Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - May 2, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba 4 Winnipeg free press saturday May 2, 1981 lateral transfers costly by Cecil Rosner lateral transfers in the provincial natural resources department have Cost the government several Hundred thousand dollars Over the last year and left Many employees frustrated to the Point of considering resignation. Four Park rangers and conservation officers interviewed by he free press said they were arbitrarily ordered transferred to different parts of the province without prior consultation and without apparent reason. One said the department uses transfers As a disciplinary measure and to keep employees in the employees asked that their names not be used for fear of further reprisals. Gary doer president of the Manitoba government employees association said that while some of the transfers May be legitimate others quite frankly Are of the capricious the transfers Are Legal under terms of the collective agreement so Long As the v government pays All moving and Relo cation expenses and gives sufficient notice. Doer said there has always been a High proportion of transfers among conservation officers and rangers but said the current economic conditions and housing prices make it More Oner Ous for people to pull up stakes every few years. It is particularly hard for people with families who have Deve loped roots in a Community. The Union is currently investigating a report of the Transfer of a Long time employee 63. To a different part of the province. Frank Berry executive director of the department s operations division confirmed1 that there have been 34 transfers ordered in the last year affecting about 20 per cent of the total number of rangers and conservation officers. Half of those transfers were ordered since the beginning of 1981. Berry said the transfers Are a result of departmental reorganization and rationalization initiated last year when the Park Ranger category was merged with that of the conservation officer. There have also been 48 promotions Many of which also result in changed locations. He said in some cases there is no prior consultation before transfers Are ordered. We expected some people would be Berry said. Any time you have a Transfer there is some up Eav but every individual problem is dealt with As fairly As possible he said. Each Transfer costs the department Between and Berry Esti mated. But the employees interviewed said the Transfer costs including the expense of finding a new House and paying realtor and lawyers fees can Range up to the department s transferring policy was one of the factors which led four Northern conservation officers and Parks officials to resign last summer. One of them Dave Buck of Gypsum Ville said he was transferred seven times in 12 years and added that new department policy had eliminated the consultation process. One of the employees recently relocated said he has been transferred around the province eight times in the 16 years he has been with the depart ment. Normally it takes someone about a year to recover financially from each move he said. Another employee who was Transfer red while he was in the Middle of building a House said the situation amounted to a sort of reign of Ter. doer said the Union has brought the problem of the Large number of trans fers up with government officials be fore and another meeting is scheduled soon. The matter could become a Issue in negotiations if a significant number of affected employees feel it should be he said. The destructive path of a runaway Bulldozer is shown As it crushed vehicles and buildings in Gilette wyo., yesterday runaway Bulldozer the Driver had apparently jumped off the machine. It finally stopped after crashing into an apartment House. Continued from Page 1 of the Montreal Star in 1979 and the Winnie pkg Tribune in 1980. Essentially the Crown s Case will be would it be practical to open an English language newspaper in any of those cities Montreal Ottawa Winnipeg and Vancouver the Federal lawyer explained. Charged with attempting to impede the inquiry by tearing mutilating or attempting to hide documents is Wil Liam Carradine senior vice president of Southam inc., in connection with an incident that occurred sept. 9, 1980. Offices raided on that Date Southam and Thomson offices and newspapers were raided by Federal combines investigators who were searching for documents. Three officials Are named As Unin diced co conspirators. The Crown Al Leges the three Gordon Fisher presi Dent of Southam John tory a Thomson director and George Currie who was president of up publications Ltd. When it was absorbed by the Thomson organization in 1980 took part in the conspiracy activities. In the three conspiracy charges the corporations named Are liable to Maxi mum fines of million per count. In the four merger and monopoly charges there is no stated maximum penalty. The charge against Carradine car Ries a maximum Fine of or two years in jail or both. Ken Thomson chairman of Thomson newspapers was neither charged nor named As a co conspirator and Federal officials declined to explain Why. A Thomson spokesman said last night the charges against the Chain Are completely unfounded the company is confident it will be completely the Winnipeg free press was published by up publications