Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - March 17, 1987, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press March 1987 Page 3 up hotels considers fort Garry fee increase urged for local Tough stiff fines clean up bylaw court backlog by Gerald flood stiff fines and a Tough magistrate have come close to eliminating a backlog that had been plaguing bylaw City officials All i know is they gave me a Job clean it up and i cleaned it magistrate George Parkin said x Parkin said he has been Tough on lawyers and accused refusing undue remands and convicting a Ken free press used in default when they fail to they better know that if they set a trial its going to be a trial he in City officials complained a five to eight month Back log was working to the advantage of landlords who routinely come before the court on health and maintenance the backlog allowed them to col Lect rent while orders to repair their properties were tied up in the they end up thousands ahead when the court action is City solicitor Nestor Bodnarchuk com the huge backlog also gave the court something of a circus Atmo sphere monday with line ups of accused and their counsel spilling into it was not unusual for court to Start at least 30 minutes late because the Crown and other officials were tied up sorting out requests for re mands and trial officials the court frequently heard cases through the lunch hour before and afternoon sessions would last until Parkin ordered court to open 30 minutes earlier and added extra court the docket was completed in 45 minutes and Parkin said the backlog had been reduced to about six from left Glavin and Jackson announce bid for new tax class for Rural Southside stores to press demands by Dan Lett the North Portage development is in for a rude Awakening for ignoring South Portage Avenue Mer chants for Over a a merchants spokesman the corporation has scheduled a meeting thursday with Southside property owners and tenants to Dis cuss their i expect that there will be a pretty major turnout at this meet said South Side Portage association spokesman Martin our members Are not going to be danced along for another 18 Eva said he expects the Southside merchants will use the meeting to pursue their concerns More militantly than Ever theres no doubt they the corporation have heard All this be he but the moment of the malls opening is growing closer and closer and people Are becoming More and More he said the association will renew demands for million to fund two initiatives to help save Southside the group wants escalator a Cess ramps to skywalk being built Over Portage and a canopy and storefront upgrading program for Southside North Portage spokes Man Harry Finnigan said the corporation is not convinced of the necessity of some association de we agree on some things and we disagree on some Finnigan but were not sure whether or not what Treyve suggested is going to Benefit the area that Finnigan would not specify which demands were the corporation is not holding Back because of budget restrictions but to discuss further the viability of the he Finnigan said he was surprised about a letter the association sent to Southside merchants along with the meeting notice which berated the corporation for ignoring pleas for skywalk Access and for them to Send out that letter without having the Courtesy to Send us a copy is rather he Eva said the letter was designed to inform merchants of the corporations Lack of he said while the corporation has Southside business is drop Ping by up to 20 per for the first time since i can were recognizing a difficulty in leasing the Southside he association has provided the corporation with information on Pound takes permit to shoot dogs attacking wild Deer inside City the City Pound has taken out a permit to shoot pet dogs attacking wild Deer in areas inside Winnipeg the permit was obtained last week after reports that a pit Bull dog was attacking Deer in North Dave assistant Pound said Prudhomme said the permit allows Pound workers to kill dogs attacking Deer in an area North of Saskatchewan Avenue in and in another area around Wilkes Avenue near the fort Whyte environmental he said the action was taken inde pendent of the wildlife which warned Friday it would begin shoot ing pet dogs believed to have killed eight Deer in Beaudry provincial Park last Rod Winnipeg District conservation said yesterday no new Deer kills were reported in Alberta firm offers Manitoba cheaper Gas than ice provides the Park on the although there was one report of Large dogs chasing Deer on the Bank of the Assiniboine River in South Healing Ley he said one Deer was reported killed by dogs in South vital sometime Zlatnik said Friday he believed the dogs in Beaudry Park came from South about two kilo metres East of the Prudhomme said Pound workers patrolled Hea Lingley on the week end searching for strays that might have been responsible for Deer kill he said that although no animals were at least two area Resi dents approached Pound workers and asked for help finding their were hoping that now that has been brought to Peoples some will be tying up their Jeff free Fless by Mary Ann Fitzgerald Manitoban could get cheaper Gas from British Columbia and the United states than they Are getting from intercity Gas the presi Dent of Alber abased Northridge Petroleum marketing said yes Wayne whose company says it could sell natural Gas for at least cheaper than the per thou Sand cubic feet charged by ice and Tran Canada pipelines made the claim during testimony before the Public utilities the Board is hearing an application by intercity Gas its ice utilities greater Winnipeg Gas and the sales Arm of Tran Canada pipelines for approval of a agree ment to remain in effect until that agreement Calls for a Price of per thousand cubic the Manitoba government has asked the pub to reject the Applina claiming the Price is excess it wants the companies forced Back to the bargaining table to seek cheaper the Issue is whether Manitoban Are getting the Benefit of competitive prices As a result of deregulation of the natural Gas Industry last Tom Manitoba assistant Deputy minister of Energy and told reporters the govern ment has figures to show the British Columbia and Gas could be delivered to Manitoba for per thousand cubic feet cents cheaper than the ice North ridges offer of last fall was rejected by ice and is not before the but minion told the Board he believes his company could now negotiate a slightly lower the Price has fallen marginally and will stay Down in the foreseeable future four or five he he testified that with a bid of per thousand cubic feet at had lost a Sale to the United states to a identifying the competitor As a firm appearing before the Northridge Doest sell on the Market for less than we offer he As he he is concerned about what he termed retroactive discounts that Manitoba Gas utilities can offer larger customers to fend off because they already have con they Are in a position to offer their larger users Breaks retroactive to last 1 to keep their business in the face of he Douglas Hall left of minion and Spackman companies like which do not have have no lever age to compete he we View such retroactive Dis counts simply As a Kickback or a Way to bribe customers to buy minion he described it As we think someone should take a very careful look at the competitions he minion