Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 16, 1990, Winnipeg, Manitoba Do k Winnipeg free press january paged Patrick City editor 1990 Mother jailed 90 Days for leaving Tot Mccrae seeks advice on my private stake in Block remains mystery by Aldo Santin and Ruth Teichroeb there is no Way of knowing How much Money if any private developers invested in the ill fated place a free press investigation found the developers either committed million to the or were Able to build it using government Mort with about million to even Issie president of North Portage development acknowledged he has no Way of knowing How much the private developers put into the asked if the developers could have completed the apartments without investing their own Coop said its he then suggested the question be posed to officials of Canada Mort Gage and housing and Manitoba housing and renewal the two Crown agencies that provided most of the mortgage Money for the they said the developers Village at Portage place housing Sank several million dollars into what they said was a lion but other local developers said the 376suite Complex could have been built for anywhere from million to directors of Village at Portage place have turned Down several re quests to discuss the projects financing with the free an affidavit filed by a senior company official says that Village at Portage place spent million in construction costs and was forced to provide a Cash Bond against its first Federal and provincial lenders gave Village at Portage place Mort gages totalling million for residential portion of the North Portage development provided one loan of million to offset costs associated with building the upper level of the two level parking and paid the entire Cost of building the lower level of the parking when i heard about the govern ment i How could any body be that stupid when it Doest Cost that much to build said Martin a Winnipeg Deve Loper who built the 900unit fort Garry you cant blame Imperial Vil Lage at Portage because they take what they can like any Bergen said he could have built the project for but said developers without his financing advantages would probably have had to spend about or per his estimates included Pur chasing land and putting in ser vices costs which Village at por Tage place did not based on Bergens the developers could have built the project entirely with government funds and had million left but Barbara spokesman for Manitoba housing and renewal said government Cost Esti mates indicated that the apartments would Cost or per that is an eminently reason Able Cost per czech based on that Cost Marc gave Village at Portage place an first mortgage and Canada mortgage and housing gave an additional mortgage that was interest free for 15 Chc spokesman Roy Nichol also disputed Bergens Cost estimates and said that four years ago the maximum guideline for funding Les expensive social housing was per perhaps he Bergen can build a lot but the costs of place promenade were in the president of a local real estate firm expressed Surprise at the government agencies Cost that sounds very Martin of Winfield realty from to per unit is a More reasonable Range to a Developer who is negotiating with Village at Portage place to bail them out of their financial woes said the apartments Cost Between and per unit to i strongly disagree with any suggestion that More Money could have been put into the project than was necessary to build Arnie Thor president of shelter of it a Manni it of la Ras press civic Board split Over sewer plan foot Loose tory my Dorothy Bobbie does her Warmup exercises yesterday before joining a group of seniors in Portage place who were leading a weekly shopping mall walking exercise program for senior citizens called foot Loose and fancy auditor reports Paul Reeve billed for meetings she didst attend by Glen Mackenzie an auditors report has found the Reeve of West Paul billed the municipality for about for 19 meetings she failed to a councillor in the municipality said last Bob Carter said the dated reported that Reeve Linda Mcdonald did not attend 19 meetings outside the municipality for which she claimed Carter said the incidents came to Light at a special Council meeting last shortly before the municipal election in which Reeve since Defeated two other the municipality a Winnipeg was asked to do a special audit of All councillors expenses for out municipality meet Carter the Only irregularities that turned up involved he said councillors receive a while the Reeve gets a Carter councillors Are also compensated for expenses of going to meetings outside the munic including he said who be reached last night for is preparing a response to the Audi tors Carter also said ramp arrived at the Rural municipality office yesterday and picked up a copy of the he refused comment on whether Mcdonald should saying Council should hear her response to the by Janet Mcfarland the cites Board of commissioners is publicly divided Over a plan to extend water and sewer services to a Section of East Paul that could earn the City up to chief commissioner Rick Frost has recommended councils executive policy committee reject extend ing services to the 127hectare area because it would encourage develop ment contrary to the cites Long term but works and operations commissioner Rod Mcrae said Environ mental problems with septic tanks and the potential for earnings should make the Case an Mcrae said in an interview yesterday this is Only the third time commissioners have publicly disa greed since Winnipeg amalgamated in but he said the Choice made by the policy