Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 14, 1994, Winnipeg, Manitoba Call the rent line 958 rent see Apex realty and in today classifieds Winnipeg free press local january Section Brian Cole 6977292 b1 Lindor Reynolds stolen lunches Leone sour taste when i first heard the Story in about to Tell i was at a loss for the caller said he just thought i should know How bad things Are in what a dangerous society weve i usually argue with that sort of sweeping dismiss it As the overheated imagination of someone who watches too much Cable i dismiss what he told me had happened to his elderly his mom is dad there still in Good health and they feel Community service is important As part of that Treyve been delivering meals on wheels for 17 last As they were handing out lunches inside a James apartment someone was smashing the Back window of their Toyota and stealing the remaining in sorry about what a sick world were living said the i wanted to know How the couple How they were recovering from the it was very said the elderly who didst want her name used in the in so when i saw the i thought someone had backed up into i was upset because they haunt left their name and phone i didst realize what had really happened until i reached into the Back seat to get the next the food is carried in two separate the hot portion is in a Thermal Chest that the couple kept in the front seat cold puddings and that sort of thing Are in paper bags in a laundry Basket in the Back the Basket was i went Back into the building to Call meals on the woman i was thinking about the poor people who would be waiting for their not having any idea what had i was really upset that anyone would be so i have said it better the couple spent the rest of the Day driving around in frigid weather without a Back returning what was left of the making a Joyless trip to aut Opac and filing a police the pair later Learned that the meals were found at a bus Stop not far from where they were one bag had been torn the apparently disappointed that All they taken was had abandoned speculation is that the Crooks thought the bags contained although the car had a meals on wheels card in the so what was really lost 13 Hutins had a very late lunch that if you depend on meals on wheels for your daily human that More than a minor an elderly couple had their car spent on their deductible and had a Day of frustration trying to resolve their ensuing the meals on wheels Board has to vote on the but executive director Jean Cox feels certain reimburse the couple their what was really lost was a sense of a belief that Winnipeg is a City where people can go out at High noon and not worry about being were having second thoughts about whether we want to even continue doing the woman you need one person to deliver and one to guard the i dont know if we want to do i dont blame i wanted to say her son was that Winnipeg is still a Safe place but she seemed to have All the judge urges new policy to save patients by Brad Oswald staff reporter government imposed standards Are needed to pre vent a repeat of the mishap that led to the death of a restrained patient at a Winnipeg a provincial court judge in her report on an inquiry into the november 1991 death of a woman at Grace general Hospital after she suffered cardio respiratory arrest while wearing a restraint judge Susan Devine criticized City hospitals that ignored the findings of two previous inquests which recommended More frequent Monitor ing of restrained obviously and pre Vious inquest recommendations re Garding intervals at which re strained patients must be checked have had Little influence on the cur rent Norm of half hour intervals in Many Winnipeg she wrote in the released yester Islay a 69yearold woman with a history of was admitted to Grace Hospital on As a result of a chronic vomiting because of her confused mental state and unsteadiness on her Hospital staff decided to keep her in on the woman suffered a cardio respiratory arrest in her Pri vate nursing staff found her slumped Forward with her backside off the front of her chair and her re straining jacket pressed tightly against her the woman was resuscitated and placed on mechanical ventilation until when life supports were removed because of the severe brain damage sustained in the 12 she died two Days Grace hospitals policy for Moni Toring restrained at the time of the incident and re quires checking every 30 the 12 discovery of Loewen in a state of arrest occurred 25 min utes after the previous the report in making her recommendation for province wide Devine referred to a 1980 inquest by judge Charles Rubin and a 1981 report by judge Allen both of which recommended monitoring of re strained patients at least every 15 a province wide policy is Proba Bly a very prudent said Betty Grace hospitals vice president of who added that the hospitals policies Are currently under she defended graces Continua Tion of monitoring restrained patients at 30minute saying it is consistent with standards across the a 15minute Check is not realistic 24 hours a she the senior Vic president of Nurs ing at the health sciences Centre Susan Van de said it also follows a 30minute monitoring she defended the policy As appropriate and in her Devine also said strict standards Are necessary be cause staffing shortages May prompt hospitals to use restraints More Dice rolling at City Hall councillors Peg tax Hopes on optimistic projections by Dan Lett City Hall reporter if you listen very carefully these Days in City you can hear the sound of tumbling its the sound of councillors and administrators gambling on the 1994 at stake Are tax increases for More than City property gambles in last years along with unforeseen contributed to a deficit that must now be covered by tax payers in rather than learning from that Council is once again Peg Ging its Hopes on million in unconfirmed Revenue projections and optimistic cos cutting Mea sures that have More than a few people concerned the City is setting itself up for a bigger problem in this is a deadly game there said Harry Laza Renko with what they Are we Are looking at major problems next the risky proposals Are contained in the cites draft 1994 Bud which has brought in a per cent property tax increase As a starting Point for councils deliver included in that document Are projections for increased Revenue from video lottery provincial Grants and some fancy accounting to pull emergency Money from Reserve Lazarenko said he fears Many of these targets will never be reached and next when the City is straining under the weight of wage increases and assessment Appeal taxpayers May face a Dou ble digit tax last it was chief