Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 26, 1985, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press january Page 3 Hydro construction heralds racing commission to skip court i Maury Altomare surveys the flood damage in the Central hotels mud and water filled broken Watermain close manager angered by fire department refusal to provide pump by Barbara aggerholm a Transcona hotel manager says Hes angry that City and fire department officials refused to help him pump metres of water from his basement after a City water line in in business and the faster i get the water out of there the faster i can open up for business said Maury Altomare of the Central hotel on Melrose ave nue but City officials say its not their policy to provide pumps to flood regardless of whether a Watermain break is on private or Public John the fire depart ments Deputy chief of said the department is reluctant to equipment off duty unless theres a possible Hazard or people Are forced out of their he said he was unaware of the hotels plight and would find out Why help was Altomare said he lost at least Worth of beverage room business yesterday when the flood closed his hotel and caused up to damage to the basement and its he said his wife discovered the which came within three Steps of flooding the beverage room and the couples at about 5 when she heard a crackling the water was up to the eight foot Altomare it was coming in through the East Wall of the he said the water was turned off after he called the cites Emer gency but it want until 8 when the District water and sewer office that he could request a but both the City and the District fire station turned him Alto Mare things were crackling Down he noting a circuit breaker is located metres from the basement they could have at least helped me get the water out of Manitoba Hydro turned off the Power at about 8 he yesterday empty liquor bottles and Cartons were floating in the basement As a pump flushed the water to the another pump had broken packaged food floated in one of two while an electric fur automatic liquor clothes Washer and hot water a Safe and Worth of liquor were covered with Altomare said the City told him it was not liable for damage caused by the broken he didst know whether the damage was covered by his although an adjuster was in said Alto mares we were thinking of if we dont get covered for its the District 4 water and sewer who asked not to be said he didst know what caused the break in the main water line under the streets i would say it most Likely was a Hole in the pipe caused by he adding the water came up in an empty lot next door to the hotel and seeped into the basement the cites policy is to Tell the Homeowner to Contact a private company when a pump is the supervisor he said the water main was re paired yesterday afternoon and the water turned Back Clem the cites claims and insurance said that under the City of Winnipeg act the City is not legally responsible for Watermain break damage unless there is evidence it was negligent in repairing a theres known scientific method of Pride Ter mining where a Watermain is going to he refunds Given for cashed cheques company removes rate signs Gerry free pres by Maureen Brosnahan and Gary Hunter two women who were charged and by a Winnipeg firm for cashing their postdated welfare Che ques on Christmas eve were Given partial refunds Velma Alexander received of her while Heather brass had returned to her by Money Mart Cheque cashing the which has branches on Ellice Avenue and main had also removed its rate signs yester Day the which were posted at both branches listed ser vice charges ranging from two to 21 per cent for cashing personal cheques and postdated cheques were listed As costing be tween 10 and 21 per the main Street which had been awarded a Grant by the Core area initiative to locate in the was closed yesterday it reopened in the refused service Alexander and brass were among dozens of welfare recipients who received their government dated on Christmas a number of recipients ended up cashing them at Money Mart after they were refused the service at Banks and Money Mart deducted 16 per cent from the cheques As a service on after the free press inquired about the Grant and the firms officials announced that anyone who was charged More than six per cent for cashing a Cheque at Money Mart would be Given a in really glad i got my Money Alexander said they must have made a lot of added a Mother of it was so crowded there at the two who had both cashed their cheques in order to buy Christmas gifts for their said they dont plan to patronize the firm Olga head of the Manitoba Antipoverty said yesterday she was delighted that Many people would be receiving she said to ensure that everyone who is entitled to receive a refund is the organization will set up a phone network to pass on the Peter an accountant and spokesman for the Winnipeg Money Mart de scribed the 16percent service charge As a terrible mistake by local every single person who was charged that will be contacted for a he adding that the firm does not have addresses or Telephone numbers in some Gustavson said he didst know How Many cheques were cashed at 16 per cent or their Dollar but he said the firm will not charge More than six per cent for any Type of Cheque or Money order cashed in the that the National Money Mart he said the local franchise will also donate the it receives As the second instalment of its Core area initiative Grant to an Antipov erty organization in who is listed As presi Dent of Money Mart Cheque cashing Centre in provincial corporations Branch said the company is actually owned by five Winnipeg i dont have a financial he in there to facilitate a Transfer Between Gustavson refused to name the franchise saying that would betray a professional Stephen president of National Money Mart Cheque cashing centres has issued a statement from his office saying he will investigate the rates charged by the Winnipeg a head office investigation is currently under Way and corrective action will be taken pursuant to the franchise he there is no legislation anywhere in Canada that limits the amount Che que cashing firms can charge Cus Don Manitoba Deputy minister of consumer said yesterday he was not aware of any problems with such i Haven heard that Issue we Haven heard any complaints so we Haven looked into Alexander right and brass visit Money Mart workers reprimanded Over tax form incident a housing department employee has been suspended for using a car Man Farmers income tax form As part of an information package on How to apply for the who was suspended for a week without is one of two staff members to have their Knuckles rapped for their roles in the housing minister John Buck Laschuk said the other employee has been Given a letter of the minister said in a the two who have not been used a copy of Farmer Les dunns income tax return As a Model for How to apply for a housing the copy was sent As part of an information package to a person applying for a housing dunns name was still legible on the even though there had been an attempt to