Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - March 21, 1996, Winnipeg, Manitoba The health cigarette Challenge Dana up in smoke race mugger lookalikes researcher says sighted around City problem drinkers woman sexually should sip to assaulted near pub stay on the lets put Little Wagon thumped in the pot lotto Bonus 25 already tvs friends fight trend to overexposure the fans Are hot about Chili peppers country Star ignores airplay Barrier filmmakers let viewers sort out emotions local Rocker wants to Beking of the feeding frenzy Sharks devour listless jets 71 at Arena sex Goodeye Dies in Florida hotel Stokos Chance at Crown comes falling Down Curlings Stoughton eager to do jets Deal left Winger to Chicago diversions rubes Ann editorials a10 in Memon ams to the weather sunny with details n Page c9 Winnipeg free press 5o plus taxes higher in outlying areas March Phil free press Rescue workers try in vain yesterday to retrieve the body of a boy who fell into the Assiniboine River near Maryland thin River ice claims 7 divers to renew search today tories Cut drug benefits few Pha Macare claims expected due to drastic hike in deductibles by Alice Krueger legislature reporter by Bud Robertson staff reporter Rob Murphy maintained a lonely Vigil last night on the Banks of the Assini Boine As police divers searched beneath the ice for his seven Earold the Only thing you can do is wait it out and Hope for a Suc Cess said who watched grim faced As fire fighters used axes and Chain saws to Widen a Hole in the ice where Anthony meters had fallen in around 4 yester his wife waited at Home near by with their two younger Chil but at about just Over two hours after Anthony fell into the frigid Waters just West of the Maryland Bridge police called off the search for the divers planned to return to the scene this morning in an Effort to recover the Young sters weve searched As Best we said dive superintendent Ken Lugg As his Crew packed away their divers searched the murky Waters As far As 18 metres downstream of the opening in the ice near where Anthony and three other youngsters had been but Lugg said the current there is very Strong and the River Bottom drops off in he said special head gear will be brought in today to help divers in their Winnipeg police staff Eric Gruter said a passerby who was walking along the Bridge spotted the four boys standing on the poking at a bottle on an open Patch of metres from a sign warning of thin the woman turned away said and when she looked Back one of the boys had gone she and another passerby grabbed a life preserver from the Bridge while the boys extended Sticks into the but it was too the woman then ran to near by Misericordia general Hospi Tal where she is apparently a Volunteer and called for Dave who lives in an apartment building overlooking the said he arrived Home moments after the boy fell into the As he pulled up in his he said three youngsters came up from the River and said their Friend had just fallen into the i didst know what to make of at said As he propped his 2 son on his shoulders on a Walkway near the River the while appearing had dazed looks on then he i guess they were in Winnipeg harbormaster Joe Petracci said there really int anything else he can do beyond posting signs to keep kids off the Rivers at this time of year when the ice is starting to break the rest is up to he were trying to Tell every body to keep their kids away from the he that about the Best we can the Rivers Are natural places for said but this time of in Spring and it becomes a terrible Hazard and tragedy for people to use the Filmon government has effectively wiped out drug benefits for All but the poorest Manitoban with chronic illnesses by switching to an income based critics under sweeping changes that will Cut Pha Macare funding by about million Bene fits will be based on family income rather than based on average family it appears Only a few will be Able to claim its a huge hit on average income families in terms of the Money there going to have to come up with up said act ing nip health critic Tim they will have to come up with to before they Start to gain any and for a fam ily with an income of unless they have drug costs of More than a there worse off under the new and substantially but for those who Are seriously ill and who have Low the plan could pay a lot More than it does once the new deductible limits Are the plan will now pay for 100 per cent of prescription drug this has not been an easy Deci Sion to said family services minister Bonnie who was filling in for vacationing health minister Jim because of action of the Federal were left with Little continued please see comparing the old and new Pha Macare programs old program deductible is based on age for families of age and governor sent reimbursed 70 per cent of eligible drug expenses in excess of per for families under 65 years of government reimbursed 60 per cent of eligible drug expenses in excess of per coverage based on Calendar no need to apply for new program age will not be a All deductibles will be based on total family income and will vary from family to family after deductible is 100 per cent of eligible drug expenses will be i coverage based on fiscal mar april 1 to March m application required source Manitoba health wage Rollback abandoned budget in chaos layoffs an option As Thompson forced to Back off by Aldo Santin City Hall reporter Winnipeg budget process was thrown into chaos yesterday when mayor Susan Thompson was forced to abandon her request to Roll Back employee wages but not her Long promised tax now Thompson and members of her executive committee face the daunting task of finding million in savings that they had already said did not they have a self imposed deadline of May among the options to find the savings Are leaving positions reducing services and contracting out More Well find other ways to find the Thompson told reporters before she formally introduced a motion to City Council yesterday the motion was to rescind the request to the province for legislation allowing a two per cent wage Rollback to save Mil lion this year and another Mil lion next we will have to Deal with the possibility of Thompson said yesterday that the province told her monday that it want prepared to pass the leg if we dont have you dont she finance minister Eric Stefanson said he want aware that Thomp son had met with any representatives of his government on adding the province was still considering the continued please see autos Power top retail performance by John Douglas and Paul Samyn business reporter Manitoba posted the strongest growth in Jan uary retail sales nation statistics Canada reported the provinces retail Trade grew by four per cent that Well ahead of the nation Al average of three tenths of a percentage the growth follows a per cent increase in breaking the Cycle of alternating rises and Falls that had occurred since last finance minister Eric Stefan son said he was delighted with the Strong consumer conf it is really Good news for our Stefanson he said eight years of major taxes being Frozen Are starting to have a positive he pointed out that Manitoba has one of the lowest ratios of House hold debt in adding that has helped Spur retail it certainly has helped Mani Tobas Auto not Only Are Manitoban buying More but they Are purchasing More expensive Statis tics Canada Auto and recreational vehicle sales grew by five per cent in rising to a level per cent higher than in january continued please see ;