Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - September 2, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg to september j inquest triggers review of 911 training procedures by Cecil Rosner the Winnipeg police commission will take a Elos Jook at training procedures for emergency Telephone operators in the Light of evidence at an inquest into a fatal vital com Jim chairman of the said yesterday evidence which showed there was a delay in reporting a fire because of a communications foul up has raised concerns which the committee Wilt look an inquest was told monday that a vital couple who tried to report a fire were delayed about five minutes after being shunted from one num Ber to another by a series of emergency the at 305 Beauveau resulted in the death of Donald evidence showed the fire could have been burning for up to an hour before firefighters but medical authorities said it want Likely the five minute delay made a crucial difference in the mans the inquest was told the 911 operator who took the first Call instructed the caller to phone another nonemergency Keystone club Doest get favors Lyon by Mary Ann Fitzgerald Manitoba conservatives yesterday brushed aside criticism of their buy the ear of the Premier Keystone club by claiming that the new democratic party used a similar tactic 200 club wipe out its Premier Sterling Lyon and several top members of the party denied opposition Leader Howard Hawleys charges that the Keystone club a group of wealthy businessmen and professionals which was promised Reg ular meetings with the Premier and Cabinet in return for their elec Tion donation influence peddling and Lyon said he recalled the nip had wiped out its debt by similar it appears that if the socialists raise its always pure but if the old line parties raise Money its tainted he he referred to a announcement by the nip that its 200 club had solicited donations of each from 212 party members As a contribution and half As a loan repayable after the next Pawley released copies of the formal 200 club agreement which promised Only to return the donation if the party failed to meet its objective by two More encephalitis cases found two More cases of Western Equine encephalitis have been found in humans in health minister Bud Sherman said Sherman said la tests confirmed the disease in a Man from Eastern Manitoba and a Young Winnipeg it is not known when the two who Are still in contracted the disease which is spread from Birds to humans by the culex tarsal is mosque seven six of them have contracted the disease since the cur rent health emergency was declared at the end of health authorities say it can take anywhere from five to 15 Days after being bitten by an infected Mosquito for a human to contract drowsiness and fever Are symptoms of the but special Laboratory tests must be taken before a Case can be we offered no special we offered no special the nip Leader that because Howard Hawleys not going to be quipped finance minister Brian who the Premier and other party members in denying Hawleys anyone who thinks they Are going to get a favor from me or members of my Cabinet because they donate to the Keystone club had better step up and get their Money Lyon told re in terms of special entrees into my office As a result of member ship in the Keystone the answer is a thousand times i go to fundraising affairs on a fairly regular we go to fundraising we have fundraising dinners every the Keystone club is a fundraising thing and ill speak to the Keystone club and so As every other political Leader he cocktail party Lyon said he haunt made a speech to the Keystone club although he had been slated to speak to them last Spring when his health forced him to cancel All appointments and take a senator Nate a conservative said he had attended the it was a cocktail he the Premier want even there was a Good sprinkling of Cabinet minis we sort of walked around and the tories pointed out that Cabinet marked by Coffee and conversation along with other such functions gives everyone an Opportunity to meet the Premier and whether they donate to the party or i dont know of anyone who has to pay to meet with commented labor minister Ken Pawley called on Lyon to ensure the names of directors of the Keystone club Are made Public so we know what kinds of what kinds of groups Are financing the conserva insurance executive Derek who with senator Duff Roblin set up the club to provide funds and advice to the provincial said All members Are listed with the chief electoral Pawley said donors to his party 200 club Are similarly the nip Leader said there is nothing wrong with people getting together to raise funds for an election but he discourages Large fundraising dinners to avoid excluding people who cant afford passenger train cuts to Cost 560 car jobs about 560 jobs in Canadian National railways maintenance shops will be eliminated because of cutbacks to passenger service decreed by the Feder Al government earlier this the railway said in a car said two fifths of the jobs affected Are located in Montre Al and two fifths in with the remainder in the railway gave no indication of How Many layoffs would but said retirements and other Normal Depar Tures would reduce the number of employees the heavy workload forecast by car for 1982 would also soften the the statement de cars assistant manager for Public affairs in said the railways own program of freight car and locomotive repair will take up much of the Job Slack created in car shops in 1982 by Lack of via rail for the last couple of car has police the operator said her training on the emergency system had been minimal and consisted mainly of ont Ejob Moore said the incident was brought to the commissions attention at the time and members were informed that the police department had assigned the operator to other he said it was the first such incident involving Emer gency operators he had i would assume she was properly trained for the Moore its a position where operators Are sitting across from each they have backup moots said Thi will not take any further action on the matter until the conclusion of tin which is scheduled to resume sept Deputy Petitt chief de Oge Iski Stid yesterday the incident was an Tion in an otherwise efficient emergency i think its very efficient it would appear that m May have a lapse that Oge Iski youre Deal ing with a human Oretski said the incident resulted in two operators being assigned to other the training period for operators is mostly but is entirely Ade Oge Iski new employees Are trained in stages and not Given the most difficult assignments immediate he the Inque Sferas told the caller dialled a police number after being shunted off by the first 911 the second operator told the caller to hang the Man then tried calling an emergency number for the deaf and was told he had the wrong although Moore said the commission will look into the matter after the inquest Alf Skowron said he it think it was under the commis Sions jurisdiction to Deal with training of operators or performance of the emergency also a member of the police said Council has limited the committees functions to enforcing disciplinary measures and to conduct ing Public relations for the All other matters should be dealt with by the civic finance he Abe chair Man of civic finance said he had no knowledge of the Telephone he said it was never brought to the attention of finance it the final tanning rays with a hint of fall in the air yesterday this