Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 6, 1990, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press january paged Patrick City editor Ashton blasts tories on health anxious via workers await word on tenants unperturbed by report of upcoming auction by Kim Guttormson Many residents of place promenade were surprised yesterday to hear the apartment building is to go on the auction Many tenants who had just heard the news did not want to but others predicted private ownership would i think it should come under private said Ralph owner of promenade Market grocery located in the its More flexible than government were doing half the business of what we expected to do when we started in its been a big disappointment to if things dont pick Well close or Snippe said he is taking things Darby Day and an auction will not affect some tenants were less i really dont know what to said Janice there very Nice apart but the rents Are unreasonably i dont think Well be renewing our Paul Macdonald thought Selling the build ing was probably a Good at least in the Long but he said he didst intend to renew his lease because the Complex Hast lived up to his place promenade is slated for Public auction its Village at Portage place rousing Are in arrears totalling about spokesmen for the company could not be reached for Manitoba housing and renewal holds an first mortgage on the Canada mortgage and housing holds a second mortgage Worth million and insures the first mortgage and North Portage development holds a third North Portage development took Over management of the building in May after Village at Portage place housing defaulted on the first and third Issie president of the development said he wants to bail place promenade out and prevent it from going to we can keep place promenade going if we bring the arrears on the Mort Gage up to he said were not showing indiscretion with pub Lic Coop were guarding the Public we cant afford not to prevent it from going to its Money were going to lose if we dont step we think we can turn it Accident probed police investigate a single vehicle Accident at Pem Bina Highway and Dudley Avenue yesterday after the car struck the Centre hit a tree and came to rest centimetres from a High voltage the Driver was shaken up but other Wise uninjured in the Birks seeks civic property tax break by Janet Mcfarland the City is being asked to reduce the property taxes on the Birks building because the possibility of a historic designation has made it unattractive to the cites finance committee will decide tuesday whether to Grant the retroactive to on the 78yearold build ing at Portage Avenue and Smith Mike Oshaughnessy a member of the historical buildings commit said he has never heard of a company asking for a tax break on a building that has not yet been designated if i were i would request the building be evaluated and get to know where they stand instead of going whining to the finance Oshaughnessy demolition prohibited the building is one of More than on Winnipeg conservation the buildings have been earmarked and cannot be but have not been studied we might decide not to list it at Oshaughnessy there Are As Many buildings we decide not to list As we decide to Birks director of real Lido Pelle said that the Portage place opened in september has been greatly responsible for the demise of retail stores on Portage Birks moved into Portage place in Pellegrini said the company had to move because it would have been alone on the he said Birks has been advised that the building would be designated historic if it is but Oshaughnessy said a decision to sell would cause the building to be not necessarily Pellegrini said the building has been More than somewhat difficult to in the company will have to incur additional expenses to change the buildings heating system because the cites steam Plant is Pellegrini said Birks had not anticipated the Cost because it thought the building would be sold Long before that la demands Road be improved by John Arendt the province should Widen Sturgeon Road Between Saskatchewan Avenue and Inkster Liberal la Iva Yeo said the Road now is two lanes with soft gravel she also said the 90 Speed limit is too Yeo Sturgeon Creek told a news con Ference More than vehicles travel the two Lane Road an increase of 93 per cent since it is not equipped to handle that volume of she there have been 38 major accidents on the stretch of Road Over the past five Yeo that includes an Acci Dent last Christmas eve in which five people were police believe icy Road conditions contributed to the Christmas eve but Are still for the past four the Rural municipality of which Borders on Winnipeg near Sturgeon has urged improvements to the Yeo she said she wants the Road widened before the proposed Moray Street Bridge is com part of Sturgeon is under provincial jurisdiction and part is the responsibility of the said Lowell a spokesman for Winnipeg streets and transportation Ken a planning Engineer with the said there were no plans to upgrade the Road in the next five charged police officer remains on Active duty a Winnipeg police officer charged with impaired driving and refusing a Breatha Lyser test remains on Active duty pending a suspension William Linberry a 22 month member of the was formally charged five Days after police say he fell asleep at the wheel of his girlfriends car while waiting for a red Light to change at Pembina Highway and Plaza police said Symons was alone and off duty at the time of the a suspension hearing is set for Early next Symons is to appear in court around in a couple of acting Urban affairs minister Jim Ernst said he didst think buying out the first mortgage would help North Portage development is in a third mortgage position and in order to protect their investment they have to buy out the first i dont think they have the Money and presumably it be to their economic he he said Urban affairs minister Gerry Ducharme would be Back next week and would have to speak with North Portage development to see what its plans minorities lash civic hiring ethnic groups screened out of City spokesman claims by Jim Timlick some visible minorities Are being discouraged from applying for City of Winnipeg jobs because they see few of their Peers being say local ethnic Amrit a spokesman for the cites East Indian said there is Little incentive for visible minorities to apply because few Are he said Crown corporations like Manitoba Hydro and Manitoba Telephone system have made a More concerted Effort to hire ethnic minorities than the mayor Bill Norrie said tuesday he is disappointed the City has had difficulty attracting minority applicants for full time and summer i dont think that mayor Norrie is not telling the a lot of our people have applied but when we do we Are screened Prabhakar give us a helping Nam past Vic president of the Viet namese association of said the City has failed to reach out to the ethnic Vul said that in order for More visible minorities to apply to the City they have to know jobs Are available and How to get the system has to take an extra step to give us a hand to help us get Vul Many members of the Community Are proud and dont want to come for the City has to reach out to Norrie said in an interview that the City has taken a More Active approach in trying to recruit ethnic Community members for the last four he said the cites police department has a higher ratio of minority members than any other in Norrie said there is not a larger minority presence in the City workforce is because it takes time