Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 27, 1990, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press april 1990 Page i multicultural Centre suits Forks Best by Abraham Arnold special to the free press mayor Bill no Fries suggestion that a multicultural Centre at the Forks would be too Bland is just one of a series of profoundly a edifying statements emanating in recent weeks from members of Winnipeg City Council and from other Politi Cal leaders and bureaucrats concerned with the building of Cul Tural and related Gene the head of the Mani Toba Folk arts was Correct in suggesting that a multicultural Centre would Only be Bland if it became a year round Norrie has now explained in his a multicultural Centre would be a very difficult thing to work because it is not possible to blend 39 groups into he seems to think that ethnic groups can Only maintain their distinctive characteristics in separate can it be that Norrie is Unin formed of the fact that our eth no cultural groups Are learning to work together beyond while retaining their distinctive in the Manitoba multicultural resources which has Al ready proven its Worth the Mani Toba intercultural Council is also playing an important even though it sometimes acts As though it is still searching for its a True multicultural Howe will surely help to Advance the important work done by the the Mic and the Folk arts thus if there is to be a new cultural Centre of any kind at the Forks of our historic Rivers it should certainly be much More disturbing than nor Ries too Bland comment was the gratuitous assertion of Federal Energy minister Jake Epp that criticism of the plan for a German cultural Centre at the Forks was the use of that odious term in this Case was clearly snap Ever since a committee on race relations was first established by City Council in the Early the vast majority of councillors have been conspicuous by their absence from its work if the record was better in this regard it would hardly have been necessary for Harold the cites race relations to strongly urge in his annual report that All senior administrators and City councillors should become More involved in the of the race seminars race relations seminars for elected officials and bureaucrats at each level of government in Mani Toba should be Given very serious such seminars might help to eliminate the Unen lightened approach taken by All those who thought it was Fine for a German Centre to be Given priority Over a multicultural this approach also demonstrates Igno Rance of from letters to the editor in the free press it becomes Clear that the German Canadian Congress does not have unanimous support for its project even among groups who have some German Back apart from the location Contro it is noteworthy that the honorable Wilhelm he is proposed As the name of the German cultural wherever the Centre is eventually located the record of William As he is known in the history largely confirms that he deserves to be honoured in this members of the Hespeler including age Immi grated to Canada from Germany in focus Hespeler deserves to be but not at Forks 1850 and settled in while visiting in Germany in William Hespeler Learned of the plight of the mennonites in South he became on behalf of the Canadian govern in persuading some of the mennonites to Migrate to Canada and helped to establish the first mennonite colonies in in 1873 Hespeler was appointed by the Federal government As its Immi Gration agent in Winnipeg and it was in this capacity that he welcomed and assisted the mennonites who began to Settle in Manitoba in Hespeler served As immigration agent Here for about ten years and during his tenure a Large number of jewish refugees from Russia arrived in Manitoba in the Spring of the jews had been promised Homestead land but when they arrived no land was available for them in spite of the fact that their Canadian Patron was sir Alexander a father of confederation who was then serving As Canadas first High commissioner in Lon Early in gait renewed his Appeal to the government in Ottawa asking that the jews be granted some of the spare mennonite townships or some of the land assigned to colonization companies who had failed to bring out gait knew whereof he spoke regarding the mennonite re since vast tracts of land had been set aside for the mennonites who were to have occupied All their land by but in 1880 their immigration virtually thus when the jews came Here in land was being held in Reserve on All by the Hudson Bay by the Canadian Pacific and by the colonization in addition to the the unclaimed mennonite but no one was ready to free up some of the land for the the government immigration agents of that Era did not look favourably on the William Hespeler was away when they arrived but his War wrote to Ottawa within a month of their arrival asking that the jewish immigration be stopped for various they would not work on the jewish some were utterly useless for this be cause they were Blind or too old to work while others were too when William Hespeler returned to his Post in july he followed up his Deputy report by calling the jew ish immigration a mistaken move and asserting that the jews never will become agriculture he also criticized the jews for having no knowledge of support for jews there was support for the from civic and Church leaders and from the Manitoba free the newspaper questioned the governments attitude