Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 18, 1995, Winnipeg, Manitoba A4 Section Maureen Houston 6977292 email Winnipeg free press local 1995 Worth the officials say by Gordon Sinclair free press columnist health and education budgets Are under siege in but that Hast deterred Winnipeg Hospital boards and school divisions from taking working trips at Public expense to resort hotels in Gimli and the free press has uncovered three examples last month Riverview health an extended care treated 25 Board members and senior staff to two midweek nights at Minaki Lodge in Northwestern Ontario As part of an annual Long Range planning in Boniface general Hospital took 65 Board members and medical staff for a planning weekend at Gimli country 56 principals and lamps used to hide heroin by David Kuxhaus staff reporter the Trail leading to a Mil lion Dollar Cache of heroin stretches from the streets of Vietnam to a marys Road bridal shop and was plotted by Toan Gia a court of Queens Bench jury was told yes it was a less obvious location and a less obvious Crown attorney Clyde Bond told the part of the crowns Case centres on videotape testimony of seven witnesses from in sep tember prosecutors accompanied by Chus lawyer Greg Brodsky and court of Queens Bench chief Justice Ben Hewak took the unusual step of flying to Hanoi to gather the is charged in with importing heroin and Possession of heroin for the purpose of Traffick using Winnipeg As a shipping court was told the scheme began to unravel in november 1993 when officials at London Heathrow Airport came across a package containing four Oriental style stashed inside the lamps were almost 700 Grams of 85 to 95 per cent pure the parcel had been sent from Vietnam and was addressed to a bridal Wear shop in investigators replaced the hero in with inserted a Moni Toring device and mailed the parcel to its intended t e bridal court was told Chu had contacted a woman there in March 1993 about renting a he told her that he was expecting a package from relatives in the Crown the woman knew nothing about the three Days after police mailed the package to the bridal Chu was arrested after he picked up the the trial is expected to last three r Hospital educators head to resorts and Public foots the Bill senior administrators from the Jame Assiniboia school division returned from a conference at the same Gimli resort the Foodman lodging costs of the Jame Assiniboia trip and the Boniface Hospital overnight stay were each according to Riverview executive director Norm Kosian refused to disclose the Cost of the Minaki trip and Board chairman Edwards Winters said he didst in not prepared to discuss these details with you because i dont think its Kosian based on double occupancy at the 235 Kilometres East of feeding and bedding 25 for two nights would Cost More than health sciences Centre spokesman Jim Rodger said its been five years since the Board and administration at the provinces largest healthcare facility held its planning meetings outside of win Back in the Days when we had lots of Money we could do he we Haven done that for theres the reality of the and then theres the Public perception and in that perception is Glen Murray fort Rouge sits on the 15member Riverview but he Doest remember receiving an invitation to Murray said he have and he expressed Surprise at what he called a misguided Deci this might have been a decision by a senior manager who thought this was a Way to express some appreciation for a very Large Volunteer Murray Murray cautioned that while the Minaki meeting sent the wrong message about the perception the meeting leaves Doest fairly reflect the kind of people who Are on the or the kind of Volunteer work they while the Riverview budget is Murray put the spent on food and lodging in the larger healthcare he said a shortfall at the Vil Lage clinic forced it to Lay off Joanna chairwoman of the women health which has a said the Board held its strategic planning meeting at Lions place on Portage using Money raised by the clinic rather than Public the Board and staff were Given but she was a rare treat during an Allday a Riverview staff who asked for anonymity because she fears for her said the Minaki meetings came at a time when Riverview was converting full time jobs into Par time positions in which employees dont have any the employee also said Riverview closed six Beds last Kosian denied that there were any bed but yesterday he said there were 313 Beds at the extended care that six fewer than the Hospital reported last George director of education for the Jame Assiniboia school said the principals in James have been having resort conferences for 30 the isolation makes the meeting More focused and More product this year the school division Cut 25 teaching positions and the Board voted to a close James Wood Boniface Hospital president Jack Litvak justified the Gimli trip on the grounds it was a onetime trip and the out town location tended to keep the medical staff in attendance from wandering in an out of the trying it on for size Peter gets an idea of what its like to be a diesel locomotive Engineer As his Grade 5 class from Ecol Marieann Gaboury visits the in rail station for rail safety the children also Learned of the hazards one can face around free meals for resort Board Money losing provincial facility woos patrons