Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 15, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba 6 Winnipeg 1981 Winnipeg free press Freedom 6f Trade Equality of civil frights Liberty of religion and Tel rated Days a at 300 Canton we Peg r36 361 by Canadian newspapers Golf Iphy limited Tel Epstone 9439331 Donald John Fca Fot editorial me Fedilo Murfey bum managing fed Tot uncooperative federalist canadians have been informed by Pierre de their minister of regional economic that the Federal government has embarked Oft a Radical new approach to the new according to mrs de will do away with insensitive homogeneous policies applied uniformly across the that is the Gotfed the of news is that Higy policies App Refl nation the of the earlier Liberal government the govern ment will in Finger seek to establish National standards for services a duty until was regarded by Federal politicians As the Core of their neither will seek to work with provinces to establish joint it will come bustling into every province with new programs of its whether or not they involve provincial jurisdiction or shared and let the provinces scramble to adapt themselves to the Federal the new according to the has already been applied to in one of its first Ottawa let provincial civil servants scramble for months trying to devise new programs which would fit Ottawa revised notions for a Northland agreement Only to have the Federal government by that the agreement was to be scrapped because it did not bring it sufficient political the new policy As some curious anomalies in Winnipeg new Core area who Are putting up most of the Money for the might have thought that it marked a hopeful example of cooperation Between the three Levels of according to de it is nothing of the Ottawa is simply doing its own thing and the City and province Are free to tag along As they that May explain Why the provincial government has been a Little slow in tagging it almost certainly explains Why the Core area has been stretched to contain parts of the Home Ridings of Manitoba Only two Liberal members of certain trial runs of the new approach were evident even before the Liberal government found itself Back if Power after in the cold the most notable and Ffrost was a Home insulation which in canadians to blow Poison write their according to de the policies of cooperative federalism have been responsible for a Long list of National they Are responsible for Balkans nations and Trade barriers that Are worse than the common a lot of canadians will recall they were responsible for such useful programs As medicare and the Canada pension they May find it hard to understand what either program had to do with restrictions on the movement professionals from one province to provincial preference in purchasing or policies which give preference to local workers in construction and resource Many of which existed Long before the phrase cooperative federalism Federal provincial programs without run into difficulties recently by using its Power to entice provinces in such worthwhile programs As medical and Hospital an then persuading the provinces to accept Block Grants the Federal government has fiscal it is As that policies of Federal Aid to the such a support for higher have at times the jaded to Kielp the Richer provinces More than the poor is no question that the Federal equalization program has been knocked out of Kilter by the massive flow of Oil revenues to but the answer to those problems is not to abandon cooperation with the provincial governments and to run competing programs from far off staffed with duplicated bureaucracies in de Bane claims that the new approach has been adopted unanimously by the Federal with the especially fervent support of certain including Manitoba Lloyd say it aint offering soft the nine Page statement produced by the provincial premiers after nearly two Days discussing economic prob lems did not deserve to be described As a final it As Quebec finance minister Jacques Parizeau described More of an essay than a it called for the conclusion of a fair and equitable Energy agreement Between the Federal government and those of the producing it did not mention Ontario position on Energy which is As Remote from that of the other provinces As is Ottawa position Remote from that of it called for a realistic Canadian approach to the Export of Coal and without mentioning that the completely unrestricted Export advocated by Premier Bill Bennett of is considered neither realistic nor reasonable by Premier William Davis of or even by Premier Allan Blakeney of the statement blamed the Federal provincial discord Over the Constitution in part for the present National economic it did not mention that a year has passed since two of the provinces decided to Side with Ottawa on the and that neither time nor this weeks full scale premiers conference have succeeded in persuading them to change their the statement contained the timeworn cliche about productivity growth being fundamentally important to restore the country economic and said that the strength of the Canadian Dollar would be restored if High interest rates and High inflation rates were brought it once that economic policies must toward encouraging Canadas potentially strongest and most competitive Premier chairman of the will have to forgive Ordinary canadians i they fail to grasp his enthusiasm about the in the the Only message that will be Clear to any canadians is that the provincial governments Are divided on the issues that will decide Canadas economic future that the Federal government should have Little