Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - May 1, 1990, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free May Winnipeg free press 6f Trade Liberty of religion Tofu ahoy of civil rights published seven Days a week at 300 Affton Winnipeg r3c 3c1 by newspapers division of Canadian newspapers company limited Telephone 9439331 a member of the Manitoba press Council Bruce Rudd pub Ferker John Dafoe editorial editor David Lee managing editor Winnipeg free press est 1872 Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 running out of steam heating costs ate about to Rise sharply for downtown buildings that used to rely on Winnipeg Hydro steam from the Amy Street Power the City Council three years ago concluded it could no longer justify absorbing the losses on sales of steam and it announced closure of the the customers have been finding out the costs of conversion to City officials have Long resented the losses they incurred on sales of the biggest beneficiary of the citrate heating was the Federal one of the biggest building landlords within steam heating Range of the Amy Street it never seemed to make much sense that Little from its property tax was subsidizing the mighty Federal government with heating steam supplied at a the losses on steam generation and sales appear in the City Hydro Utility reports at about million a though since the City auditor disputes the Utility Way of pricing and reporting sales of steam to other City the extent of the losses is the losses to the District Are starting to Victor pox Purs could not justify the Cost of conversion to Gas heat for its manufacturing operation and so has moved that work out of the Birt saddlery will close the repair shop on its upper famous players will leave its abandoned metropolitan theatre though this May Lead to damage and eventual decay of that heritage upper stories of the old Royal Bank building on main Street May be the blocks closest to the Amy Street Plant still await economic the civic the Centennial concert Hall and the Manitoba theatre Centre represent a series of efforts to improve and enliven the with Core area initiative the Exchange District was Given a name and its streets were restau galleries and other retail businesses were helped into the Ashdown warehouse is inching its Way toward the surge of private investment has never every project takes heavy govern ment the removal of District steam heat has already emptied some occupied space in the area and May empty More because of the landlords costs of conver Sion to Gas the councils decision to abandon the steam service was based strictly on the costs of operating the Coal burning Plant and the prices that could be charged to the the Council never intended to drive out but it is achieving that in these dying months of the Core area the City still has no clearly articulated plan for the civic Centre closing of the steam Plant suggests that the Council has Given up on the Exchange District and is indifferent to the preservation of the metropolitan private landowners Are unlikely to help improve the area if the Council seems to have lost covering landlords costs for new heating plants cannot be but some fresh Council initiative is needed to show that the area is not simply being Cut nato should take priority the last thing the government should do is to permit itself to be so influenced by the recent crashes of Canadas fighter aircraft that it makes major policy decisions because of its troubles with the one silly suggestion that has been put Forward is that Canadas european squadrons should be recalled to fill the gaps created in Canadia based units by the the argument is that the crashes would make it difficult to maintain the strength of the units in to do this would seriously damage Canadas already limited reputation within there Are real prob lems involving the future of natos european none of which will be solved if one of the two North american members of the embarks on a policy of unilateral Canadas voice in the future of Europe depends on the maintenance of its position in Canadas Opportunity to comment on the redrawing of the map of on the position of a unified Germany on a form of collective defence that will extend Europe longest Ever period of peace depends on staying in nato at current Force when things Are sorted Canada May be Able to have a smaller presence in natos european forces than it has the Alliance May consider that a land presence is coupled with a limited naval the time May come when Canadian fighter aircraft can be withdrawn within an agree to Multila teral reduction of the Canadian government should the temptation to save a Quick few dollars by its contribution to the defence of the threat in Europe was the same threat against which Canadian air defence squadrons Are positioned in Alberta and a diminished threat in Europe is also a diminished threat to Canadian air More serious threat to the stability of Europe would emerge if nato were seen to be breaking apart because its smaller members wanted to save Money by pulling units out regardless of Overall Alliance if Canada has problems with spare parts for its air it should buy not throw a Monkey wrench into nato wasting Money on phones the City of Winnipeg Purchase of three cellular telephones valued at for the fire department has raised the hackles of some who lost out on an open suppliers who know the equipment Well say the department could As easily do its Job with phones which Are listed at half the it is the kind of carping which often accomplishes nothing at All with respect to a specific waste of tax taxpayers who feel their own hackles can be grateful for even belated markings of spending watchdogs who Are moved by silence would be the thinking that tax dollars Are not real dollars and Are at the disposal of senior bureaucrats and politicians who want to Purchase whatever is or merely Handy or has spread like a virus through All Levels of it is the same sort of thinking which causes a City Council to consider that it is Fine to spend thousands of dollars on dishwashers and Glass mugs for their which they can drink while looking at forecasts of a burdensome property tax it is the same sort of thinking which caused prime minister Mulroney to Book into a Paris hotel where the Bill for his entourage was a at the Root is the