with Golf passes by Alice Krueger legislature reporter the provinces Money los ing Gull Harbour resort has been giving free rooms and meals to its Board members and Golf course passes to selected groups and corporations while its debts continue to the Issue of the freebies was raised yesterday by one of the governments own Emerson la Jack who wanted to know just what those giveaways Are costing and whether the prac Tice is adding to the resorts dismal financial the Crow owned which has lost about million since chalked up a further deficit for the year ending March Bob chairman of Ven Ture Manitoba which oper ates the Hecla Island confirmed yesterday Board Mem Bers stay free of charge and do not pay for meals when they go there for meetings three or four times a As he told the Legislatures economic development committee the resort hands out free passes to various groups and companies As part of its marketing its just marketing like we do in any other to get traffic up to create the the chairman adding that the Cost to the resort is neg i the course is there to have somebody walk through it Means he while they Are they Are renting using the food and there buying a round of Golf normally costs while rooms go for an average of a while Sparrow did provide some information to the pen Ner later said he haunt been Given a Clear answer and he intends to pursue the Issue further with the minister natural resources minister Albert i am a supporter of bringing clients in from time to time to show them what we Penner i have a concern that that privilege is not abused and that it not become a Cost to the operation in the Long Penner said although he had no problem with Board members stay ing there free of i happen to know that there Are from time to time free Days extended in the past to free food after the committee Sparrow said he and the other six Board members get free food and rooms Only when they go there for the meetings Are generally scheduled at non Peak Peri ods when Many of the rooms would be empty and Board Mem Bers do not bring their he in addition to Board members also receive a monthly stipend of for their Sparrow was unable to say How Many free Golf passes had been Given Driedger said he want about to Start second guessing the Board on How it goes about its promotional As for the Board receiving free the minister said the Cost is really very As the chairman was its most beneficial for Board members to be exposed to see exactly what kind of service is being provided and How they can improve Driedger also said the province is no longer looking for a buyer for the resort because it appears to have turned the financial some spend while others go begging be like per is usually i have my own perspective on the Story elsewhere on this Page about Hospital and school division Mucky mucks traipsing off to have meetings at resort hotels at our my real Ity can be summed up in some thing my wife said to me monday it was i was parked outside the women health clinic on Gra waiting for Athina who was leaving Early from her Board meeting so i could arrive late for my Board in on the journeys adult education Centre Gordon Sinclair what Athina said As she got in the car was More a plea than a do you know where we can get some dainties donated my wife sounded like a pan but that basically what she and hundreds of other Volun Teers Are when they go begging for handouts from companies and foundations and even in this Case its dainties for an 24 fundraising event called a guide to alternative health care what every woman should the tickets Are and the reality is if they sell All 250 they still might not break which is Why she was look ing for a donation of no corporate sponsor the Athina said As she got in the front is the clinic attract a corporate the is most people dont realize what it the women health clinic is the Oaly Community health Centre in the province staffed by and devoted to women excl its a place where the salaried physicians can afford to take time with their patients and a place where women know they will be listened its the women health clinic has a million but the Walls Haven seen paint since Gary Filmon took office and the carpets need shortfalls Are handled in the usual by when that by closing the clinic for two which they did last and then there was the clinics Long Range the kind of event that sent Riverview and Boniface hospitals boards off to Minaki and Gimli at or for food and the women health clinics idea of an offsite planning trip was Lions place on Portage they didst order lunch and dinner at the taxpayers they debated even bringing in they finally decided to splurge on quiche and salad and paid for it from their panhandling i j j the women health clinic is right across Graham Avenue from where i go to meetings and students go for Basic literacy and it was at the monday night meeting i was late for that the Board Learned we have a that roughly a Quarter of our so now were going to have to go and then yesterday i heard about the Jame Assiniboia school division spending feed ing and lodging 50odd Princi pals for two nights at Lloyd Axworthy would never use a government Jet Bonnie wont be taking anyone to the Beaujolais any time but hospitals and school Divi Sions can play big time spenders at our their message to the rest of us is let then eat dainties Donat of ;