for Lon term career positions to become yes were trying to integrate were trying a lot harder then we were a few years ago and that a major the fact that they May not see too Many members of their own Community be a Wade local president of the National Black said the City has made Many promises to ethnic communities but few of them have been lived up the City of Winnipeg is not making a conscious Effort of recruiting ethnic Minori Williams there have been a number of programs approved but they have not implemented the there just Williams said of the minorities hired by the City there Are few in upper or Middle management As of september the City of Winnipeg employed a total of of those people Only or five per were members of ethnic minorities while 93 per cent were either caucasian men or Harold coordinator of the cites race relations said there is a sense of frustration in Winnipeg ethnic Rampersad said that while there have been some increases in the number of visible minorities hired by the the numbers Are he said although the number of ethnic minorities hired by the City in creased in 1989 by about eight per cent it was a net increase of Only eight i would say the interest to hire Minori ties is there but i dont think the City is trying hard he Rampersad said few minorities have been hired by the City since its equal employment Opportunity program was instituted about eight years he suggested the City should look at making changes to the Way the program is including How it is advertised to the general Dost president of the Pakistan cultural equation of said some Type of quota system is needed to ensure jobs for minorities in the mughal said Mem Bers of his Community have been systematically denied jobs with the City despite having the proper if there Are 100 jobs there should be a certain number filled by the ethnic commune he we can do whatever the Job is but we have to be Given a Norrie said the cites policy is to provide equal Opportunity to All minorities but it does not advocate affirmative i think wed All like to see the number higher but what you have to remember Are there Are certain qualifications that have to be Jessie a spokesman for Winni pegs filipino said Many ethnic minorities do have the proper but the problem is their accreditation Doest apply to City of Winnipeg proposed Bureau attacked i know some people who just came Here a month ago and qualify but cant get a Job with the she its been that Way since i came Here 15 years Rampersad said it would be up to certify ing such As the Manitoba medical to change their Char ters before the City could accept foreign another suggestion being considered is the implementation of a speakers Bureau to Tell ethnic groups about civic Williams lambasted the saying it will be a waste of taxpayers he said it will create a duplication of services since the City already has a race relations com Mittee which can handle the the Manitoba intercultural Council could also assist the City in getting the message out to the ethnic he there will be no real Benefit coming put of a speakers they Are spending Money in the wrong cabbies take mentally ill woman for ride some of the stunts people pull in this City really sicken but having said i guess the two cab Drivers who took an elderly lady for a ride May have done her a favor because Shes now in Hospital receiving much needed psychiatric i dont think her health was uppermost in the minds of these two each of whom charged to take her to Garden City shopping push her around the stores in her be bought lunch and then return her As it i have heard All about this if her son Greg a night housekeeping worker at the health sciences haunt mentioned quite in when he called me he wanted to comment on a column id written that Day about a Man called Doug Logan not getting any fresh air since being taken to the Winnipeg remand Centre four months ago and being denied a Low cholesterol diet hed been on following heart surgery a year Tymchyshyn said the column which dealt with overcrowding at the no outside exercise no medical care a cities and continual government delays Mike Ward on building a new Centre brought Back painful memories for him and his his died 2 years ago after an epileptic seizure at the staff had moved him from a cell to the drunk tank where he could be More easily the arrested earlier that Day after failing to appear in court on an impaired driving died six hours at an inquest held the following provincial court judge Kris Stefanson called on the government to provide a medical observation unit at the that was two years still no Tymchyshyn then As i kind of in that his mothers health had gone downhill quite rapidly after his Brothers it prompted him to add this comment while in talking about my and while Ive got you on the let me Tell you about these two uni City cab Drivers taking advantage of sick the reason i mention it is because uni City Doest seem to care and in concerned about other people getting into the same Type of Tymchyshyn explained that his 67yearold a widow for 20 has suffered mental on and for a number of the week before she called uni City asking the Drivers who came to her Northend Home to take her when we went round to her one of the Days before the she starts telling us about this new Boyfriend Shes she said Hes a taxi Driver and Shes going to Many then it All came out about him taking her to Garden City and spending four hours pushing her in her wheelchair from store to store and having soup he said his Mother told him shed paid the first Driver by the second Driver a combination of Cash and a we got this first Fellows name and my later talked to she told him that my Mother had thought of him As a Etc Etera that she was going to marry him and pointed out that Hes 35 years Shes 67 years he said he had to idea my Mother was ill and that he was just doing his that even from the conversation that our Mother was having with we Felt the Driver should have realized that my Mother was not completely mentally in any kind of conversation you can Tell Shes not Sylvia spoke to one of the supervisors at As and he said nothing could be done because the Drivers Are Independent contractors and have to do the passengers a couple of Days another seventy five Bucks on a she had her wheelchair with her they went from store to store once looking at different my Mother says she was looking for an expensive fur coat and a purse to her total monthly pension is about owe went Down Tonicity and spoke to another saying his Drivers should have the sense to know that something is wrong with he said the same As the other nothing could be i reached Wayne Unic itys acting general prepared to give him Heck about the supervisors i didst have he was As mad about what had happened As i seventy five dollars wow that seems he we do have a lot of customers who do the same you ask us to wait while they slip into a but ill have to talk to the Drivers about we dont want this kind of thing it seems this lady was taken advantage if a lady or gentleman shows signs of being mentally then its up to a Driver to know How to Deal with said he wanted to make sure this happen to somebody else mom or dad or mentally ill towns said hell make every Effort to insure it As of this particular Ladys name was put on a uni City bulletin Board advising Telephone operators about the Ladys if we know ahead of time about people who Are mentally then there can be absolutely no excuse for this kind of thing happening Ever he victim of an injustice that bureaucracy wont write Mike hell look into it ;