Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 17, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba Free a fahd Ifft offt Nteta Fyt imm it Ixia life 6f Givel new 8454931 n free Trade for Winnipeg Winnipeg Point of there Are two essential the mayors initiative is undoubtedly Worth pursuing Mit considerations lit mayor Bill Nomes ongoing Campaign to the experience with Jones cited in hit report pics made the Federal government to establish a fee Trade makes two Points Worth the first is thai a Ione in this City would it give Canada a competitive Edge on other countries and would it give Winnipeg a competitive Edge m other Canadian cities from Ottawa Point of the considerations Are slightly different would it give Canada a competitive Edge in the world if it Why should it be in Winnipeg and not somewhere else the documented proposal which the mayor presented to the executive policy committee last week makes a Sive Case for the benefits of free Trade they can create jobs and investments by encouraging new manufacturing of while existing Canadian customs Laws offer bonding and Export drawback provisions which offer some the same the mayors Brief argues that they do not provide the convenience or the Economy that a fully Stab listed free Trade zone would while free Trade zones involve some costs and forgone the mayor argues that the benefits to Canada in terms of balance of tax would be the use of the free Trade tone concept might be an additional incentive that Canada could use to attract International manufacturing having established the benefits of a free Trade zone to the mayor sets out some reasons Why Winnipeg would be a Good place to establish the City is an established transportation and distribution it has Low land Low labor costs and a plentiful Supply of cheap he does not mention the cites chief Long distances to the most populous free Trade is no Panacea to any regions economic As the annual report of the foreign Trade zones Board pointed in using foreign Trade zones As part their Effort to attract these it is important that zone benefits Are viewed by port communities in a proper investment decisions Are based on numerous with As not playing a major Rote strictly in terms of recognizing this limitation is important in assessing the need for a zone As Well As in planning marketing the second Point to keep in mind is that it is not enough to make a Case for a free Trade Lone in general under in demonstrating the need for a zone an applicant for a zone must both show a general basis for the proposed and specific user that does not imply that firm commitments must be obtained from companies which Are interested in making use of the it does mean that the communities have to show written declarations of interest from those Winnipeg has some major barriers to pass if the mayors dream of a duty free zone is Ever to become a it must first overcome the Federal governments general indifference to the whole it must then if free Trade zones Are to be established in Winnipeg is the place to Start Winnipeg Case would be much stronger if it could wave a few firm prospects under Ottawa Poland transformation polish workers last week celebrated the first anniversary of the events that led to the formation of the first free Trad Union in a soviet bloc it has been in every respect a remarkable year for a year that saw changes occur in the polish political and social system that almost no one would have believed possible when the workers in the Gdansk shipyards downed their tools and went out on strike to protest the governments withdrawal of a subsidy on the Price of As Well As the formation and acceptance by the govern ment of Independent Trade poles were Able to Force the communist party to make other major several High ranking party officials including party Leader Edward Gierek kicked out of office in disgrace for corruption and censorship has been relaxed and political expression is the most important has been the move ment toward an actual form of democracy in the communist party and the the party Congress that was held in july was for the first time operated on democratic delegates to the Congress were elected by party members in a secret and they in turn elected the members of the ruling politburo in a vote in which most members of the previous politburo were Defeated and replaced by moderate and Liberal in the events that began with the Gdansk strike have led to the creation of a pluralistic society in the country has always been unique within Juttie soviet bloc because of the strength of the Catholic Poland has been called the most Catholic country in the and the Power that Church wielded because of the unswerving Devotion to it of almost the entire polish nation made it an unofficial political and social to the government that party leaders were forced to tolerate and work with no matter How distasteful it was to the Rise of the Independent Trade Union movement and Solidarity has created a third Force within the the Union has a wide base of support through its membership and the backing of the greatest part of the hundreds of thousands of Union members Are also party members and it is this situation that has forced the transformation of the Structure of the communist party itself and the nature of polish where previously the government was unable to crush the Church and was occasionally forced to moderate its policies to Church now it cannot act on any major Issue without consulting the the in now sometimes acts As a moderating influence in the Centre to reconcile conflicts Between the government and this political and social plurality does not exist in any other communist in most of it is while polish workers there was no rejoicing in Moscow or the capitals of the Warsaw pact in the soviet East Germany and Czechoslovakia in the fear of the polish disease spreading Over the Borders mounts there Are signs of it already among East German Czechoslovakia is in the midst of a major crackdown on dissent inspired to a great extent by the spectre of polish style and the Kremlin has been issuing