failure by those who spend tax dollars to distinguish Between what they want and what they need to do their their worse offence is their failure to think of taxpayers who pay for it the cellular telephones purchased for the fire depart ment can do a Fine Job of calling up 121 names and Telephone numbers stored in their memory the mid priced Model could give the fire chief and his two deputies instant recall to 22 fewer the difference them is described by the sales manager of the firm which won the tender As making do with a Volkswagen when a Chevy was the fire depart ment should take note that either vehicle provides transportation and that Many taxpayers ride the six competitors lost out on their bids to provide lowermost telephones because Only the High Cost one met the the fire department drafted those it is Well nigh impossible for City Council who mind the Public to keep watch on that sort of they should have the ability to forestall they need to be alerted when bureaucrats write specifications for purchases to give themselves the very it is easy to dismiss the muted carping by competitors who lost out on a bid As sour City Council should resist the they should Welcome the criticism As taxpayers they should invite the noise of spending even those who howl a Little More of the same would be a very Good Way to attack the spending virus that plagues silence in the face of waste amounts to accepting and condoning making welfare reforms work by Leonard Shifrin special to the free press Ottawa we now have says Toronto daily bread food that welfare reforms the number of people requiring emergency food Aid in metropolitan Toronto recorded its first decline dropping by seven per cent in january and compared to the same months last and the decline was led by welfare recipient families with Young whose food Bank use dropped by almost 25 per january was when the increased shelter allowances and higher child Benefit provisions of Ontario welfare Reform took three months the sup ports to employment program step got under welfare rules usually exempt or of recipients monthly earn and deduct the rest from their welfare when work expenses exceed the As they often recipients lose Money by net earnings by step int based on total but Only net earnings what remains after deducting income child care and unemployment insurance and Canada pension plan it lets a single for keep a month of net earnings plus 20 per cent of the and it ends the Rule barring the fully employed from the provinces Lon term assistance family As the Peterson government pointed out when it introduced the under the old a Wel fare Mother with two children who took an full time Job would be a month worse off than if she stayed on under she continues to get partial and is better savings in Long run the Ontario social assistance re View which proposed the Reform in its 1988 predicted that the measure would save Money in the Long but acknowledged that costs would increase for current recipients to find jobs or get chances to shift from part time to full time work is an extended even the program continues to augment their earnings until they exceed maximum and pro vide supplementation to other work ing poor families who previously received no the first five months of step has fitted the predicted the number of beneficiaries has grown in All three categories of the family benefits program the Dis single and those Over the age of and in All three the pro portion of recipients with earnings and the average amount of their earnings has also single parents show the biggest with the number having earnings jumping from to per and aver age earnings going from a month to before Ontario officials pre the increase in new enrolments will Start tapering and As the proportion of recipients with earn Ings and the average size of their earnings continues to that will Lead to increasing numbers leaving the at that the program will have become what the social Assis Tance review committee said it should be a transitional process leading to self sufficiency for Many recipients As in his budget last Ontario treasurer Bob Nixon was predict ably riled at the Federal government for imposing a ceiling on Canada assistance plan Cost sharing in on and not participating As a full partner in social assistance re province committed Ontario remains he and is introducing a new income tax reduction provision for single parents and the a single Parent with two children will now Start paying provincial tax Only when income reaches instead of that removes one More stumbling Block from the path of welfare recipients making the transition to self Lack of vision i was very interested in an article by Stephen Ostick in the free april 8 in which he relates com ments by Stephen fearing about the indifference displayed by the Cana Dian recording Industry to Canadian what i found particularly ironic was that your own publication is apparently guilty of the same Lack of vision which fear ing referred to in the a specific incident to demonstrate my Point is the Home town festival which took place at the West end cultural Centre in Winnipeg from March 8 to 11 this this co produced by the red River Folk connection and the West end cultural featured 31 acts involving Over 90 performers from Winnipeg and surrounding audiences who attended the five concerts were impressed with the Quality and diversity of our Folk As organizers of the we were very disappointed to see that the print Media chose to completely ignore this while we did not expect to dominate the entertain step Tow fearing ment we feel that the local flavor and artistic Content of the Home town festival deserved bet Ter coverage than it it is obvious that the preference of the free press is to cover the mass consumption forms of entertain we recognize that a major publication has to set its priorities on the basis of Market Howe we feel that a newspaper that represents itself As an integral part of a Community has a responsibility to report on the activities within that the red River Folk for is completing its Sec Ond full season of presenting biweekly Folk music concerts featuring both local and International in those two virtually the Only mention we received in the free press has been a Short announce ment in the listings of upcoming surely your staff could forgo some of the wire