Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 14, 2024, Winnipeg, Manitoba WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2024 A4 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM NEWS I TOP NEWS Court review sought for reduced moose-licence limit THE Manitoba Wildlife Federation is taking legal action after the province reduced the number of moose-hunting licences available to non-Indigenous ap- plicants in some northern areas. The federation filed a notice of ap- plication for judicial review in Court of King’s Bench Monday, asking for a judge to review the government’s deci- sion to issue a maximum of 100 licences for moose hunting in four northern game areas after first indicating 400 licences would be available this fall. The 15,000-member conservation group, which represents hunters and their interests, is seeking a declaration that the government’s decision was un- lawful and for the court to order Nat- ural Resources Minister Jamie Moses to issue licences to unsuccessful appli- cants. “MWF alleges that the decision was unfair, unreasonable and made in bad faith,” reads the court filing. Earlier this summer, the MWF ac- cused the NDP government of taking direction from political advocacy or- ganizations including Manitoba Kee- watinowi Okimakanak, which repre- sents 26 northern First Nations, rather than making the decision based on data, studies or aerial surveys. MKO met with Moses on June 17 to ask that hunting be off-limits to non-In- digenous people in their First Nation territories, where they claim moose — an important food source for Indigen- ous communities — appear to be in de- cline. MKO requested cancellation of the upcoming moose tag draw on June 21, arguing that issuing licences would violate First Nations hunting rights and threaten the moose population. The government informed non-In- digenous moose tag applicants on June 21 that the draw was delayed, without further explanation, the MWF alleged in its court filing. On July 11, the province announced it would issue 50 bull moose tags in the af- fected game areas, saying the decision to reduce the number of licences is in order to “balance population sustaina- bility and the needs of harvesters while still offering hunting opportunities.” The MWF threatened legal action shortly after. After 200 moose tags were issued in the four areas last year, 47 animals were reported harvested, a government spokesman said at the time. Misipawistik Cree Nation Chief Heidi Cook said the government’s decision — which she and other First Nations lead- ers took as a compromise — should be upheld in court. Cook said her community, which is on the northwest edge of Lake Winnipeg adjacent to the southernmost licensed game hunting area, has noted a decline in the moose population and has not been able to meet its food needs as a result. “I can understand (the MWF is) upset because they’re not allowed to continue hunting in the way they usually have,” said Cook. “(But) I think it was a good move on the part of the province. We’ve been pushing for this for at least 10 years.” She said treaty hunting rights are be- ing violated by mismanagement. “It’s a step in the right direction,” she said. “We need to make sure that the moose population is stabilized first.” A provincial government spokesman said Tuesday the justice department has been served with the notice of application and officials are now re- viewing it. A spokesman for the natural resour- ces minister did not return a request for comment. erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca ERIK PINDERA MPI seeks feedback on insurance models MANITOBA Public Insurance is look- ing for public feedback on rate changes that would reward safer driving and make riskier driving cost more. It is seeking public feedback on chan- ges to the basic insurance model after the Public Utilities Board directed the Crown corporation to look at how to better reflect driver risk in determin- ing rates. “As the provider of compulsory auto insurance in the province, any contem- plated changes should include consulta- tion with Manitobans to ensure they are fully informed of the options being con- sidered and that feedback from the pub- lic is considered in future solutions,” MPI spokesperson Kristy Rydz said. MPI hired Leger Inc. to conduct an online and phone survey asking Mani- tobans how they feel about the change. Current rates are based on where a registered owner lives, what and how often they drive and their driving risk — a “registered owner rating model.” The PUB, which oversees rate set- ting and MPI, has discussed different ways to match driver risk more close- ly with vehicle and driver premiums, and whether rates should be based on the primary driver of the vehicle rath- er than the registered owner of the vehicle. In recent years, the PUB has called on MPI to look into the primary driv- er model that its own chief actuary determined more accurately reflects risk, one used by private auto insur- ers across North America. When MPI said it was sticking with the registered owner rating model, the PUB in 2022 directed MPI to develop a five-year plan for the possible implementation of the primary driver model. “As part of this work, we have launched a public survey to help ensure feedback from customers and stake- holders is incorporated into shaping the decision to change the existing in- surance model, and what changes could look like,” Rydz said. Although Crown corporations like MPI are supposed to be arm’s-length from the provincial government, they do feel the heat from on high, said one expert who studies them. “MPI, which is very attuned to the government, wants to be very careful and sensitive with how they implement this,” Prof. Malcolm