difficulty playing off some against the others to put its own plan into As Long As Ontario remains out of step with the rest of the provinces on Energy and As Long As Ontario and new Brunswick remain firm in their support of Federal constitutional and the effect of these proposals on provincial the majority position of the provincial governments will Only be weakened by issuing Bland essays in the place of policy if the statement was trying to sell the idea that ten provinces Are thinking alike on economic it has the majority the eight premiers who do think alike on Energy and who have put Forward their to bring the Canadian Constitution to Ottawa and to Amend it in Canada rather than at scheduled their own meeting to take place after the conclusion of the official premiers their position is anything but Bland on that a hard problem if the provincial premiers had Little but platitudes to offer the Federal government As a solution to the country economic it is not because the Challenge for real solutions was not the Day after the premiers presented their list of Bland and unspecific statistics Canada reported that the consumer Price Index had risen by 13 per cent Over the past the highest rate in 33 the Canadian Dollar can manage Only the Sha Kiest of rallies from its Low Point near 80 cents in funds and interest rates remain Well above 21 per if nothing All those events demonstrate Why we need a Federal the provincial like the rest of can wring their hands and urge because they represent different regions and different they can never provide the forum in which the hard economic decisions Are the ultimate Job of directing the Economy must rest in the problem at the moment is that Ottawa has been fudging the not Only in the last couple of weeks while the prime minister has been abroad and the minister of finance has been on the present government has been inactive on the economic except in the most negative Ever since it returned to Power 18 months the effects of that inaction Are not going to be reversed by any magical the turnaround can begin if the Federal government reaches an agreement with Alberta on Energy prices and taxes and if it produces a budget which offers some realistic Assurance that its deficit is really under in the the Federal government is going to have to decide whether keeping the Canadian Dollar above 80 cents is Worth the Cost in business mortgage foreclosures and crushing burdens on Farmers caused by astronomical interest the premiers would still like to get together with the Federal government for a conference on the Economy with proper such a meeting would no doubt be but the ultimate responsibility for managing the Economy rests with the problem at the moment is persuading the Federal government to live up to that gallery Etta by Frank Walker special to the free press Montreal mayor Jean dra Peau does hot talk about his olympic in at any these he does not even mention his 18storey leaning Tower from which was to hang the stadiums retractable though it was dear to his heart and will never be finished if the province takes the advice of expert Hydro Michelangelo he certainly has nothing to say about Roger the French architect whom he once described As the Miche langelo of Concrete and whom he picked to create his architectural Mas the Only olympic facilities built by any country using a foreign not the mayor is mayor Drapeau is never even when something he says will Cost million eventually unfit or when judge Albert charged with looking into the olympic As he that he was the real authority responsible for All the major decisions respecting the games and had appointed himself everything from Foreman to project the mayor has an answer for judge though we have not seen it almost a year and Are not Likely to see it until next years civic elec if the City had a surplus last year and we still have the metro and the new the Flowers in Dow boxes and the new la Ronde to play in and Beautiful islands to walk upon gift from the and a place to watch professional sport and bicycle racing and swim the Tower is something rather the mayor has a thing about towers a jury of psychiatrists would be interesting on the he wanted one for expo very badly and Only the hardheaded sense of accountability of Lucien chairman of the cites executive stopped when he finally got his Tower for the it was left and Saulnier head of the olympic installation responsible for cleaning up the mess and unlikely to spend another million to Complete even if the Hydro Engi neers had not the other that the Structure was never a Tower so we will never have the Tower from which the mayor could have looked out Over his or the gleaming re tractable roof which was to hang from it and fill the gaping Hole in the top of the might still have a roof but it will be a pedestrian the kind of thing Ordinary stadia not the real this Marvel will stay in its costing us thousands for unless somebody can be found to buy but is there anywhere a mayor like mayor Drapeau the jagged edges of the partially Complete Tower will probably be smoothed so that it looks less like a relic of some violent but that is As close As the mayor is going to come to seeing his dream we Are not going to heaven that i is not what one thinks about when looking at the olym Pic and its unfinished it is rather and the vanity it encompassed like it is ending in confusion and with criminal unnerved Bench War lawsuits and general Tail Libert is suing for Symbol fifty seven others Are suing for smaller with the total already standing at for its the olympic Board is suing 32 but so for meanwhile we Are