although its four per cent real growth projection still ranks near the top among the provinces. New Brunswick Quebec Ontario and Manitoba which All experienced drops in real output last year Are predicted to rebound with product Ion gains in the two per cent Range this year. Nova Scotia s 3.4-per-cent real growth in 1981 represents an encouraging improvement on its Flat 1980 performance but Prince Edward Island s predicted gain of 1.4 per cent the lowest in the nation will not be sufficient to recapture the ground lost last year. British Columbia which escaped largely unscathed from the National slowdown in 1980, is expected to enjoy a further 3.6-per-cent Rise in real output this the tone of the forecast is much More optimistic than the Board s january forecast which while calling for a recovery from 1980, had cautioned "1981 will not be considered a year of encouraging economic performance in any part of Peter Gusen director of provincial forecasting said in a Telephone inter View the brighter forecast reflects the surprising economic turnaround in the . Where first Quarter economic performance surpassed All expectations. The Only industries expected to Dis play a reduced output performance this year the report says Are mining and forestry. Among the industries expected to Post Strong gains Are con smashing conclusion Ontario Deputy Premier Robert Welch finds christening the new Amtrak passenger train the Maple Leaf More difficult than he d anticipated monday at Niagara Falls. The ceremony was finally brought to successful completion or Welch s third try. The train service Between Toronto and new York City a distance of More than Kilometres monday. Lyon says continued from Page 1 division which this and other Federal actions could cause in Canada. He joined the other premiers in saying these Federal attitudes were leading to a growing sense of alienation in the Lougheed said he Felt he had the backing of the people of Alberta in his constitutional stand. He said the Alberta government is legislation into place to counter any move by Ottawa to decide the constitutional Issue through its own version of a referendum. Premier Sterling Lyon Laid to rest any doubt that the eight provincial premiers opposed to the Federal constitutional proposal would be satisfied that a supreme court of Canada ruling would Settle the Issue once and for All. In the event certain eventualities come the premiers still have the option of making their View known the British parliament Lyon said. Premier Bill Bennett of British co Lumbia said now was the most oppor tune time to effect a political solution to the problem. He urged Trudeau to respond to Lyon s message monday which said the premiers Are prepared to meet with the prime minister before the supreme court s final decision. He said a meeting could be held on five Days notice. Bennett said it would be dangerous for one Side or the other to attempt to score a unilateral Victory in the constitutional debates which he said would be very hollow indeed and could Lead to serious divisions in the future. Manitoba finance minister Brian Ransom used the premiers meeting to condemn Ottawa s Divide and con Quer strategy in dealing with Federal provincial fiscal arrangements and Transfer payments. Ransom said most tax sharing agreements with Ottawa Are up for renewal in 1982-83 and to Date there has been less than adequate consultation on the subject. He accused the Federal government of stalling the talks and not putting any proposals Forward. Money provided in Light of the Federal government s stated intention of cutting billion from Federal transfers during the next two years Ransom said some thought should be Given to extending the life Span of current arrangements to allow time for renegotiation. As a result of arrangements worked out in 1977, the Federal provides Money to assist the provinces with medical care education and equalization payments among others. The four Western say the arrangements have worked Well and to major changes Are needed. The premiers announced yesterday that British Columbia will Convene a 10-province meeting of finance minis ters and treasurers soon to discuss the fiscal arrangements and prepare a re port and recommendations for the a gust meeting of the 10 premiers. In a statement outlining their position on the fiscal arrangements the four premiers warned that Federal threats to significantly reduce payments could seriously disrupt health and Post secondary programs As Early As next year. They also gave notice that Ottawa s intention to assert a greater presence in such Fields As Post secondary education would be considered an intrusion into provincial jurisdictions and could be extremely disruptive and damaging to the the Federal National Energy pro Gram also came under attack at the meeting with Saskatchewan Premier Allan Blakeney calling its Adverse affect the main economic problem Canada now Blakeney said the program if unchanged would reduce crude