Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - May 5, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press tuesday May 5, 1981 3 y 1 _ Winnipeg free press tuesday a judge absolves hotel of blame in swimming Pool drowning by Pamela Fayerman scribed by the witnesses it is uni a evidence and the Marioa by Pamela Fayerman while expressing doubts about the condition of water in the International inn swimming Pool a judge has absolved the hotel of any negligence in the drowning death of a Luroas Man in february. Provincial court judge Winston nor ton said although he did not find that the death of John Frank Hamm 34, resulted from any unlawful act or culpable negligence if the condition of the water at the time was As de scribed by the witnesses it is not a condition that should be allowed to inquest witnesses last month said Hamm was at the Bottom of the Pool without being seen for several minutes because the water was so murky. It should be noted that the evidence relating to the water conditions in the Pool the methods used in resuscitation and Lack of equipment were in part observations and opinions. An inquest is not the proper forum to test such evidence and the judge noted. 5 however the evidence was sufficient to raise some doubt As to the condition of the Pool water the adequacy of the lifeguard Protection and emergency equipment present in Case of judge Norton said. In an interview yesterday Hamm s widow said she was disappointed the judge did not recommend the implementation of tougher Pool regulations As she had hoped. As for the responsibility of the inter National inn Isabelle Hamm 35, said the hotel should take the initiative to raise the level of its Pool standards to prevent another incident. Referring to remarks made by the hotel s general manager in a free press Story april 11, when he said the hotel meets All government standards mrs. Hamm said the hotel should go beyond them. What about their own standards the International inn is not some dumpy hotel. They should go beyond the government standards and then take Pride in setting higher Stan mrs. Hamm said she is still not sure if she will take Legal action against the hotel. But i intend to see that something is done about that poo because something is dreadfully wrong. I be got three children to support who miss their father something terrible. We be gone through hell. It must not happen to anyone Mickey Levine general manager of the hotel said last night he is doing everything possible to ensure Pool safety. Heaven knows i m not looking for problems. I be tried to do More than the Law requires by hiring Pool attendants the water is being tested and since the inquest i be been looking at it myself and it looks great. Unfortunately High usage poses some a 17-year-old girl who brought Hamm s body to the surface of the Pool said she had to dive about four feet below the water to see where Hamm was because the water was so Cloudy. Plea spurned demolition of Hall okayed by Andy Blicq civic environment committee yester Day approved the demolition of a fire Hall at the intersection of Sargent ave nue and Buell Street despite an Appeal from West end residents to turn it Over to senior citizens. About 60 representatives of the West end senior Centre jammed the com Mittee room while a representative and coun. Harvey Smith asked the committee to waive demolition so the Hall could be renovated and used by the Centre. The six member committee dead locked in tie votes Over motions to approve demolition of the no. 5 fireball and list it As a historic building. The tie vote on demolition left the fire department with the old Hall and the senior citizens without a possible new facility. Nobody won this commented environment commissioner David Hen Derson after the vote. Committee chairman Jim Ernst and councillors Charles Birt and Don met Chelson voted in favor of demolition. Councillors Magnus Eliason Alice bal Sillie and Bill Chornopyski voted against it. However the committee later re Trainer one big Bruise by Greg Shilliday unlike his celluloid namesake ele Phant Man Wayne Pilz does t need a sack Over his head to hide his injuries from a sensitive Public. Although he feels like one big Bruise after a shrine circus elephant rolled on him at a performance sunday the elephant handler admits things could have been worse. He managed to escape serious internal damage and his doctor says he has no broken Bones. Ironically Pilz maintains he owes his life to Marie the 7-year-old asian ele Phant who trampled him. It was All an Accident. She did t mean to Hurt me. In fact after i hollered her name she left up real Quick. I d be dead if she did t move so while it May Strain the imagination to picture an elephant leaping up real Pilz is Adamant in his defense of the huge animal. It was my fault it was my fault. I tried to pick up a Blanket that fell off her Back and she panicked somehow and we got All tangled up. I should have been More careful. Marie is a Punk that s what we Call Young elephants. She s Only 7 years old. But she s really one of god s gentlest Pilz explained that Marie was an asian elephant More intelligent and easier to handle than her african Cousin. He said accidents with asians were rare especially during a show. Sometimes they can be a Little mischievous at night in their pens. I have to stay up All night watching them just to keep them out of trouble. Once Marie managed to unlock her door and then walked out and turned on the Light switch. I guess she did t like the the Connecticut native said he hoped to be Back with the circus and Marie within a couple of Days. But was he planning to discipline the animal for her clumsiness Marie no Way. It was t her Pilz paused then smiled painfully