Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 23, 1987, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free june Winnipeg free press Freedom of Trade Liberty of religion Equality of civil rights published seven Days a week at 300 Carlson Winnipeg r3c 3c1 by Canadian newspapers company limited Telephone 9439331 Winnipeg free press est 1872 Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 Arthur Wood publisher John Dafoe editorial Page editor Murray Burt managing editor Rudy Redekop controller a member of the Manitoba press Council editorials the phoney Mosquito War City councillors in recent years have been highly pleased with the results achieved by ground fogging against a wet summer always brings Clouds of mosquitoes and with them the impatient demands of irate Winni Eggers that the City should do something about what the City usually does is Send trucks up and Down the streets and on nights without rain or to make a loud noise and a bad it is explained that the trucks Are spraying poisons which will kill the the effect upon the mosquitoes is a matter of the effect upon the citizens is visible but the majority Are satisfied that the City has done what it a minority complain that they Are being the number of irate Calls to councillors drops dramatic the councillors Are the whole operation is presided Over by a the City the Public is or used to that the people doing the work were Well trained and knew How to handle the chemicals to prevent danger to the figures quoted by the City entomologist usually show that the work of the highly trained Crews eliminated about 95 per cent of the another aspect of the came to Light when some employees last fall started complaining to this newspaper about the Way they were asked to do their the City administration has investigated and nine months after the complaints the Parks and recreation department has produced a report on the two foremen and a supervisor in the been disciplined for their roles in the mismanagement of Mosquito the departmental investigation found that most of the employees do not dump left Over insecticide on the most of them do not mix the chemicals according to their own tastes and judgments and most of them do not improvise application methods on their own that was the Good the bad was that some disregarding the written mixed the Chemi cals according to their own views about the strength that should be used Are the poisons that the City sprays into Peoples it is also the investigators that no system was provided for Crews to get rid of partly emptied containers of insecticides with the result that some were casually dumped around the the investigators were not Able to document a Case of a Foreman ordering the workers to fog extra heavily around the entomologists Mosquito traps to help make the number look but some of the Crews clearly thought that was what they were supposed to if a Sloppy and incompetent fogging program achieves All that the Council there is no reason for the extra expense of a careful and competent killing the adult mosquitoes is a futile gesture in a summer of heavy infestation because some at least survive the fogging and Many More quickly blow in from nearby areas that were not keeping the pools and ditches dry and Larvic iding in those which cannot be dried Are the cites Best the City missed this Spring a rare Chance to restore Public Confidence in Mosquito the dry coupled with increased has prevented mos Quito infestation up to this with heavy and Well advertised fogging through the dry the City could have won a famous Victory Over the curbing the prosecutors the strange episode in which Canadas Washington embassy hired a former White House adviser to help it to do its Job is now playing a Central role in the Reagan administrations attempt to Brush off Pesky Legal investigations of the ethical behaviour of administration the administrations quarrel is with a 1978 act of Congress that dealt with government ethics and that provided Powers to what is called an Independent counsel in the United these Are lawyers appointed by Federal courts at the request of the depart ment of Justice to look into allegations of lawbreaking by government the administrations Public position has become that such posts should never have been created because they create a constitutional one reason for this new position is that these lawyers have been doing their Job too six separate investigations of administration appointees by such lawyers Are under this is Why the Justice department is trying to persuade key figures in Congress that the whole concept of such investigators is the argument advanced is since the Justice departments head is appointed by the president and since Federal judges Are appointed by the any lawyer appointed through them cannot be Independent but must Bow to the wishes of the since the intent of the 1978 Law is that such lawyers should be Independent of the executive which is headed by the the Justice department proposes that Congress should not next january pass legislation that is required to continue authorization for such Independent unfortunately for this is unlikely to be a persuasive argument in a Congress that remembers the explosion of Public rage when a previous Republican president fired an Independent Legal investigator who was investigating unethical and criminal behaviour by Nixon appointees during the watergate Canada has become part of the current constitutional struggle because of Independent counsel Whitney sey Mours desire to have Canadian ambassador Allan t Gotlieb testimony in a forthcoming trial of former White House adviser Michael waver on five charges of giving perjured testimony to a Federal grand jury and to a committee of the House of the reason he wants Gotlieb to testify is connected to the fact that Deaver became a consultant to the Canadian embassy on acid rain and other issues after resigning from his White House Job in questions about the ethics of How Deaver did his work for Canada and other foreign governments soon after Leav ing the White House have been at the Core of congressional and grand jury As Well As that of there also have been questions about Deavers behaviour on certain policy issues during the period