Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 6, 1997, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press local october 199 John Douglas 6977230 features Buzz Currie email a3 free pass Kain takes final Bow Prima Ballerina Karen danced for the last time saturday night in the wrapping up her Al Farewell tour at the Centennial concert the Hamilto born dancers career lasted 27 tories revise conflict rules by Alice Krueger legislature reporter the Filmon government has quietly revised its conflict interest guide lines to toughen up provisions covering Deputy ministers and other High ranking pub Lic the opposition says the new rules Are still too weak and that the government hid the changes because they Are the approved by Cabinet in june was circulated throughout the civil ser vice at the time but never formally announced to the it essentially clarifies that deputies and their equivalents Are required to disclose to the clerk of executive Council Cabinet any situation or matter where they have a conflict of or where they foresee the potential for i believe there a Little tougher and there much clearer in terms of what is expected and what is cab inet clerk Don Leitch opposition new say the new rules dont do they want pre Mier Gary Filmon to come up with More Strin gent standards of conduct for the provinces top the change arises from a weakness in the rules identified by Winnipeg lawyer John Scurfield after his investigation into allegations of conflict interest involving former Civ servant Michael Bessey and Faneuil although Scurfield found no conflict of interest in that he suggested opposition says changes not Tough enough for senior civil servants or guidelines governing disclosure of information to strike a better balance Between pub Lic interest and the private right of a senior civil servant to seek employment in the Pri vate Victor provincial director of the Canadian taxpayers federation called the new disclosure provisions for Deputy minis ters a positive but said he thought it strange the government chose not to notify left his Job we certainly need a higher degree of accountability and transparency when it comes to the spokesman but opposition Leader Gary doer said the amendment does nothing to address situations like Besses and More that of for Mer assistant Deputy minister of family ser vices Doug Sexsmith left his Job As head of income Security last year to work for which was awarded a multimillion Dollar provincial con tract to assist in amalgamating the provincial and City of Winnipeg welfare provincial officials say sex Smiths conduct Falls within the new and that he is not in a its Clear example of where some privileged senior employees of this govern ment Are allowed to negotiate privileged con tracts with privileged and the pub Lic interest is not doer Bessey was the former senior civil servant who negotiated the agreement Between the province and Faneuil after leaving the government in the company in part financed his education when he returned to we should have at minimum a Cooling off period of a year where its Clear that you can not negotiate for the taxpayers in the morning and take a Job the next week with the same company administering the contract you doer while such rules exist for he noted there still Are none governing senior bureaucrats who May have far greater Access to Public there should be Clear rules to prohibit you from negotiating for your own behalf with a company youre dealing with on behalf of tax he he called on the government to come up with tougher rules to ensure such matters cannot be swept under the carpet in this is not political he said of the new guidelines that were developed by a fou member committee of top civil its not the kind of ethical guidelines that should be coming from the premiers office to prohibit senior Public employees from negotiating contracts with private firms and then taking jobs with those private he also rapped the Filmon government for failing to Tell Manitoban of changes that Are supposed to safeguard the Public an evening with Louis Rukeyser North americas most popular economic commentator is coming to for one night Only Louis Rukeyser will be telling some delightful sharing his unique blend of wit and Wisdom on the political economic and financial scenes and offering valuable insights in october 15 730pm pantages theatre tickets available from select seat g Gordon private client Winnipeg free press f traffic Blitz nabs motoring scofflaws Winnipeg a City of bad enforcement statistics confirm stepped up traffic enforcement this weekend has Only con firmed what Winnipeg police already knew we Are a City of bad a on Day National enforcement program sat urday found hundreds of Drivers not wearing seat speeding and Dis obeying traffic lights and Stop and preliminary results of the fall commercial vehicle inspection program found that More than two thirds of trucks on Winnipeg streets failed safety five Days into a three week police inspected 70 trucks and one car 33 per cent 26 per cent failed for minor defects such As burned out headlights and 41 per cent of commercial trucks were pulled off the Road for Seri Ous problems such As leak ing fuel faulty steering and defective commercial vehicles Are very said Winnipeg police traffic staff main that All it stuff wears out of Drivers stopped on saturday during operation a nation Al enforcement hundreds were found breaking the preliminary numbers show 77 were speeding and 214 were not wearing Hel mets or with All the publicity surrounding youd think they smarten up but they dont care if they get a ticket every Cou ple of Preisentanz Manitoba Drivers have the nations worst record for Seatbelt use at 85 per Preisentanz said a ticket wont deter Law Seatbelt infractions dont carry a two Demerit penalty As do most other traffic during the on Day enforcement police also found one suspended one unlicensed Dri ver and 52 others with faulty equipment and Dis obeying traffic Winnipeg has been famous for Sloppy said noting tors to the City often com Plain to you the old signal who uses that so far this 17 people have died in traffic Acci dents including a old woman who was hit by a car As she tried to walk Cross main Street Early yesterday police we rent releasing her name last Rita executive director of the Manitoba safety said Drivers think they wont get caught breaking the Law because there Are 25 to 50 per cent fewer police of flyers handing out traffic tickets than there were 10 years we in careless Drivers and were very ignorant of the consequences of our Roelan Borthwick said last year in More than people were seriously injured in car accidents and 93 people we have to do a better Job of enforcement and Educa we have to make peo ple aware that their actions Are dangerous to themselves and to other Winnipeg police also run weekly enforcement locations where officers look for speeders and Drivers running red lights and Stop Luce just finished Blitz on Drivers run Stop signs and in two officers will begin the Speed kills enforcement in police ran a Sig Nal Light enforcement Gram that found 182 Drivers not using their signal even railway police Are in the enforcement since in police have issued More than 100 tickets to Drivers for ignoring Bells and Stop signs at railway Crossings As part of a new enforcement Cam Drivers Are fined but the Fine More than doubles to if the Driver is caught trying to beat a so far this two people have died and three people were injured in Lehi coletrain i8002687582 still the one Burron lumber Sale shingles 925 Lagimodiere 237 8955 we do it All a Inq Nice estimates ;