through his bruises. Well i might throw a Lump of sugar at her. From a versed its decision by a 4-2 vote and approved the demolition. Balsillie the Only councillor to change her position moved the build ing be demolished. She said As a historical building the firewall should not be saved. However significant parts of the building could be preserved she added. Civic works and operations commit tee will now proceed with a tender for construction of a new firewall. Awarding contract tabled on March 23, the committee tabled awarding a contract for construction of a new firewall on the site until Environ ment committee could Deal with proposals for alternate use of the existing building. On april 15, the City Centre fort Rouge Community committee concurred with a recommendation that the firewall be Given a Grade three historical buildings listing and moved that the City not proceed with Demoli Tion or construction of a new firewall until the civic properties department had examined All the alternatives. Bill Beckett West end senior Centre property committee chairman told the committee the Daniel Mclntyre Community improvement program has tentatively budgeted to redevelop the firewall for a senior citizens Complex. Searching for location the senior Centre has been searching for a permanent location since it was founded he said. We be been sort of kicked around from pillar to this is a treasure. This is something to be Smith said of the old firewall. Fire chief Lloyd moist offered the committee a number of reasons Why the old Hall should be demolished. Citing traffic problems associated with various alternatives suggested for the new firewall and problems with the old building moist said that building really in t the Ideal site for the facility you senior citizens pointing to staircases in the three Storey building he said it is not very practical for anybody who is disa moist recommended a new facility be constructed for the senior Centre and warned that further delays in construction of a new firewall could Cost the City Money and cause other problems. Technicians picket Csc Portage Avenue building yesterday. Lines were removed at Midnight As strikers returned to work Csc return w v 4m. Association Leader says 24-hour walkout showed rank and file support picket lines were removed from the Csc building in Winnipeg shortly be fore Midnight last night As striking technicians ended their 24-hour walkout and returned to work. As of Midnight we Are Back to Normal and our negotiating commit tee will get Back to the bargaining table with the said Norm Kolisnyk president of the Winnipeg local of the National association of Broad cast employee and technicians. The Union s technicians across the country began returning to work at Midnight local times. Kolisnyk said the walkout was Neces sary to show Csc management that Union members across Canada sup ported their negotiating committee. Maybe the corporation did t be Lieve it he said but i believe they believe it with editorial staff respecting the picket lines around the Csc building on Portage Avenue yesterday manage ment and supervisory personnel were unable to maintain full television and radio service. Clyde Noftle president of the Toronto local of Nabet said the Union by returning to work has not in any Way relinquished our right to be in a Legal walkout position at any the strike began when technicians switched off the television transmitter at the network s downtown Toronto Headquarters. Radio technicians joined the strike when the screens went Blank. In Montreal the Csc locked out technicians after they refused to take City building inspectors to examine townhouses to improve fire safety Dave free press City building inspectors have been ordered to examine More than 80 Winnipeg townhouses to determine whether upgrading should be ordered to improve fire safety. Civic environment committee yester Day approved a recommendation from the Winnipeg building commission that an upgrading program consist of a specific order being issued for each building using recommended require ments contained in a provincial build ing standards Board report. The province compiled the report after a fire last May in the Fairlane Meadows apartment Complex. Improvements to townhouses or dered by the province following the fire include installation of smoke alarms in All units the use of More fire retardant materials in roof linings exterior Walls and soffit and the construction of balconies stairways and storage rooms Able to resist fire for three quarters of an hour. However the building commission report says townhouse complexes affected May not be the same As Fairlane Meadows. As construction could vary on other similar complexes it is Felt that it would be unwise to arbitrarily apply All the recommended upgrading require ments in every the report states. Civic environment committee approved a commission suggestion that City building inspectors use the author Ity of the existing residential buildings improvement bylaw to order upgrading where necessary. Upgrading supported Jim Hicks building commission chairman told the committee the com Mission supports upgrading but the buildings affected should be looked at the commission agreed there should be some improvement to storage rooms on balconies but said the proposal put Forward by the standards Board needs clarification on fire resistance ratings. The commission said there May be More effective ways of improving fire safety such As installing heat Detec tors. The commission said it generally agrees that the underside of balconies should be fire rated but initial inspections indicate most of the complexes comply. As Well there could be some exceptions made to the Rule says the report. The