Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - December 20, 2007, Winnipeg, Manitoba Top news Winnipeg free 20, 2007 Winnipeg repress. Com a 3 200 Highway # 12 a Steinbach my 1 204 326 3451 or 1 800 876 6155 2007 Chevrolet her it 2.4 4 Cyl. At equipped with All regular production options plus. Remote Start Abs steering wheel controls 17 Alum. Wheels Sunroof Pioneer 6 disc 260 Watt Premium sound system pm radio. St. # 7 0159 2007 Gumc Sierra sle 1500 4wd Crew cab lease for 2007 Chevrolet Impala is finance for $ 455 00 $ 296 00 4800 v8, 40/ 20/ 40 split Bench seat a tilt cruise pm pal Remote keyless entry Auto trac Locking diff instar cd player Trail ering equipment. St. # 7 0917 5.3 v8, equipped with All regular production options plus. Heated leather seating Remote Start Sunroof Abs 18 Alum. Wheels instar pm radio 6 disc changer. St. # 7 0106 the w i ish & & w i in event i is Back. Win up to $ 10,000 towards Purchase or lease of your new vehicle or you could even win your vehicle. 2007 new veh i icle clearance incl. Pm wish & win get rebates incl. $ 1,000 wish & win incl. Wish & win & pm & get rebates plus taxes based on 36 to. Term 20,000 pm per year / month / biweekly finance for $ 214 00 based on 0% 60 to. Term includes All taxes / biweekly based on 0% 60 to. Term includes All taxes by Bruce Owen a delusional Roy Thomas Bell confronted police with an air soft Pellet gun monday night in a bid to get help for his mental illness not to compel officers to shoot him a family spokeswoman said yesterday. This Man died trying to get help she said. Suicidal people dont do that. He was just not in his right mind at the time. The woman said Bell has a history of mental illness that was getting progressively worse since his discharge from the Canadian forces about three years ago. Bell 44, worked in the Post office of cab Winnipeg and was discharged after 23 years on a reduced pension. He was deemed unfit to serve in Afghanistan. A television report that Bell served overseas and suffered from Post traumatic stress syndrome is false and Clouds the real Issue of Belles mental illness said the family spokeswoman. He had an anger disorder she said. He was trying and trying to get help but they thought he was faking. Bell was shot and killed behind a landside Street apartment Block in an incident some residents initially described As suicide by cop. Witnesses say Bell ignored repeated demands from two officers to drop his weapon they did not know it was an air soft replica pistol and at one Point dared officers to shoot him. Police wont comment on what led up to the shooting other than saying officers acted appropriately. The Friend said Bell who went by Tom pleaded for More than three years with the Canadian forces and the veterans affairs department to get help for his condition. Specifically he wanted his pension benefits increased to cover the Cost of seeing a psychiatrist who could prescribe anti psychotic medication. Instead he was Only approved to see a psychologist who cannot Issue such prescriptions 12 times a year. Belles frustration with his Case got worse last year when he handcuffed himself to a table in a veterans affairs office telling staff he leave until he got the psychiatric help he needed. He was still denied the family spokeswoman said. The military and veterans affairs should have to answer for this but they wont acknowledge now what they denied earlier. Allison Regalski regional director of communications for veterans affairs said she could not discuss the Bell Case because it would violate the privacy act. Its a tragic Case thatus for sure she said. Belles wife Darlene declined to be interviewed yesterday. Since his discharge from the military Bell was unable to find employment. Because of his mental state he found himself increasingly isolated which Only made a bad situation worse the Friend said. He was pretty much at Home with nothing to do but Brood about his condition she said. He became More morose and angry at the world. That anger boiled Over saturday night when a longtime family Friend made an offhand remark about Bell. Bell took it As an insult and in his Frame of mind he could not control his rage. The More he thought about it the More irrational he became she said. They figure Why he was so mad. It was a nothing remark. On monday Bell contacted the couple who live in the landside Street Block and threatened them. When he told them he was coming to see them the woman in the suite called police. She also called his wife. No one thought the situation would escalate in the Way it did. They thought with police involved veterans affairs would realize Bell needed psychiatric help. He took the air gun to scare the couple the Friend said. If you were the police Yourd never know the difference. Police arrived to find the agitated Bell behind the apartment Block. Police have said he pointed the weapon at them and refused repeated demands to drop it at one Point Yelling you re going to have to. Shoot me i dont give a. One of the two officers fired a Taser at Bell to temporarily immobilize him with an electronic Jolt but for an unknown reason it did not work. Seconds later the other officer shot Bell. Bruce. Owen free press. My. Ca by Mary Agnes Welch p remier Gary doer is getting a $ 25,000 raise enough to buy himself a sporty new version of his Ford escape hybrid or 5,000 Beers at the next Winnipeg Blue bombers game. Meanwhile Las will have to Settle for just $ 7,000, according to binding recommendations made by the provinces