to the refugees and charged there had been misrepresentation regard ing the Promise of land and help for the the free press of 1882 wrote a couple of editorials criticizing the mismanagement of Immi Grant based on the treat ment accorded the who were housed in the Forks immigration William Hespeler went on to be come German Consul for Manitoba in later he entered was elected to the Manitoba Legisla and served As speaker of the House before he in the decade after the arrival of the first russian jews Hespeler apparently changed his in 1890 he was serving As Winnipeg manager for the Imperial Trust company of he Learned at this time that Baron Maurice de the european jewish banker and railway was consid ering a Gigantic jewish emigration move from Poland and Romania to the Canadian North involving a corresponding this moved him to write to his principals in Sug Gesting they offer their services to the and when the Baron de Hirsch Institute in Montreal began planning for a jewish settlement in the West which became the Hirsch Hespeler wrote them Early in 1892 offering advice and help based on his experience with the mennonite vested interest Back in Hespeler unfriendly comments about the jews May have been because he had a vested interest at that time in holding the Manitoba lands open for the hoped for additional mennonite some of whom did come this history lesson should help to make it Clear that sometimes Well intentioned people make prejudiced and discriminatory remarks against members of minority groups for mixed often involving business or other person Al this does not Lessen the racist connotations of such re in the current situation at the Forks and at City while recognizing racism for what it we should also realize that Winni Peg is suffering from an edifice of involves putting up More new buildings than we really while old historic buildings Are abandoned and face in the Forks situation in Partick before deciding on any new building it would be a Good idea to discuss in a or some other appropriate How Best to give expression to Manito Bas multicultural heritage at that historic lets give primary attention to the considered views of our aboriginal first per haps we dont really need another new building at the perhaps the need for a multicultural Centre As Well As a German Centre might be met in some of the historic buildings now standing and unused the the atre and the metropolitan since his retirement As director of Abraham Arnold has been doing research and writing in Canadian jewish kleins political career hinges on environmental decision Edmonton while some in Alberta trumpet environment minister Ralph Klein for pre others whisper about another the popular politician might be out of politics within a one event could bring this if Cabinet overturns the results of the Albert Pacific pulp Mill and allows construction to Start this kleins position would be in hed have to Swallow a lot of Pride to and the betting is that hed rather go Back to Calgary As a private citizen than knuckle Klein and his people wont talk about of they wont even hint at but its Well known around the legislature that Klein gambled his reputation on his ability to put the billion Mill on hold Don braid in Alberta until proper environmental studies Are its also very obvious that Premier Don Getty wants to see the Mill built As quickly As even though he endorsed the Deci Sion to delay Klein has his mostly Urban ministers who see the growing inter est in but Getty keeps getting pulled Back to the tories Rural especially in the where there is still a great yearning for jobs and All the government people who went to Athabasca to announce the delay say it was a gut wrenching As people who want jobs accused the government of theres no that some people in government including Getty Arent going out of their Way to help after Getty accepted the review he began to criticize its find placing Klein in an Embarrass ing when the minister was supposed to find somebody to review the re port he came up with the finnish firm which made a pro Mill recommendation in he has been limply explaining Ever since Why this Doest its Worth asking Why Klein didst know about the Jaak opotry it was done for two economic development and so it want easily available to environment but the name want challenged when approval for the new study whistled through Cabi net didst anybody there know about Jaako Porys earlier work if they did they keep silent to Hurt Klein another whiff of incompetence arose when Klein first named people to the Alpaca one member had to quit because he was so obviously associated with the move ment to build the in that kleins own people didst do their this they got no help from draft Bill then theres the draft Bill for a new natural resources conserva Tion which was leaked to new Democrat environment critic John who promptly made it pub the draft showed that Cabinet would be Able to exempt even pulp from a Rob scr this embarrassed nobody More than the provision has now been but the damage was its hard to resist the conclusion that somebody leaked the draft to further weaken the ministers All this is going on amid growing talk that the or some phase of will soon be Klein has never been opposed to this As Long As the environmental work is favor if the government some How Steps around the need for More scientific or uses the Jaako Potry review to elude them Klein wont have much the Alberta