Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 15, 1987, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press july 1987 3 charges opposed in beating bus Union to fight private local victim Impact reports attacked by Andrew Duffy Manitoba judges Are so inconsistent in their approach to Impact statements that lawyers face a Crapshoot every time they appear in a defence lawyer charged it is almost Luck of the draw for the Crown or the Hymie Weinstein told Justice Aubrey Hirschfield of court of Queens you will show up one Day and get the victim Impact statements accepted by one judge and the next Day someone else will reject in arguing for Hirschfield to disregard a victim Impact statement in the Case of Quoc Ahn Iran a Viet namese landed immigrant convicted of sexually assaulting a girl going away party last year Wein Stein said the court has to adopt a consistent View towards the re either they have to be accepted or not be Hirschfield decided to ignore the victim Impact saying he had grave concerns about their value in subjective reports i am concerned about the subjectivity of these the judge noting he would rather have the victim testify in court so the Evi Dence could be subjected to crossed Hirschfield said he had concerns about the preparation of the the statements Are written by a person who Likely has social psychology training which lends itself to self serving and subjective question ing of a the judge the coordinator of the victim Impact statement project and author of the report being considered by the court said victim interviews Are geared to be As objective As Theresa Clarke said she inter views victims using a designed to avoid leading questions that would suggest this just emphasizes the need for legislation which would allow the Impact statements to be entered at the time of Only through changes to the Crim Inal code can the place of victims in the Justice system be Clarke Manitoba victim Impact of four Federal Pilot projects in the country began in january 1986 and is to end at the end of this earlier this Manitoba court of Appeal lashed out at Impact statements As hearsay the judges said there is no criminal code provision for their in asking the court to accept the victim statement Crown attorney Bob Gosman argued the report is no different than letters of reference filed by the defence and routinely accepted by the he said to be the court accept any material unless it is specifically provided for by the criminal of landside Street was convicted last month of sexually assaulting during a House party March who planned to move to was guest of Honor at the court was screaming the victim testified Tran attacked her in the washroom of the Home As she was preparing to leave the when she resisted and began he hit her several threw her to the floor and began choking the girl Weinstein told the judge Tran was a vietnamese refugee who came to Canada in october 1984 after spend ing a year in a refugee in sentencing the Man to 15 months in the judge said May never get the Chance to prove he can be a productive member of Canadian trans foolish and wrongful criminal act could destroy his ability to become a Canadian Hirschfield Winnipeg free press Katherine with is at loggerheads with her landlord Over puss housing authority tenant told to get rid of mouse busting cat by Shane Minkin a Winnipeg woman says she ref uses to get rid of her pet cat until her landlord gets rid of the mice that Are plaguing Katherine said she Only cat after repeated complaints to the Winnipeg regional housing authority about the mice went i Haven seen a mouse in Here since i got the cat about eight Zickell said last adding she knows of several other tenants who have she said building management tried several times to fumigate the located at 477 Ross but the vermin kept coming the Fum Gator told me the Only Way to get rid of the mice is to Burn the building Down because they Are she he also suggested getting a i go on living with the so i finally got a Zickell said mice destroyed hundreds of dollars Worth of food and Ive seen them crawling around the on the Kitchen table and weve found them in the Washer and dryer and there was a nest of them in my she said the property Marion came to her apartment yesterday morning and told her that either she or the cat had to Sutherland apparently spotted the cat while it was asleep on the window she i told mice would re turn if the cat was forced to go and she said she didst i told her to get rid of her pet mice and ill get rid of my pet Zickell she told me the mice we rent her pets and i told her they certainly we rent a single Parent and nurses aide who lives in the subsidized apartment with her son to said her request to be transferred to a mouse free build ing was turned Down and she can not afford to live anywhere what there saying is i have to get rid of my and live in a mouse infested apart she Sutherland said she was aware of the but policy pre vented her from making any state ments to the senior housing authority officials could not be reached for comment councillors crackdown in Battle against biting dogs by Mary Ann Fitzgerald councillors on City councils finance committee called yesterday for tougher controls in the dog bylaw in a move aimed primarily but not solely at pit Bull