Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 29, 1983, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg of fee August 1983 7 education cuts deprive youth Al by David Walker special to the free press a Young writer commented m a recent new Hofker that he Felt cheated at missing the he thought it novel and attractive that a number of people appear to have been thinking and asking fundamental questions in that while recently walking through the Yor Stville District of Toronto late one steamy August i was struck by the Stark the area has been totally transformed from a hippie styled enclave into one of the most exclusive and highest priced boutique and restaurant District on this Contu Rte rtt it is generally populated by Well heeled tourists and upwardly Mobile torontonian who the income to shop and eat in these elegant surround this they were joined quietly by hundreds of Young people in a scene that is regularly repeated throughout our Young people sat on the on the stairs or in the they wander up and Down the streets in a purpose less pattern enjoying each others com Pany and keeping to symbolically we had the two generations together physically close but psychologically the older ones those Over 35 had benefited from the intellectual and economic expansion of the they had thought of opportunities and were a Yorkville belonged to the younger ones Are wondering where they because of High rates of unemployment and the poor Quality of their they Are being trapped and excluded from the easy life in the evening at the nearby Ontario Institute of studies in a Well known academic told me of his fears for Canadian society during the next dec the Young were powerless be cause of their inability to land solid to generate their own to create their own opportunities and to live out their own dreams of Success and Many had been trying to find themselves secure employment for two gradually they were moving away from blaming their own inadequacies to attacking the political politicians had failed to deliver As the essence of Aliena Tion is this feeling of in not being Able to turn Type system to their own watching them lose the Hope of and of gaining some is a dangerous sign in Canadian a political alarm should be because of Media attention and Market hype responding to the massive demands and interests of an older the Golden products of the we Are avoiding this most critical another this time an Oak vill based consultant who deals frequently with Federal Cabinet pushed the argument one step he suggested that we Are on the Edge of major inter generational on his last trip to Europe a few weeks ago he was struck by the roaming groups of unemployed youth with their looks of frustration and european yet to solve the problems of massive youth Unzem find themselves increasingly facing violent Street that is one european trend we could do with the recent decision of this provincial government to restrict increases to universities along with other nongovernmental service delivery agencies is an example of shortsighted govern ments dealing with our younger Gen both the nip and pc governments have treated the universities As Sec on class institutions by steadily Cut Ting Public because of the fact that the entire leadership of parties has been educated or in Many taught at one or More of the three their approach is particularly our Young people face a critical Issue today finding themselves worthwhile this has not been easy for the past decade in has been depressingly difficult for the last five while figures Are hard to Carne the usual Rule of thumb is that youth unemployment runs about twice the National thus it is Safe to say that about one in five has not been Able to find any work and is still if we add in those who Are putting in time in Job creation minimum menial labor or have simply stopped the More realistic figure is that probably less than half of our Young people Are in satisfactory if you also include native youth whose employment rates Are excluded in data collection but whose jobless rate hovers around 70 per you begin to get a sense of the magnitude of the problem facing gov the present generation of politicians and bureaucrats owe their Success to Universal Access to the commitment of Canadian leaders after the second world War to open up the University system to thousands of re turning servicemen embodied an important whereas in the to be unemployed meant disgrace and a wasted in the demobilized men were encouraged to return to University while governments set in motion massive Job creation the production of new hous ing stands out As the best1 exam this emphasis on Job creation continued into the 1950s with the opening up of new mining towns such As Elliot Lake and Thompson and massive pub Lic workers projects Suchias the Lawrence Seaway human to borrow a phrase from Robert one of the hottest intellectual properties in the United is All we we must invest and reinvest in they must be confident that their own investment in time will eventually pay off in Perma productive and fulfilling employ training and education Are still the most effective ways of achieving this universities and Here i include the Community colleges have much in common with Industry both operate in students Are astute con Sumers in course selection and career while most academics fuss Over the implications of a Liberal Edu cation based solely on students Choos ing their own nowadays there Are few barriers to putting together a study program suitable to