Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - May 23, 1989, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free May 1989 Winnipeg free press Freedom of Trade Liberty of religion Equality of civil rights published seven Days a week at 300 Carlton Winnipeg r3c 3d by newspapers division of Canadian newspapers company limited Telephone 9439331 a member of the Manitoba press Council Arthur Wood publisher John Dafoe editorial Page editor Murray Burt managing editor Rudy Redekop controller Winnipeg free press est 1872 Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 editorials first Steps to better balance the Filmon government has taken some helpful first Steps toward slowing the growth of Winnipeg Domi Nance Over the Premier has put a Jack in charge of Rural opened Cabinet office branches in Brandon and Thompson and assigned a task Force to nominate government operations that could be established outside because the departments and agencies tend to Cluster close to the seat of government is especially hard to they the Only employers who work directly under orders from the provincial despite the moving government offices is the quickest Way to show Concrete results from a decentralization and Rural development Premier Filmon and Penner will have to Lay Down some principles and define some objectives for the decentralization and Rural develop ment it can easily decay into a fruitless scatter ing of government goodies in Rural districts which voted conservative last it can Lay new costs on govern ment operations without noticeably improving the econ omy or the living conditions of Rural the speech from the throne provided a description of the problem to be solved pressure on social services resulting from Rural the governments strategy to strengthen Rural the speech includes decentralizing delivery of Provin Cial government Filmon added a further explanation in his press conference Winnipeg can and does grow on its own but government intervention is needed to ensure development for Rural it seems if the experience of other Canadian provinces and other countries is any that Young people will continue leaving Rural districts and Small seeking work and starting their families in larger in Winnipeg or outside Manitoba it is probably not in the Power of the provincial government to prevent that slow but steady shift which has continued without interruption in Manitoba at least for the last forty the government notice the difficulties that result and try to minimize one difficulty is that Manitoba has Only one fully equipped City for Rural migrants to move Brandon and attractive and pleasant communities for their cannot compete with the the labor the International transport links and the commercial services that Are available in As a Urban Drift in Manitoba Means that one City keeps getting bigger and now accounts for More than half of the provincial that same City is also the provincial capital and a unified municipal Juristic it elects More than half of the provincial legislature even though the electoral boundaries Are skewed to the advantage of Rural part of the solution would be to focus provincial Effort on Thompson and the Filmon government intends to help renovate the Keystone Centre in bran which is one place to it should also be improving the Community colleges and the hospitals in those it should be reviewing its own Industrial development programs and those of the Federal govern ment to help ensure that those cities have Strong and varied Job it should be pressing for improved rail and air service for Brandon and if the government scatters a land titles office for one electoral an agriculture department Laboratory for simply to give every conservative Back Bencher a ribbon to Cut in the name of then the dominance of Winnipeg will grow the policy should aim to create More choices for the Rural resident who does As a percentage of Rural residents have been doing for years upping stakes and moving to the it should aim to give them More cities to move blocking Points it May be Only coincidence and not a deathbed that has prompted the Manitoba Law society to offer to match the fees charged by an Organiza Tion of former policemen who want the right to represent Manitoban on traffic if the list of lawyers produced by the Law society of Manitoba is just a it is a remarkable the Law having failed to frighten off the new group by the belligerent tone of its is now saying that cheap and efficient service on traffic tickets has been available in Manitoba All along and that the list of lawyers willing to work economically on behalf of their clients is proof of this would be a remarkable coincidence that has been unnoticed in the the new which Calls itself Points provincial offences information and traffic ticket services has been successful in setting up shop in Ontario and Alberta precisely because lawyers there left a void in service As far As traffic ticket offences Are the matter is becoming More important to More not Only because of the fines that usually follow conviction on traffic but because of the longer term penalties that build up on Drivers licence As the organizations probably the most significant development in the attempts by Points to overcome the objections of the Law society has been the inability of Points to find a lawyer in Manitoba willing to represent it it has been forced to wait until its Toronto lawyer can obtain the necessary recognition in Manitoba so that he can appear in courtrooms in this province on behalf of his there no Manitoba lawyer willing to go up against the Law society on the the Legal obstacles to Points do not Stop even the Manitoba motor leagues application to in arguments on the injunction was opposed by the Law which argued that the Mil would Only be presenting the same arguments As Points it is Clear that the Law society is doing its Best to prevent anyone who happens to agree with Points from putting Forth arguments which will support the new representatives of Points make an interesting where they Are permitted to they lawyers have no hesitation in referring work to because of their expertise in a narrow Field of the Law where lawyers Are not very particularly at the rates charged by the new claw