they said a report by Pound officials recommending More discretionary Powers to declare a dog vicious and a 10fold increase in the maximum Fine was Good but could be Are we protecting the dog or Are we protecting the Public questioned Alf he objected to the proposed amendment to the Pound bylaw that would classify a dog vicious if it had been impounded on two previous occasions for the Elmwood councillor said that meant a dog got three that an animal has no feeling about he has feeling about what Hes got his Teeth the committee agreed the Defini Tion should be tightened to classify a dog As vicious on the second committee members referred the report to the cites Law department to advise them on the Impact of several options it the Pound report said 81 German 20 18 collies and 17 Doberman Pinchers were impounded for biting in com pared to 12 pit there were 277 do biting incidents reported in forthe first six months of this 52 17 la 10 collies and seven pit Bull terriers had been impounded for the report didst say if the dogs were it recommended a dog be declared vicious by Pound or police officers for reasons other than the number of times it had been attack dogs the factors that should be consid would include whether and How Many times the dog has bitten if the bites occurred while the dog was under the control of or on the property of the the severity of the whether the dog was provoked and other Circum finance committee chairman Harold Macdonald suggested the list should include dogs trained or bred to fight or the report also recommended that the Fine for a first biting offence be increased to from and the Fine for a second biting offence Rise to from with the third the present provisions allow a magistrate to order the animal impounded or Des troyed and to award damages to be paid by the owner to a bite the report suggested several other alternatives for including Banning particular Breeds with a history of biting from the City and requiring owners of dogs with a history of one bite to obtain liability other suggestions included ban Ning any animal identified As vicious from property its confining a vicious dog to a run or other effective humane Struc Ture to protect the Public or other animals from Banning particular Breeds with a history of bit ing from All but the owners property and increasing licence fees for particular Breeds that have a history of we Are not talking about pre venting every dog bite in the Macdonald Corydon we Are trying to control vicious Don Gerrie Riverview said guard dogs should be dealt with in separate City committee backs closing of steam Plant by David Roberts a City committee has approved closing the Central steam heating a move which would Force 200 downtown businesses to convert to Gas or electric heat at a Cost of More than in said Joel Cooper controller of Silverman a downtown client served by the Amy Street the operated by Winnipeg has been losing Money for Hydro general manager Ken Hallson the City once studied converting the Coa burning to a Gar but provincial and Federal governments quite obviously the problem was Hallson said of the scrapped a report considered by civic works and operations committee yesterday says 54 per cent of the steam plants customers Are private businesses in the Core but the Plant also heats the Public safety pantages play House the Centennial con Cert the civic Centre the main Post office and the Canad an Grain commission the Hydro report says the Plant lost million last year and could lose More this with a dwindling customer base aggravated by the plants deteriorating physical condition the operation is not commercially i the report works committee approved Hydro suggestion the Plant cease commercial operation june the closing would affect 65 Plant members of the Canadian Union of Public some of the staff would probably be required for the alternative heat ing the report the remainder would be super Umery and would either be re trained and relocated or Laid Rory acting president of cupe local said he was confident the staff would find alternative work with the works committee councillors agreed to advise the province the closing is necessary due to Lack of support for an Hallson denied the move was an attempt to provoke the province into reconsidering its support for a Gar bag burning i want taking a shot at the he they have their reasons for not supporting capital costs in Buck Laschuk said senior Pic consisting of since fired president Carl Laufer and five of the current six Vic Epresi kept him in the dark about the extent of the the plants closing must still be approved by civic executive policy committee and City Hallson estimated customers will face at least million in capital costs to convert to Gas or electric he noted steam customers would have faced similar costs if the Plant was Cooperman and several other downtown businessmen warned the Price of conversion will Force some steam customers to move from downtown or even Alf manager of Birt saddlery on main said his firm Analysed the Price of convert ing to Gas some years ago in Antici pation of the steam Plant it was extremely by aut Opac cited by Radha Krishnan Thampi Manitoba Public insurance automobile division has lost at least million during the first six months of the current fiscal Pic