prior to its Fisher Southam president tory Thomson director Currie exp official Purchase by Thomson on Jan ii 1980. Donald Christie Justice department associate Deputy minister said last night he expects a Date for the Start of preliminary hearings and a trial Date for Carradine to be set june 3 in Toronto before a provincial court judge. Thomson newspapers in terms of profit is the fourth largest newspaper Chain in North America. It owns 127 daily and weekly newspapers in Canada and the United states with a combined circulation of 2.4 million. The charges result from an investigation by the Federal department of consumer and corporate affairs into the newspaper closings in Ottawa Winnipeg and Montreal. One paper cities the Crown alleges Competition was lessened in Montreal by the closing in 1979 of the Star by up publications and the acquisition one year later of the paper s assets by the Southam owned Montreal Gazette. The City has Only one English language daily newspaper. When the Thomson owned Ottawa journal closed the City was left with one English daily the citizen which is owned by Southam. When the Southam owned Winnipeg Tribune closed and Thomson Pur chased some of its assets the City was left with the Thomson owned free press As its sole daily newspaper. Although there was no shutdown in Vancouver Thomson agreed to sell its 50 per cent share in Pacific press Ltd. To Southam. Before the transaction Pacific press published both the Thom son owned Sun and the Southam owned province. The charges say that after the Mon Treal Star was closed Thomson and Southam collaborated on a Deal that allowed Southam to buy certain assets in Montreal and later allowed Thomson to buy some Southam assets in Winni Peg. The two mergers lessened com petition to the detriment or interest of the Public in Montreal and Winnipeg. 3 fund to raise donations help ensure children can have Camp experience this summer from nna0 1 Avni Nhin in to i. .1 continued from Page 1 association. Cheques should be made payable to the Manitoba camping association and sent to the Manitoba camping association Sunshine fund 1700 Ellice Avenue r3hob1. Donations May also be dropped off at the classified and department on the main floor of the free press building 300 Carlton Street. Parents interested in sending their children to Camp should Telephone the camping association at 786-5641, Exten Sion 253. Following the initial Telephone inquiry an application for assistance and1 information on the different Camps available is sent to parents Seagroves said. Each returned application is assessed on an individual basis and parents Are asked to contribute what they can to help Send their children to the Camp of their Choice she said. We do ask them to contribute some thing. I think that makes More of a she added. Various camping experiences Are available including Bible Camps Day Camps and nature Camps. Funding is available for children from six year to teen agers Seagroves said. Most children go to Camp for one week sessions but there Are instances where they slay longer she said. Contributions to the fund since it s inception two years ago have come from a number of different sources. In one Case an 81-year-old woman from Brandon sent in a donation and included a letter in which she reminisced about her own camping experiences As a child. As Well a rtt press publisher Don Nicol decided to raffle off an antique ornately carved leather chair billed As the seat of Power since the time of the late John w. Dafoe the Well known editor of the paper for 43 years. Proceeds from the raffle raised the children who go to Camp As a result of the Sunshine fund come from varied backgrounds. Tina 12, realized her dream of going to Gimli Bible Camp last summer with a donation from the fund. Tina whose father was Laid off from his Job during the Winter raised on her own to help pay her Way. Chi 17, a vietnamese refugee whose family had recently arrived in Winni Peg attended Manitoba Pioneer Camp at Lake of the Woods. Children with mental and physical disabilities also receive Money from the Sunshine fund to go to Camp. A flin flon boy 15, a victim of Down s syndrome went to Winnipeg s Camp Assiniboia. Lawyers try to shoot Down provinces Case 3 charges carry million in fines continued from Page 1 impasse if not a state of political paralysis for More than 50 years. He dodged a question outside the court about Why the court should ignore some aspects As political and take into account others. The debate Over unilateral Federal action and creation of a unitary state was Only part of a lengthy Case yester Day by Robert Mcmurtry and new Brunswick counsel Allan Reid. They then attempted to rebut each of the arguments placed on the table in the last four Days by dissenting provincial governments led by Manitoba the following Are the main Points made by the Trio do inherent aspect of federalism requires in Law that the provinces be consulted on constitutional change. In some cases provincial consent has been obtained in others it was not and in one Case a constitutional change in the British North America act was pushed through despite Quebec s objection. The provinces Are not Sovereign but Are supreme when they legislate within their own spheres. Legislative supremacy of the provinces is qualified rather than absolute and can never override Federal