when he still was one of reagans three closest the specific perjury charge on which Seymour would like to have Gotlieb testimony relates to a 1985 lunch said to have been attended by both men and their which Deaver said that he could not the government of Canada has invoked diplomatic immunity to prevent ambassador Gotlieb being compelled to appear in this immunity claim is supported by the Justice which has used seymours Effort to bring Gotlieb into court As an example to Congress of the dangers inherent in the operation of the Independent counsel Canadas immunity claim for Gotlieb is understandable because such immunity is normally granted by All states to foreign diplomats on their seymours attempt to secure Gotlieb is equally Given the serious Ness of the Issue at no Freedom the Fraser which keeps an Eye on such has informed canadians that tax Freedom Day comes this year on june that is the Day on which the economic thin tank estimates average canadians will have earned enough to pay All of their from then says the they will be working for having taken a moment off to celebrate their average canadians can then get Back to work and Start earning enough Money to pay off the the the grocery the car the Gas company and All those other companies which have a claim on part of their tax Freedom Day is an appealing notion to the Fraser which Hast much use for governments or most canadians will however that when it comes to paying to governments or anyone there is no Freedom this Side of the 1he Holb pm beating the tax Reform drum by Stewart Macleod special to the free press Ottawa it was not for All the Advance hype and this is be coming symptomatic of the Mulroney government that Long awaited tax Reform package would probably have received much less this is what it would have de Advance is an important part of the governments whether we Are talking free defence White papers or constitutional How could a government go into an election bragging about its great a com such As sweeping tax we were conditioned to believe there were such reforms kept in suspense we certainly virtually every week of the last two years we were fed breathless re often by finance minister Michael that the whole tax system was to be turned upside Down so that the vast majority of canadians will pay lower personal Little wonder there was live television and just about the heaviest flow of charts and analysis in the peacetime history of it seems to have such Small percentages enjoyed such big Advance hype will do it every what Wilson Basi was a it seems that a majority of that elusive average taxpayer will pay less in personal income taxes despite All the there has been no massive shift of the Burden to there was not even that widely predicted mini mum tax for to make matters even More con we did not get the whole Reform the biggest single item for most of us a new form of sales tax will come perhaps when our digestive systems make swallowing a bit the government Hopes to bask in the Praise of lower personal income taxes for the majority of Canad even by putting the Best possible Light on we will still be paying far More personal taxes than we did when Wilson assumed the finance portfolio in while his Reform package makes a big noise about the average family paying less in income we tend to forget since he became minis the same family has seen taxes Rise by nearly three times that since this government took the total annual Revenue from per Sonal income taxes has risen to billion from so we Are Only getting part of our Money nothing Back by the time phase two of the re forms comes it is doubtful Wyeth in real we will get any thing it might happen sooner than this if provinces decide to take advantage of the Federal cuts to increase their tax whether you approve of the changes announced by Wilson probably to a Large on where you in any tax whenever there Are there Are inevitably government revenues would actually decrease and when is the last time you heard of this happening just about anything can be argued with figures and Wilson gave us five pounds Worth to support his sweeping some changes there Are some significant changes for certain taxpayers in this phase one of the reforms just As there Are in almost every budget Ever the reforms Are nothing like we had been led to personal income taxes now account for 65 per cent of All govern ment tax revenues even with the cuts announced in the Reform they will still account for 63 per cent of Revenue by corporate which now account for 16 per cent of Revenue will climb to 17 per cent which scarcely represents a major when the tories assumed corporate taxes actually accounted for Over 19 per cent of total tax if Wilson presented us with these changes in the form of a Normal without that Al too familiar i suspect it would be greeted with general he has obviously made some Good it not massive it is fairly but in this is unlikely to prevent the tories from going into the next election Campaign talking about the greatest and most courageous tax Reform in the country purge faulted on june 5 of this year i wrote a private leter to the minister of Larry with a copy to the regarding the Manitoba cancer treatment and research to Nei ther have acknowledged that in the i deem it appropriate to use the forum of the print Media to bring Public attention to the following very without Public an the provincial Cabinet passed an order Council which had the effect of replacing seven of nine government appointed Mem Bers then comprising the Manitoba cancer treatment and research established in 1930 by special stat the Manitoba cancer treatment and research foundation Succes Sor of the former Manitoba cancer Institute is responsible to the min ister of health for the provincial Boniface Hospital wide program for treat Public training personnel relating to malignant the funding for this pro Gram is provided by the govern ment through the Manitoba health services the foundations clinical operations include radiation therapy and chemotherapy clinics at the Mccharles unit located in the health sciences Centre and also at the Boniface general both of these hospitals Are tertiary care in the outreach program for chemotherapy medical onco logy operates in the