Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 25, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba Utilities Board refuses to take sides in strike Manitoba Public utilities Board yesterday refused to assess blame in deciding whether greater Winnipeg Gas co. Should be compensated for strike related losses. Peter Kremer a lawyer representing the Federal Justice department sought to question company officials about final wage proposals from the firm and counter proposals from the Manitoba Gas workers Union be fore the walkout began in february. The company s last offer was for a wage increase of 14 per cent in the first year and 12 per cent in the second year of a two year agreement. Union offi province gets break on interest the Manitoba government has Bor rowed million on the United states Market at a 14.75 per cent interest rate per cent lower than the available rate in Canada finance min ister Brian Ransom announced yester Day. Claiming the rate is very favourable in today s Ransom said the entire Issue of 10-year debentures was sold in a single Day. There is no doubt that investors recognized the province s sound eco nomic prospects and noted its double a Bond rating in buying the Issue at he said in a statement. Because of the lower value of the Canadian Dollar in terms of other world currencies Manitoba s conservative government has adopted a policy of looking first to the Canadian Market and the . Market second. Ransom said the interest rate on the same Bond Issue in Canada would have been about 15.9 per cent. Neil Benditt assistant Deputy minis Ter of the department s Treasury Divi Sion said the Canadian Dollar was Worth 83.4 cents against the american Dollar on the Day of the Issue. If the Dollar dropped from 83.4 cents to 80.2 cents for the 10 years of the Issue it would Cost the same As in Canada. In our View it in t Likely that the Dollar will drop to 80.2 cents and remain at that level for the life of this Benditt said. The borrowing is the first on the Market for the Manitoba government in the current fiscal year. In his april 14 budget Ransom said the government plans to borrow approximately million this year of which million would be available from Canada pen Sion plan sources. Of the million the Manitoba Telephone system will receive Mil lion Manitoba Hydro million and million will go for general govern ment purposes Ransom said. Vials responded with demands for in creases of 15 per cent in the first year and 13 per cent in the second two per cent More than management pro posed. Utilities Board chairman Lance Partridge saying the wage proposals were Public knowledge questioned Kremer on Why he had asked. Kremer replied he wanted the Board to examine whether the loss claimed by the Gas company during the strike is justified. The firm is asking the utilities Board to Rule the loss a justifiable expense in considering the firm s request for a rate increase. Partridge said Board would not accept responsibility for saying what wage proposal would have been proper to have prevented the strike. Union president Arnie Makinson told the Board yesterday the average worker lost about during the 79-Day strike. Union members Aren t seeking to recover their losses but believe it unfair that greater Winnipeg Gas should try to recover its losses by increasing Gas rates he said. The Board was told tuesday the Gas company spent about on Security services during the strike. Makinson said in an interview if this Money had been added to the firm s final pay offer last february there would have been no strike but he admitted the firm could t have fore seen such an expense. Union claims queried company officials yesterday questioned several claims Makinson made in a Brief on tuesday. Jerry Kruk the company s operations vice presi Dent said the firm has t reduced service since the strike ended. He said Gas users Are charged to have their Gas turned off or on because if the service was free other subscribers would be forced to help pay for it. Kruk also said the practice of Esti mated Billing in t new but goes Back to the Days when the Winnipeg electric company sold Gas. As Well he said the firm does t respond quickly to homeowners re quests for inspections when nothing is wrong because the company must re Spond to emergencies first. Makinson said yesterday there have been nine occasions since april when the firm had one repair service person on duty Between Midnight and 8 a.m., instead of two. Kruk said other service personnel Are on Call. The exchanges came during the Sec Ond Day of hearings into greater Winnipeg Gas proposals for rate in creases totalling 9.2 per cent of which five per cent is to cover a Federal government excise tax and 4.2 per cent to raise the firm s rate of return. The firm wants the increases to become effective aug. 1. . Gardner Board lawyer said the Board usually takes three to five weeks to Rule on a rate increase after pub Lic hearings end. Mss Manitoba Gorock a 22-year-old professional dancer and graduate of University of Winnipeg was crowned miss Manitoba 1981 last night at the red River exhibition. So far have gone through the exhibition s Gates compared with last year. Guest Home operators decide to fight to keep aged residents City acquires 149 properties for in unpaid taxes the City of Winnipeg bought tax certificates Worth on 149 City properties at its annual tax Sale yester Day. The City exercising its option was the sole bidder involved in yesterday s Sale of certificates. The subject lands had been in