Cross it but no attempt was made to Block out the name of dunns his social insurance number or the name of his Home after conservative la Don or Chard revealed the incident on Buck Laschuk said the civil servants actions were Unac he reiterated those remarks yesterday in a letter to adding that he shares the Pembina Las Buck Laschuk said the Public information packages that used dunns tax form were distributed to but Only one of them went out to a Grant the department will Send an apology to the minister i pedestrian corridors study finds Bidou Speirs a study prepared for the Federal government disputes claims that Winnipeg pedestrian corridors Are the prepared for transport Canada by a University of Manitoba civil engineering found most of the cites 105 corridors have been it also found the vast majority of Crossings at the introduced to the City in occur without total abandonment of the Corri Dor concept is no More justified than would be the introduction of full traffic signals at existing corridor it the report contradicts complaints by mayor Bill Norrie and some City councillors that corridors Lull pedestrians into a false sense of Security and should be Nomes anti corridor Campaign gained momentum last year after a civic study found a increase in pedestrian accidents at 19 Winnipeg locations after corridors were installed but the reports Al said yesterday there is no evidence to support the mayors drive to abolish the we concluded there is not a Gen widespread and to Rush into any major changes would not be Clayton he said the study for the Road safety unit of transport should have been undertaken by the City on its own the City can often see fit to spend millions of dollars to do something and very Little to determine what is the Best thing to the study findings were in on an analysis of pedestrian corridor accidents from january 1981 to december of the 107 corridors in place last 55 had no 28 recorded one nine had two six had three collisions and the rest had four or More during the three years the study found about 42 per cent of the accidents occurred at nine High traffic in conducting the two re searchers spent 30 hours last sum Mer observing Crossings at 17 corridors where at least two Acci dents had been their findings included d 85 per cent of pedestrians at corridors without Pushbutton lights fail to use Arm signals to indicate their intent to d one of every 25 pedestrians using the corridors does not watch for traffic before d one of 25 pedestrians crossing within 50 metres of a corridor Jay although the report said this is not necessarily undesirable since Jaywalker were normally More cautious than pedestrians who used the d in one of every 50 motorists whizzed through the Sec Tion of a corridor being used by a despite ample time to yield the this failure to yield right Otway was often judged by the observers to be a deliberate action on the part of the the report adding some Drivers slowed Down and effectively chased the reports recommendations included giving corridors preferential Snow removal increased Public education on Thier and changing the Highway traffic act to clarify the duties of As it said Pushbutton Amber lights should be installed at All corridors in the twelve corridors now have the Andrew a civic traffic studies said yesterday the City should Complete its program to install the lights at All corridors by the end of the study also recommended police conduct random checks at conv Dors and Issue warnings to motorists and shutdown spells loss of 74 jobs by Brian Cole Radovac Canada has announced it is closing its Winnipeg resulting in the loss of 74 in a statement to be released the firm says the first group of employees from its Sargent aver nue Plant will be Laid off at the end of the rest will go by the end of Plant manager Dick Kreutz called workers to the Plant lunchroom yesterday afternoon and told them the company could no longer main Tain the which produces and packages dry cell the company will establish an assistance program to help workers find other the statement despite efforts to improve Effi the Winnipeg operation was not Able to compete with productivity advantages of More mod Ern Radovac it after a careful study of the eco nomic it says the company reluctantly decided to close the it does not say How much investment would have been needed the Plant to make it Kreutz last night referred All questions to Radovac president John Moran in Brian of the United steel workers of America Union which represents the said last night he was utterly shocked by the i know the operation is not what you would Call the most but the workers were in the second year of a three year contract and appeared to have some he Hunt said he Hopes the company will be prepared to offer substantial Severance pay to he said he is suspicious of the reasons for the it looks like it is similar to what Kimberly Lark did he Kimberly Lark closed its Winni Peg paper products Plant a couple of years saying it was old and no longer firm defies order to rehire workers by Cecil Rosner Tan Jay says it wont rein state 17 workers the Manitoba labor Board has ruled were illegally Laid off last Derwyn Legal coun Sel for the said if the garment manufacturer retires the workers it would have to Lay off 17 he added that the labor boards order requiring the company to re store Money to a Union health and welfare fund will result in a Cut in employee it the company is not surprised at the boards reflect an attitude of ant business prevalent in government circles in the province of fre Derickson the Board ruled earlier this month that Tan Jay had committed a series of unfair labor practices in its Deal Ings with the International ladies garment workers it said Tan Jay illegally with held Union dues and payments to the unions retirement and health and welfare funds after a contract expired last Tan Jay was ordered to repay the Money and to compensate workers who were illegally Laid off without regard to seniority provisions of the the Union estimates the Boarder dered settlement is Worth in addition to in fines which the Board ordered the company to pay for running afoul of the the Union insists the order re quires Tan Jay to rehire the 17 but the company Dis Frederickson said the company will ask the Board the review its if the Board does not reconsider its decision in a favourable the company will proceed to the courts for a fair he the lawyer said withholding deductions of Union dues and payments to health and welfare funds has been the company Normal past practice when contracts but the labor Board ruled this contravenes the labor relations which says contracts remain in Force for six months after expiry unless there is a lockout or Frederickson said the garment workers Union has used the Board in its policy of harassing the company Over the last three blackmail Union spokesman Leslie Spillett said the company threat to reduce employee wages if the Board order stands amounts to outright Black the Union is going to attempt to1 get reinstatement for those people who wish to continue she adding Many were lured to Winnipeg from the ;