service articles about what Dolly Parton is wearing this week to devote More space to local we have spoken to Ostick about this matter previously although he presented some valid we still feel that the current policies of the free press should be reviewed in terms of How locally run arts events Are the red River Folk connection is Only one of a number of local non Volunteer run arts organizations who rely on Media attention to Advance their causes and get the word out to their potential Audi we Are convinced that the Type of music we Are presenting has a sub Stantial audience in this if we can reach the free press is missing out on a great Opportunity to cover some excellent such As the Home town All we can do is continue to present Quality entertainment to Winnipeg and ask that you reconsider your papers current David Ediger artistic director red River Folk connection Winnipeg letters the Winnipeg free press welcomes letters from writers must give their name and names will be used and letters Are subject to a tribute Rural irritation we can All sympathize with the provincial government employees who do not want to relocate because of Homes and other but one word used repeatedly by the Media in connection with this problem is vastly irritating to thousands of Manitoban any location outside Winnipeg is referred to As Funk and wag Nalls dictionary de scribes Rural As pertaining to the country As distinguished from the City or int it time for Winnipeg to acknowledge that there Are other Urban centres in the and to Stop thinking of itself As the Only Oasis in a provincial desert when i lived in Winnipeg was referred to As the so it seems to be partly a matter of Toronto must look very Small to but surely we can All be less chauvinistic in our assessment of cities other than our Billie Macpherson Trade tirade if i am subjected to one More ant free Trade tirade Canada must cancel it a with april 7 by Frances the High priestess of socialist ill re Gurgi her favorite ploy is to find some one anyone who is opposed to the fat and quote them if she must quote Why Doest she quote the last surviving Confounder of the nip who supports the fat perhaps she should consider some facts that is if she can drag herself away from her Apple word sipping on a Coke or Florida Orange juice while watch ing cheers on an Admiral brushing her Teeth with Colgate spread on a Bic Brush after pre brushing with Plax and a Post Rush dose of dousing her hair with Johnson baby Wear ing of dispensing her headaches with and driving to work in a Plymouth All Ameri can americas annual Trade deficit is More than billion of which Canada contributes can Adas total exports Are billion of which billion goes what will Canadian workers do if the closes the Border to us what will Canadian Consumers do what would the Trade deficit be if both countries had the same population with the death of socialism world manufacturers Are look ing to Eastern Europe for markets which could mean supplies coming Here could go there without the every one of those former socialist countries would kill to move their country to Canada to be close to the just because they have always been we take for granted the advantage of living next door to a country that supplies us with most of our consumer goods including our fresh fruit and vegetables for most of the after the falklands War with also thought she could go it alone and stopped trading with in the last year Argentina Cost of living increased per that Means that a wooden Pencil that Cost one cent a year ago now costs Argentina signed a Trade agreement with England in now after four she wants to kill the in glad she want around at confederation in after four she probably would have where is our rail Road that will link us coast coast lets kill Frank Crockett Winnipeg in this International year of liter i wish to pay tribute to the outstanding work of a fellow citizen of Mary Johnson began to draw pub Lic attention during the sixties to difficulties children were encounter ing with after tutoring Stu dents who were having Reading and spelling she was one of the first volunteers to teach English As a second language to new Immi in working As a full time Volunteer during summer projects with University she de signed materials and trained Stu hundreds of Immi Grants Learned to read and write English in these programs at the same University students gained esl teaching in 1978 she became the founding presi Dent of the Winnipeg Volunteer Reading aides recently she transferred owner ship of her literacy aids to the International these were previously sold at minimal Cost through clarity her own distributing this gesture is one More indication of her generosity and concern for those who suffer because of i have never found the equal of her Workbook foundations of Book although she has already received awards for her efforts in both the and i and Many of her coworkers feel that in this year of literacy her contribution should be brought to Public Ruth Bellan Winnipeg private schools in response to Gerry stones Arti Cle dealing with Aid to private schools free april i would say that every student enrolled in a private school relieves the Public purse the Cost of teaching that All that parents of private school students want is the Basic right to pay Only once for educating their natural Justice Dic tates that either state Aid or a tax credit be returned to the by giving parents a Choice for an alternate school to compete with the otherwise provincial monopoly on an even the schools giving the students the better education and learning environment would then receive the greater if this Means that with time the Public school system would be taken Over by a plurality of private schools competing for students by Quality of education and not by so be until the Only Manitoba had the historic anomaly of a Public school system by state after seeing the debacle of the Manitoba schools question of the governments of the newly created provinces of Alberta and British Columbia entrenched into their provincial constitutions the equal funding rights of private the last province to join in has the Strong est financial guarantees for private if a Multi school that is secular and can work Side by Side in the other prov it can surely also work in Jerry Dykman does anyone mind if i smoke ;