Independent pay commissioner wednesday. Commissioner Michael Werier a Winnipeg lawyer and arbitrator said Manitoba ass Las Cabinet ministers and Premier were among the worst paid provincial politicians in the country. They made less than their counterparts in provinces like Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island. And they made far less than cos mayors and even the provincial bureaucrats they supervise. With a decent Economy and no significant pay hike for years the situation had become an embarrassment. That required action said Werier. Its been put off for too Long. Doers raise Means hell make about $ 149,000 a year starting immediately. The increase nudges his salary just above that of mayor Sam Katz who makes about $ 140,000. For years the mayor of Winnipeg has made More Money than the Premier even though the Premier runs a bigger bureaucracy handles a larger budget and arguably has More Power and responsibility. The pay hike also Means doer will no longer be the lowest paid Premier in the land. Cabinet ministers will get a similar hike bringing their salaries to about $ 126,000. Las will get about a 10 per cent raise to make $ 82,000, plus some new Money to hire constituency office staff and travel around their Ridings. In his report Werier acknowledged that Many Manitoban will balk at the raises. Through a Public consultation process he said he received nearly 50 written submissions from average citizens most of whom thought politicians Are already overpaid. But Werier said thatus not his View. These Are honest hard working individuals who dedicate themselves to Public life. They re not in it to be at the Public trough he said. The tory opposition was reluctant to Wade in to the debate wednesday. But Dave Angus president of Winnipeg chamber of Commerce said he thinks the raises Are fair. The Public will probably suffer some initial sticker Shock but Angus said the Independent process is a sound one much better than politicians committing political suicide by trying to raise their own pay. We need to be in step with other provinces and we know we need to pay our politicians reasonable salaries to attract Good candidates to the Job said Angus. We know How hard it is to get Good people to run and compensation is definitely a Factor. Were res recommendations Are binding. The legislature does not vote on them a relatively new Way of doing things that removes the politics from the equation. Were res report was released hurriedly wednesday As the government winds Down for the Christmas break. Asked about the timing of the report Werier said he was obliged by legislation to begin work right after the election in May and he had six months to finish the Job. The timing is coincidental he said. Nip la George Hickes the speaker of the House said he was pleased with the report. It allows salaries to play catchup without catapulting them into the top tier where they probably dont belong. I was always embarrassed the Premier was the lowest in the country he said. I dont care if the Premier is Liberal conservative or nip but to be the lowest.?. Maryagnes. Welch free press. My. Ca premiers pay jurisdiction annual salary prime minister $ 301,600 1. Ontario $ 202,788 2. Quebec $ 194,900 3. B. C. $ 186,200 4. Nova Scotia $ 165,487 5. Alberta $ 165,020 6. Newfoundland Labrador $ 162,880 7. Manitoba after raise $ 149,018 8. Saskatchewan $ 141,828 9. New Brunswick $ 135,232 10. P. E. I. $ 130,500 Manitoba before raise $ 124,509 the politics of pay Premier Gary doer then $ 124,509 now $ 149,018 increase 19.7 per cent rank doer used to be the worst paid Premier in the country. Now hers seventh among the 10 provincial premiers. Cabinet ministers Leader of the opposition speaker then $ 105,939 now $ 126,018 increase 19 per cent rank they used to be the worst paid of any province. Now ministers will be seventh slightly above Saskatchewan but a Little below Nova Scotia. Las then $ 74,982 now $ 82,000 increase 9.4 per cent rank middling. Manitoba ass Las used to rank eighth. Now they rank seventh making just $ 110 less than Saskatchewan is reps. Other Perks. Each la will get a new pot of Cash Worth $ 3,000 a month to pay an office assistant. Right now any extra staff Are paid for from the constituency allowance and theress a Hodge podge of part timers full timers and Las with no help. Travel allowance is going up especially for members in Southern Manitoba. No change to the pension plan or to the Severance and transitional allowance paid to Defeated Las. Crack Berry chaos even the Guy in charge of politicians salaries thinks Blackberry Are annoying. The handheld e mail devices Are comically ubiquitous at the Manitoba legislature and pay commissioner Michael Werier says managing them is an administrative Nightmare. Are they a capital item do they belong to the province or Are they covered under an Mlays constituency allowance if you get a really fancy one do you have to pay extra How do i delete old e mails again to simplify things Werier said Blackberry should be bought from the province and paid for out of a constituency allowance. Doer Las get big pay raise increase pushes premieres salary to $ 149,000 Joe Bryksa / Winnipeg free press Premier Gary doer is getting a $ 25,000 pay raise making him the seventh highest paid Premier. Ctr Winnipeg Roy Bell denied a psychiatrist we know How hard it is to get Good people to run and compensation is definitely a factors Dave Angus president of Winnipeg chamber of Commerce fatal encounter called cry for help ;