Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 19, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba Of 1 i Winnipeg free press Friday june 3 trustees delay decision on Sites for French programs St. Boniface school Board has postponed a major policy decision on place ment of its expanding French Immer Sion program. Trustees voted earlier this week to establish a Grade 9 immersion program at Louis Riel collegiate in september. Currently Guyot and How Den schools have immersion students but Only up to Grade 8 at Guyot and Grade 7 at Howden. Trustees discussed sending both grades 8 and 9 immersion students to Louis Riel but no one seconded Trust Ken free pbe8s be Joan Barker s motion proposing that. It Means Louis Riel collegiate will House an immersion program b French program and All English pro Gram this september. The French immersion program is for children of English speaking parents. Almost All the instruction is in French. The b program provides half the instruction in French half in English. The Francais program is de signed for francophone and most instruction is in French. Division superintendent George Derenchuk and a 21-member residents advisory committee recently recommended separate plans to resolve the crowding caused by the increased popularity of immersion programs. Derenchuk recommended that the Board maintain the status quo this september except to move the Kinder Garten immersion program from Guyot to Shamrock or Howden school. He said that in september Sifi the Board should Send grades 9 and 10 Guyot students to Louis Riel along with grades 7 and 8 students from Provencher school. English students should be transferred from Louis Riel to Pierre Radisson High school and Windsor Park collegiate he said. The residents committee recommended that immersion students in grades 7 to 9 share Louis Riel with the b program students there now and that English speaking students at Louis Riel be transferred to Pierre Radisson and Windsor Park. This would eventually make Louis Riel a grades 7 to 12 school for immersion students and a High school for b program students. The residents report said division immersion enrolment is projected to jump 79 per cent in the next four years to students while Over All division enrolment is projected to decline 21 per cent to committee chairman Vic Warkentin said he is not unhappy with the Board s decision this week although adding he would have liked to see a Long term solution approved. It s not the Best decision better than no he said in an interview. Warkentin said the committee has recessed until but will hold meetings again then. The school Board approved establish ing the Louis Riel immersion program by a 3-to-l vote. Board chairman Jim Garwood said he left before the vote was held because of frustration Over the slow Pace of 1 v North Portage businessmen fight Core plan student protest students from Golden Gate Junior High hold a lunch hour demonstration to protest the Transfer of band teacher Shane Nestruck to another school. The students who protested yesterday at the St. James Assiniboia school division offices on Portage Avenue cite Nestruck s Success with bands at the school which has had five band leaders in two years. Judge overturns ban on publicity Al by Steve Pona Manitoba court of Queen s Bench Justice James Wilson yesterday granted a motion by the free press to overturn a provincial judge s order Banning publication of testimony at an extradition hearing. Judge Wilson said the Section of the extradition act under which the hear ing was held presumes an open court proceeding and if somebody wants to publish what went on there then that s the Way the cookie the ban on publication was imposed by judge Ian Ubienski at the opening of a two Day extradition hearing on monday. The judge said publication of testimony could prejudice the accused s trial should he be extradited. The accused Ian Stephen Ruben 22, was charged with murder and robbery last month in the 1976 death of Jerome John Plett in Thompson. Also charged is Frederick Roy Blitch 26. This week s hearing was held to collect evidence to determine whether Ruben should be extradited from Israel where he is an israeli Soldier. Order illegal free press lawyer Knox Foster argued yesterday there is nothing in the criminal code of Canada or the extradition act to provide for a ban on publication at such a hearing. Foster said judge Ubienski s order was unauthorized and illegal and based on speculation that something prejudicial would be done. The lawyer quoted extensively from a Manitoba court of Appeal decision in 1979 upholding the right of the free press to cover the trial of a Massage parlor owner charged with operating a common Bawdy House and another supreme court of Canada Case. Foster said judge Ubienski s order offends the Cardinal principle of our judicial system of publicity being the hallmark of Justice and open court with publicity being the vehicle of obtaining Crown counsel William Morton said an Appeal of judge Wilson s decision is not being considered. Morton argued that provisions of the criminal code of Canada restricting publication of pre trial proceedings