arrears of municipal taxes for at least two years. The sum paid by the City represents the amount owed in Back taxes on the lands. Title holders of the lands have one year from yesterday to buy Back the Mil say by Manfred Jager the Manitoba federation of labor says Premier Sterling Lyon s economic policies have made this province one of the most depressed areas in the coun try. The Mil s criticism is contained in the group s annual Brief to the Manitoba government which was made Public yesterday several Days before it is to be received by the Cabinet. The Brief both criticizes the grow ing provincial deficit and Calls for More deficit financing and tax Breaks for Middle and Low income earners. It also urges the progressive conservative government to develop Northern Hydro resources at a faster Pace. Addressed for the first time to both the government and the people of Manitoba the Brief was to have been mailed City s certificates and redeem their properties. If the certificates Are not re deemed in one year the City can under take to sell the land and recover its Back taxes. There were originally More than 300 pieces of land advertised for tax Sale in the May 16, Manitoba Gazette. By yesterday s Sale Date however All but 149 owners had paid the taxes and other costs in arrears and the properties were removed from the list of potential Sale properties. To government members yesterday. Mil president Dick Martin said the Board of the federation decided to mail the Brief rather than ask for the traditional meeting with the government. The meetings had deteriorated into charades during the past three years. Martin said. They were used by both sides to Exchange insults and had become pretty Well the labor Leader said his federation is extremely concerned with the econ omy of Manitoba. We Are alarmed with the growing list of cutbacks layoffs and shutdowns in business and Industry and with the Lack of Industrial or com Mercial development. If present economic conditions Are not reversed soon by government a by Deborah read buoyed by Public support the opera tors of a Winnipeg guest Home have decided to fight a government order that would Force seven elderly women to find a new Home. John Watt who with his wife Millie operates the Home at 423 Kingsford ave., said their phone has been ring ing off the Wall with Calls from people supporting them after their plight was detailed in a free press article earlier this week. Although they had listed their duplex for Sale after they were denied a licence to operate the guest Home the Watts have decided to fight the closing decision and have taken the House off the Market. I Don t think it should be said Watt. Our ladies Are All Over 65, they All have their faculties and their own Money and they Don t want to be moved. It s very neighbors Are also rallying to save the Home. These ladies Are our said Shirley Hassan who is circulating a petition against the closing. They cause no trouble i think it s unjust not to allow them to the seven ladies ranging in age from 69 to 90, have become friends in the years they have lived at the Home and All say they Don t want to be separated. I was Over there yesterday and they were All sitting in the living said Hassan. All of a sudden some of them started to cry. They were wiping their eyes with their kleenex. One of them said they re taking mrs. Drew one of the residents away and then they All started to cry. Threaten to lock doors we re trying not to upset these ladies but they want to talk about it. They re even talking about Locking the doors and not letting anyone said Hassan. The difficulties started last week when the Watts were told they have 60 Days to close the guest Home and 10 Days to Appeal the decision. They were also told that Edith Drew 81, who has been with the Watts Lor nine years would have to be moved from the Home by july 15. Drew was once in a mental Hospital and the government is still responsible for her care under the mental health act said Millie Watt. She does t want to go she is just so upset about said Watt. She s been All right for nine years and All of a sudden they want to take her charges levelled against the Watts in a registered letter from Lloyd Dewalt the executive director of the provincial office of residential care include improper administration of prescribed drugs insensitivity to residents feel Ings and disregarding special diets. The poor health of the operators was also cited by the government As a reason for closing the Home. John Watt was recently diagnosed As suffering from Hodgkins disease a Type of can cer and requires chemotherapy treat ment. Dewalt said earlier this week the women might not want to leave the Home because they Don t know what else is available. These ladies Are Well taken care said Hassan. The women often go together on trips to shopping plazas and downtown and use neighbourhood businesses she said. Winnipeg free press thursday june 3 lawyer receives 4 years in prison by Steve Pona a suspended Winnipeg lawyer who misappropriated a total of in Trust funds including ear marked for three roman Catholic charities sentenced in Provin Cial court yesterday to four years in prison. Lawrence Francis Gillis a lawyer for 28 years was sentenced by judge Ian Ubienski on three charges of criminal breach of Trust and one of theft. He got four years on each conviction with the terms to be served concurrently. Gilvis 58, who pleaded guilty to the charges in May is the fifth lawyer in to Magua to be jailed for misuse of Trust funds in