personal interests one major obstacle is the Lack of Opportunity to pursue programs most Likely to help in the Job the most compelling example is any course related to the computer most students cannot get into the appropriate when they they cannot get close to hardware or to firs class professional this has happened to earlier Genera while i was at Carleton universe the student population grew from to in four the response of government was they pumped Money to build and the response to student inter est is precisely the opposite to with to to chide and since the governing generation has other political it lacks the political generosity to help the the response of the provinces has been twofold blame the Federal government directly for decreased funding and to insinuate pos second Ary education institutions Are not prod the former is typical of Feder a provincial relations in this country no matter How legitimate in this deserves to be As it is by most the is very Are universities and Community colleges responsive and flexible the answer is yes and they must be responsive because they have huge increases in student a lot of Manitoban like going to pos second Ary they can be slow to cuts in education funding Are shortsighted they Hurt the universities and deprive Young people of the Chance Ete yet if the issues Are productivity and planning then the should be put on the if what Are the criticisms do they think faculty and support staff Are making too much Money if say do they want greater productivity from these people they should state the Case for increased teaching loads if that is the hidden put the issues on the table let a Public debate the five per cent solution is politics at its summer announcements Are cynical manoeuvres to avoid critic tuition ceilings of paraded out for students during the academic universities and col Leges Are the natural Home of Progress Ive to ignore their vitality and and their commitment to Young is to encourage fur ther if provincial and Federal govern ments want into the University plan Ning they should jump in and fight for their if they Are unwilling to contribute they should stand aside and let universities collect monies where they can in the if there is political fall out let it be settled in the political marketplace at the next in the we Are All taking a great risk with a generation which desperately needs to be shown that govern ments care about their Edmonton mall is incomparable w m i f t Edmonton i was com parable to other trumpets Rubin but now i am comparable to Stahl sometimes identifies himself with his amazing but nobody in Edmonton seems to mind because Hes so obviously West Edmonton mall is it is now North americas largest shopping with 400 stores and a floor area of million Square the triple five of de have spent million to build the malls first opened in was imposing but the newly opened second phase is Awe some and May Herald the end of the Standard suburban shopping mall in from now malls that Hope to compete had better be ready to entertain on a grand for the new addition has an no size hockey rink surrounded by pedestrian walks from which hundreds of shoppers watch the the malls president and a vice president of triple Hopes the Edmonton oilers will practise the team Hast yet but Stahl is making the offer hard to he has installed a special dressing room for the arid he wont charge the team any Don braid the malls most remarkable feature is a giant indoor amusement Complete with a Ferris full sized a miniature train that Pas ses through a simulated Rocky Moun Tain bumper a waterway for boat and other carnival at As Stahl Calls is already proving an irresistible More than people passed through the mall on its first saturday of and showed up on nearly everyone had a look at and thousands of Chil Dren and parents lined up for the the mall also features 12 aquariums filled with tropical an aviary with Trees 10 metres several two Storey and fountains modelled on those outside the presidential Palace in in some places the crash of falling water is almost and there Are stores women 22 52 restau rants and snack 22 mens Wear 20 gift six toy the mall is so huge that several stores have two and so elaborate that even adults get but some people think the mall is a monster that must be stopped before it swallows half the downtown merchants and other sub Urban malls complain that West Edmonton is stealing their and Many people who live near the mall Are Stahl got As taste of these powerful emotions recently when he announced his latest dream for the mall addition of a Lavega style gambling this would be an upgrading of cae sars he this would be the it would be magnificent he said the mall would build the Casino but the government would run it and give All profits to the Public outcry was so intense that Only a Day later Stahl announced that the plan was you have to live with your he but he Hast lost his it int just shopping Centre any a Way of its amazing its incredible its the eighth wonder of the world the real wonder is that the second phase of the mall was even built during Albertas deepest recession in while other business were triple five seemed to have a Bottom less Supply of mystery and Rumor surround triple fives the Ghermezian four intensely private iranian immigrants now Canadian citizens who in 10 years have built an Alberta Empire in land and apartment in a judicial inquiry found that one Raphael offered an Edmonton Alderman for past services after Council had rezoned for the the