sources the sources also said Pic presi Dent Robert Silver has commissioned several external studies in an Effort to Stop the heavy Drain on the corporations Pic minister John Buck Laschuk and Silver were tight lipped yester Day when opposition Leader Gary Filmon repeatedly asked them about pics financial Buck Laschuk told Filmon that giving a monthly report on pics books would be he said the Best time to make such information Public was later this year or Early in when the corporations annual report is re Filmon maintained that in a state ment earlier this year the minis Ter said Pic keeps a monthly breakdown of profits and last Buck Laschuk released Auto acs anticipated loss of Mil pics 1986 annual report shows aut Opac lost million in its last fiscal which ended during an interview Buck Laschuk said aut Opac claims from Winnipeg motorists had soared in he then provided a monthly break Down of claims and said Pic spent million on claims in de he said that was per cent More than the claims in which Cost the Corpora Tion if the current trend Well be forced to look at consider Able rate increases next Buck Laschuk said at the Filmon noted yesterday that Pic increased its Auto insurance tory to probe legality of Gay pamphlet by John Lyons a progressive conservative la says he will investigate the possibility a pamphlet distributed by a Gay youth group is Denis Rocan Turtle Mountain said yesterday the pamphlet encourages homosexuality for youths under which is Rocan refused comment on How he will go about his he said the distributed by Winnipeg Gay lesbian is an attempt to destroy the morals of Young government Money should not go to Aid the he Stefan is being paid under the provincial Ca reer Start program to work 10 weeks for the which claims to represent Gays 25 and the pamphlet asks such questions As if youve never slept with a person of the same sex and enjoyed is it possible that All you need is a Good Gay Lover and Why do you insist on flaunting your heterosexuality cant you just be what you Are and keep it quiet another question asks How can you become a whole person if you limit yourself to exclusive heterosexuality you at least try to develop your healthy homosexual Side Fedorowich said yesterday the questions Are not intended to encourage Young people to become he said the questions Are commonly asked of homosexuals and the pamphlet reverses the role to show How heterosexual attitudes demean i dont agree with he we put them in there to show How malicious those questions we dont encourage people to be anything except who they you cant encourage people to be Homo its something that inside each of Rocan questioned the need for the pamphlets questions if they Are not intended to encourage Homo sex he said the career Start program benefits Many Community but such groups should be investigated before they Are Given there cutting Back the Winni Peg Beach yet they have enough to keep Stefan Fedorowich Rocan where Are the priorities Fedorowich said the pamphlet was put together in the before he joined the 20member Volunteer group june he is the Only paid member of the employment services spokesman Janice Little said the group was Given Money because it met eligibility criteria As a Community non profit she said Fedorowich work involves corresponding for the writing a newsletter and establish ing a premiums by nine to 30 per cent Early this yet still faces major he said ministers responsible for the department of Manfor and the Manitoba Telephone system regularly Issue monthly or quarterly financial i wonder Why Pic cant do the Buck Laschuk said its impossible to predict the figures and it would not serve any purpose to speculate on profits or Filmon said the corporation was in a management crisis because of Sil vers Lack of experience in the insurance during a legislative committee meeting last Filmon and Deputy tory Leader Don Orchard tried to tie a former Deputy minister of Crown to the alleged coverup in 1984 of pics reinsurance Silver told Orchard he haunt or dered any shredding or alteration of Pic documents in March when the reinsurance controversy erupt not not not not not Ever did i undertake any alteration of rec Silver outside the committee or Chard said he had information sever Al documents were either altered or shredded in late March or Early april after the controversy started with the release of pics 198586 annual the corporation haunt made pub Lic its reinsurance losses before this in Buck Laschuk said senior Pic consisting of fired president Carl Laufer and five of the current six Vic Epresi kept him in the dark about the extent of the the minister had insisted he knew Only last fall of the full extent of the reinsurance Laufer said he had fully informed the minister of the reinsurance estimated at in late Buck Laschuk said he had known in 1984 Pic was facing about million in incurred but unreported losses and that he opted to cover it Over a five year Orchard told the legislative committee the corporation had sent a full report on Pic finances to cabinets economic re sources investment committee ministers in february that report was prepared on silvers the minister said he made the re port available to provincial auditor Fred Jackson yesterday afternoon so he could see it didst contain the reinsurance loss ;