commission agreed that an Early warning system should be installed in the buildings. The report Points out that detailed inspections of other complexes May reveal other areas where upgrading will be required. Labor minister Ken Macmaster announced in february that owners of 104 townhouse apartments will be forced to upgrade their buildings to eliminate fire hazards. A fire commissioner s inquiry into the Fairlane Meadows fire revealed construction faults including eight violations to the existing codes were responsible for the rapid spread of the May 20 fire which badly damaged the 32-unit Complex in seven minutes. No one was injured in the Blaze. The English language network feed from Toronto. Technicians in Quebec arid in Monc ton n.b., Are members of a separate Union be Syndicate Des technicians do Reseau Francais do radio Canada. The lockout resulted in cancellation of All programs on English and French Csc to and radio in Montreal. Journalists for radio Canada have been on strike for about six months. The technicians have been without a contract since last june and have been in a Legal strike position for about four weeks a Union spokesman said. Talks with the network broke off Friday. Brian Lowe chief negotiator for the Union representing cameramen audio and visual technicians said Job Security is a major Issue. Csc spokesman Cec Smith said the network wants the right to schedule non Union technicians yet it has guaranteed in writing that there will be no erosion of in House production and not one Union Job will be Bill Armstrong Csc general manager said it is not the corporation s intention to bring in freelance workers for in House productions. He said the Csc wants to increase its Canadian Content and reduce its dependency on foreign productions and Al though the private sector is doing increasingly Good work it cannot produce All the Csc needs. Armstrong added that when the journal gets going it will mean even More jobs for the technicians. The journal to replace the National in the fall will move to the 10 . Time Slot and be an hour Long. Neil Traynor a Union spokesman in Vancouver said the network turned Down a conciliator s recommended two year contract which would give the technicians a 12-per-cent raise in the first year and a 10-per-cent increase in the second. Smith said the network has offered 10 per cent in the first year and 10.5 per cent in the second. Sex projector staff publishes alternative red River paper _ _ Shirley Muir Burton Robson and Penni Mitchell examine first Issue of free times at red River Community College. By Ritchie Gage staff which resigned from the red River Community College newspaper last week after their editor was fired have published an alternative news paper for students. Copies of the free times were to be distributed today at the College preceding a noon hour rally organized by former staff of the projector to protest control of the publication by the student Council. This alternative newspaper the free times was published because we Felt a responsibility to the students to Tell them what said Burton Robson 18, a first year creative communications student. The free times was financed through ads to a number of City Busin esses and support from National Stu Dent organizations. The projector which served the 000-student College is now under the control of Rick Myers communications director and member of the student Council executive As a result of a motion passed by Council april 28 after two previous attempts failed. Robson said the Independence of the projector was the main concern of the staff because the paper must be a watchdog on the actions of the students Council and the administration. The Council decided last week to assume control of the paper. Myers has Complete control Over news and editorial Content and hiring. In the past editors were elected by outgoing and current staff from a list of applicants. Complaints by Council s business manager Don Hillman that the newspaper office was Messy that the staff elected friends and that foul language was printed were rejected by Robson. Those accusations were a red her he said. Refused to resign in an interview yesterday Robson claimed Hillman attempted to gain his resignation april 30 after Myers was appointed. Robson refused saying Myers appointment meant he had been replaced. He came into our office and slammed a piece of paper arid a pen Down in front of me and told me to resign. I Felt intimidated but refused to sign and 1 left. Student Council presi Dent Rick Popel was present and he said Robson said. Shirley Muir formerly with the pro Jector and now a free times staff writer said in an interview that she was there when Hillman approached Robson. I think Hillman should be removed. He has overstepped his a Robson said later that five senior editors who were paid a month resigned Over the Issue. The same Day the locks on the newspaper office door were changed and typewriters were re moved Robson said. In a Story on the front Page of the new newspaper news editor Penni Mitchell accuses Popel of lobbying councillors to support a motion to replace Robson with a member of the executive. The Story says the motion failed on March 24 to get a two thirds majority of Council. The Story quotes councillor Scott Wilson As saying that Popel polled the Council confidentially on the Issue. On March 31. A similar motion was Defeated again. On april 28, a newly drafted motion giving Myers editorial and financial control including hiring was passed during an in camera ses Sion. There Are three issues of the pro Jector scheduled to come out before the end of the school year but Popel has said he is willing to sacrifice them to clean House for a better newspaper next year ;