the last four years. Since lawyers have been sentenced to terms of up to seven years in prison. Court was told that Gillis had writ ten a series of unauthorized cheques totalling on four of his clients Trust accounts Between oct. 28, 1979, and dec. And used the Money to pay his personal debts. Crown counsel Phil Schachter said Gillis suffered some heavy financial losses on a construction company and hotel he had been involved in. He used the Money in an attempt to stave off his own financial a pre sentence report said Gillis had estimated his debts at Gillis who began drinking heavily at about this time was discovered Only after he had completely drained the Trust accounts and his final Cheque for about was returned by the Bank because of insufficient funds. Schachter told the court a estate which was to have been divided equally among three roman Catholic charities was out about two other smaller estates and one Winnipeg company also lost Money he said. Gillis was suspended by the Law society of Manitoba in december and charged on april 30. Secretary Graeme Garson said yesterday the judicial committee of the society will meet soon to consider further action such As disbarment. Garson said in an interview that people who have lost Money As a result of Gillis s crimes will be eligible for reimbursement. Lawyer Wilfred de Graves called five friends and roman Catholic clergymen who knew Gillis to testify about his Good character his Church activities As Well As his efforts at rehabilitation and at controlling his alcohol prob Lem. Gillis has lived at the agape Centre for people with alcohol drug and emotional problems since december. Court was told he is extremely remorseful. About a dozen spectators in the court room lined up after sentence was passed to kiss Gillis or shake his hand. His wife Julia who sat next to him during the latter part of the two hour hearing broke into tears. Judge Ubienski said the Case was a classical breach of often when a professional goes into business something else has to suffer either his profession or business or both As in this the judge said. Judge Ubienski said the amount of Money his clients lost was not Asim portent in sentencing As the pattern of conduct Gillis had developed. He agreed with Schachter and de Graves that rehabilitation was not necessary. But higher courts have ruled that lawyers like Bankers accountants and others Are in a position of Trust and must be seriously dealt with if they breach that Trust he said. The maximum penalty for breach of Trust under the criminal code of Canada is 14 years imprisonment while theft Over carries a penalty of up to 10 years. Lightning triggers House Blaze lightning hit the top front Gable of a House at 244 Moor Gate Street shortly after . Yesterday and the ensuing fire caused an estimated 000 damage to the roof ceiling and front bedroom before it was extinguished a Winnipeg fire department spokesman said. There were no injuries in the Blaze. Tion the sad state of affairs will culminate in an economic mess not seen for 50 the 45-Page Brief accuses the Lyon administration of being weighed Down with ideological hangups that bring social and economic hardship on work ing people and their families. The labor federation accuses the provincial government of having gone along with the multinational corporations which play the game of who has the worst labor Laws safety and health Laws least taxes largest Grants least environmental Protection Laws and then locate in the Provine that Best suits All or most of these Federal statistics indicate that the real Domestic product shrank by .2 per cent last year while shrinking 1.2 per cent in Manitoba according to the Mil Brief. It says the number of jobs in All of Canada increased by 2.6 per cent while going up in Manitoba by Only 1.4 per cent last year. Again we re falling behind. Even most of the stagnant economies of the maritime provinces create jobs fas Ter than Manitoba weekly wages increased by 9.6 per cent across the country but Only by 8.1 per cent in this province last year the Brief says. Manitoba continues to be the Only province in Canada with a declining population the Mil says. The net loss of people through inter provincial migration for the 12 months ending last july 1 was this loss Economy n is f 8 to the Manitoba Home construction building same period a year earlier and More permits dropped to in 1979 from than double the same period two years the year before and fell to 8 last year the Brief says. If this trend continues Manitoba s net population loss for All of 1980 could turn out to be about the Mil Brief says. Public investment increased by Only 5.8 per cent Here last year compared with 7.9 per cent for Canada As a whole the labor federation says. Private investment was up 4.6 per cent in Manitoba compared to 17.4 per cent for Canada. Only new Brunswick and Prince Edward Island were lower in both Public and private investment. The tory economic Miracle is dig Ging us into a deeper and deeper in percentage terms they dropped from 4.2 per cent of the Canadian total to 1.2 per recommendations contained in the Mil Brief include a Call for immediate development of additional Hydro Power in Northern Manitoba a provincial Bud get to redistribute income from the High income groups to the moderate and Low income groups and stimulate the Economy because these groups spend a higher proportion of their in come than High income groups and ultimately the Best incentive for invest ment is consumption not tax Breaks to ;