Oil production in Saskatchewan during the next three years by about 40 million barrels result in a 60 per cent decline in the number of Wells. Drilled cause a direct loss employment. The premiers conclude their talks today with discussion on the proposed Western Power Grid among other topics. They also will tour some iof Manitoba s Northern hydroelectric installations for a firsthand look at what Type of facilities could soon be used to Supply parts of Saskatchewan and Alberta with Power. Striction and finance insurance and real estate. One characteristic of the lacklustre performance of the Canadian Economy since 1976 has been the Low level of building the Board notes. A dramatic departure from this pattern is expected in it added noting construction Industry activity is expected to Rise 7.5 per cent the largest gain in a much of the growth will come from residential it says where housing starts Are forecast to average nearly units this year after slipping beneath a annual rate at the Low Point reached during the Spring of 1980." the performance of Deposit taking institutions especially chartered Banks is expected to account for most of the 4.5-per-cent real growth expected in the finance insurance and real estate Industry. Both Loans and deposits Are expected to expand at rates Well in excess of general Price increases this year and the margin Between the Banks lending rates and borrowing costs is predicted to the Board says. The pessimistic forecast for the min ing sector is in part due to a drop in Oil and Gas drilling. Also if no Oil pricing and Revenue sharing agreement be tween the Federal government and Al Berta is reached this forecast will prove too the Board also sees a drop in forestry production and Calls the recovery at the end of 1980 something of a false Start Gross National product value of All goods and services produced in the country is expected to increase 12.8 per cent compared with 11.2 per cent last year. Real Domestic product is expected to increase 2.6 per cent up from a 0.3-per cent increase in 1980 employment will increase 2.7 per cent Down from a 2.8 per cent Rise in 1980, and retail sales will jump 14.9 per cent following an 8.6 per cent Rise a year earlier. The Board is also forecasting a 7.5 per cent unemployment rate unchanged in three years. Calls of shame and terrible Greet White Shell Park plan continued from Page 1 Shell provincial Park would pay is stated the draft a general Levy is also planned to cover 25 per cent of All indirect operating and maintenance costs. This would be charged against All lots including private lots and campsites and would amount to annually at present Levels of expenditures. But what raised the ire of Many members of the audience is the planned one time assignment fee equal to 50 per cent of the increase of Market value of the land Between 1980 and the of assignment. Although the proposal stipulates no assignment would be payable on a Transfer to a surviving spouse no men Tion is made of the passing of land from an owner to his children which Illi cited Calls of shame and Terri ble from members of the audience. Province argues its Case continued from Page 1 d Trudeau s Contention that the coun try endured 54 years of inactivity on the Constitution is incorrect d rights Stem from the provinces not the Federal government d consent has always been sought and received on significant cases affecting Federal provincial relations except in one instance that twaddle said could be explained. D agreement for constitutional change has always occurred under the present system when it has been needed. D Canada is a completely Sovereign nation and if Britain should pull the Rug out from under Canada by such actions As repealing the British North America act the country could go on As if nothing happened. D the Imperial parliament of Brit Ain did not Delegate its Power Over Canada to the original four provinces but relinquished its control to a govern ment they created. D the Federal government is doing by Means of a joint Resolution to Britain what it cannot legally do by Means of an act of parliament. The lengthy references by twaddle brought some testy and provocative comments from the justices. Justice Willard Estey leaned Over to Justice Julien Chouinard and asked whether it was t about time we ask this Guy How much More he has to distillation wanted chief Justice Laskin told twaddle to give us the distillation of a British report on the constitutional question without Reading it in full. Part Way through a lengthy discus Sion on British colonial relations and constitutions in South Africa and Australia chief Justice Laskin gave a hint of How he sees the problem. There already is an Independent amending Power in Australia and that s what we re struggling with when twaddle claimed that the United states with its own amending for Mula has had fewer constitutional Dubowitz said he was puzzled with the tax increases in Light of comments made in a letter