Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - September 22, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba Judge is critical of ambulance service by Gregg Shilliday a provincial court judge questioned what he termed a Lack of common sense in the Way the Winnipeg ambulance service responded to the drown ing of two Transcona boys last provincial court judge Arnold con Ner vigorously questioned officials of both the ambulance service and the cites emergency 911 phone Centre yesterday during the first Day of an inquest into the deaths of Shawn Allan Horvath and Jason Lee the five year old boys drowned july 15 in an unsupervised apartment Block Pool at 120 Prevette judge who has already expressed doubts about the phone centres efficiency at two inquests ear Lier this expressed Strong concern about an ambulance service delay in transporting the boys to he was told that due to a mix up at the phone the ambulance ser vice thought Only one person had been reported he was the ambulance supervisor dispatched one when the attendants arrived at the scene and discovered two they refused to transport the boys to nearby Concordia Hospital until a backup ambulance attendant Norman Troughton told judge Conner that this was Normal procedure because it int practical to transport two patients in one ambulance theres too much motion in the vehicle for proper resuscitation efforts to be carried judge pointed out that the nearest Hospital was Only a two minute drive me suggested transporting the victims to a Hospi Tal where there was Superior lifesaving equipment and qualified personnel would have been better procedure than waiting 10 minutes for a backup Amu Troughton refused to accept the judges he insisted that the risk of transporting people in an Over crowded ambulance was too great and referred to the additional difficulty of Legal judge Conner pounced on telling Troughton were talking about Sav ing human life not who sues he added that after three inquests involving problems with the phone Centre and the ambulance in having a great Deal of difficulty in understanding these delays due to procedure what about the com Mon sense Point of View see judge Page 4 Cloudy tonight 5 sunny tomorrow 15 september 1981 free press Sun rises sets Moon rises sets final 250 Home delivery 9570550 classified 9562330 second class mail registration number 0286 Kerry free press tax shuffling fails to alter prices for Oil a Winnipeg Motorist fills up his tank at a service station this angry the government Hast lowered Gas judges say they Are Only human there cant be uniform sentencing Why the hell have judges then by Kevin Rokosh As Long As the courts have human judges there will always be inconsistencies in the sentences imposed on people guilty of similar several Manitoba judges its True that sentences said Justice James Wilson of the court of Queens but so do the Crimi the crimes and the the terms of the sentences we hand Down reflect the circumstances of that because sentencing is a human pro disparities will said chief provincial judge Harold human beings place More emphasis on some factors in a Case than the judges were reacting to a free press article saturday which revealed Many sentencing disparities among decisions by 13 Manitoba provincial judges who were provided with the same set of Case facts and asked to give their in one the charge of assault causing bodily harm Drew a Fine and a probation period of two years from one judge while another saw fit to impose a jail term of 30 the sentences against a Man guilty of armed possessing a weapon for the purpose of committing an of Fence and indecent assault ranged from 23 months to 13 the inconsistencies open the door to lawyers in criminal cases to judge or have their client appear before a judge known to be said Mercier urges stiff sentences by Ingeborg Boyens and Cecil Rosner three Winnipeg lawyers reacted angrily to what they called inappropriate and ill timed comments yester Day by attorney general Gerry who called for stiffer sentences to curb violent Mercier told a news conference yes As the fall court Assize that the Justice system seems More concerned with the Fate of Crimi nals than the Fate of he said the Crown has had to Appeal Many sentences recently and said judges should impose stiffer sentences to reduce the occurrence of violent of violent particularly sexual have to be dealt with very Mercier the cruel and inhumane nature of such offences and Long term effects on the lives of the victims requires an adequate but lawyer Jay who is de Fence counsel in one of nine trials in the fall said it was totally inappropriate for Mercier to be making the he has no business attempting to influence the judiciary like Prober he is supposed to be an Independent Law officer and he should not be at tempting to interfere in the judicial process in that a Liberal candidate in the upcoming provincial said Mercier was being politically opportunistic and was electioneering on the lawyer Norm also involved As a defence counsel in the said Mercier should be reminded that it is for the court of Appeal and not the attorney general to decide propriety of court see lawyers Page 4 Mercier curb crime president of the Manitoba society of the judges contacted believe sen tence disparity is not a 1 dont think there is that much in i know there said provincial judge Lawrie Mit he explained that out of the thou Sands of cases a judge hears there Are Only a few cases where the sentence imposed May be out of line and that Why we have courts