judge everyone of but said two of the Gher Mezian Brothers were the most skill energetic and persuasive developers that this commissioner has Ever had occasion to a Mon Trealer with wide experience in mall was brought in three years ago to handle the West Edmonton project publicity As All financing for the mall came from the Bank of Montreal and the Security Pacific Bank of los he largely because of his own credibility in the development if i wanted to build a shopping Centre on the adds Rubin i could probably raise the it sounds like a laughable boast until one sees that awesome mall planted amid the suburbs and scrub land of a medium sized Don braid is Edmonton journals political the Devil and Premier Howard Pawley now we know Why Howard Paw Ley ordered a limousine in Toronto rather than taking the bus with the rest of the the Devil made him do according to Hawleys Media Garth that Devil was none other than the free Cramer writes on the particular night in question the last Day of this years premiers conference Premier Pawley was unable to depart with the other premiers by bus for the nights entertainment at Ontario place because he was delayed by a news conference and a subsequent my italics interview with a free press holy Hes talking about there were two free press reporters at the premiers Ottawa correspondent Michael Doyle and my the news desk at the paper says that Doyle did not interview Pawley that particular so that leaves i must have been the one who forced the Premier to order the limousine that Cramer keeps insisting was Only a and who caused the Premier Fred Cleverley subsequent no italics this time embarrassment by forcing him to admit to the legislature that even the new one we bought for Are not his favorite Mode of it was me who forced him to say id sooner walk than ride a than ride a bus or ride in a i would like to make it perfectly Clear that i was not responsible in any Way for Garth Media Secre tary to the saying Howard told me basically i dont know How the went to Ontario place and i dont in not one of nor am i responsible for Cramer saying that it was just a reality of the conference that new Pawley didst get along with the tory pre nor am i responsible for Cramers statement about his Boss he want part of the i believe during the thurs Day evening talk with the Premier that was finished before his Telephone news conference with the Manitoba the Premier expressed his disappoint ment to me that other premiers had not argued with his nor disagreed with but had basically ignored the message was essentially the same one that Cramer put into More colourful what puzzles me is that Cramer now says that his Boss did get along with the other and while there were disagreements on political his Hawleys personal and social relationship with the other pre Miers has always been and continues to be both pleasant and Cramer also says i would like to Correct any misunderstanding arising from com ments attribute4 to myself which Al lege that the Premier requested a car because he want getting along with the other i have read that statement three and to it do snot say that Cramer did not say what he was said to have Only that he is very sorry for saying Back to the the final session thursday afternoon was can and Premier Hawleys most pressing engagement was a Csc tap ing session at i was told the Premier had arranged a Telephone Call to Winnipeg newsmen at and was invited to listen i arrived at the premiers hotel room on the 20th floor of the Toronto Hilton Harbor about 25 minutes it turned out that h was a Good thing i the Premier had locked his Only copy of the premiers final communique in his hotel and did not have the i loaned him Ray the Premier explained that the impressive array of liquor in the room had not been purchased by Mani Toba but was a gift from the Ontario we chatted about Many not primarily about the conference be cause that had been wound five thirty the Premier made his Telephone returned my copy of the and after a few minutes More i walking past the 24hour police guard that had been provided for All premiers if i was delaying the Premier from catching the his Good manners covered up any i did not think he would be rushed since the weather had forced the cancellation of the Harbor cruise that was to be part of the evenings what left was the closing dinner at Ontario place followed by a i am puzzled by Cramers suggestion that it was the subsequent interview with the free press that prevented the Premier from taking the bus to further his pleasant and cordial social and personal relations with the other pre Cramer was not Cranmer has such a Fine perception of he knows the for Between a real limousine and a Large car driven by a he makes this Clear by writing Premier Hawleys alleged ride a limousine during the recent premiers he said the car used was not a the pre Mier said it was of a similar description to the one that was available to the former Premier of the it was available to Premier Pawley As in a fit of he had us buy him a smaller Winnipeg is not in Large cars Ridden in by Cabinet minis ters Are not called in to Ronto they the Premier definitely Rode in a Large driven by a on the thursday night in question while the majority of the other premiers took the in the report that All other premiers took the bus was not a paper it was an error made by Cramers Toronto Dennis who later said that pre Miers Lougheed and Pawley took perhaps the others just Felt like As for Premier the free press Devil made him do ;