larger centres throughout the foundation has consistently operated within its modest annual it has also deliberately maintained a relatively Low the members of the both medical and Lay Are volunteers appointed by the govern ment and have directed their ener Gies to maintaining and promoting a High Standard of care for residents of this province who unfortunately or will be afflicted with the members demonstrated a unique singleness of purpose and were often inspired by the Model exemplified by Lyonel Isra the executive a Hema of not Only National but also International elected and appointed representatives May come and go but in this province we Are fortunate indeed to have the Benefit of israels foresight and total dedication to the continuing problems of cancer in its various Why did the provincial Cabinet agree to purge the membership of the including some of the new blood As Well As those who had served for longer periods not Only the but also the Mem Bers who were replaced Are entitled to know the reason for this drastic one can Only speculate As to the underlying reason or letters the Winnipeg free press welcomes letters trom must give their name and names will be used and letters Are subject to editing they replaced because they recommended that an urgently required new High Energy linear accelerator a radiation therapy unit initially requested in 1985 and still not ordered be installed at the Boni face general Hospital was it be cause the members persisted for so Many years with their recommendations that designated Beds for cancer patients be available at both the tertiary care hospitals surely it was not because As members they were nonpolitical in their deliberations or with due regard for budget they maintained their primary focus on the welfare of cancer How fortunate it is that two equally dedicated members were not included in what appears to have been a hit for some unknown the present minister of although an exo Eficio Mem has never attended a meeting of the of much greater Howe is the question whether the pre sent government administration in tends to review the abortive attempt made in the Early 1970s to scuttle the foundation and with it the provincial cancer if that should be the ultimate then the pub Lic would be Well advised to take the provision of vital cancer should be immune from Petty party with an aging population such As we have in the incidence of cancer can be expected to in rather than specialized treatment facilities and personnel will be at the present it is a matter of some inconvenience for an ambulant per son to attend a North Dakota Community facility for a diagnostic cat it would be a far More serious matter if Manitoba residents who Are cancer patients should have to attend facilities outside of this prov Ince for certain radiation a further disturbing Prospect is if cancer specialists should decide to leave this province because of inadequate inadequate remu uncertainties or other frus it would be a lengthy and very expensive exercise to rebuild a cancer program which at one time was one of the Foremost in this the Premier should without delay also explain to the Public in Clear and unequivocal language his governments immediate and Lon term plans for the provincial cancer pro the Public has a right to know what if will be Avail Able should they require treatment for a cancer related regret it would be futile to enact legislation to make Manitoba a cancer free William Milne former Manitoba cancer treatment and research foundation Short of funds in the article province gives 000 to Antipoverty group free june 2 i was quoted As saying that the Money will bring the groups total annual budget to this is Al though we need approximately 000 to operate with full we Are receiving from the prov Ince and from United Way of Winnipeg for a total of we Are applying to the Core area Initia Tive for most of the balance and will be approaching other founders for the we do not have Jacobucci president Manitoba Antipoverty organization Freedom lost the Federal government is about to ban All advertising for tobacco in so it would re move the right to information to which tobacco Consumers Are entitled in the same Way As Consumers of any other legally sold if such a Law had been in effect when Plain cigarettes were smokers would have had no Means by which to learn of filter tipped in order to assume responsibility for thus encroaching on the rights of the government among other that advertising encourages Young people to there has never been any advertising for co Caine or for Many other drugs widely used by Young so the argument cited is not should this Law be a dangerous precedent would be after Consumers of tobacco prod who would be the next to be affected Consumers of alcohol and then the smokers Freedom society Sis strongly protests this Law that removes Freedom of Access to info a Freedom which should be enjoyed by All Michel Bedard president Sis Quebec elite it is amazing that Anglo Anadi ans Are Content to sit Back and placidly tolerate the erosion and dispossession of their cultural sym Bols and institutions which would seem to be at least equal to those of franc canadians being pushed by the Quebec elite and our Quebedo minted Federal you can no longer get a Job with the Federal government on the basis of nor do you Progress on that i phoned 14 Winnipeg Federal government offices to Check their answering three Calls were answered in English and the other 11 in let us consider what is happening to the Canadian a Good example is prime minister Brian Mulroney being prepared to let mar cel Masse impose francophone quotas on the hiring policies of the Energy department and Petrovan Ada not bilingual Franco which Means French must be the native Tongue of the person this is being Practised by a minister of the we have the elite in Manito who feel that the inclusion of English language books in their French Library will cause the contamination of that nothing less than Complete Domi nation of All facets of life in Canada will satisfy As Long As the principal Federal Cabinet portfolios Are controlled by Quebec maps the situation can Only continue to deter Russell Dobson Winnipeg Heads Here comes another War correspondent ;