Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 18, 1997, Winnipeg, Manitoba A18 saturday free october Brian Cole 6977044 editorials Freedom of Trade Liberty of religion Equality of civil rights new Hope for Arena t the Campaign to save the jets Winnipeg lost Mote than a National hockey v y league franchise it also lost the drive to build a new we overnight it from warm Hopes of a comfortable new facility like those enjoyed in most major centres to the ice water reality that Winnipeg Arena is As Good As its Likely to get for the foreseeable Mark has Given us new co owner of the Manitoba Chipman wants to build a new Home for his and he wants to build it downtown where it would help push the revitalization he envisages a Mil multipurpose Arena that seats to not the Mil Arena we planned for the there is no need to Rush to judgment about the and to his cred Chipman was the first to say explaining he wants to take three months to examine its viability and in any he Doest need a new Arena for the Moose to succeed and intends to remain four More sea sons at Winnipeg but there Are aspects of the plan that need no exhaustive examination a new Arena would be a Good a new Arena downtown and a new Arena downtown built by the private sector with Pri vate As Chipman better but will it be the Best in the near Winnipeg has no need for a new Arena larger than Chipman his team attracts fewer than and it is not Likely to attract More than nor is it Likely a major sport franchise that would attract More will locate in Winnipeg it also is inconceivable City Hall or the province would stand in the Way or meddle a privately financed plan that benefits the but already Larry general manager of Winnipeg enterprises is saying what the City needs is a facility that will allow us to stage events that the Winnipeg Arena cannot Neufeldt state ment is a simple reminder that without Public input into Arena Winnipeg could one Day have two Arenas that Are not capable of staging big or two Arenas that compete unnecessarily for the same while it is comforting to know Chipman is not looking for a it would be prudent for the City to examine what is in its Best Lon term inter and whether some arrangement might be Nec Essary to ensure those interests Are when for built its Arena for million in it designed it in such a Way that it could be expanded to seats for an additional bold University the University of which priced itself out of the asian student Market three years is looking for ways to bring its prices Back competitive pricing is one of several Steps the University should take to bring Back asian the University strategic planners announced on Friday an ambitious plan for merging and reshuffling faculties and the Merit of specific mergers will be hotly publication of the plan is a Welcome sign of bold the proposal for two years of teacher training for every new tenure track appointee shows a commendable recognition that teaching is a skill professors ought to the u of m attracted a steady Stream of visa Stu dents from Asia when its tuition fees were when a 75 per cent surcharge was applied in Howe the University lost its Price ambitious students from honk Kong and Taiwan drifted weakening Manitoba contacts with a rising Genera Tion and impeding expansion of courses in asian Lan economies and Premier Gary Filmon has assiduously courted China and other asian governments to develop Polit ical and1 personal contacts in support of Manitoba by weakening one of Manitoba strongest links with the University undermined his by stunting the growth of asian it offered Manitoban Little Chance to join in turning Canadas commercial face toward president Emoke Szathmary strategic planning task Force report asked the University to Cut out the 75 per cent surcharge for All visa students who have or other evidence of need or promptly this measure would gradually bring the asian students As the Asia Pacific economic cooperation Heads of give moment pre pare for their Vancouver meeting in it is Clear Canada is turning its face toward it is time the University of Manitoba did the Winnipeg free press Winnipeg few press Etc it Winnipeg Tribune est 1s90 Rudy email Nicholas Hirst Brian Cole editorial Page editor directors Harry Brown circulation sales and marketing Laurie Verne Kalichuk human resources Perry Glenn Williams finance and administration bulls i missing the Point in Israel by Thomas Friedman 199 times news service prime minister Ben Jamin Netanyahu had Good news and bad news this the Good news was that he made the worldwide cover of the economist Maga the bad news was that the economist labelled him israels serial Bungler and said he should resign the economist misses the the most important political fact to emerge after israels bungled assassination attempt of a Hamas activist in Jordan is that Netanyahu popularity in israeli polls has gone israels Callin radio shows overwhelmingly support now that is inter we All have to think about its telling us something very what it is telling us is that there is a rage still lurking just beneath the surface in Israel today Over the fact that Israel not Only Hast gotten the peace it expected from recognizing the Plo and giving Back parts of the West Bank and but it has been treated to a form of terror ism suicide bombing that is More pernicious and terrifying than any form of terrorism Ever encountered by a modern demo this suicide terrorism invades every aspect of daily life do i ride the bus or not do i go downtown or not do i let my kids go downtown or not i was just in i walked a mile out of my Way to get to the Lufthansa airline office so that i have to walk through the City what would the economist say after a peace Accord Between Britain and the 126 British citizens were killed and 500 wounded in 10 separate Ira Sui cide bombings in the heart of Manchester and Edin Burgh and then prime minister Tony Blair ordered mi6 to Assas Sinate an Ira agent in but the operation was would the economist Call for Blairs resignation would Britain polls turn against him i there is an attitude among Arab leaders today that goes like this we condemn the latest suicide but could Israel now get on with its withdrawals they May condemn that but israelis Are still living with it