committee tomorrow will not Divide senior adm Nistra its not a Palace Mcrae its just a difference of Opin Ion on a single if it goes against ill accept in a report supported by other members of the Frost said expansion makes sense environmentally and but the ser vices should not be provided unless the affected streets Are brought within the cites any proposal to extend Munici pal services to the of East Paul contravenes the intent of the policies and objectives of plan win Frost Reeve Don Melnyk of East Paul said yesterday the idea of bringing the affected streets within the cites boundaries would never be we Are vehemently opposed to any form of Melnyk said in an he said the City should provide the expansion be cause it has the necessary facilities in the ground weve been very Good to the City of Melnyk we gave up assessment of land for the for the perimeter High and for Hydro Mcrae and former finance com missioner Les who retired this disagreed with Frost and issued a dissenting they said the City would earn almost by allowing Resi dents living on 44 hectares of land on Eastwood drive and Foxgrove ave nue to Hook into water and sewer lines in North if the 84 remaining acres of land South of the perimeter Highway in East Paul Are hooked up As they become the City would earn a total of Mcrae said yesterday he does not support the second phase of expansion into the undeveloped area because it would encourage further housing the underground pipes would accommodate development needs As far North As the Howe Mcrae also said there have been environmental concerns reported with the septic tanks being used by residents of there overloaded and a num Ber of them Are so there getting septic flow out into the property and into the he said Council should expand services to the two streets condition Al on a requirement the drainage sewers on both streets be expanded whenever the roads Are next Frost said expanding services would set a precedent for dealing with other fringe such As West heading Ley and minister rejects Large lot plan Urban affairs minister Gerry Ducharme has rejected yet another of City councils requests for an amendment to Winnipeg land plan Ning Ducharme has refused to support councils 1987 request to convert Rural land in Boniface for Large lot residential in a letter dated Ducharme told the City it would be inappropriate to create More Large lot residential land when there already is a he said a planned review of plan the cites Lon term plan Ning May determine if or when the land will Ever be re Classi the land is bounded by the red River flood Way on the Lagimodiere Boulevard on the the perimeter Highway on the North and Plessis Road on the Claudette a senior planner in the Urban affairs said yesterday Ducharms decision was delayed because the department was studying Winnipeg Supply of demand for Large lot develop Toupin said Ducharme has rejected six plan Winnipeg amendments since becoming Urban affairs min Derby free press River walk earthmoving equipment works behind the legis Boine River Bank to make Way for a Marina and native building to take away part of the Assin Walkway link with the Forks area two traders committed to Grain fraud trial two Winnipeg men and a commodities firm have been committed to stand trial on fraud special prosecutor Ray Flett said yesterday provincial court judge Harold Gyles has committed Gustav Joseph deslauriers and Wil Liam Ross along with West can commodities to stand trial for defraud ing can Grain Flett said the charge deals with incidents in Winnipeg and Vancouver Between and that involved trading futures contracts in Chicago and Kansas that involved in profits to which those charged represented As legitimate he said the committal order yesterday came after a five week preliminary hearing that ended and he expects the men will stand trial this Flett said John Jacob Hesselaar pleaded guilty 1 to a related fraud charge involving can and was sentenced to two years in Hesselaar had been scans chief executive deslauriers was scans director of trading and Hainstock was future trading customer of reporter shortage delays court by Dan Lett a shortage of court reporters caused delays and postponements in five Winnipeg court rooms yesterday and the provinces chief court reporter says it May be several months before additional staff can be Harold Dent said a combination of employees on sick leave and an already depleted Pool of reporters caused problems in two court of Queens Bench and three provincial court rooms it is difficult to find qualified court reporters in Manitoba because most of the schools that train them Are in other he the vacancies the result of retirements and resignations have not come at a Good Dent As the province struggles to halve courtroom five reporters have been hired since a but the additions were unable to keep up with those he the result is that resources have been stretched extremely he we still have to fill six Dent but because its a Field that requires some training and the schools Are put of in not sure where were going to find Dent said the province has already advertised in British Saskatchewan and Ontario for qualified but it May be necessary to mount another advertising which will again delay further he court whose salaries in Manitoba Range from to must Complete a two year program at a pos secondary school to qualify for a Dent in the Dent work is being done to coordinate court scheduling across the province so that different jurisdictions Are not competing for court you have to consider that were working not Only in but in the Swan Brandon and por Tage la Dent ;