of judge Wilson that where the sentence is outrageous the Crown or the defence can it will be adjusted if need none of the judges said they were surprised to read of the wide Range of dispositions meted out by judges perspective it depends on what the judges think jail is All said Justice Louis Denise of court of Queens if a judge thinks jail is his sentences will Likely be but if he thinks criminals should go to jail he will probably dish out heavier the inconsistent sentencing practices by members of the Bench have always prompted members of the Public and the police to Call for sentencing guide lines and even uniform there cant be uniform sentence said judge Wilson who has spent 16 years on the it be Why the hell have judges then he pointed out he has sentenced men guilty of rape to life in prison and As Little As three months because of the judge said injustices would be created if judges lost their discretion Ary Powers and harsh minimum sentences became Ottawa up Consumers Are paying just As much for gasoline and heating Oil despite the govern ments decision yesterday to remove immediately a special tax on Oil con in a move Likely to outrage govern ment Ottawa dropped one con Sumer tax on Oil Only to replace it temporarily with a new Levy on Oil consumption of the same Energy minister Marc Lalonde announced yesterday he is lifting a Spe Cial Federal tax of a barrel on heating Oil and gasoline imposed ear Lier this year because of the decision by Alberta to Cut its Oil but he increased by the same amount an existing Federal tax aimed at having Consumers foot the Bill directly for higher priced imported Oil and product Ion from existing Oil Sands no Relief in sight Lalonde later said in an interview in Edmonton canadians should not expect any immediate tax Relief to follow Albertas decision to restore Oil production to full Lalonde also said the Federal govern ment has no intention of retreating from its goal of putting More of the Oil and Gas sector into Canadian speaking at the University of Alber the Energy minister told an Audi ence of about 500 that he sees no scandal in the Adverse reaction from the United states and the Energy Indus if As cant stand on your own feet because someone is coughing in that would be a he the minister said the american reaction pales in comparison to the ferocious and vitriolic attacks coming from segments of the Energy Industry in despite these the govern ment will not be pushed he the canadians nation Prog Anvis Here to Lalonde told the crowd that the National Energy programs goal of putting at least 50 per cent of the Energy Industry into Canadian hands by 1990 was no we didst do it because we had a sudden surge of we did it because it was Good Good see tax Page 4 Quebec language Bill tested by Michael Doyle Winnipeg free press Montreal in a minor court and before a judge who refused to provide an English Only Montreal Busi Nessman Allan Singer showed up yesterday Complete with defence lawyer and press agent to do Battle with que becs controversial French Only Legisla Claude Armand singers gave Montreal sessions court a blow blow summary yesterday of the Battle plan he will Likely use in a separate Case before Quebec Superior court beginning that water shed Case is almost certain to go to the supreme court of a Wes Montreal was charged by the Quebec govern ment because he refuses to take Down his English sign and replace it with a French the hearing for Singer has been delayed until december by agree see Quebec Page 4 pm shuffles adds four new faces Ottawa up prime minister Trudeau brought four new faces into his Cabinet switching the important portfolios of minister of Secretary of state and status of Charles italia born my from Davenport in takes As labor minister from Gerald former Nova Scotia Premier who be comes Secretary of Bennett former Prince Edward Island becomes vet Erans affairs minister and mines min ister Judy Erola takes Over responsibility for status of women from manpower minister Lloyd Serge Quebec my who was once a Maverick and who now is a shining Light among the liberals As a result of his leadership of a parliamentary Constitution becomes a minister of so does senator Jack former Deputy minister of Energy who once worked As principal Secretary to tru the new faces bring the Cabinet to one of the largest in the shuffle is considered tru Deau is expected to make a major Cabinet shuffle later this today action is the first switching of ministers since he formed his Cabinet in after the liberals Defeated the progressive conservative government of Joe there was no immediate indication what responsibilities Joyal and Austin will takes Over Secretary of state from Francis Fox who remains communications the unilingual English speaking Nova Scotia will be chief government on he will retain his responsibility for fitness and Amateur see Trudeau Page 4 Hes the Boss despite Tough talk that Hes the conserva Tive Leader Joe Clark got Only qualified support from 40 of 65 maps interviewed during the last two joint attack external affairs minister Mark Macguigan joined the in condemning soviet but disagreed with Washington on Aid to developing Selling love House parties for hawkers of everything from plastics to perfumes have been upstaged by salesmen pushing love lingerie and Batter powered new nation Britain handed Belize its own Constitution yesterday and the tiny country happily began its Independence with requests for million to get things Index Ann 18 31 7 23 53 21 34 8 18 Jumble 38 31 47 sports 17 to ;