Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 30, 1983, Winnipeg, Manitoba August hotel workers unaware of fatal inquest told by Paula Martin some downtown Holiday Anft yes were unaware of a ninth floor Blaze when firefighters arrived at the an inquest into the fatal 1980 fire was told nobody seemed to pay any Tion when his firefighting Crew walked into the hotel District chief Michael Primak told the inquest into the death of Joseph of Portage la was a hotel guest and Delegate to a National Liberal party convention when he died from smoke inhalation in the july 6 Crown counsel Richard Saul said the inquest was being held to find out if building alarm procedures and Fife safety measures Are adequate in Tali Preir Nak testified that no alarm Bells were ringing when his Crew arrived at the hotel shortly after they had been riot fied of a possible he said he approached the front desk and asked what was no one seemed aware of a fire until an unidentified woman approached him and indicated there was trouble on the ninth he Primak asked the woman to show and they took the elevator up As its doors opened on the ninth they were hit by intense heat and he Primak told provincial court judge Winston Norton he guessed the fire started a while before the department came on the free Captain Walter Peters echoed in describing the scene in the Peters said he asked a hotel employee about the fire and was told they we rent aware of one an elevator descended to the lobby As they spoke and when its doors opened the top half was filled with Peters he added he heard no Bells ringing until he was up on the eighth floor preparing to go to the Many of yesterdays witnesses gave conflicting testimony about whether an alarm had been sounded and whether Peeple in the lobby were in a state 6f one firefighter Laid people were excited while another said he recall anything out of the apparently they didst know Why we were testified firefighter Ralph who said people in the lobby appeared to be electrician Georgs Gamble said two heat detectors on the ninth floor were not working during the Blaze and added there were no smoke detectors on the floor he said heat detectors should be placed in every guest room smoke detectors would be useful but Are sometimes set off by heavy Gamble former hotel general manager nest Heiland testified the Holiday inn was equipped with a local alarm sys Tern and with some sprinklers in the commercial areas up to the third each corridor from the fifth to 18th floors contained heat detectors and firefighting he Heiland said changes were made to the alarm system in 1981 and last year when the alarm system was connected to a private monitoring each room is equipped with a heat Detector and three smoke detectors have been installed in each he the improvements conform to 1971 fire code regulations and exceed the 19 Heiland asked if the improvements should be the minimum required in any Storey Heiland said i would definitely say Rudolf Rolf Hagenlocher was sen tented to 10 years for manslaughter and five years consecutive for setting fire to a substance in relation to Arsis his five year sentence was Latef quashed by Manitoba court of which ruled he could not be convicted for two offences stemming from a single criminal last the supreme court of Canada upheld that paving the Way for the inquest after a Cial court judge ruled it could not be held until All appeals were Cowan refuses to Force City to allow Shoal Lake Road by Patrick Mckinley the province has refused to Force the City to allow construction of an Access Road itto Shoal Lake Indian environment minister Jay Cowan said yesterday the province will not go along with a Federal officials re quest to have the province expropriate Cit owned land for the the Road is intended to truck sewage off the re but the City fears construction would Aid the Indian bands bid to develop 350 cottages Cowan said the Federal government has Power to expropriate land directly from the and should do so itself if it feels such a step is mayor Bill Norrie de scribed the Federal request As an out charging that Ottawa is trying to get the province to do its dirty Norrie charged the Federal government is prepared to endanger water Quality for Winnipeg residents to satisfy 150 members of the Indian 3 officials appointed to senior jobs at jail the province appointed three corrections department officials yesterday to senior jobs at heading Ley jail after a prisoners riot earlier this month and complaints by guards that manage ment was losing control at the the Union representing guards wants the province to appoint an interim manager for the Gary president of the Manitoba government employees Assoc a said yesterday the Union has written to corrections minister Len Evans urging him to name former heading Ley superintendent Reg for Ester As an interim onsite manager to take charge of what we consider to be a real mess out a staff relations officer for the civil service and Evans were unavailable for comment proven style doer said forester has the credibility and the proven management style to do the Job at shortly after the three guards were suspended when they refused to work in an area they maintained was the Union also suggested Forest who was described by doer As London to resign As Law Dean Jack Dean of the University of Manitoba Law plans to step Down at the end of his term next june 30 to pursue other who has been Dean since said in an interview he probably will take a years leave from the after which he May return to teach in the Law next year theres a possibility that i will be either in new or he said he could not be More specific about his plans because i just dont know what ill be involved in at this Terrence associate vice academic affairs for the University and chairman of a commit tee searching for a new said the position has recently been advertised in Canadian Law journals and University whose specialities As a Law yer Are Federal income estate planning and clinical is a Winni Peg native who studied Law at u of he began private practice in Winnipeg More than 14 years ago and joined the University in in As a on member human rights commission Board of a Judica he made a landmark ruling that mandatory retirement based on age is illegal under the provincial human rights firm and hold a series of face to face meetings with guards to learn their doer said it was coincidental the Mega letter was sent the same Day the corrections department announced new emphasis on Community programming at heading Ley and the appointment of three men to senior management posts former assistant director of Proba Tion services Paul Leveille has been named acting Deputy superintendent Denis a former senior Proba Tion officer for Central will become acting assistant superintendent of and Robert former assistant superintendent of programs at the becomes acting coordinator of policy strengthen commissioner of corrections Hans Schneider said the appointments were a Way of strengthening the manage ment team so that some of the difficulties can be dealt with More Schneider pointed out that Al Bert has been holding the fort practically All by himself and the appointments will free him to Deal with the major staff but doer was saying the management changes Are not going to Deal with the fundamental the onsite manager is where we have to address appointing forester would allow him