Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 13, 2014, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE B2 B 2 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014 CITY winnipegfreepress. com In the winter, even if you are not exceeding the speed limit you could be driving too fast. It's up to you to adjust your speed to the conditions. Visit our website for more driving tips and help reduce risk on Manitoba's roads. mpi. mb. ca Driving Tips When there's ice and snow, take it slow. In the city, leave four seconds between you and the vehicle ahead. On the highway, leave six seconds. In the winter you may need to leave more room to stop because of snow, wind and ice. Avoid using cruise control when roads are icy because your vehicle can accelerate when it loses traction. Slow down Increase braking distance Stay in control Drive to conditions PLEASE GIVE NOW. heartandstroke. ca YOUR DONATIONS CREATE SURVIVORS LIKE KRISTEN. C ITY hall has promoted an employee from its finance department to head the insect control branch. A civic spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday that Ken Nawolsky is the new superintendent of the insect control branch - a position that was recently created after the unexpected departure of the unit's former boss. The insect control branch traditionally has been headed by individuals with a formal background as scientists and entomologists. Nawolsky replaces city entomologist Taz Stuart, who left the city under mysterious circumstances in the fall after he had been suspended. The appointment has puzzled veteran Coun. Harvey Smith, who said councillors on the civic committee that oversees the unit were not told of the hiring. Smith ( McIntyre) said members of the protection and community services committee, which met Monday, should have been told of the appointment. Smith said he questioned why an administrator was hired to replace a scientist. " Mosquito control is a big issue in Winnipeg," he said, adding councillors and the public were never told why Stuart left the city. " People liked Taz and what he was doing," Smith said. " Replacing him with an administrator doesn't look very good." A civic spokesman said the position of city entomologist was replaced with superintendent following a review in the fall - after Stuart's departure. The spokesman said the city held an open competition for the new position and Nawolsky was considered the best candidate. He had been the corporate performance measurement co- ordinator in the city's finance department. Before that, he spent several years in the insect control branch, holding various titles including spokesman, operations manager and surveillance program co- ordinator. New insect control branch boss hired JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Cancel the patio party A third- floor balcony at the Portage Garden apartments on west Portage Avenue is overflowing with snow. Kives Continued from B 1 Public works director Brad Sacher, however, did not place his name on the report, which was written by a property department official. Sacher also didn't appear before the community committee. " What was conveyed at that point was there were some examples of where people had built a fire station on a cloverleaf," said St. James- Brooklands Coun. Scott Fielding, referring to cloverleaf facilities in South America, Europe and Asia. " Suffice it to say public works wasn't overjoyed with it." While public works supposedly supported the location, traffic engineers with the department continued to raise concerns behind the scenes. Current and former city officials contend traffic engineers Luis Escobar and Roy Hartmann objected to the Station 11 egress on Portage Avenue, as well as the station's entrance on the northwestern curve of the cloverleaf, where they feared private vehicles might enter the property at high speed. It's safe to assume the city implemented Stantec's mitigation strategies. There is no evidence Station 11 is unsafe. But since the Stantec study remains under lock and key, Winnipeggers have no way of knowing how serious the engineers' concerns about the cloverleaf were in the first place. bartley. kives@ freepress. mb. ca Scott Fielding B_ 02_ Feb- 13- 14_ FP_ 01. indd B2 2/ 12/ 14 9: 44: 00 PM ;