testified that before it turned Down the Northridge had not questioned the company minion of Northridge about such matters As Security of Supply or whether the Alberta government would Issue removal per mits to allow natural Gas to flow out of the province in such a con minion maintained Northridge had removal although Albertas Deputy Energy Myron advised the Board by letter that Northridge did not have the pub hearing is expected to continue for the rest of the the Gas companies Are expected to testify we had been working Long hours at first till six or he but that is City enforcement officer John Todd said it appears the City is getting better compliance from landlords since Parkin took Over the court last the Long inordinate delays that and fines have gone especially for Todd the word gets he said part of the problem was a provincial judge who usually had presided at the had been too he was the kind of Guy who gives Breaks Over and Todd he was much too lenient for this kind of George assistant chief licence said the court has been running More smoothly under Hes Pernsteiner but he certainly does not take any property owners join forces in bid for tax Breaks problems Southside merchants Are having but to no he the skywalk Access and canopy project will Cost about less than two per cent of the million the corporation has collected from Eva the Money would help about 225 businesses in the he Finnigan said the corporation will try to convince merchants of its genuine concern for their he said he hoped the meeting turn into a Zlatnik we dont want to shoot pet Zlatnik and Pru Dornie agreed Deer killing is a bigger problem in the Spring when melting causes a crust to Formon Deer break through the crust while dogs run on allowing the dogs to overtake conservation officers Are empowered under the Manitoba wild life act to shoot any dog attacking big game it also is an offence under City Pound bylaws to allow a dog to wound or kill any other Prudhomme said the pit Bull in James is believed to be the animal that attacked and killed Deer last he said Pound workers shoot dogs with 12gauge about 20 Deer have been killed by dogs around Winnipeg in recent Zlatnik by David Roberts owners of Large lots on the cites outskirts have joined forces to de Mand a special property tax class supplying figures to show they will be hit with massive tax increases after a South vital group was joined yesterday by ratepayer groups from South South heading old Kildonan and Boniface who want the province to set up a tax category for owners of Large lots beyond the perimeter High tax Bill the spokesmen claim to represent nearly property James Vic president the Germain Community Asso said the owners involved do not enjoy the same water and other services As taxpayers in other parts of Winnipeg and therefore de serve a tax Shapiro called on the province to create a new tax class for them which would allow the City to strike a lower Mill rate for Unser vice the group also wants restoration of area allowances which previously reduced taxes on a serviced lots from five to 25 per Marjan who said he represents nearly 500 old Kildonan property claimed his four hectare lot on Templeton Avenue jumped in assessed value from 000 last year to in Urbanowicz said he fears his taxes could Rise from to a there is no Way i can afford to pay those kind of Urbanowicz adding he is on a fixed pension income of per a University said his property South of the Perim Eter Highway was valued at last and that after reassess ment his property is now valued at at a combined municipal school tax rate of 55 Shapiro Gross taxes would Rise by this year to Gary who represents a South heading Ley group which last week threatened to secede from Winnipeg Over the tax would see his taxes Rise to but the Dollar value is not the Glavin even if my taxes went up 1 would be doing the same its the Lack of services that is at Glavin noted that the possible rate Savoie will hear owners of 55 Mills combines municipal and school taxes is Only an Esti City Council is expected to strike the 1987 Mill rate for municipal taxes in the next four the rate of 55 Mills is the worst possible Glavin it could be in the a Mill is l1000th of a taxes Are calculated by multiplying the assessed value of a property by the Mill City officials earlier this month arrived at Mills As a possible municipal Mill rate for residential single family various school levies would make up the remaining the Mills figure will change slightly that a special tax class has been set for owner occupied increases expected two other owners of Large Allen Abraham and Jim said their taxes Are also expected to Rise after who represents 19 prop erty owners on John Bruce Road in vital said he expects his taxes to Rise who represents about 80 South Charleswood said he paid taxes last noting his property increased six times in value after both criticized the province for refusing to create a tax class for As it did for condominium owners and Golf they also criticized the City for not arguing strongly enough on their executive policy committee chair Man Guy Savoie tache said councillors will hear the lot owners arguments and May make another pitch to the province for the creation of a new tax classification for Rural property River East trustees to raise taxes 17 River East school Board wants 17 per cent More Money from taxpayers this and Transcona Springfield school division says it will require about More Revenue from its residents to cover the divisions spending River East trustees have approved a final budget of about increasing its spending Over last year by about million or eight per Board chairman Bob Fraser said that even with an increase in Provin Cial the division has a shortfall of about million be tween its provincial Grant and its budget the school Board raises the remaining Revenue through the school tax portion of local property called the special Fraser said the River East special Levy is unusually High in 1987 be cause his school Board must cover a deficit this in the the Board has been Able to dip into surplus funds to cover he this its finally caught up to we ran out of surplus the he is from staff salary increases not included in last years and to cover this years he said the budget increase also stems from growth in the noting that River East is building two new although the provincial govern ment funds the Cost of school con Fraser said there Are other expenses associated with growth such As hiring additional based on the 1986 property assess ment the River East special Levy would translate to about More on the average the average Home in Transcona Springfield would be hit with a school tax increase of about based on 1986 property and Transcona Springfield school Board chairman Wally said divisions Are waiting to see How the recent Gener Al reassessment will affect Mill increased costs divisions wont know the final Fig ure for school tax increases until City Council sets Mill rates based on the new property they Stoyko said the Transcona Spring Field school Board set its 1987 budget at about an increase of per cent in operating expenditures Over last the divisions revenues amount to about million from the Provin Cial government and other leaving about million for the school Board to raise he Stoyko said the budget will cover staff salary adding that fuel and school Supply costs have All i n ;