every Day in every decision they make about where to let me Tell you a Little secret the silent majority in Israel stopped caring a Long time ago about Nablus or Hebron or Gaza or a palestinian As far As the israeli silent majority is con the palestinians can have them but israelis still care intensely about being Able to eat in the apropos cafe in Tel Aviv without being blown and they still care intensely about being Able to shop on the mall in West Jerusalem without being blown and they still care intensely about being Able to take the number 18 bus to mount so pus without being blown and if they cant eat in peace at the apropos shop at the Jerusalem mall or ride the 18 then no amount of serial bungling by Netanyahu will turn the israeli silent majority against that is the most important political fact in Israel and that is what i would have put on the cover of the if you want Netanyahu out of or if you just want him to do the right thing on the peace you have to understand that the Only effective lever on him is the israeli and right now that lever is working for Netanyahu and not against because terrorism neutralizes the israeli it Depoliti Cizes it silences the it freezes israeli there Are three views of Netanyahu one is that he is just an utter buffeted around by larger political another is that he is a dangerous ideologue who has maliciously aggravated the peace the third is that he is a pragmatic politician who will give Back 75 per cent of the West if that is what it takes to make peace and get Netanyahu moves Back and Forth among All these and he exploits palestinian terrorism to avoid having to decide who he really is and where he really wants to but Only the israeli Public can Corner him and Force him to and the israeli Public will Only do it will Only act on its instinct for a if this threat of suicide terrorism is these suicide bomb started before Netanyahu came to they continued after he came to and As Long As they dont israeli politics can never and that is the Thomas Friedman is a columnist with the new York critics give mayor raw Deal yol15no79 Susan it every time the mayor turns around some one is taking a shot at no matter what the no matter what the it is always her even when an outsider comes along and says Shes there Are people lining up to say the Only reason she is right is because she is the proposal to restructure City written by consultant George is a Case in the mayor has been arguing for years that one of the major problems at City Hall is that the players dont know their roles and contributing to that problem was the Board of which was not always responsive to the needs of the executive policy committee or Council As cuff Points out in his the Board of com missioner Model of civic Gover Nance is a Holdover from a different political a time when councillors were Par time politicians and the mayor had less Power to direct this changed in the Early 1990s when legislative changes provided for full time councillors and a mayor with enhanced Power to direct As cuff Points out the perceived shift of Power to the the cuff had pointed out that personalities had nothing to do with the Issue of How civic government should be but that fact seemed to be lost on the even those who seem prepared to acknowledge that it might be time to eliminate the Board of commissioners resist the Opportunity provided by the report to hurl personal insults at her suggestion that Council move quickly to implement suggestion that has the support of cuff and Many if not All of the councillors is greeted with accusations that she is an undemocratic and if that not bad Shes also mean to her now lets be there is no Point in defending is Thompson against legitimate criticism or to suggest that she is the perfect the flaws of any person in Public life Are there for All to and is Thompsons Are As visible As the next the problem with much of the criticism aimed at is Thompson is that it is often exaggerated or lacking in per Spetti Mesusan Thompson May or May not be some of the things her critics say she but she is also something else an honest politician who never pretends she is somebody who she is not and who has never forgotten that her first allegiance is to the peo ple who elected that there has been some Fric Tion during her tenure should not come As a she after elected with a mandate to Cut control taxes and produce More efficient Ity and role of the Board of com missioners As Well As its perceived effectiveness and As Mccuff the horse is in other mayor Thomp son was there is a Struc Tural problem at City Ball Sod there is a Reed to address it m order to provide owe effective and accountable yet no sooner was the report tabled at City Hall tbsp the critics started blaming the map for Feung the because Sto o that meant change and change is always there probably have been times when the mayor was Abra there certainly were times when she seemed a Little More thin skinned than a politician should particularly in her dealings with the name the politicians who Haven no one should underestimate the difficulty in trying to effect change in an organization As big and As Politi Cal As the City of Winnipeg critics Are Quick to Point out that she could be Tough minded and but they Over look the fact that she was often the Only person who was willing to stand up and Tell Union leaders and bureaucrats that taxpayers could no longer afford the cosy deals of Days gone that not generally the kind of talk that leads to consensus building at City but it was something that needed to be it has been her minded commitment to achieving some sense of fiscal responsibility at City Hall that seems to upset her critics the yet her efforts to appoint an auditor with a new mandate to took at whether the City is Ting for to establish the position of chief financial officer to ensure fiscal account creation of a business Liaison office to promote economic development of sup port for a process of government restructuring Are the kinds of achievements that will Benefit citizens Long after her term of office expires next mayor Thompson is not there Are things she could have done Bette but per haps its time the critics gave it a rest and started giving the mayor her due Tobin Pste Tor of the free ;