to Deal with problems at the jail direct the Union head he was particularly critical of corrections officials handling of a riot at heading Ley earlier this saying the decision not to punish any of the prisoners indicated Sanction for their behaviour has gone right up through the paramilitary sys tems of the department to the ministerial Schneider said the changes will add More emphasis to Community related programs for the jails we feel that heading Ley is because it is located Well outside the City and there is very Little connection with the the push for Community oriented programs will include Day release for inmates holding and Volunteer programs with Community things will work out we have a great Deal of Confidence that things will work he Evans said in a statement yesterday the appointments of the three officials will provide the basis for introducing a Pilot Community corrections pro doer said the Meas main concern for its members at the prison is the wish Washy Lack of consequences for inmates involved in the Evans has ruled out punishing the inmates because it is impossible to determine who instigated the who running the jail in mates or the staff doer asked yes adding the situation is degenerating at heading Ley and we dont have a lot of in our Opin w band who want the cottages As a source of the Only Way for the Access Road to reach the Reserve the nearby site of the proposed cottage develop be to Cross Cit owned land at the spot where Winnipeg gets its drinking there is no year round Access Road to either the Reserve or the proposed cottage the City fears the cottage develop ment would increase pollution of Shoal Lake by producing More sewage and City officials have also raised fears that even without the cottage develop the trucking of sewage from the Reserve alone could endanger water because a truck might overturn and spill its contents beside the the City has proposed the band build a sewage treatment Plant on the the treated sewage would be pumped into the Lake at a Point re moved from the water Cowan said the province refused to expropriate City property because it still wants to see the dispute settled to the satisfaction of All taking the cites land against its will would not accomplish that Cowan charged that talk about the Indian bands alleged sew age problems has been nothing More than a Sham designed to acquire an Access Road before Public hearings Are held on the cottage nor Rie has warned that if a Road were built the band could argue the Road could handle not Only the reserves but sewage from the proposed cot a Federal environment official said in a report this Spring that a septic Field system used to dispose of the reserves sewage cannot stand up to continued use much and must be replaced with a More permanent system of waste the official recommended the Access Road and trucking out the sewage As the Best Norrie said the Road is a very Dicey political Issue because it sets the bands economic welfare off against the purity of Winnipeg water sup Ottawa hoped to avoid the political grf Clyl flak by getting the province to expo prnoverieesa1dythafistahebandmay sixteen Earold Lucy Novinger of Halifax takes advantage of a secluded stairwell to need a source of it should not practise her violin yesterday at the Canadian mennonite Bible a Solo be at the expense of Winnipeg water is taking part in the National festival of which runs until j judges death leaves cases unsettled by Pamela Fayerman an obscure ruling May mean cases involving a rendered decisions of Justice Louis who died last will have to be reheard before the Manitoba court of a costly and lengthy i feel sorry for the litigants who spent time in court and now face having their cases being reheard said Justice James Wilson of court of Queens Ive invited their lawyers to make an appointment with me so that we can discuss easier ways of settling the perhaps through negotiated he judge Den sets colleagues and other court officials admitted yesterday they were in a quandary Over the Fate of the civil cases on which he had reserved they consulted court rules which state that on the death of a the cases he has heard but on which he has not yet delivered judgment Are and then proceed to the court of Appeal in the same manner As if judgment had been delivered by the judge against the but the Rule is considered impractical and too onerous on the litigants in so judge Den sets colleagues Are considering other ways of dealing with the judge Denise left Only three cases on judge Wilson louts was always he took Pride in giving Quick in fact it May be that the judgments Are there in his office waiting to be typed but Ive been shy about looking Over his judge Denise had written letters to lawyers involved in the cases he had requesting their written arguments by a certain dead line so he could deliver his Doug one of the lawyers who had received such a said he was in the midst of preparing the submission when he heard about judge Denu sets he said he is hoping a new trial will be ordered for his Case cause the Appeal court does not have the Benefit of observing witnesses first hand to make findings of credibility since they Are presented with Tran scripts judge Wilson said while it is feasible for new trials to be Sucha move May be costly for the but he said it May be possible to apply to the attorney general absorb the costs of a new in addition to the matter of the reserved the court must also await word from the Federal ment on a new appointment to the judge Wilson said he Joes not expect the position to be filled its not like a King has died and an heir apparent is waiting to take Sherman remains Neutral Sherman take my chances Deputy opposition Leader Bud Sherman said yesterday he wont be throwing his support behind any candidate now that he has opted not to run for the leadership of the provincial progressive conservative in intending to remain Sherman told a news conference yes i think it would be very indiscreet and impolitic for hav ing decided not to be in the game to try to affect the rules and the subtleties and the Sherman called the news conference to confirm weekend reports he had decided to return to Federal politics rather than make a bid for the Provin Cial party fort Garry la said he will seek the party nomination to run against transport minister Lloyd a worthy in the Federal Riding of Winni Peg fort Sherman was the member of parliament for the former Riding of Winnipeg South from 1965 to Sherman said he would hold his seat in the legislature until the nominating which he expects this and would resign if he wins the Nomina although Federal tory Leader Brian Mulroney told through third Par he would Welcome him As a Candi Sherman insisted there have been no guarantees of a Cabinet Post if the tories win and he defeats ill just have to take my he said he decided As far Back As a year ago to leave provincial politics and run Sherman and Turtle Mountain la Brian Ransom were considered by both inside and outside the to be the top contenders to succeed Sterling Lyon As Leader of the Manitoba who is opposition House Leader in the Manitoba is the Only declared candidate for the others expected to enter the race within the next week or so Are Tuxedo la Gary Filmon and Lake Side la Harry another Possi ble candidate is Arthur la Jim Dow the new Leader will be chosen at a three Day convention in Winnipeg in ;