Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - December 21, 2007, Winnipeg, Manitoba Top news Winnipeg free 21, 2007 Winnipeg repress. Com a 3 email us at Crystal. Pfandt its. Net 1841 St. Matthews ave. W. At Marjorie 775 7800 418 Graham ave. Just East of the Bay downtown 942 6673 Contact us for More details we make it easy just bring us a photo of a loved one pets too. Your coloured image will then be transformed right into a Crystal cube of your Choice. We can also personalize your image by adding a name or a written inscription of your Choice. G i i v v e e a a n n u n n f f o o r r g g e e t t t t a a b b l l e e c c h h r r i i s s t to a a s s g i i f f t t i i n n c c r r y y s s t t a a l l m a a k k e e s s a a t t i in e e l l e e s s s s g g i i f f t t f f o o r r t t h h a a t t s s p p e e c c i i a a l l s s o of e e o o n n e e i i n n y y o o u u r r l l i i f f e e Christmas hours Fri 9 30 8 00pm, sat. 9 30 5 00 p. M., Sun. 12 5 pm Mon 9 00 5 00pm by Aldo Santin a group of Spence Street neighbourhood residents says a Winnipeg police officer and his family Are inner City landlords who took rent Money from tenants running drug deals out of one of their Homes. But patrol sgt. Jim Pelland denied the allegations adding he recently evicted a drug dealing tenant when he Learned of the problem. Given what i do for a living its ludicrous to think that i want to take action if i know theress drug dealing or something like that going on in one of my Homes Pelland said thursday. Maggie Friesen president of the Spence neighbourhood association said area residents have been contacting Pelland and his brother for the past 12 months complaining about the drug dealing that had been taking place at a Rooming House at 511 Spence Street. I dont see How Pelland can say he did not know anything about this Friesen said. I sent him an e mail a year ago about the drug dealing from that House and i know that other residents in the neighbourhood have contacted him his brother and the caretaker of the building. Cyril keeper a former new Democrat my and a Board member of the residents association said hers sent a letter of complaint to new police chief Keith Mccaskill asking him to look into Pel lands private dealings. I think the new police chief should know if he already does not that one of his officers owns a Rooming House where drug dealing had been taking place keeper said. Pelland said he and his brother have owned the Spence Street Home for about 15 years adding however he Only Learned about problems with a drug dealer when contacted in november by a former police officer now working for a provincial program that targets Homes where criminal activity takes place. We dont have a Crystal Ball when we take in tenants Pelland said during an interview thursday from his modest St. Vital Bungalow. If we find out theress problems with drug dealing at one of our houses we do something about it. Pelland said he had no idea that drugs were being dealt from 511 Spence until he was told last month and then he had the tenant evicted immediately. He said he a snot aware of any e mails from Spence area residents alerting him to the problem. He contacted his brother Bill Pelland and the caretaker of the 511 Spence property during the interview with the free pres Sand confirmed that they we rent aware of any complaints from area residents about the property. Pelland said if Spence area residents had sent him e mails he did not open them. Pelland said he owns other Rooming houses in the inner City adding he has evicted three drug dealers in the last six months from properties that he owns. Whenever something like that comes up we Deal with it Pelland said. Pelland said the provinces Public safety unit is composed of former police officers adding he knows them All. Pelland said hers contacted the unit in the past when he was concerned about drug dealing and other criminal activities that were taking place near properties he owns. Given what i do for a living i want to do anything that would discredit the Winnipeg police department Pelland said. Keeper said problems with the 511 Spence St. Property were repeatedly brought to the monthly Board meetings of the Spence neighbourhood association adding the eviction Only occurred when residents complained last month to the provinces Public safety unit which then contacted the owners. The Public safety unit enforces the safer communities and neighbourhoods act which gives the province the authority to Board up a House where illegal activity is taking place if the landlord refuses to evict a troublesome tenant. Friesen said the Rooming House at 511 Spence St. Was Well known As a drug House adding drugs were constantly being bought there and that the police also frequented the House. I dont see How anyone could own that House and not be aware of what was going on Friesen said. Aldo. Santin free press. . Ca by Mary Agnes Welch the province officially curtailed Lawn fertilizers with phosphorus thursday a move thatus been percolating for months. That Means homeowners with mature lawns wont be allowed to use fertilizers with More than one per cent phosphorus a first in Canada. The maximum Fine for a first offence is a whopping $ 50,000. But the province Isnit Likely to Send the Lawn police to inspect Peoples Yards or search through Sheds for offending bags of fertilizer. Instead it is relying on the honour system and on the cooperation of retailers willing to carry fewer bags of p heavy fertilizer and display the environmentally Friendly kind most prominently. Thatus what happened in Minnesota the Only other jurisdiction in North America to restrict the use of Lawn fertilizer with phosphorus. The rules will be enforced if needed but the Minnesota Model of Public education works very Well said water stewardship minister Christine Melnick. The province will launch a Public awareness Campaign next Spring or summer even though the regulations dont come into Force until january 2009. It will cajole retailers from Independent nurseries to big Box stores to give p free fertilizers the Star treatment on shelves and to give advice to people Hunting for fertilizers with More phosphorus. Vegetable gardens Flower Beds and shrubbery Are exempt from the restriction so it will still be possible to buy fertilizer with some p. Similarly Farmers and Golf courses will soon be subject to a Host of even stricter rules to Stop pollution from running off the land and into Waterways. Melnick said the phosphorus restriction will Cut the Load of the chemical in Lake Winnipeg by one per cent and help shrink the amount of algae choking the Lake with a Blanket of Blue Green goop. Earlier this month the province banned dishwasher soap with phosphorus starting in 2010, the same year the Industry itself plans to phase out p in its products. That will Cut the phosphorus in Lake Winnipeg As much As two per cent. David Hinton of landscape Manitoba the Industry group that represents Lawn care companies and Nursery owners said most Good landscapers Long ago abandoned the use of fertilizers with lots of p. Most use bags with just one or two per cent phosphorus because most mature lawns in Manitoba Are already loaded with plenty of the nutrient. Theress some Good regulations Here said Hinton who was on hand for thursdays announcement. As an Industry were totally behind this. Maryagnes. Welch free press. . Ca officers Rooming House slammed area residents say property a known Den for drug Trade phosphorus dialled Down in fertilizer for lawns first such restriction in Canada Lawn legislation phosphorus restricted. New rules say homeowners can Only use fertilizer with a maximum of one per cent phosphorus on a mature Lawn. Fertilizer bags Are All marked with three numbers indicating the nitrogen phosphorus and potassium Levels. Look for bags where the Middle number is one or Zero. When the Snow melts of course. A Little phosphorus maybe. On Flower Beds Trees and shrubs theress no restriction on the use of fertilizer with phosphorus Here because those kinds of plants need the nutrient. On new Sod that needs a Little boost. On the rare Patch of Lawn that really needs it for $ 20, a Homeowner can get a soil test to Check the phosphorus level to prove they need fertilizer with More p. On farms but Farmers Are about to come under a Host of new rules that demand soil tests to make sure their Fields Arentt already saturated with nutrients. On Golf courses but Golf courses will soon have to submit annual environmental assessments including soil tests for both nitrogen and phosphorus. Those assessments will determine How Many nutrients the turf actually needs and How much the course is allowed to use. Mike Deal / Winnipeg free press Rooming House at 511 Spence St., on the right half of this Side by Side building. Area residents say their concerns about drug dealing were ignored. To Days web poll Are you willing to Trade a Greener Lawn for a cleaner Lake Winnipeg cast your vote at wow. Winnipeg repress. Com ;