Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - September 28, 1992, Winnipeg, Manitoba Saturdays Section Brian Cole 6977232 Winnipeg free press local september 199j see red Over plan to Cut coverage b1 by Donald Campbell Teg Slathe reporter i he Manitoba onto Netric society is upset by provincial government plans to limit medicare coverage for Eye exam saying it removes effective screening for vision but health minister Don Orchard has shot stating that All medi Cal needs will still be met and most provinces have similar 1 cant accept he it would mean there Are tremendous numbers of Blind people every where except the optometric society Learned in a meeting last week the province plans to restrict coverage of com plete Eye exams to one every 24 Likely beginning Manitoban Are entitled to one a society president Scott Mun dle is critical of the move in a 22 memo to the which he wrote after learning of the government did not consult care providers or nor did it Eval uate primary vision cares general cos Benefit of specific preventative he i am requesting a meeting with the minister of health to Challenge these Benefit on the basis of How the decision was and the unconsidered risk to Public both of which is sues Are in direct contravention of the ministers much espoused health action Mundle comment on the memo until he has met Orchard said the government will Marc free press six Earold Ron whose native name is running was among people who celebrated at annual powwow a today Celebration of sobriety a Long journey to self esteem by Dan Lett staff reporter Wil Johnson has travelled a great distance in the last three a trip that cant be measured in Mere feet and inside a hockey Arena that hosting a sobriety just blocks away from the meanest Corners of main Street and Higgins Johnson leans Back and smiles at his Foster who Are running Back and Forth nipping at his inside the native dancers Pound their feet on the Concrete floor and the sound of clanging tin and pounding Drums fills the air As several Hundred people celebrate the Joy of being drug and alcohol free at the second annual sobriety pow three years Johnson was fighting a losing Battle with alcohol in the beverage rooms of the main Street an automobile detailed at a City car has made the return trip to this intercity Only this time to celebrate his Victory and to support the struggles of others who suffer from the demons of drug and alcohol its a Day byway 24 hours a the Youthful Cranberry Portage native i had a problem with alcohol for a lot of years and i want Able to do anything about i would Only stay sober for a Short time and then i would get drunk but three years Johnson put himself into Pritchard House rehabilitation a program of the native alcoholism Council of along with attending meetings of alcoholics Johnson said he has been Able to control his compulsion to drink while also getting in touch with his spiritual at Pritchard Johnson was Able to work on his dependency and learn about the Power of native spiritual for the first six months it was really he but As i became More and More involved in my the compulsion became less and Barry organizer of the powwow and a counsellor at the native alcoholism said the weekend event was designed not Only to celebrate spiritual Healing but to support and congratulate those people who have successfully completed drug and alcohol rehab this the today Celebration attracted More than participants and supporters to hear traditional song and to engage in lighthearted events such As the Phil Fontaine lookalike honouring the grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Van Falls in dugout puts rider in Hospital a Young Man is in critical Condi Tion in Victoria general Hospital after a Joyride went bad yesterday six Young people who were Riding in a Van in Charleswood became lost and disoriented after they turned into a Field of standing wheat and into a dugout off Finkelstein Road near Mccreary police Carsten Otremba and Tina Schoenbach said they were falling asleep in their Home at 1727 Loudoun Road when two Young women knocked on their front door about 3 they were saying they drove into the Schoenbach said they were just kind of they said they had been to october the women said they had driven a Van into the Field and it started to sink in a they said one of their friends had been brought up unconscious from the Van by the at this Point a dishevelled Young Man came along and said the injured Man had regained Otremba said he took the women and firefighters and paramedics to a Pond in a wheat Field about 500 me tres East of their he said four men and two women were wet and some appeared to be in one of the girls said i just turned 18 and in too Young to said she said a police asked one of the Young women How they got out in the Field and she told them they were driving around police say they Are they would not release the names or Ages of those free press every litter bit its employee Jim Harriot picks up litter on the Banks of mands Creek it was the second year that its and Community volunteers helped clean up the division eyes plan to boost ranks of native staff by Dan Lett staff reporter the Winnipeg school division will study an aggressive employment equity program to increase the num Ber of aboriginal support staff and trustees in direct proportion to the number of aboriginal Stu dents in the school a report from the divisions Urban aboriginal advisory which will be presented at a school Board meeting will ask trustees to approve a number of an immediate Effort to begin hiring aboriginal teachers and other staff Over and above Normal the report recommends that within five the number of aboriginal administrators and even elected trustees be proportional to the number of aboriginal students in division George chairman of the committee and executive direct consult the optometric society to de Termine the criteria for establishing medical need for coverage of additional la Gulzar Cheema the a Liberal health said the affair makes Orchard look very bad because it violates his health Reform Power talks to be charged Ontario officials push for delay by Donald Campbell legislature reporter there will be electricity in the air at Manitoba Hydro Headquarters tomorrow when executives from Ontario Hydro show up to discuss delaying the Power Sale agreement Between the two every major economic projection for growth in Manitoba next year cites the Conaw Apa dam As having a substantial placing Manito Bas Economy in the top three or four of the nation in Conaw Apa is the largest construction project in the history of the the Deal is the largest in Ter provincial transaction in Cana Dian the Manitoba who have seen the Recap pulp and paper Meg project fall need con Yawapa to turn the Economy around for the next Likely provincial election Manitoba Hydro ratepayers will be left with billions of dollars of debt from Conaw Apa to pay off in despite the Ontario but they will also have enjoyed years of increased economic activity from the Deal and lower than expected rate increases As a result of the Ontario subsidization of the pro Ontario Hydro officials will somehow try to convince Manitoba Hydro that it should delay the agreement and its Ontario Canadas largest has a problem High rate in a glut of Energy and a Capi Tal spending budget that needs to be trimmed by it is contractually obligated to the Deal with but May literally be willing to buy time at least five save at least a Cash settlement could be used in Manitoba to pay for work already done or to lower Hydro rates Here for a few we really dont know what they Are going to said Manitoba Hydro president Bob who also warned not to expect a Quick Resolution project critics say the has no Choice but to take the Chance at a delay because Manitoba Doest need its Power until at least 11 years after the dam is completed in a delay May also provide More pro icons Here Are some facts to be weighed before Manitoba agrees to delay Power Sale with Ontario pro delay neither Side will need Power from the dam at the time of its i in Fil Toba needs More time to Complete environmental p penalty clauses set out in the Deal could be renegotiated to allow for review and comp tet ton Fabo Rainal grievances room for an environmental which is months behind schedule and threatens to be a costly disruption to the construction timetable the agreements existence is now the sole justification for construction of the dam to proceed next year for a 2001 but Brennan said the Deal will pro vide immediate economic stimulus to the province with hundreds of construction he explained that Hydro will use the for some of the construction and ongo ing operational costs of the the rather than going to wipe out the will instead be used to subsidize leaving More Money in Consumers hands to stimulate other economic he the two parties agreed in 1989 that Manitoba would sell megawatts a year to Start ing in the year 2000 for 22 years at a the estimated net Benefit from the dam is million including the Power Sale around town whats on trustee election forum candidates for school Board trustee in Ward 2 and Send a team to the country for that to Send phone trivia Challenge Tor of the Manitoba Indian Educa Tion said the report is designed to Send a message to trustees that it is time to take action on in creasing the number of aboriginals in the school system aboriginals make up nearly 30 per cent of the school divisions ;