Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 18, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba Started fatal fire inquest told miss Piggy Star of the by Pamela Fayert Nan a fatal fire at 407 Alfred Avenue on april 11 was started by two neighbor Hood children playing with matches outside the Bouse an inquest into the death of Joseph Lloyd Morrisseau was told yesterday. The Crown will not Lay charges of criminal negligence against the girls aged seven and eight due to their age. Senior Crown counsel Wayne mesh Kowsky said in an interview that charges would have been Laid if the children were older. The criminal code states that no per son Between the Ages of seven and 14 May be convicted of an offence unless he was competent to know the nature and consequences of his conduct and to appreciate that it was during the inquest before provincial court judge Arthur Rich the girls mothers sat beside them As the Chil Dren gave evidence. Both children appeared extremely timid. One girl giggled whenever she was asked a question by Crown counsel Bruce Miller. The other spoke in a voice barely above a whisper. Court was told Morrisseau 43, died at health sciences Centre nine Days after he was admitted with second and third degree Burns to 85 per cent of his wearing a Dainty Pink dress and White knee socks the seven year old girl testified she found some matches in the grass near the House. Although she said her initial intention was to take them Home to she and the eight year old started fire to a piece of paper. She said they tried various methods to extinguish the fire such As throwing Sand and blowing on it and trying to smother it with cardboard. The attempts Only fuelled the flames. She said they became frightened and ran to a nearby Park. When police and fire officials arrived Morrisseau was found in the front Yard wrapped in a sleeping bag. A passer by had used the sleeping bag to smother the fire on Morrisseau s cloth ing. In a Hospital interview with police before he died Morrisseau said that he smelted smoke and thought it May be a meal he was cooking. He checked the Kitchen then he opened the rear door of his House. Morrisseau was immediately engulfed by the flames and he ran through the fire to escape. When asked by police if he had any idea How the fire May have started Morrisseau said it was local children they always Start judge Arthur Rich reserved his Rul ing on the Cloudy tonight 8 sunny tomorrow 18 thursday june vol 109 no 168 free press Sun rises sets . Moon rises . Sets . Final 200 Home delivery 957-0550 classified 956-2330 second class mail registration number 0286 ads to vote work to Rule suspended Ken free press by Maureen Brosnahan doctors were told to sus Pend their work to Rule Campaign yesterday after the Manitoba medical association and the province reached a tentative contract settlement. The new contract Calls for a 15.5 per cent increase Over one year retroactive to april 1. The Mma executive has recommended acceptance by its Mem Bers of the proposal. Patria Tion by july 1 thwarted Ottawa up prime minister Trudeau s desire to proclaim a new Constitution july 1, Canada s birthday has been thwarted because the supreme court of Canada is not yet ready to Render judgment on the legality of his constitutional proposals. This became certain when the supreme court issued a list of judg ments it will deliver next tuesday. A decision on the Legal Challenge by eight provinces concerned about certain aspects of the constitutional proposals was not on the list. A court official said there is no Chance the judgment will be added to the list. Canadians will have to wait until later this summer or possibly even this fall to find out whether they will have a new Constitution. There had been rumours the nine supreme court justices would agree by tuesday on whether All provinces but Ontario and new Brunswick were Cor rect in stating the Liberal package was unconstitutional. See Patria Tion Page 4 mail in ballots were being sent to the province s doctors today and the results Are expected in about 10 Days an Mma spokesman said yesterday. I m really very health minister l. R. Bud Sherman said yesterday shortly after the agreement was reached. Sherman said the 15.5 per cent figure was agreed on at a meeting Between himself and Mma president and negotiating chairman or. Frank Pearson. Sherman said he and Pearson had agreed to the 15.5 per cent and that the government has ratified it. Hopefully it will be accepted. I think it s a fair and reasonable and responsible Pearson optimistic Pearson also was optimistic. I feel it s a reasonable settlement. With All the difficulties we Are having around the province my feeling was we had to come to a Compromise before the health care system and patients were inconvenienced to a Point of concern for their Well the negotiating session which lasted an hour yesterday was called for by both sides. The contract will give All doctors an average general increase of about 13 per cent plus an additional increase for specialists in such Fields As ophthalmology psychiatry anaesthesia obstetrics and gynaecology radiology and general practice. Sherman said the new contract will Cost the government an additional million this year. In Early March the Mma asked the province to reopen negotiations for the second year of its two year contract after Manitoba s Cost of living Rose More than 10 per cent last year. The reopening was provided for under conditions in the original con tract. Under that contract doctors would have received an 8.9-per-cent increase As of april 1. See 15.5% Page 4 million set for Branch lines by Paul Pihi Chyn Winnipeg free press Regina the Federal government plans to spend million during the next four years to restore rail Branch lines in Manitoba Saskatchewan and Alberta Winnipeg my Bob Bockstael announced Here yesterday. Bockstael parliamentary Secretary to transport minister Jean Luc Pepin said without this major investment serious limitations will occur in the Prairie Grain rail transportation sys tem by 1984 or 1985. The Liberal my for St. Boniface said the Federal Money must be spent to ensure year round