tories most popular minis Ter could be an a politician in a Don braid is a Calgary Urald Ralph Klein irate readers take aim at the morning free press the free press became a morning newspaper last saturday and the first week of new deadlines and delivery times had some read especially sports bewildered and demanding that was to be in years of performing an ombudsman 9to5 weekday High wire act of balancing Reader complaints and concerns with the realities of reporting the news and publishing a daily Ive Learned that any no matter How is certain to upset some going morning was no Little Reader response reflects 1 fielded 68 Calls in the first three Days of this Many of them from subscribers in Rural Manitoba and Northwestern other in handled As Many or More the concerns of the readers Ive listened to went beyond disappointment at missing sports repeated sports pre 7 the annoyance of changing their personal routines and concern for car Rier boys and girls toiling so Early in the Here Are just a few of their Many observations and criticisms treating Rural Manitoban like second class subscribers said flin flon resident Bob i never received Friday sports stats and a person would have to be awfully dumb not to see that this new morning newspaper is a step Back everybody in a hockey Pool needs up Odate added John of Selkirk today old sports scores and news int Good enough for you cant Call yourself a daily newspaper and provide coverage like d Pauline Westlake asked did the free press take a poll of its readers to see if they were in favor of the change to morning delivery it seems Only common sense to want to know what your readers Westlake said she plans to give the up two weeks and if it Doest improve then ill ombudsman Barry Mullin limited in was the free press trying to get rid of Young carriers by going morning asked Margaret it just seems to me that when the cold weather comes it will be so uncomfortable for boys and girls that the move will be to adult Carrier boys and girls Are As valuable to a newspapers As the people who produce the going mornings has forced some carriers to make a it also has Given the youngsters because of afterschool act deliver an evening the Opportunity to become morning the advantage of morning Deli very for Rural residents asked Jim of Grosse like several other Rural said farm chores and Day jobs dont make a morning newspaper compatible with Rural i think youll find Rural folks read the paper in the theres no advantage in having it at 7 Harris said his paper now will be left on the approach to his Home where cars can run Over it All d i thought new technology was supposed to improve said Charles Wood resident Harold if the free press cant do better than today old sports then i have no recourse but to find another newspaper that suits my needs or depend on radio and television for scores and its a pity there int the Competition that there was with the old Rural readers from Sioux Lookout and red to Swan River and flin flon expressed dissatisfaction with the sports in particular hockey scor ing baseball line scores and Golf Money theres no sense getting it two Days said Robert of Sioux what news we got was old news now its just in my column on april i alerted readers to deadline changes and the Impact the earlier news deadlines would have on Rural i also described a wrinkle in Home delivery for some suburban subscribers each managing editor David Lee explained that a press Start for the sunday which includes the zoned City and Rural will mean some City subscribers will receive first edition Rural papers printed before a half hour press that is when changes relates Are made to several including an updated sports record Charleswood residents Andy Couchman and several others called about that particular in said Couchman like the he explained How he didst receive a sports record for his sunday paper was a first run and contained mostly Friday sports which hed already received in his related saturday earlier deadlines for morning delivery mean Rural readers receive today old sports As a Winnipeg resident i dont think its fair that i get partial results every sunday and a Friend across the River gets More up Odate said i pay the same Price As everyone else and i feel 1 have a right to the freshest your ads Tell me its fresh in the i can Only conclude that its production manager Bill bolter and circulation director Ron Keith acknowledge the wrinkle in the Southwest and possibly the Northeast zoned weeklies both said they will try to resolve the assessment some customers Are unhappy with the morning just As i am sure there Are others who Welcome i also know the Many difficulties associated with printing newspapers during the week and almost each distributing them on schedule to Carrier boys and girls throughout the province and making sure the papers reach single copy Sellers and Street boxes in order to compete with other morning one week is much too soon to judge the extent of Reader no doubt it will take time for some readers to adjust to the morning free How Long that will take is As difficult to determine As it is to accurately gauge the displeasure and unhappiness expressed by some subscribers these past few some particularly those who seem to demand sports coverage and sports May have reacted in knee Jerk Only time will doonesbury by Garry Trudeau Mats p is that mat sketch has Ken ply a6rezp to my Square quilt 427 and Yuppie fabric ;