Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 10, 2004, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press saturday july 10, 2004 a3 by David Obrien police and provincial officials armed with a court order boarded up a House on Selkirk Avenue yesterday after evicting its owner and seven other members or associates of a Street gang. Its the first time a court has issued a Community safety order under the safer communities and neighbourhoods act which became Law three years ago. The House at 126 Selkirk was the scene of fre quent shootings inside and out said Glen Lewis director of Public safety for Manitoba Justice. Lewis said the Home was the Centre of a drug Trade involving marijuana cocaine and crack cocaine. This House had an extensive history of police involvement Lewis said As carpenters boarded up the property. There a been multiple he said the owner and seven others named in the court order Are members or associates of a Street gang. Not All of them were permanent residents he said. Under the court order the House will be closed for 90 Days and the occupants will be barred from returning to it for 12 months. Lewis said he was unsure if the owner could return after 90 Days but noted he was free to sell the House and move elsewhere. He said he did to know where the eight men had gone adding the province is not responsible for finding them places to live. Police say was known for shootings and traffic in marijuana and cocaine. Ken Gigliotti / Winnipeg free press the province has shut Down other Homes that have been centres of criminal activity but this is the first time a court order was issued because the eviction and closure involved the property a owner. The other closures involved tenants Only Lewis said. Police Insp. Gary Simpson said the House was occupied and frequented by Low lifes who caused numerous problems in the Neighbour Hood and were regularly involved in illegal activities. disability cheques delayed by computer glitch More than 1,200 people did to get their Dis ability cheques on time this week because of an apparent computer problem at great West life Assurance co. Company spokesman Marlene Klassen said the payments Are distributed electronically to a financial institution which then forwards the cheques to the various Banks where the clients hold accounts. About 250 people who should have received their cheques on thursday got them yesterday while another 1,000 clients will have to wait until monday Klassen said. The disability payments Are made to Mem Bers of group plans she said noting the recipients include people across Canada. Klassen said the problem seems to have occurred at great West life even though the company a computer system had indicated the payments were successfully forwarded. She said the firm would cover any legitimate expenses incurred by clients because of the delays. Klassen said she did to know How Many cheques Are sent out every Day but noted the company distributes $2 million in insurance payments every Day across Canada. One woman who did to receive her Cheque this week said she want Able to make her Mort Gage payment because of the problem. When her Cheque did to arrive yesterday morning As expected the woman who is permanently disabled said she suffered an anxiety attack and had to take medication. This was no Small thing for me she said. A few Days late is serious for some of Gendis Selling its Saan stores group negotiating to buy Money losing Chain by Murray Mcneill t he on again off again Sale of the Saan retail Chain is on again. Winnipeg based Gendis inc. Announced yesterday it has signed an exclusive letter of intent to sell its wholly owned Saan stores Ltd. Subsidiary to a group of Canadian and . Investors led by Avalon group Ltd. Of new York City. the financial terms will not be disclosed until after the Deal closes which is expected to happen by sept. 30, Gendis executive vice president James Cohen said in an interview yesterday. This is the second time in four years Gendis has struck a tentative Deal to sell the Saan Chain which includes 240 Saan and red Apple clearance Centre outlets across Canada. In 2000, the company announced it had signed a letter of intent to sell the Chain to a new Jersey group of investors but the Deal fell through after the purchasers tried to change the financial terms at the last minute. However Cohen and Avalon ceo Lynda Davey said they Don to expect any such problems this time. We re very confident this is going to close Cohen said. Davey confirmed in a Telephone inter View that Winnipeg will continue to be the Headquarters for the Saan Chain. She said its too soon to say if Avalon will retain the chains current management team and All or most of its 3,000 employees which include about 300 workers at its head office distribution Complex in we re very fort Garry. She said a Toronto based retail con confident suiting firm Kara bus management has been hired to work with Avalon and this is Saan officials in developing and implementing a plan for returning the Chain to going to profitability. Until that plan is finalized close they wont know what if any staffing changes Are required she said. ? Gendis executive Davey stressed that Avalon officials vice president Are convinced Saan can return to prof James Cohen on stability. The Sale of the Saan i think they Saan officials just need Chain that extra assistance from Kara bus she added. She said Avalon had been looking for a retail acquisition in Canada when someone suggested they look at the Saan Chain. She said the group was interested in acquiring a Well established company that was under performing at the moment but had the potential to rebound and Saan fit the Bill perfectly. Cohen admitted he and his father Albert had mixed feel Ings about Selling Saan. After All it was Albert Cohen along with James Cohen a Grandfather Alexander who founded Gendis in 1934, and it was Albert and his brother Sam who opened the first Saan store in Winnipeg in 1947. James Cohen said Gendis will retain the 383,000-Square-foot Saan head office and distribution Centre As Well As the 20 acres of land on which it sits. Gendis will also retain about seven other store properties across Canada including the red Apple near the Corner of Portage Avenue and Donald Street. He said the tentative agreement Calls for Avalon to lease those properties from Gendis. Cohen said the company will continue to operate the Saan Chain until the Deal with Avalon closes and then Well decide after that what path to the Saan Chain has been losing Money in recent years despite Gendis a efforts to turn it around by closing More than 90 under performing stores and partially reinventing the Chain with the opening in the last two years of 28 new concept stores that sell strictly family apparel and footwear rather than a combination of clothing and general merchandise. But after posting a $2-million profit in 2000, the Chain lost $2.2 million in fiscal 2001, $3.6 million in fiscal 2002, $8.7 million in fiscal 2003, and a further $10.4 million in the first three months of its current fiscal year. ;