legislation. The theory that the country was created by a compact or agreement of consenting provinces is full of holes. When Nova Scotia tried to get out of the compact six months after confederation Britain told it to look to Ottawa for satisfaction Saskatchewan and Alberta were created by the Federal govern ment and therefore did not join. When they were created the original prov inces were not asked for their con sent. Changes rejected not Only has the Constitution been changed by a joint House Senate address to Britain but in several cases changes were made on the basis of a simple order in Council from the Cabi net and in three cases by Britain alone for housekeeping purposes. All Provin Cial initiatives to change the British North America act have been rejected by Britain. D Manitoba s Contention that the amending formula of unanimity has been operating for years and has worked where necessary is incorrect because if there is such an amending formula no one in history knew about it Robert said. D Canada is an Independent country but it has one colonial the requirement that the British North America act be changed in Britain. Chief Federal counsel j. J. Robinette showed yesterday Why the Federal government has been arguing that Canada is not Independent in a Legal sense whereas the dissenting provinces have been emphasizing its sovereignty and their sovereignty. Israel opts for quiet diplomacy Dally Telegraph London Tel Aviv Israel has decided to give quiet diplomacy a Chance to pre vent a military confrontation with Syria Over the deployment of syrian anti aircraft missiles in Central Lena non which Israel considers a threat to its Security. Prime minister Menachen begin met with his senior Cabinet ministers Fri Day and held two consultations in 12 hours with . Ambassador Samuel Lewis. Sources close to the government said Israel agreed to collaborate with the United states to use All diplomatic Means to persuade the syrians to remove the Sam-6 missiles from Leba non. But if diplomacy fails the Situa Tion would return to that of tuesday when Israel shot Down two syrian Heli copters in order to halt the syrian offensive against lebanese Mountain strategic Points held by the Christian militias. Political sources Are circulating a version of an alleged agreement on Lebanon already achieved Between Israel and Syria with american Media Tion. It recognizes Syria s right to control the Bina Valley and the Heights around the besieged Christian town of Zahl which Syria considers essential to its Security. Under the purported agreement the syrian army would not enter Zahl and not capture the Leba Nese Mountain strongholds and the port of Janie the Only Supply Harbor for the Christian forces. Hopes were also expressed that under the agreement the syrians will remove the Sam missiles from Lebanon and restore the status quo prevalent since 1976 when the syrian army entered Lebanon As a peacekeeping Force. Israel s official radio broadcast Fri Day night a government inspired denial of the alleged agreement. Family unaware rare disease linked to Mother s death continued from Page 1 out about the suspected link with Legionnaire s disease but that it is not his responsibility to inform the families of tests ordered after a postmortem. I never phone any parents or family or Tell them said Welch. A postmortem is usually done when Ever a patient Dies outside a Hospital and the Case becomes the responsibility of the medical examiner. All my Job is is to Rule out foul play and i m acting under the auspices of the attorney Gen eral s said Welch. You have to have a cause of rapid Onset there was never a suspicion of foul play in the Case of Jessie Sinclair but tissue swabs were sent to the Labora tory because of the rapid Onset of her illness which led the pathologist to suspect Legionnaire s disease said Welch. Sinclair said her Mother was sick Only one Day and visited her doctor that afternoon and received antibiotics. She died suddenly the night of feb. 20 before an ambulance could arrive. She said her father Ernest Sinclair was never contacted or told of the ongoing tests at the provincial Labora tories. He just wanted to leave her in peace. Why All of a sudden is All this coming out he Welch should have said some thing to us at least so when we read it in the paper we would know. It makes you wonder is it her or in t Welch said he had spoke to reporters because i m the medical examiner responsible for the but that nobody wants that kind of hassle thrown at he said the suspicions of legion Naire s disease May prove to be false in the Case of mrs. Sinclair. I Don t inform any families of anything at any time. If a person wants to know they will Call me. If i were to be phoning everybody and telling everybody i d have to quit private Welch said the tissue samples Are still at the Laboratory because the techniques for positively identifying the disease Are still not exact and require a series of tests. The cause of death was listed on the death certificate As pneumonia said Welch and the family could have got that information from the funeral Par Lor. But he said investigators Are still unsure what Type of pneumonia she had. Legionnaire s disease a severe form of pneumonia takes its name from the 1976 american legion convention in Philadelphia when 31 delegates died of a strange pneumonia like disease ;