Back int a betrayal identify real problems first the White paper on education which the Filmon government has promised to write could be the Occa Sion for a careful look at weaknesses in the Public the Community colleges and the universities of education minister Len Derkach should not hobble the exercise within the Small View expressed in the speech from the the aim which the government announced was a Reform of school Law that would make the education system More accessible and want of Access and want of Are the least of the prob lems in Manitoba the school Law is Only a minor source of problems for the a Large fraction of the students who Start High school never the committee that conducted the High school review started under the Pawley government estimated last year that about on third of each High school class drops literacy studies suggest that Many of those who finish High school suffer crippling deficiencies in Basic in Many Manitoba High especially those outside a student gets an education which is not adequate for later University the University of Manitoba annual tabulation of High schools of origin of its freshmen and its graduates is eloquent and hundreds of the Manitoba students who Start High school each year unwittingly close a door to University because they enter the wrong High dropping out and dead end courses Are not problems of Access or of flexibility and they do not originate in education overcrowded classrooms in the universities and Lack of promotion opportunities for Middle rank University teachers will not be noticed in a study of the Type the throne speech Derkach should not Start writing a White paper of solutions until he has a Fuller grasp of the problems to be by Wilson special to the free press Ottawa the groups accusing the government of betrayal for use of the tax system to claw Back benefits of social programs from those who do not need them should study the beginnings of Universal they would find on the Public record Complete and explicit discus Sions of the philosophical views underlying this principle As it affected introduction of family allowances and old age the first pro Grams to which it unemployment insurance started earlier but was restricted to the income groups considered the most Likely to be it was not Universal until the present system was introduced by Bryce Mackasey in 1971 there was no Effort by the Liber als who were in Power 40 years ago to Duck the obvious truth that universality would give Many canadians help from their fellow taxpayers which they did not need indeed would be better off than most of the taxpayers subsidizing the great Appeal of the Universal principle was that it avoided the need for Means few who did not live through the 1930s could understand now the disgust those words great disrepute use of Means tests before any welfare was available had been so brutal and unfeeling in its application both Here and in Britain which still had a Strong influence on Cana Dian thinking in those Days that the whole notion was in great nowadays the Means test involved in the guarantee income supple ment is applied sensibly and without causing unnecessary offence through the income tax the Issue was a Lively if the humiliations of Means tests were to be avoided As a great Many agreed they should be How could the unfairness of taxing those of modest Means to Aid the affluent be avoided the late 1940s and the Early 1950s were not affluent times that was an important question then a great Many people were concerned that the answer should be cheques returned the answer that More or less satisfied everyone who accepted at All the idea of the welfare state was that the benefits would be taxed Back from those who did not need the income tax which then involved very High rates for the could be counted on to do this in a rough and ready this disposed of the ques Tion for most people but not for some affluent of whom John Diefenbaker was Felt strongly that it was wrong for them to receive the benefits at All and simply re turned their monthly cheques to the the term claw Back is relatively new and uncouth but the tax Back aspect of universality has been there since the although As marginal tax rates have dropped it has been honoured More in the breach than in even when marginal rates were so High that they came close to being confiscatory it was found that about 85 per cent of the payments to the Wel Todo was All the state managed to it was freely argued that the administrative costs of raising this to total recovery would be so great that there would be no Benefit to the Treasury from doing the greatest argument in favor of universality disappeared Dur ing prime minister pearsons Peri it was considered necessary to introduce an income supplement for elderly people who really needed this meant that it had to be income related but the words Means test were still one of pearsons officials thought up an acceptable alternative it was described As a needs test and it was also found that need could be established from income tax re turns with no humiliation of the first step when he introduced the present system of unemployment insure Mackasey was Frank at least with this writer although per haps not quite As much so with his colleagues in Cabinet that it had been designed with the intention that it would become the first step in a guaranteed annual income it has never become but Many of its flaws Stem from this conflict of purposes it has been More than insurance without becoming part of a wider in the eyes of anyone who cares for historical accuracy there can be no valid foundation for the claim that the new claw Back betrays the philosophy of universality it has always been part of rat list defence minister Mcknight has launched a Public relations Effort to convince canadians that sound eco nomic and management decisions were used in selecting the 14 Canad an military bases for closure or significant scaling he has said that political decision criteria were not used in selecting this Mili tary hit there Are several questions and suggested answers we canadians May wish to d of the 14 Canadian forces bases on the hit How Many Are located in opposition constituencies answer Dof the remaining three bases in government