Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 10, 1990, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg press january 1990 Patrick City decision on bailout left up to Farmers win fight Over local gum flee mess probe of blast cites list of sins fiery explosion but possible causes numerous Barb with colleague Edith say no new clients can be accepted due to Lack of tiny budget shackles Centre by Aldo Santin inadequate funding has forced a clinic that counsels women who were sexually abused As children to Stop taking new a grit la charged Barbara executive director of the women pos treatment said letters were sent last week to More than 100 agencies that refer clients to the Centre advising them new referrals could not be we already have a waiting list of 140 Ball it would be impossible for us to take any More the matter was raised in the legis lature yesterday by Liberal Avis who asked family services minister Charlotte Oleson to intervene and solve this Gray Ellis blamed the centres prob lems on inadequate government Oleson said she want aware of the projects financial adding she would meet its Board of directors if but Ball said the funding shortage has not been created by the were not attacking she they gave us 58percent More than last the problem is we Haven been Able to secure an adequate level of funding and the need for the service has grown at a far greater rate than we or anyone could have tremendous need the which opened in pro Vides lon term counselling to women who were victims of child sexual abuse and who have drug and alcohol dependent Ball said the Centre has a budget of from the province and from the alcoholism foundation of Manitoba and a permanent staff of the Centre also has contracts with the Core area initiative and the provinces victims assistance committee to provide two additional Ball said there is a tremendous need in the Community for lon term counselling of women who were sexually abused As and the Centre cannot fill that were afraid to let people know about us because there Are so few services available to the she Ball said the Centre is trying to establish a larger funding adding other agencies will be Gray the Centre needs a minimum budget of almost to provide Ade quate heavy Gray put too much pressure on the existing staff and some Centre employees recently Gray said High staff turnover threatens the lon term viability of the if you Start getting staff it will make a big difference on a Small Gray family services staff should discuss the centres funding Gray adding there May be ways to solve the crisis other than by raising the by Pauline Comeau a seven month probe into an explosion at a Boniface chemical recycling Plant has unearthed a Litany of questionable safety procedures by the company As Well As breaches of civic and provincial As the provincial fire commissioners 24page released cited lax enforcement of provincial Laws and a Lack of legislation to govern the highly changing needs in the despite these the report said that damage to the site was so massive the exact cause of the fiery blast at Solvith re sources Plant last june May never be the recycling Plant was destroyed june 15 by an explosion that sent fireballs into the night Shook Homes and buildings within several and forced an evacuation of the the investigation identified a number of events or circumstances which or in combination with each could have resulted in the fire and the report potential causes Are listed under three categories equipment solvent leaks from inside or outside the building being ignited by a passing car or other and labor minister Gerrie Ham mond said no specific evidence of arson was uncovered by but that the Case is still being studied by Winnipeg potential for explosion evaluation of the facts reveals an Industrial process at with several inherent any one of which had the potential to cause the the com missioners document there were serious omissions of important safety but the report also cited deficiencies else the report noted that Drums containing flammable material were not stored far enough from and that neither the City fire department nor the City permits Branch had issued a permit for the company to occupy the the fire commissioners office made Sev eral recommendations to the Filmon govern the report Calls for the immediate identification of similar plants in the City and onsite it suggests that lon term goals need to be including standards for those handling hazardous More cooperation Between All Levels of government to share technological and other safety info and tougher fire Hammond said her department has identified prime motor oils As the Only other chemical recycling As she the department has toughened its followup inspection companies now found to be in breach of any even if the breach is not integral to the immediate safety of the will have their licences she the explosion has brought out some areas that we need to clean up Ham mond the report has been turned Over to the workplace safety and health review Hammond said it will be the committees Job to come up with suggestions for future nip Leader Gary doer said the results of the report have done nothing to quell his demand for a Public information obtained by the nip indicates that besides safety concerns about equipment and Stor there Are also questions about How much stored waste was on the councillor quits joint committee Deputy mayor Dave Brown has stepped Down from a joint committee overseeing a Linden Woods housing development by the City and Gen Star development finance committee chairman Ernie Gilroy said yesterday Brown does not want to be the cites representative on the joint committee any Browns involvement in the Linden Woods housing development was criticized after the free press revealed his company planned to seek a subcontract on new development work pro posed As a second phase of the current Gilroy said councils representatives Are appointed to oversee the existing not the proposed new the finance committee yesterday appointed Marcel Laurendeau University As its representative on the committee overseeing the joint development it also asked Assiniboine Par fort Garry Community committee to pick a second coun cil councils representatives on the committee previously were Brown and former councillor Don who was Defeated in the 25 civic Brown Waverley could not be reached last but in an interview prior to the october municipal elec Brown said he would not seek reaffirmation As chairman of civic works and operations he said he wanted to avoid any possibility of criticism that there May be a conflict Between his role on the