sunbathe afternoon and catch a few of what could easily be among the was Quick to take advantage of the warm weather in the last tanning rays of fences for water basins approved the recent drowning death of a Winnipeg boy in storm water retention Basin has convinced the civic finance committee to spend to install fences at four City a report to the committee by City officials said a total of 45 storm water retention basins Are in use or under construction in but most Are not dangerous to children because their which bring the storm water Are below water it the report identified 13 Cul Vert extensions at five locations where fencing would be culverts at these locations provide a potential danger that children might into a substantial depth of storm it the committee decided to erect Hainlink fences metres in height at these As recommended at an inquest into the May 16 drowning of City Hall notebook a boy who fell from a Culvert Extension into a Grandmont Boulevard works and operations committee chairman John Angus said children currently use the temporary Snow fences erected at these culverts As vertical free parking endorsed civic finance committee has endorsed a two month Pilot project to provide free metered parking on Satur on the understanding that it will be continued if Winnipeg businesses share the Revenue loss with the Council must now approve the sex which would begin sponsored by the downtown Winni Peg the proposal had Al ready been turned Down by the works and operations committee because of the Cost to the streets and traffic Branch manager Campbell told finance committee yesterday that citywide saturday in come from parking meters is estimated at Between and Only less than usual was collected the week of a july 4 downtown sidewalk at which free parking was he association general manager John Mcwilliams told the committee a 1980 Survey of 24 Canadian cities with popu lations of More than found that 14 provided free or cheaper parking on Mcwilliams said he would not be prepared to share meter Revenue losses with the arguing that a resulting revitalization of the Down town area would provide revenues which would outweigh other the free parking which was suggested to infuse business into the downtown would cover All the festival loan supported the finance committee has agreed to give the festival do Voyageur a 000 interest free loan to Purchase a building at 768 tache Avenue for its the cites loan is contingent upon approval of a Grant to the festival from the Federal department of regional economic expansion and the provincial tourism department to pay for renovations to the As the festival is required to repay the cites loan in not More than six annual instalments starting March title to the property will be held by the City As More sought for police overtime by Joe Rubin the Winnipeg police department has asked the City to add to its overtime budget to cover the Cost of court appearances by the departments new fou Day work week and an increase in the number of court cases going to trial has led to More overtime said a report submitted to civic finance committee by Board of finance chairman Abe Yanofsky tabled the police request until the committees next meeting and asked police chief Ken Johnston to discuss the Over time Issue with councillors in a closed door the allotted in the police departments current budget for Over time represents a in crease Over the 1980 the commissioners report noted that officers logged hours More court overtime in the first seven months of 1981 than in the same period last More than three quarters of the 1981 overtime budget has already been spent and a substantial deficit is projected by the end of the year if More Money int it the new police work schedule is part of the the report be cause officers now work a 40hour week in four they have fewer working Days per year and so have less time to attend court during regular As a More police officers Are attending court during their of duty As arrests Are up 18 per cent Over As Are contested court cases which require court appearances by the report a police inspector has been assigned to review reports scheduled for trial the report the inspector will discuss the cases with the Crown counsel in an attempt to reduce the number of officers required to attend Yanofsky said the police department is monitoring the new work week and a report is expected by year Alf Skowron derided the departments request for saying the overtime Cost could have been reduced had finance com Mittee and Winnipeg police commis Sion carried out their he said the police department is floundering because it receives no direction from either Skowron said when the overtime matter came up under the previous police former police chief Norm Stewart was asked to maintain budgetary i think this should have been caught in the Bud some time not recent Skowron maintained there was a Good rapport Between the finance committee and the depart had a contract to repair via rail he Donohoe said there will be no layoffs in the shops this but Al staff representative of the Canadian brotherhood of transport and general doubted most of the jobs could be if 560 jobs Are going to be Cerilli 500 on the Bottom Are going to i dont care How he juggles those figures Cerilli estimated at least 100 of the approximately 500 members in locals 340 and 352 of the representing Manitoba and Saskatchewan will lose their he said yesterdays announcement of 560 car jobs being affected is probably part of the total that accompanied transport minister Jeanluc Pepins announcement of via rail cutbacks in the minister said 13 passenger routes would be abandoned and service on six Yanofsky says pcs planning super police commission Yanofsky new legislation the province plans to pass legislation setting up a provincial police com effectively doing away with the Winnipeg police Abe Yanofsky said chairman of the cites finance said he has received assurances from official sauces that legislation enacting the super police commission will be introduced at the next session of the Winnipeg police commission chairman Jim Moore said he did not approve of the province wide commission be cause the City would have to fund its police but have no jurisdiction Over i dont think the City of Winnipeg should give up us department to a body that Doest have to report to City he although a provincal commission would Deal with police disciplinary mat ters and Public complaints in municipalities served by police Moore said it would not have authority Over the a similar proposal in Alberta was challenged by the ramp there and resulted in a court ruling that Only the Federal a Provin Cial police jurisdiction Over the Moore ice Charleswood said a province wide commission would run contrary to recommendations made last year by a consultants report on the efficiency of the Winnipeg police de the report recommended that the Winnipeg police commission be reconstituted to include the the Deputy the chairman of finance com the chief commissioner and one the reshuffled rather than the cites finance would have authority Over the boosting the departments the report because City Council approved of the consultants report in it would be acting inconsistently if it did not oppose the provincial Moore the Winnipeg police commission lost the Power to administer the police department in when its functions were passed to the finance department the commission became solely a dist a binary and Public relations ;