left in Quebec with million in unpaid Lon term interest charges which Are and a stadium which operates at a fiscal disaster it is in fiscal terms a yet Alj seems to have hardly touched the we Are Only 14 months away from a civic election and there is not on the horizon a single viable let alone a political to Challenge the mayor and his civic action if it bewilder the it is equally puzzling to those of us who Are it is incomprehensible that nothing of this appalling mess appears to have even brushed against the lesser men might be Ridden out of but he is occupant of a special Niche in the heart of for dreamers of dreams in times of great social somehow maintain the cites place in the the Economy May head offices May society May be turned upside but the band never stops playing and the circuses Are the roses Are in Bloom in his our Rose Garden on Helens one of the Best wine cellars Ever created exists in what used to be his our the cars will race around the Island in a grand prix and All the unhappy facts of life will be rendered come to think of unless you Are churlish or one of those characters who believes in or thinks ment should be they Are Insisi alternatives to jail bring savings and results Arthur executive Community resources govern ment of says that alternatives to jail have saved his province at least 100 million in new institutions since the number in Ontario provincial jails is about not much different than ten years on the basis of an increase of four per cent per Yeav Jin Ontario Daniels prisoners should have increased to about the Mark since that would have demanded the construction of five maximum Security jails at a Cost of at least million More productive that is the saving to Ontario tax pay As Well As a More productive method of dealing with lesser offend it is a remarkable achievement and Manitoba can certainly take a heading Ley jail number in jail increased substantially lesson from Ontario in the provision of alternatives to Ontario jail trend is the reverse of for while the general popu lation has the number imprisoned has remained the in Mani the number in jail has increased substantially while the general Popula Tion has in there was an average daily population not counting the Winnipeg remand Centre of 438 in by 1980 it had climbed to an increase of close to 50 per the answer is that Ontario provides More extensive alternatives to it pays off in Many says jail is the least successful the Success rate is Only 49 per the Success rate in Community programs is much the Community programs Are Worth every Nickel the government is pouring into its really the Community corrections program has a budget of one of the successful programs is the Community service order in which the offender works off his debt in services to the Community instead of going to where the Cost averages daily in last year were were about Community service orders torn Val Werier pared with about admissions to the orders Are not says its work that would otherwise be left on third of the Community service orders were to help the elderly and handicapped in various ways such As building ramps for senior citizens taking handicapped to swin going pools and Reading to the theft fenders working off their terms in Community service have been sentenced to such crimes As then under Possession of fraud and their average working order was up a total of 86 per cent completed the work ordered the Success rate has been gratify ing 86 per cent stayed out of trouble As revealed in a study a year another rewarding feature is that an astonishing 20 per cent of those who have done Community service remain As we Are really excited about the says they have been validated in three research the experience is also True of that of in contrast to Ontario Community service Manitoba instituted Only 118 in the year ending March 1981 Manitoba was late in starting the program h Only really took off at the beginning of this own parole Ontario also has its own parole ser vice and the number on parole has increased from w9 in 1977 to in the Success rate has remained the at 70 per Manitoba has accomplished parole in the probation inmates for temporary absence to attend educational courses or to in w4 there were sentenced to probation As an alternative to Jailin Imp the number was one can conclude from these figures that the alternatives to jail Are not As vigorously pursued in Manitoba As in Ontario also has a bail supervision system to keep people out of jail while awaiting Many do not qualify for bail because of of Cash or roots in a k coalition of the John Elizabeth Fry sox salvation Quaker conv Mittee on Justice and the mennonite Send representatives to jail daily at 4 to determine whether anyone cannot raise if the people have Community the offer to the court is to supervise them in lieu of if they Are they Are placed in a bail the experience is that people on their own recognizance from the courts skip bail More often than those under our says Ontario also has an offenders reconciliation program in 14 centres where offenders get together with their Tims to come to it also has 3d Community resource these Are residences where inmates stay while out to work or at school they pay Board and and the last year earned million in and paid to their like Ontario is going to follow the Lead of Saskatchewan in instituting a Fin option those who cannot pay their fines Are Given the option to work off their debt in Community the picture is that Ontario has Given considerable political support to alter natives to Manitoba could take a Cue from our neighbor and save in human material ;