Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 17, 1997, Winnipeg, Manitoba Fotio Winnipeg free of totter 199 grinders9 in demand to fix millennium Bug 8y Jennifer of Fawn cobol programmers used to be the latin teachers of tote scholar of near obsolete idiom that had few Modem uses but forms the foundation of so Many contemporary now the cobol once Dis missed As code Are Essen tial to fixing the planets computers before the new the Flain Ffannie systems that run every thing from instant Teller machines to air planes Are set to go haywire in just Over two years if their cobol programs Arent changed to accept the Date career sections and internet classified ads these Days Are littered with High paying con tract jobs for cobol cobol stands for common business oriented a lot of people who thought they would be taking Early retirement because cobol is a dying language have been renewed for two to four More said Gaylen president of the information technology association of the shortage is coming about because of a vicious interplay Between the shortage of people with skills generally for the Industry before the problem came and the fact this is a problem you cant the millennium Bug is ejected to Cost anywhere from billion us and trillion us Back when computers were Young and took up entire cobol and other programmers each wrote Mil Lions of lines of code using Only two digits to represent the 00 would be the year and 97 would be what companies Are faced with now is searching through those Gaail Leiofi lines of letters and numbers to find every mention of a and change it to a four digit fifteen years cobol program Mer Raj Singh took the language at York to University in Toronto but never anticipated demand for the skill would go now he works on the year 2000 y2k As its commonly called in the computer almost York University and most others no longer teach Singh says that with most Large computer sys tems still using the Lan Guage is still if programmers were to come out and go into that environment for a Small portion of take away a hell of a Tot of analytical skills and development exposure to apply to any Type of technology that they a big problem that Industry faces is attracting the cobol programmers out of was first created in away from Nwe challenging positions they May currently have using newer Frank president of Toron to based professional computer con says Many of the cobol programmers he sees Are being lured from Eastern european cherish students told by Reg Gurren Canadian press Calgary National Unity minister Stephane Dion yesterday urged French immersion students to reach out to Quebe cers so they know they Are needed and wanted in the Dion told about 600 Junior High school Stu dents they Are Lucky to live in such a great but everyone will have to work hard to ensure Canada survives into the next Cen the Challenge we have today is to keep Canada for you need a United said Dion after hearing the students sing a bilingual version of 0 your parents must make the Good Deci Sions to keep Canada for you and for my Niney Earold Jeanne deserves to have you As her Low she deserves to have Alberta As part of her it was a personal touch for a minister who was being praised across town by the pub Lisher of a Montreal newspaper for bringing a hard Edge to the Unity Roger a staunch federalist who is publisher of Montreal la praised Dion for his pro Canada he has brought real questions that need real answers and that has been something that has been very positive and Neces sary for the Landry told the chamber of me also expressed Confidence that Canada is wearing the end of its tortuous journey towards a National part because of the renewed push from the nine federalist i think we Are seeing the end of the Tun 1 we Are going to have one Canada a Canada that is going to be a Canada that is going to be More the reality is that Canada works and Canada works very it would even work better without the members of the bloc quebecois in Ottawa and the Dion suggested students write to friends they might have in he also said he would like to see the creation of More travel Exchange programs for Young people to learn about other parts of Quebe cers need to feel very accepted by other he they need to know other canadians look at their ence As a not a that youre proud to have one of your provinces is who assured the students Quebe cers Arent seeking More Powers than any other he wants to leave a United and renewed Canada to today Quebec drops Unity rally charges against no Side after court decision Canadian press i Quebec Quebec chief returning officer is dropping 20 charges against individuals and Compa Nies who joined a in Montreal before the 1995 refer Francois Casgrain said yesterday the move follows a supreme court of Canada Deci Sion last week that struck Down the Section of Quebec referendum Law that applied to the the Unity held three Days before the referendum angered Sov they considered it illegal because citrate bus and airline tickets and other organizational costs were not factored into the no sides spending limits for the referendum in a Casgrain said charges Are being dropped against Federal Liberal organizer Aurele Ottawa Busi Nessman Ken lawyer George of and several the supreme court ruled the Section dealing with spending limits of a third party was an unjustified infringement on Freedom of charges Are also being dropped against the Algonquin College student Champlain regional Conquest Tours Canadian and other Fallo introductory pastern h h y is h i y m Iii i h in c Nunt org tries to halt loss of scientists Canadian press Ottawa the National research facing what one senior manager describes As an unprecedented exodus of scientists to the private is asking the Federal government for Permis Sion to offer bonuses to its 900 arc president Arthur Carty is talk ing with Treasury Board officials to find possible solutions to growing prob lems the Agency has keeping its top researchers and attracting new it is True weve been losing people to private companies in Canada and the United Carty com petition is also severe for graduates in software information technology and if we cant bring in these graduates to work As research associates or postdoctoral Fellows at our inst were in for very Tough wages paid 900 arc researchers were Frozen for several years under government wage restraint programs in the 1990s and have remained below what private sector companies now were behind across the Board on salaries across Carty an acute shortage of skilled Engi neers and scientists in Ottawa High technology Industry has private companies jockeying to fill vacancies with offers of big Stock options and signing up photo Harris poses for 1967 photo on Harris tory photo raises question Canadian press 30yearold photograph of a Bare foot Mike Harris has raised questions about whether the Ontario Premier needs a toe a picture that appeared in the Ottawa citizen Over the weekend appears to show six toes on Harriss right taken in the it showed the future Premier in swim holding a stubby Beer bottle and Dis playing what appears to be an extra readers called the newspaper to Point out the extra a visibly annoyed Harris bristled yesterday when asked about the alleged extra toe at a Cabinet Retreat in when reporters asked him if he had six toes on one the Premier brushed quickly snapping a terse i do Bob a spokesman from the premiers said Hes seen Harris Barefoot and Hast noticed any thing Ive never heard of anything about after examining a copy of the Reid added i can see where its coming Mary Alyce who was married to Harris for about 18 months in the late said the idea of her a husband having an extra toe Doest ring a it was 30 years but that i would have nonce of class action is Iii Imi in to All persons implanted in Canada with a electronics acc fix atrial j Model 329701 or who did not opt out of the Ontario class action please read mis notice it contains important information about the settlement of the Ontario class action and your entitlement to receive each class member or the estate of a deceased class member is entitled to a base payment and Only a written claim is filed on or before january the family or estate of each class member who died on or before november will be paid a base payment of the family or estate of each class member who died in the period november to and including May will be paid a base payment of each class member who was alive on May 1997 and whose Lead was not exp need by october and his or her family class members will be paid a base payment of each class member who was alive on May and whose Lead was exp anted by october and his or her family class members will be paid a base payment of if a Dass member or his or her estate or the class member and his or her family class members believe that their damages exceed a threshold amount of the base payment plus then she or they May elect to assess their damages and May be entitled to a further the written claim for the base payment or the base payment and the right to proceed to a damage assessment must be Fife with the trustee by january this is a summary of the a failure to file a written claim by Lanuard 1998 will am it lot Wimmler it ill or my mme w War wow result in the class member and his or her be Paw and out being Able to assess their if you Are a member of the class or the family class or represent As estate of a deceased class member and desire additional information Contact or this Oatus the mukti Shvid pursuant the the october 1997 j a Pubis Mac lust Tiftic Joho Brocken Sibrir of lots Rio court Rai ;