held How Many bases Are located in Manitoba answer Manitoba numerically is the big Gest loser on the hit list and is slated defence minister Mcknight to lose Over military d How Many of the 14 Are in elector Al areas represented by people who Are opponents or who Are adamantly out of favor with the Mulroney government answer d How Many of the bases Are located in the province with the most publicly supportive Premier of Mulroney government answer none for Grant de vines which also happens to be Mcknight dhow Many military jobs will be lost in Quebec and the two provinces which elected the highest percentage of government maps answer Quebec will lose 166 an insignificant number Given its six million population which elected the highest percent age of conservative will have a net increase of military through the Transfer to Edmonton of personnel from a base scheduled for closure in in analysing the military base hit list there is a definite and Clear political pattern in who loses How Many military jobs and by How Ottawa especially those with Little National political such As Manitoba and Prince Edward will be bearing a staggeringly disproportionate High share of military Job con Ottawa with significant political will be Bear ing Little or no Job it appears More than reasonable to conclude that our National government favors a Politi Cal Reward and punishment system in a Zero sum military budget is it too much to ask for Ottawa to demonstrate leadership in bringing us together As a Federal nation the unequal Burden inflicted by the military it list would indicate Washer Winnipeg letters the Winnipeg free press welcomes letters from writers must give their name and names will be used and letters Are subject to proud uniform i hear that selected men from other countries Are being sworn into the Royal Canadian mounted they Are Welcome let them join hearts and hands and perform their duties along with other Loyal who Are dedicated men and women protecting the people of this vast our mounted police have proud and distinctive and the head beards and Kir pans of other countries Are not conducive and should not be worn on duty can you imagine our men in Blue on the or officers cruising around the wearing turbans and beards besides their regulation weapons i am not but a principle does come to the we Welcome these men and their families to our cities across if they choose to remain Here and be they should All be proud in becoming canadians and Wear the uniform of our province and this letter is not meant to create but to Point out and sustain our Canadian Stephenson Winnipeg breaking the Law it is interesting to note Henry Morgentaler attorneys comments about the protesters who took part in the blockage of the Corydon Avenue abortion apparently Morgentaler and Brodsky take a dim View of the protesters Ness to trespass property in order to save human they decry the breaking of the How soon they Only a few scant years ago Morgentaler descended upon Manitoba declaring his intent to break the Law by taking the lives of children not yet for a certain of when he was arrested he declared his intention to repeatedly break the he claimed to have High his ideals involved killing the operation Rescue style protesters have High ideals As they want to save which is a More Noble motive for breaking the Law Joanne Hatherly Joyce Willows Diana Reimer Ken Stade Winnipeg Carrier family As Manitoba born seniors and longtime subscribers to the free we would like to draw your attention to James a free press Jim has been our paperboy for at least two Jim was preceded by his sister and Jennifer took the place of her eldest this in our represents All that is Good about our Young people of we have found them to be kind and helpful caring and considerate of old and Young a great credit to their family and commune we appreciate them so much i can Only say that they have to the Quality of life for my husband and myself during the past 12 hopefully and others like will carry Canadas fun Nora Johnston Winnipeg clarification the editorial saving defence bureaucracy free May 1 re quires correction and clarification with respect to pensions available to members of the Canadian it is not True that every member of the armed forces has available a full pension at the end of 25 years As the annuity Avail Able to service personnel after 25 years service is in most cases insufficient to fully support the member without additional As members of the we pay into two main the Canada pension plan cup and the of superannuation act plan our entitle ments under the cup Are identical to those of any civilian and pay ments commence Between age 60 and under the a members entitlement is based on the average of Best six years salary times two per cent for each year of service to a maximum of 35 years service 70 per if a noncommissioned member leaves with less than 25 years this figure is reduced by five per cent for each year less than for officers below the rank of this figure is 28 years for colonels and 30 years is the first Point where the reduction does not with Between 10 and 20 years the member May choose a return of contributions or a deferred and Small annuity which does not commence until age Canadian forces personnel pay for their i have personally not been eligible to make payments into an resp for several years having surpassed the yearly contributions to the Casa our company pension As an although we must pay Pic premiums until we Are not eligible for Pic upon retirement from beyond 20 years of unless we obtain other employment and subsequently leave that insurance please read All of members with very few exceptions must retire at age without such a provision our ability to maintain a Young fighting Force would be seriously our personnel Are All subject to annual fitness tests and must maintain their weight below stringent i know of no civilian other than police which makes such requirements of their even our generals and admirals May be required to Fly sail on ships or operate in the As citizens we must All ask our selves whether the purpose of our military is to be prepared to fight or to become desk bound bureaucrats meeting nonmilitary Doerksen lieutenant colonel base administration officer ;