indicates parliament intended to protect accused persons from publicity. City police officer on Gross indecency Constable James Norman Hanson former president of the Winnipeg police association has been committed to stand trial on two counts of Gross indecency resulting from alleged sex Ual involvement with a 17-year-old male. Hanson 35, was committed to stand trial following a one Day preliminary hearing before provincial court judge Charles Rubin. Hanson elected trial by county court judge. He will appear aug. 11 in county court. A trial Date will be set at that time. An additional charge of contributing to juvenile delinquency to which Han son has also pleaded not guilty is being remanded until after the outcome of the trial on the two offences. Hanson a Constable with the City police department for the last 17 years was arrested March 11. The three charges Stem from incidents alleged to have occurred Between last oct. 1 and March 11. At the preliminary hearing yester Day judge Rubin barred the Public including the press from the court room while a 17-year-old youth gave his testimony. The judge allowed two police offi . Des Depourcq and a member of the police depart ment s internal investigation unit to remain in the courtroom. Objection raised Brian gory a free Lance reporter for the Toronto Globe and mail objected to being barred from the courtroom. Judge Rubin said he agreed with Crown counsel Greg Lawlor and de Fence counsel Al Mcgregor that both the Public and the press should be excluded in order to guarantee the proper administration of Justice. The free press May legally Chal Lenge judge Rubin s reasoning for issuing the ban both the free prs stand the Globe and mail Are members of Cana Dian newspaper company ltd., part of the Thomson organization. Lawlor said in an interview after the hearing that the reason for requesting the Public and press be barred from the courtroom was the boy s reluctance to testify before a crowd of people. Lawlor said he spoke to the youth before court and he had a definite reason for not wanting to testify in open court. If he had refused to testify it would have jeopardized the proper administration of Justice the Crown attorney added. He said he took the position that neither the Public nor the press had a legitimate reason for being present during the youth s testimony. In the Case of the press judge Rubin had ordered a ban on the publication of any evidence heard during the hearing so the reporters had no legitimate reason for being there Lawlor added. He said the two police officers had legitimate reasons for being present because of the possibility of disciplinary proceedings being launched by the police department against Hanson once the criminal charges Are dealt with in court Lawlor said. After the youth gave his testimony which lasted for about an hour the Public and press were allowed Back into the courtroom Lawlor said. Morton said that was especially important in this Case because the accused was t present at the hearing. If parliament intended this kind of a hearing to be without publicity it would have said so As it did in the Case of bail applications or preliminary in quiries but it did Foster replied. Lawrence Greenberg lawyer for Ruben said testimony obtained at such a hearing is Given without any answer from the without any rebut Tal and without any of the Normal tests of veracity and to allow the proceedings to be published would permit the circulation of irrelevant and possibly inaccurate and prejudicial information he said. Foster said the Media has a Obliga Tion not to publish any information which May prejudice a fair trial. During the extradition hearing ramp officers testified they went to Jerusalem in january to investigate the matter regarding Ruben who has been serving in the israeli for the last two years. Searches unsuccessful police also have travelled to Florida Ontario and British Columbia in their investigation into Plett s death. Ramp testified that in december 1979, they arranged with the police do master to begin in the Spring of 1980 a search for Plett s body. The searches through the Marsh and swamp area outside Thompson using a police dog and seven ramp have been unsuccessful. Police said the search turned up Many skeletons of Moose Raven and rabbits but they did not find any human remains. Following the hearing judge do Bienski authorized a warrant for the arrest of Ruben who worked at Inco in Thompson along with the co accused. Judge Ubienski said it was not Nec Essary for him to decide the guilt or innocence of the but rather to determine whether there was enough evidence to justify a committal for trial. Plett was an Inco employee when he disappeared Between dec. 6 and 13, 1976. By Gregg Shilliday some North Side Portage Avenue businessmen have joined forces to fight the proposed Core area redevelopment plan. Twelve owners and managers of Vari Ous Portage stores and restaurants Between Carlton and Edmonton streets met yesterday and decided to form an association to fight the proposal. Spokesman Ken Howell of Howell s uniform Centre said the group unanimously opposes the expected expropriation of their businesses in