Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 12, 1990, Winnipeg, Manitoba 10 january via end of the line employees demonstrate to bitter end mess by John Mcphee it was noisy and cold outside win Nipges Union station yesterday As passing cars honked in support of railway workers who braved icy winds to protest cuts to the via rail passenger were out in the cold now be cause the government left us out in the protester Stan Pogorzelec a great loss he was one of about eight Mem Bers of the brotherhood of transport and general workers Union marched in front of the station wearing Black armbands and carry ing placards denouncing the the protests Are to run until Mon when the cuts come into from 8 to and from 4 to 6 were getting a lot of support from the Public so Pogorzelec were just trying to make it known that cutting the train service is a great the pickets tried to make the Best of the cold and the Circum stances As they joked among them selves and encouraged passing motorists to honk in support of the fight against the one Laid off Josanne Fer said she was treated the Way they Are cutting jobs is she Ive been work ing for via for five but they say that in a seasonal so i was one of those Ferrand said she still had Hopes that someday she would be called Back to if the cuts Arent too i could be called another picket who lost his Curtis said he was frustrated and they should be expanding the train not Cut Ting local Union chairman Dave Haz Litt said the workers Are determined to fight the cuts until the we had about 25 people picketing at one time this he even those whose jobs Are protected want to prove a Point that the trains should not be via rail employees protest passenger rail cutbacks at Union station by asking motorists to honk in support a urbanite uprooted As Toronto run scrapped up photo up Joanne and Gordon Mcdonald never thought cuts to via rail service would mean they have to sell their dream Home in the country and move Back to on the passenger line service the Mcdonalds have relied on to commute to work in Canadas largest City wont be dropping the twice daily Toronto to Havelock run is part of Ottawa five year plan to Cut Vias service in half across the train has to be Here for us to be Mcdonald said yesterday in an interview on the train As it lumbered through Toronto suburban its the second time the death Knell has sounded for the 163kilometre the line was first Cut by the liberals in but was resurrected by the tories in 1985 to make Good on an election prom we believed what they tories told us they put the train Back on As Long As we used Mcdonald confident the train was there to Many passengers moved to Small communities along the runs 12 stops to escape Toronto High priced clogged streets and major link the train has been the major link connecting them to the world they gladly left behind that was until via announced the Toronto have lock line and four other Ontario routes were being scrapped along with several others across the Mcdonalds say there is Only one solution to their problem sell their beloved Home in about 60 Kilometres West of this Southeastern Ontario and look for an affordable condominium in we wanted to get we liked the life of a Small town and were going to hate to have to Gordon Mcdonald in another Judy Stewart puts Down her knitting and shakes her head after listening to the Mcdon i bought my House in port Perry knowing the train was she now were going to have to drive to adding at least an hour to my Stewart is among several Passen Gers who plan to commute by bus to just East of to take the go transit commuter train ser vice operated by the others Are resigned to fight tray some Are trying to organize car Many passengers will Board the train for the last time but they wont get off at their regular Treyve organized a potluck sup per on the train a sort of Wake then theres a party at a local Judy Stewart left and Debbie Soanes catch up on some knitting on train to Toronto doer blast Filmon for refusal to join Legal fight 89 festive 4 great Economy fwd kit 4 to choose from drive a r Only factory 90 Topaz o a 70 4 Orwith stereo much finance in 17 to choose from i by Pauline Comeau both opposition leaders blasted Premier Gary Filmon yesterday for his refusal to join with other prov inces in court Battles against the Federal governments via rail we cannot depend on the pre Mier of Manitoba to defend Manila Liberal Leader Sharon car stairs he is not prepared to stand up to the prime minister and his Federal tory cousins in he would rather just make speeches and state Carstairs said Filmon could take the Case to court on the grounds that the Federal government has a constitutional duty to keep the country connected from coast to last the supreme court ruled the rail service on Van Couver Island was a condition of British Columbia entering confederation in 1871 and was constitutionally nip Leader Gary doer said the constitutional Angle was a slim one but that Filmon should join the premiers of new Brunswick and Nova Scotia in arguing that Ottawa had failed to conduct the necessary environmental Impact assessments before deciding on the a group of 15 municipalities in Nova new Brunswick and Ontario is involved in an application to be heard in Federal court of Canada today in the group is seeking an injunction on the via cuts until a Royal commission on passenger travel releases its final report which is not expected until groups Hope to Blunt via rail axe in court doer noted the Mulroney govern ment had lost two similar Battles in court Over the Raffert Alameda dam project in he said Filmon should Back up claims that Manitoba is against the via cuts with court action in an area like the where Ottawa has Al ready shown when we have to go from Diplo Matic fighting to full scale oppose Filmon is nowhere to be doer argued that Nei ther the Rafferty example or the constitutional Angle applied to Mani Tobas As he he still believed fighting the cuts through political lobbying was the most effective layoffs 90 Ranger cab f i970 few Anim 3 to choose drive away for Only 90 Aerostat Wagon Captain chairs much fun Untim 9 to choose As Low As 369 90 fi50 super cab 6 to choose As Low As s189 89 Cougar is 2 to choose drive away for Only s Ottawa up thousands of jobs and rail passenger service to hundreds of communities were to be on the line today in the Federal court of three Days before via rail Canada passenger service is to be Cut by two groups were to try to persuade the court to Block the fed eral governments planned announced in having gone through the process the government followed in this its Clear that they did through the Back door what they could never have done through the front lawyer Lawrence Greenspon he is representing a backed by scores of municipal governments and other that wants the court to Grant an injunction which would prevent any cuts in via rail service until the Royal commission on passenger transportation makes its final expected in the supported by green1 peace and new Democrat my Iain wants the Cabinet orders terminating 18 of 38 via rail trains set they say the government didst do a proper environmental assessment of the Impact of reduced train Federal lawyers will try to get the court to throw out the two saying the government acted legally in terminating the trains As the the Liberal government did in 1981 when it chopped 20 per cent of via rails of the via workers who Are members of the National brotherhood of transport and general will be losing their by i 1 i 1 275 shop Craft workers will also be losing their As Well As 600 no unionized 89 Taurus with stereo 6 to choose from your Lincoln town Gar loaded 6 to choose from your 89 thu Errard 6 to choose from your 19 6rand Nar Juis full size luxury 5 to choose from your 89 4 door with air and 15 to choose from your 89 Continental 1 Only at this Price refers id suggested Price freight taxes not based on 48 month lease with 0 Down Mac 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