signed by Harry Enns minister of natural resources to the association in february. The letter to Ernst stated there is no new rent Structure proposal being advanced by government As part of the master planning process for the Whitesell provincial Park. There will be no change in leasing fees in 1981, and no decision has been made with respect to year 1982 and subsequent throughout the three and a half hour meeting Doyle reiterated the master plan was Only a draft and he welcomed the input he was receiving from the speakers last night. But Many people complained the planners were not listening to them. They Are receiving our input but they Are going through a charade of Public hearings and in fact Are not listening to us at said Ernst who added the Parks Branch had ignored the association s Brief. Smoke screen i think the rest of it the draft is a smoke screen for them to slip in a tax said the City Doyle said there were no plans in the works for a Winnipeg Developer to build a 200-unit condominium resort at big White Shell. Last december 75 per cent of 400 respondents strongly opposed the plan in a Survey sponsored by the provincial government. The director said he plans to present the Park proposals to Enns in Early july. He has scheduled workshops on major parts master plan for sometime in May at their office at 200 Vaughan Street and a subsequent meeting to hear briefs in Early june copies of the draft plan May be obtained from the Parks Branch. Federal government lawyers emerge from High court Chambers. Changes than Canada chief Justice Laskin disagreed. Twaddle replied that he meant the . Had fewer constitutional changes in the period since can Ada was formed. Twaddle also admitted under questioning that his compact theory of How the Union of Canada was created does not apply to Saskatchewan and Alberta created by the Federal govern ment. The justices spent some time at tempting to make twaddle s arguments More compact. Justice Estey asked if the entire Manitoba argument boils Down to a vision of Canada As a Federal Union which the provinces entered and which must be governed by rules in keeping with its Federal nature. Earlier he asked twaddle if the essence of his stand on Britain is some thing like a Telegraph machine where the buttons Are pressed in Canada but the mechanism works on the other Side of the Atlantic. Twaddle agreed but extended the metaphor. Sometimes one government should be allowed to push the Button and sometimes 11 Are needed he said. Manitoba has no objection to the Feder Al government changing the Constitution in areas that Are its sole responsibility he said. The Manitoba representative also pointed out some of the flaws in his position. Thatcher won t rent on Sands Belfast a prime minister Margaret Thatcher again refused to make any concessions to hunger striker Bobby Sands As the imprisoned Ira guerrilla rejected a personal plea from Pope John Paul to end the fast that has brought him to the verge of death. The government will not be Black said Humphrey Atkins the Cabinet Secretary for Northern Ireland. If or. Sands persists in his wish to commit suicide that is his Thatcher told the House of commons her sympathies Are not with Sands but with the relatives of the civilians and 600 soldiers and police killed since the Irish Republican army launched its guerrilla War in 1969 to end British Rule in Northern Ireland. I totally condemn those who try to impose their will by she said. More than protestant militants marched in Belfast last night demonstrating their willingness to fight Back if the mostly roman Catholic Ira carries out its threat of widespread Vio Lence if Sands Dies. Earlier yesterday terrorists killed a protestant Soldier of the Ulster defence regiment and wounded another one South of Belfast. Several gasoline bombs were thrown in Belfast but no one was injured and 10 More Ira members were reported arrested in a continuing Roundup of potential Demon stration leaders. Sands 27, was in the 60th Day of his fast in Maze prison outside Belfast and supporters said he was beginning to lose consciousness. One of three other Ira hunger strik ers at the Maze Francis Hughes 25, was reported in serious condition after 45 Days without food. Sands was visited for an hour yester Day by Pope John Paul s Irish private Secretary Rev. John Magee who said the pontiff sent him from Rome on a Mission of but the prisoner s supporters said he stuck to his water and Salt diet and will end the hunger strike Only if the British government agrees to his demands. Leaders of Northern Ireland s protestant majority denounced the Pope s intervention and accused him of joining the Ira s propaganda machine. They asked whether his concern extends to the slain victims of the Ira. Sands serving a 14-year sentence for being found in Possession of arms after a gun Battle with the police and the three other hunger strikers Are de manding that convicted Ira members be Given political prisoner status ;