Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - May 26, 1986, Winnipeg, Manitoba May artificial Lake in mall offers submarine trips and manmade Waves for Edmonton Eye Popper super mall is typical of tycoon big plans current joke in Edmonton is that West Edmon ton mall is now so big it should have been a Riding in the recent provincial if it would probably have elected a 15yearold kid carrying a Beach mattress and wearing a string the malls latest Eye Popper is the world a simulated tropical Beach under a roof More than 12 stories thousands of mostly pay a Day to Sam ple an attraction that cant miss in a City where the Winters last eight months and temperatures often fall to minus inside the immense Glass eager swimmers Rush from the rubberized Beach to the water a Pool As big As a Small Lake at the sound of an Ocean Steamer the Horn signals that the wave machine is about to Send another curler from the deep end to the swimmers squeal As the water rears up like a Gigantic horse and Breaks across the the swimmers squeal in unison and Rush to catch the surf on their air we can make Waves up to six feet says Deane Public relations spokesman for triple the controversial com Pany that owns the and much of the rest of Edmonton As we plan to have world class surfing championships Here next Eldredge adds nonchalant Don braid in Alberta such pizza is typical of the iranian born Ghermezian Broth owners of triple who seem to open a new attraction in Edmonton every and get involved in a new Brawl with City Council at least once a the enormous now Worth an estimated is their main but they also own commercial other major and want to build an Eaton Centre development fears of ruin Many Edmonton ans fear their influence is now so vast that they could ruin the City by turning their ambitions any triple five scheme is guaranteed to split City Council Down the debate Over their projects and their endless demands for tax Breaks has provoked verbal brawls and threats of lawsuits among the Day before the Watermark family Leader Nader Gher Mezian appeared before Council and was granted million in tax concessions to build the Eaton Centre but after mayor Laurence de Core called the concessions Outra and other aldermen threatened a petition against the Ghermezian announced that he build it after he said hed need a Hole in his head to go ahead while i know when i Start the project the mayor is going to kill Decore said of Ghermezian threat in in numbed by so it that he didst show up the next night for the official the water although the mayors of two cities Honolulu and Loo were the Ghermezian next major a mall even bigger than West is planned for the Minnesota Many Edmonton ans Are uneasy because they dont see How a City of Only can support the Gher medians vast schemes in Alberta and West Edmonton by far the worlds now covers 110 acres or 32 City blocks and features 828 including More than 50 that sell Only women the Competition is and there Are persistent stories that merchants have been lured into new sections of the mall with rent free even some have packed up and left areas like Europa Boule a High style Section modelled after a Paris but the Ghermezian thrive on the impression that they will never Stop so they build attractions like the and add to the existing another amusement that recently opened the worlds largest indoor roller Coas called the this in Fernal machine has already Terri fied visitors from across when Albertas former tourism Horst Rode it re he wobbled away with a memorable holy he that roughly the comment of Many who first Lay eyes on the Ghermezian amazing Don braid is the Edmonton journals political tories plummet in Quebec polls Montreal Quebec voters Are making Brian Mulroney look bad and John Turner look Good in the National opinion the latest Angus Reid poll showed the Mulroney conserva Tives running slightly ahead across the with 38 per cent of the decided to 36 per cent for Turners liberals and 24 per cent for the in it was no confirming the trend of the past the poll showed 45 per cent of the decided Quebec electorate would vote leaving Only 30 per cent for the conservatives and 22 per cent for the this Means that in Canada out Side Quebec Mulroney is doing substantially better than despite the prime ministers Acci Dent prone it also Means that without some unforeseeable and unlikely shift in Opin Ion Mulroney has lost his Home the even with a Leader As shaky As John have regained their traditional hold on the grit grip on the province is Likely to become even tighter with Mulroney most recent troubles the resignation of Industry minister Sinclair the bolting from the tory caucus of Rookie my Robert and the laying of corruption charges against Quebec conservative my Michel Quebec along with Many other were not sorry to see Sinclair Stevens Stevens was widely seen Here perhaps unjustly As the Symbol of Toronto dominance in the Mulroney Cabinet and a Mange can Ayen literally an eater of More Gen though Stevens worked hard and successfully to bring a Hyun Dai Plant to he was blamed for helping other Auto plants located in and for approving the Ultra Margolf Deal which led to the closing of the Gulf refinery in Mulroney was blemished in Quebec by his handling of the Stevens especially for not dealing resolutely with the minis Ter As soon As questions were raised about Stevens alleged conflict of interest through his wife financial booted out commentators noted the differ ence in treatment of Suzanne who left the Cabi or was pushed for a few thousand dollars in travel sex if Stevens were a frenc Canadian hed have been booted out Long said in More restrained Many other other Quebe cers simply feel that and particularly lacks clout in the Mulroney Cabinet even though the prime minister is a that feeling seems to be behind the departure of Robert who quit the tory caucus to sit As an Independent Toupin Al most quit Over the Ultra Margolf episode five months he had already pretty Well ruined his prospects with and though several other Quebec tory maps Are not Many Are James Stewart in Quebec Likely to follow to pins example for the time More for the party and the is the laying of so charges of breach of Trust and