warnings and threats to polish leaders so the soviet Union has not acted on its threats but Warsaw pact troops have been on so Many manoeuvres in the last year in Poland and around its Borders that they must be nearing the manoeuvres Are at least in As a cautionary lesson for poles and a reminder to them of what will happen if they go too in the present wave of unrest Over food prices and shortages leaders of both factions have been attempting to maintain but each has also attempted to use the situation to gain concessions from the and in doing so has encouraged More protests and Demontra that is a dangerous game that can Only aggravate the already jangled nerves in the poles know better than anyone that they can Only exist within the limitations imposed by their place within the soviet they act As if they have forgotten they have achieved an amazing amount in the last year with caution and an Eye for soviet they May be Able to achieve but they risk losing everything if events become so unsettled that soviet leaders Are convinced they must intervene As a russian Nursery rhyme it takes a proud Man to refuse to doff his Cap at the Kremlin holy in the present it also takes a foolish and must continue to doff theirs because the soviet Boot can break even the stiffest polish Down the Drain the most imaginative Liberal plan to help canadians Cope with the effects of sky High interest rates lived for Only a few offered by Michel the Liberal candidate in today Joliette it proposed a special tax on Banks that would finance a subsidy for homeowners faced with the need to refinance their the plan would pay the difference Between a 14percent mortgage rate and the existing Market within Federal housing minister Paul Cosgrove was announcing that no such plan existed or was in the works and party spokesmen in Joliette were confirming that it was Only a Bright idea that Denis proposed to suggest to the government if he got if nothing Denis brainwave probably sets a record for reneging on an election when the liberals in the last general election Campaign promised cheap Low inflation and National canadians did not discover that the promises were worthless until it was too late to do anything about Wlms minister presume who pays for the baby by Leonard Shifrin special to the free press Ottawa who should pay for maternity benefits at unemployment insurance is the largest after a two week waiting period without those who qualify can get 15 weeks of payments at the regular unemployment insurance rate 60 per cent of previous earnings up to a maximum of a More difficult qualifying for maternity benefits has been More difficult than for other unemployment insurance but the recent report of the employment department task Force proposes Chang ing this and making the eligibility requirements using the same uniformity it also contends because the two week waiting period applies to other benefits As it should until additional maternity benefits were virtually what is they were almost the unemployment insurance act deems any payment by an employer to be income arising from an employ and deducts it from benefits unless a supplementary unemployment benefits plan sub has been registered with the and until the regulations required that a sub cover illness and temporary Layoff As Well As because very few employers were prepared to commit themselves to the potentially huge expense of supple menting benefits for those Laid off Dur ing very few were Able to provide help during maternity How much of a difference the change in regulations has made is evident from the current of the subs now in Force with respect to maternity cover Only the great majority of these Are less than 18 months the Quebec government has been a Pioneer on maternity the fed eral government certainly has two years the Levesque administration offered provincial employees and Par Public groups such As Hospital workers 20 weeks leave at 93 per cent of pay full wages less what would have been deducted for pension plans and unemployment insurance contrib pays the full 93 per cent during the two week wait before unemployment insurance benefits Start and the three weeks after they for the 15 weeks in it makes up the difference Between that amount and what unemployment insurance Quebec pays that same also saw the Quebec government begin paying All other Quebe cers entitled to maternity benefits to tide them Over the two week waiting by less than a year ago the Trudeau government had both its clerks and translators on strike Over its refusal to pay any form of maternity Benefit in the it Bent Only slightly last agreeing to provide the equivalent of unemployment insurance during the two week waiting it took 42 Days without a postal service to push Ottawa the settlement with the postal work which will doubtless be extended to other government provides for 17 weeks of benefits at 93 per cent of unlike the Quebec there is no provision for extra weeks of benefits after unemployment insurance payments few objections a Survey carried out last year for the Federal employment department found Only 11 per cent of canadians object to the unemployment insurance fund pay ing maternity but the it seems to is one of to what extent should maternity benefits be provided through a collective mechanism such As unemployment Ini Durance and to what extent should they be left to be bargained with individual employers not so Many years before All the cutbacks unemployment insurance benefits including those for maternity were two thirds of Previ Ous rather than 60 per cent and Low wage claimants with dependants to support got 75 per although there is no particular Rea son Why the size of maternity and jobless payments should be the same after Are totally different the chances of Resi coring the lost portion of maternity benefits is probably close to but making the two week waiting period rationale has to do with people finding new jobs cease to apply to maternity benefits just May be within the realm of Union benefits on july 28 the free press published two letters in response to a letter i