order to make Way for the proposed Extension of Central Park. The whole idea of the Park is a backward step. What did Central Park do for Ellice Avenue we Are against the idea and we Are going to fight Howell said the association would be formed within a couple of weeks. He predicted the group would probably make representation against the plan to City Council. We ail feel this plan could Hurt and even kill some of our businesses. I Don t see Why we should be forced to Relo Cate. There s no fairness to Howell said he could t understand How the proposed expropriation budget of million could cover costs even if businessmen would eventually accept expropriation. I m told just the land along the Portage strip is Worth in the neighbor Hood of million. Add up the buildings and everything else and i d like to know How we re going to get a fair he said the association would t include building owners who plan to fight their own Battle. I do believe that this plan can be changed if enough people speak out against it. That s what we plan to Howell said representatives from the downtown theatre and the two pinball arcades affected by the plan were two streets to be closed on weekend for repairs Keewatin Street at the up rail main line at Grade crossing North of Logan Avenue will be barricaded and closed for track repairs Between 4 . Satur Day and 7 . Sunday the City streets and transportation department has announced. As Well Oak Point Highway Between Selkirk Avenue and King Edward Street will be barricaded and closed Between 7 . And 7 . Saturday to permit installation of a land drainage sewer. Invited but did not attend the meet ing. Several owners of Portage shops interviewed earlier put the blame for the deterioration of the North Side of Portage on the Advent of pinball arcades and the insistence of the theatre owners on showing adult movies. The North Side Portage Park proposal is part of a Core area Initia Tive project announced jointly last month by the Federal provincial and municipal governments. Free rides on dash to begin Winnipeg transit s downtown dash shuttle service will become ser4 vice monday. The 10-cent fare will be eliminated and the hours of the service adjusted dash will operate from 11 . To ., a time Slot which accounts for 80 per cent of the current ridership according to City transit officials. The elimination of the fee was authorized by Council when it approved its current budget on March 26. The dash service used to run from 9 . To 4 . Also cuts in the Birds Hill bus service go into effect tomorrow. Buses now will leave from fort Street and Portage Avenue during the weekend at 10 ., 12 noon 4 . And 6 . Weekday service will be Cut also to two round trips a Day leaving at noon and 4 . Meanwhile the first of the City s 28 new fuel efficient Orion buses went into service yesterday. The Orion Worth about million were purchased through a Federal provincial Cost sharing agreement and Are scheduled to run on feeder routes through residential areas. The City has ordered 22 Orion with a capacity of 31 passengers and six capacity of 39 passengers. Transit officials say the new buses should All arrive by the beginning of september. The first bus began running on the Coniston route yesterday. Other feeder routes scheduled to receive the smaller buses Are Aberdeen Jaulneau Conis ton Crestview Kenaston Knowles Leila Point Road Charleswood South Transcona and Westwood. Four face charges in alleged Pyramid investment plan Winnipeg police say they have Unco Vered a High stakes Pyramid invest ment scheme in the City and have charged four women two from Winni Peg and two from Vancouver with conducting an illegal lottery. Winnipeg police crime supt. Herb Stephen said yesterday that acting on information received from a caller police raided a Quappelle Avenue apartment wednesday night and seized More than Stephen said the Money had been collected at an investor recruiting meeting attended earlier by about 15 people. He said the Pyramid investment scheme is the same get Rich Quick scheme that swept through other parts of Western Canada earlier this year. Under the scheme 15 investors Are needed to form a Pyramid. Each must pay in order to buy into the plan. Each new investor starts out on the Bottom of the four tiered Pyramid. If the investor successfully works his to the top by recruiting new investors he gets in return for his initial Stephen noted if not enough new investors can be found original investors lose their Money. The four women ranging in age from 29 to 34, appeared in provincial judges court yesterday. They were granted bail and remanded without plea to june 25. Second group this year the four Are the second group of people arrested in Winnipeg this year for allegedly conducting a Pyramid investment scheme. In april three people were charged with attempting to launch a slightly different Pyramid scheme which Alleg edly involved an initial investment of and a payout of Pyramid investment schemes entered Western Canada from the United states late last year. To Date almost 250 persons in Vancouver Edmonton and Saskatoon have been charged by police with promoting or participating in the schemes ;