rail transportation if Canada is to meet anticipated volumes of Grain deliveries by 1985. Rail transport officials have said the current syst to will have difficulty meeting the demands of the recently announced billion one billion Bushel Grain Sale to the soviet Union. In addition to the soviet Sale world demand for Canadian Grain is expected to increase in the next three to four years. Bockstael said the million will be Suejit under Ottawa s Branch line rehabilitation program. At the moment we Are trying to project a five year rehabilitation fund ing program for our Branch line net work. In this Way we would know some time in Advance when and where lines Are to be improved. This would assist the Grain companies in their Long Range planning and purchasing and in the provision of new facilities. The railroads can t handle it he said. Bockstael made the announcement at the opening of a Grain transportation exhibit at Regina s Western Canada farm Progress show. Helen Granger Young displays sculpture Manitoba s gift for Prince Charles and lady Diana. Sculpture by Winnipeg artist Manitoba s gift to Royal pair. A porcelain sculpture by a Winnipeg artist will be Manitoba s wedding gift to Prince Charles and lady Diana Spencer who Are to be married in London july 29. The sculpture which depicts an in Uit Mother with her child a dog and a Bear cub was donated to the province by Helen Granger Young. Young said that according to legend the inuit Mother raised her child the dog and Polar Bear cub together. The porcelain sculpture is entitled Eskimo Mother. Other works by the artist trained at the Ontario College of Art have been presented to Queen Elizabeth and Prin Cess Margaret. Former u. S. President Richard Nixon gave one of Young s works to soviet president Leonid Brezhnev when he visited the u. S. In 1972. I have always been interested in the Royal Young said yesterday. And As the Queen has my pieces i thought Prince Charles and his new Bride would enjoy Young made arrangements to donate the sculpture through Derek Bedson clerk of the executive Council of Mani Toba. The work completed during a two year period in the Early 1970s, is one of three personally produced by the artist. There is also a limited edition of 350 duplicates each valued at about Premier Sterling Lyon said at the unveiling yesterday that it is significant that Manitoba s gift depicted a scene from the North. He said it is appropriate that Manitoba Send something that depicts the North because the province was part of the territory originally Given to the Hudson s Bay co. By Britain. We Send it with full hearts and great Pride to the soon to be Princess of Wales and the future King and Queen of said Lyon. The sculpture will be on display in the Manitoba legislative building be fore it is sent to London in time for the Royal wedding. Appeal court rebukes judge by Steve Pona a Manitoba court of Appeal Justice rebuked county court judge c. Irving Keith yesterday for jailing a Man with out first giving him an Opportunity to speak to sentence. Or. Justice Alfred Monnin said there is no doubt that failing to allow the accused to speak before sentence is wrong adding it is not the first time it has happened. It is improper and we have told him judge Keith More than once and still we get the same judge Monnin said the error can be enough to warrant a new trial. Is there no Way the Crown can move in faster than that trial judge can he asked. Somebody should be Able to get in there and say look let us speak to sentence before you impose judge Monnin said. It seems that we can t carry the message through somebody has to carry it judge Monnin said. Judge Monnin made his comments after the Appeal court overturned the convictions and jail sentence of a Winnipeg Man charged in an incident in which he attempted to scare off a Drunken assailant with a Rifle. In a split decision the court ruled under the circumstances of the Case in which Dan Leonard Anderson had come to the Aid of a 16-year-old girl it would be dangerous to main Tain his convictions on two weapons related offences. Anderson 27, had been sentenced to one month in jail by judge Keith but see judge Page 4 farms to get million for embargo Canadian Grain Farmers will receive million in compensation for losses resulting from the 1980 partial embargo on Grain sales to the soviet Union. As Well the Federal government will pay the Canadian olympic association million in compensation for losses resulting from the Boycott of the 1980 summer olympic games in Moscow. Agriculture minister Eugene Whelan and senator Hazen argue responsible for the Canadian wheat Board told a press conference in Winnipeg this morning that million in compensation will be paid to Western Grain Farmers with the remaining million going to Eastern producers. The compensation Means an average payment to each Western Farmer of Between and argue said. The ministers called the settlement a fair and reasonable estimate of the losses incurred by Farmers As a result of the Boycott which came into effect by order in Council june 12, 1980. Grain producers were directly affected by a necessary political decision and this compensation is now being paid to offset Whelan said. Compensation being paid will cover wheat Oats Barley and com Between the period Jan. 4 and july 31, 1980. Oilseed and other grains Are not co Vered under the compensation plan. See farms Page 4 Royal rumpus Prince Charles in new York for a fun visit yesterday was dogged almost everywhere he went by disorderly Irish Republican army Hsc deficit the health sciences Centre recorded a million deficit last year the largest in the Hospital s history and about three times last year s easy for spies former solicitor general Allan Lawrence says spies find Canada such easy pickings they can easily infiltrate the government and its foreign Index Ann Landers. 23 answers. 39 Billinkoff. 7 Bridge. 25 business.68 classified.40 comics. 67 crossword. 23 deaths.2, 40 editorials. 6 entertainment.27 Horoscope. 24 Jumble puzzle.44 letters.6 Mullro Yontov. 28 movies.32 people.39 relax.39 sports. 59 sports record.66 stocks.69 sullivan.39 tempo.21 to listings.39 ;