wrote defending the right of postal workers to the letter by Belyea was entitled binding Point i would like to make to him As Well As others is that i do not have a dispute with the Post i am not a member of cup nor do i work for the Post i am a firm believer that postal As Well As other do have a right to strike and the postal workers came to the Point where they had no other Choice but to As to Belyea s statement about Union members acting like hijackers who hold innocent passengers to ram som in order to gain their this is a slur on Union members not Only in the Public sector but in the private sector these whom Belyea compares to Are respectable not As o Pencil Feinberg letter the i am of the opinion that Finberg possibly comes from a sector of the minority j might which has never had to depend on the largess of an i am sure that there Are my other canadians in Feinberg age group who Are grateful that they have hid the Twitty of belonging to and reaping the benefits of Union membership and the collective bargaining Feinberg antiunion stance is what is read in immoral and canse Rojas because it would deny the Basic democratic right of works is to defend their without the unions and the right to workers would have to depend upon the munificence of their a hostile employer most of the a Good example was the Mpa strike at the Winnipeg the actions of the doctors there were Immor Feinberg a suced the eople up Tea Dong Claude Parrot and Fen 4 letters the Winnipeg free press welcomes letters from writers must give their name and the authors will be used and letters Are subject to it was Union organization that not Only gave dignity to working but Job health better wages and social Grams that Benefit Al Union members or working people Are the Backbone of this perhaps Feinberg views Union members As communistic having Boms and breathing let me him we Are Jones Winnipeg Peter Kuch it year in june that Peter Kuch Djea he was Jet free arms award winning editorial cartoonist for 28 following Arch Peter was net Only a but a land scape and portrait designer a talented multifaceted an f smut of works has been on at the overt Dulk gallery ukrainian cultural and educational Centre since june it and will run to september other than including a mention of the exhibit along with All other City Peter ruths Smery by at it m artist in pwn the inn an the first anniversary of his find this iff we not the cartoonist of toe rival he was your own for 8 years How much be enriched the the the prov Ince and the country is there not one person left the free pm who could have written a appreciation of the artist Aad ism the f re9 they forgot Peter two years ago i was talking with a Friend who is employed by a loan he told me that a Young couple had said they would like to borrow he got their file and but you owe us what do you want the Money for they to buy a Mobile when be asked them Why they we thought wed like to live it of they did not get the but their reasoning was ominous As it turns very higher interest rates have produced two things higher interest rates and accelerated earnings for which always tack their tithe to whatever rate the Bank of Canada comes up with borrowing is ing because people Are afraid that or maybe next inter est rates will go even recently finance minister Allan Maceachen begin to mutter about higher taxes in his next what does he think higher taxes will prod uce they will produce increased eminent Revenue up that the govern ment can continue its dewy Pace Down Tion that ie4 workers out of the part i of Industry Down the same Pate that swept England into the Vor with take Tome pay of Joule will have to borrow because people Art going to live it up m matter and interest rates will go higher and with the simple 5et by the govern which is nonexistent a the Why the people live it up Geouge not sympathetic with to the air controllers strike in the United states i had purchased a ticket for a flight to los then the con trollers went on the news stated that there were 50 near misses and i chickened out and cancelled the the airline wanted to penalize me 120 for i admit i have cancelled on other occasions for various reasons but this time it really was not my since the airlines do not absorb the Cost of hotels when people Are stranded due to a Why should i pay the airlines i have experienced difficulties Ling by either the plane had to be adjusted or the baggage was on if the airlines want people to be sympathetic the their cause they should try to understand the plight of the customer As Meloff Beverly California toxic pesticides in the last years Winnipeg has had three outbreaks of and in each Case our provincial govern ment has mid the decision to combat the outbreak by the use of pesticides obviously pesticides Are not a Long term to indicated by the fact that each year the mosquitoes Are Back in full it is throwing tax dollars to the wind to carry on this Type of spraying pro and More importantly it is i possible health Hazard to there Art Altero Tive solutions spraying and Fig Geog a Mogica Solu a oils Sycz a using fish or to destroy to rfcs i Oyid rather see my Dollar spent a control pro on Paoyi Wilaj for further research into biological tons than to see a pesticide company get there is something that citizens can do to help prevent future Mosquito and that is to the Breeding grounds of mosquitoes from their property by either draining the water or by pouring cooking or Mineral Oil onto i would prefer if i could take responsibility for my health in my own hands by taking rather than have the government bombard me with toxic a Stephens Winnipeg sensationalism after having read the response by the childrens Aid society of Winnipeg to your article of August l regarding Tody of an Indian 1 must express my mistrust and disappointment Garding the authenticity and calibre of the original report by Tim former assistant executive director of the Rainy River you owe the Public an apology for Uwe searched sensationalism which you put Forth under the name of Winnipeg you find time in Busy pick up a loaf of ;