commis budget based on major gambles the cites budget is based on million Worth of risky assumptions about revenues and expenditures that could leave taxpayers in a deeper Hole for Here is a list of the major gambles Council May take to keep Down property taxes b video lottery terminal revenues million after a year of heavy the province has promised the City 10 per cent of vat revenues outright to use As it no one knows yet How much Money the volts Are so the cites share is nothing More than a last the City budgeted million it did not which was added to the s8 Winnipeg convention Centre million the City has asked the province to pay for half the operating losses of the acc in administrators believe the Money could come from vat in addition to the 10 per cent outright the province has promised to spend another 25 per cent on economic development no one at the province has said these projects could include the n provincial Grant Revenue f at a time when school universities and hospitals Are bracing for a cutback in provincial Winnipeg has budgeted for a per cent Al account transfers million each the City transfers 10 per cent of profits from operation of its utilities to general helping to bring Down property tax in the City has proposed taking another million from these Reserve Damp and Cool weather from last summer lowered profits in water and Hydro leaving less Money for another poor summer could place Strain on the utilities to cover the other transfers from the sinking fund and accounts Are b land sales million As it did in the City May build into its revenues an amount of Money from the Sale of surplus City lands before any land has been there is a belief that if the City can get a fair Price for its surplus there will be a double Benefit of turning the inert land into tax producing h social assistance payments million Winnipeg is one of the last major cities in Canada to pay a part of welfare this the City is gambling that Job creation such As the Federal infrastructure renewal will take people off welfare Rolls and put them Back to if the program Doest employ As Many welfare or if the Economy Doest improve in other this could drive up the deficit in a 88 layoffs no Dollar the City May have to eliminate up to 150 equivalent full time positions from its half of these positions Are filled and May require there will be efforts to redeploy As Many As possible to other for those who Are Laid there will be a Cost to the City for Severance and other h unforeseen problems no Dollar each the City suffers Revenue losses or extra costs from unforeseen last heavy Rains Cost the City while the province refused to approve Library card fees and More revenues were this because the budgeting is so there May not be room to endure unforeseen sooner Rick Frost who first sounded the alarm about motion the so called funny Money to which ended up contributing millions of dollars to the the motion endorsed optimistic Revenue generating projections that never As the chief architect of the cites draft 1994 this year Frost has produced a document in relies on optimistic Revenue projections and Cost Sav ing measures to bring the property tax increase Down to a reasonable Frost said he could not support a budget with a 10 per cent tax in and so went Back into the books to find More some of which Are based on risky As although this draft is not As conservative As he would the recommendations Are reasonable and Frost mayor Susan Thompson said she is comfortable with the level of risk in the draft budget and believes More risks can be taken in the name of getting closer to the elusive property tax Thompson said Council is going to have to draw upon its creative talents if new Revenue sources and cos savings Are to be Terry chairman of the works and operations commit said he opposed last years fun nym Oney motion and although there Are some risky proposals in this years draft they Are More Duguid said he is troubled by the Cash transfers from Winnipeg Hydro profits and from Reserve a Gordon Preece Winnipeg free press in addition to the Assumption about savings in social ser vices from putting people Back to work in the Federal Job creation theres no question that there is risk in some of the budget assumptions Butl think we can keep it to a level that is Well below what was in motion Duguid Deputy mayor George Fraser also agreed there were risks in the draft but said without risk taking the administration would never come up with innovative mom saves loses All possessions Friend tries to find clothes for fire ravaged family by Doug Nairne staff reporter it took a Long time for Iris Fontaine to save enough Money for some secondhand but Only a few moments to lose everything she the heartbroken single Mother of four said she was Able to save her children from a fire that destroyed her apartment wednesday night but lost everything a secondhand Couch and chair she had just bought two Days when i saw the flames All i could grab on my Way put were my she said standing in the blackened remains of her All of the new blankets i bought for my All their Christmas our family its All i cant believe this receives social assistance and has no insurance to help replace her she saved up for that Couch and it was a big Deal for said Barbara a Friend of the she Doest have any milk or diapers for her the kids dont even have shoes to Houston said she is trying to collect clothes to give to the Fontaine and her Ages four and were sitting on their new Couch watching television on wednesday evening when Foury Earold Nicole went into a bedroom the next thing Fontaine heard was her daughters cries As she came running Back into the living room with second degree Burns on her Fontaine said Nicole was playing with matches and ignited a the flames were filling the room by the time i got she in just thankful my children Are the family fled the apartment wearing Only their by the time the fire was put the smoke and water damage had taken everything they own and done in Nicole was treated at the health sciences Centre and she is still wearing the Bright red Hospital pyjamas that Are now her Only returning to their apartment yesterday Fontaine had to scold her children for climbing on the which is now covered in an oily Black you cant sit there she Fontaine said she had to keep her oldest two children Home from school yesterday because All they have to Wear Are the pyjamas they had on when the fire who is living with a neighbor until she gets a new apart said she is hoping to get Assis Tance from the salvation army be cause most of her friends and family Are also receiving welfare and dont have enough Money to help Marc free press with and in gutted ;