defrauding the govern ment against Montreal conserva Tive my Michel gravel will be judged by the but without prejudging his it is possible to raise Broad and disturbing questions about the Mulroney governments awarding of contracts and the uses of godfather in Quebec at tory maps seem to have been Given rather vague responsibilities for Ridings held by the As Well As looking after his own May also be assigned As godfather for an opposition Riding somewhere else in the prov Don a member of the Liberal rat pack in the com claims he has uncovered a vast system of Federal patronage in Quebec and in the National capital so far he has Only hinted at How tory maps might be involved in this Boudria has a list of Public works contracts for the first nine months of the Mulroney govern ment showing the nearly 90 per cent of contracts in Quebec were awarded without Public in Ontario for the same Type of contract Over Only 23 per cent were awarded without tend in the Prairie provinces the figure was 28 per and in 43 per the opposition natural Are howling for a parliamentary inquiry into Public works patronage and the godfather if past conduct is any Mulroney or his chief Ston Erik will stall As Long As but they can not stall the Public in Terest in the governments con duct of Public business is eventually Mulroney Sanctimony no longer sits comfortably on nip its going to be difficult for the nip to remain a holier Chanthou party of the people now that it has been caught with its hands As deep in the Public cookie Jar As the hands of the old line parties Ever the nip by its actions has established the fact that it is just another political no per haps no worse than the old line parties it has worked so hard to keep at a it is an image that clashes with past party Sanctis in the past few weeks the nip has shown that it deals with conflict of interest in a manner Only slightly less bungling than and with patronage no differently than did the who Are the acknowledged Canadian champions in the the nip preaches tax while a senior member practises tax so much for next week at Swan River it will be hard for the other Western provincial premiers to keep straight faces when Premier Howie As he is bound to about tax it will be More difficult still for other Canadian who will meet in Edmonton in to take our Premier seriously when he again sings the same it has become difficult for the nip to continue As a party of the people now that one of its own has saved or perhaps Only no one seems quite certain about the figure through the use of a Legal tax avoidance scheme that the nip would like the Public to believe is legalized a Handy political phrase that is a contradiction in it will be More difficult for the nip to sell its Sanctimony and sincerity on the subject of tax Reform now that one of its own has participated in a scheme which was not legalized but which did increase the Fred Cleverley tax Burden of the Ordinary Canadian in order to Benefit the privileged in perhaps the nip is going create its own version of the limousine those upper crust grits who thought it was their duty to be driven in their personal luxury to areas where they could appear on picket lines or in other places where the common Man was thought to be found in great perhaps Premier Howie could arrange for his former Energy Wilson and his former senior civil ser Michael to show up whenever the privileged element of the party is needed to be it could be part of the Dps program to broaden party the party just to keep things make it Clear that Legal tax avoidance and the acceptance of patronage no longer carry a social de Broadbent private thoughts on the Manitoba situation would be most interest perhaps he could comment on Premier Hawleys decision to have conflict of interest charges investigated by an Independent it must be was most upset that prime minister Brian Mulroney took that course in dealing with former Federal Cabinet minister Sinclair Ste Broadbent wanted Stevens investigated by his had Pawley followed the advice of his party National his order would have been for a legislative committee to determine whether former Energy minister Wilson Parasiuk had acted Pawley has said that an investigation would be a fishing the Premier is a proper investigation would Likely find that Wilson Parasiuk really had no influence or received no Benefit a consulting contract awarded to his partner in the ownership of the brokerage on that particular matter the worst accusation that could be fired at the Energy minister would be that of rather obvious and Sloppy a proper investigation would Likely be Able to explain to Manitoban what other than were involved in the Manitoba arts club getting in Public Money so that it could rent space in the same and so that it could greatly improve the value of that to the Benefit of its including the former minister of and the former top civil the Winnipeg arts Coop is not what its name what you need to join is and to be supportive but not necessarily be the what you get is a taxpayer financed restaurant and it is a Goodenough Deal that Premier Pawley has announced his intention to he should have no trouble having his application a his principal John is a director and the club president is Derek who just happens to be the head of the advertising company that produced the Dps commercials for the last Mazurs company has also been approached to participate in the production of our taxpayer financed promotional movie about Manitoba which will be shown in our recently taxpayer in theatre that will be part of the North Portage the pre Mier will not be among it is possible that his membership in a private club will be a first of sorts for the one of the complaints voiced by for Mer Consul Lillian was the fact As a she had trouble getting club that her Only club membership was at the Manitoba club and that the Premier steadfastly refused to dark in the perhaps the Manitoba club had the wrong political credentials for the Leader of a party of the perhaps the Premier would feel differently about it if he arranged to have the Manitoba club receive in Public just to keep it even with the arts doonesbury by Garry Trudeau Esse air s ohm mow affife tohan6 Timah ;