committee and his private business by Janet Mcfarland City councillors got a taste of the High Cost of High tech yesterday request for million to replace a computer bought just five years City works and operations commissioner Rod Mcrae asked the finance committee to approve the expenditure this year to replace the computer that handles Central processing for All civic the total Cost of the new system Over the t Ulber glue to mtg pc Tiv get taste of High techs High Cost i will be Mcrae said administrators did not buy a Billing system for its other capital budget items dealt ii of Jar i an tit a tract Vimr Tea m 1 Stoa r next six years will be Mcrae said in an interview the City is computerizing its functions changes to Bridge plan we bought a computer that was adequate for the but with the additional Applina weve found its lived its he computer technology is changing so rap idly that five or six years is not a Long Mcrae said administrators did not buy a computer with More or with the ability to be greatly because they did not realize the usage would grow so if we dont replace we would have to freeze any new systems he once you Start amending existing com Puter its like sticking band aids at some you have to go Hack and redevelop the City will computerize its property assessments in 1990 and develop a new Billing system for its Mcrae said the expanding social services department is using 30 per cent of the existing computers he said the existing which was bought will be the new computer will also Likely be a hand Down system from a Large corporation or govern he the finance committee also agreed to spend another in 1990 to continue the automation of its assessment and for a computerized records sys tem in the City clerks other capital budget items dealt with yesterday by the finance committee included d for additional funding that May be required for the cites ongoing participation in the Gen Star development agree d million to subdivide and install ser vices for the last 54 lots in the South Tuxedo d million to install heating equipment in City buildings after the Hydro steam Plant closes in Canada Post worker delivers bum steer Elspeth Campbell figured she was getting a senseless runaround from a Canada Post customer services so she asked to speak to a supervisor to double Check the information she was being Bob who Heads up this department in later told me this Type of scenario was a daily event in his i was told the supervisor was out of the office and it want possible to speak with Campbell when she called me the other the lady insisted that what she was telling me was Post office policy and that was they i just didst believe the stuff she was telling me was so that Why i asked to speak to her Back to Verhaeghe it happens every Day people dont accept the sense of the things that Are being told to they immediately demand to speak to a they dont believe that the person they Are talking to is capable of giving them the youve guessed it Campbells Hunch about the customer services officer giving her a bum steer was she make any sense of what she was being told and certainly didst believe the person was capable of giving her the right information Mike Ward to his quickly recognized one of his staff had blown it and personally intervened to straighten out the this is what happened a single Parent of a Sty Yearld had a falling out with her sister a number of years on Christmas the sister called to make amends and said she had mailed a containing a track toys and to her Nice Way to say the Only Campbell told was her estranged sister had sent the parcel to her old apartment in a House on Sanford Fleming Road in Transcona where she haunt lived for three years and no longer knew who lived when Canada Post opened for business after the she called customer relations and spoke to a lady named the problem and asking Iftner Transcona Post office depot and sent on to her new address on Pritchard i knew it probably haunt arrived in Canada because my sister told me she had missed the Christmas mailing Campbell Colleen said the Post office this time of the there were thousands of parcels being sorted and to try and find mine would be far too she said it would be mailed Back to i reminded her that the parcel probably haunt arrived in so it would miss the but she stuck to her the next the woman called thinks she spoke to the same customer services clerk to ask How about if i fill out a new change address card she told me that help because change address Doest include that when i asked to speak to her Verhaeghe said parcels Are included that would have been one of the we could have also attempted to have notified the supervisor in the area where the parcel was addressed to this particular he added quite but not i dont i have thought it would be difficult at that not until Barbara a colleague Here at the free press provided me yesterday with this if Bruce Wholl be having a birthday this wants to know where his Drivers licence renewal papers i can Tell him there in the mail for the third the licence renewal cards were mailed to Saunders at his Lanark Street Home by the Manitoba Driver and vehicle licensing but instead were delivered to Robson Beaverbrook Street put it Back in the mail with the notation delivered in a couple of Days it was re delivered to her out of consideration to she dropped it off at the main Post office downtown on a possible clue is that the envelope shows an upside stamped Box with those two magic words postal code in French As code from this i have to assume the Lanark address bore the wrong postal As Robson address has the right postal code for the wrong i guess till be in her mail unless it occurs to a postal clerk or delivery person to read the various notations on the like Robson last missive for gawd Send it to the right whats the betting it int returned to sender add Margaret do kens countdown to Christmas was kind of each the Cost to remove the ignition key from her older Model car increased a Hundred or so Bucks As it became Clear the entire mechanism had to be she finally said enough is when the repair shop at Keystone Ford on Regent Avenue told her the Bill also included a towing do kens husband and her Stepson had towed the vehicle to Keystone on to Cut a Long Story Dokken called i called Jack Campbell at Keystone and he lopped off the part of i was for charging her a new because a Mechanic found the old one was that not surprising because do kens car had been waiting to be repaired during that last frigid spell we for More than a week and not plugged victim of an injustice that bureaucracy write Mike hell look into it ;