Bird of the Uni- versity of Winnipeg political science department said. “MPI had its board replaced (last fall). It just had a very nasty strike that was, I think, quite damaging.” Bird said all three Crown corpora- tions in Manitoba — MPI, Manitoba Hydro and Manitoba Liquor & Lotter- ies — are “deeply, and somewhat prob- lematically, influenced by the political sphere.” Government influence poses a “predicament” for the publicly-owned corporations trying to get the most bang for Manitobans’ buck, he said. The MPI survey, available online, asks if Autopac rates should reflect the driving risk of the primary driver. One question reads: “Drivers with a lower safety rating have someone with a better driver safety rating insure the vehicle they drive to get a better dis- count on their insurance premiums. This is not against the rules but it does mean that some insurance premiums are lower as a result … and other pre- miums are higher. Do you feel this is: a serious problem, somewhat of a prob- lem, not really a problem, don’t know.” The survey also asks respondents if they’d support the registered owner of the vehicle receiving an insurance premium discount based on the driver safety rating of the primary driver. Drivers are also asked if they would support a new insurance model. The survey can be accessed at: mpi. mb.ca/customer-surveys. carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca CAROL SANDERS RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS A COOL TREAT FOR A HOT AUGUST DAY Two-year-old Marcelo Gomez stopped at the Bridge Drive Inn with his family on Monday in his mini convertible push car. Gomez shared some of his ice cream with his father, Robert, before enjoying the rest of his sweet treat himself to cool off on the hot summer day. School trustees, superintendent get raises F RANCOPHONE school trustees and senior administrators received raises last year while teachers working in the schools they manage carried out their duties without a con- tract. Eleven elected officials — known as “les commissionaires” in the Division scolaire franco-manitobaine — collect- ively earned $25,000 more in 2023 than they did in 2022, for a total of $226,435. The school division’s latest public sector compensation disclosure report shows honorariums for the board rose by 13 per cent overall. Superintendent Alain Laberge’s sal- ary was topped up by eight per cent during that period. Laberge oversees the employment of 1,200 workers involved in teaching and supporting upwards of 6,000 students across 24 schools in rural and urban communities in Manitoba. Last year, his pay was $243,386. “Rank-and-file workers don’t look kindly on these types of things,” said Adam King, an assistant professor of labour studies at the University of Manitoba. “It definitely can rub workers the wrong way. From the other side, it might also be that the union uses it as a mobilizing tool to frame its messa- ging, to mobilize its members around a particular wage ask at the bargaining table.” Both Laberge and the board of trust- ees’ president noted the salaries are a single-year snapshot and do not reflect the complex operations of the unique district or the different cyclical na- tures of contracts with unionized and non-unionized groups. The executive team at the Association des éducatrices et éducateurs fran- co-manitobains, a local of the Manitoba Teachers’ Society representing roughly 650 part-time and full-time teachers, declined to comment, citing ongoing negotiations. Last week, MTS and the Manitoba School Boards Association announced they had reached an agreement that would see anglophone teacher pay rise by more than 12 per cent over four years. The comprehensive deal replaces 37 division-specific ones that expired in July 2022. The historic ratification has shift- ed teachers’ attention to an impasse in negotiations between francophone members of MTS — who have also been without a contract for two years — and their division. The parties are preparing for arbitra- tion. Formal dates have yet to be set. “Negotiations don’t always go as fast as each side would like but we’re negoti- ating with good faith,” said Bernard Le- sage, spokesman for the francophone school board. Elected board members review their compensation packages every year as part of standard division protocols. Trustees have done without raises in recent years, in part to remain in line with the former government’s austerity directives, but they recently decided to return to cost-of-living adjustments, said Lesage, who’s been on the board for 20 years. The veteran board member said last year’s 13 per cent hike reflects “the whole package,” including meal, travel and professional development expens- es. The 2023 total is the equivalent of $20,500 per trustee. As for the superintendent’s pay bump, Lesage said it reflects changes that were made midway through Laberge’s current contract to recognize the extra time he put in during the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing demand for bilingual education leaders across Can- ada. “It’s a job that requires a lot of sac- rifice … It’s not a 40-hours-a-week (position); he’s on call 24/7,” the board spokesman added. When reached by phone, Laberge de- fended about a dozen recent raises for senior employees including himself, the secretary-treasurer and communi- cations manager, by highlighting the challenges of retaining qualified bilin- gual managers who are willing to trav- el often for work. The superintendent said administra- tive employees have individualized con- tracts that expire at different times and they are addressed accordingly based on competitive rates across Canada’s minority-language workforce. Teachers will receive back-pay once their contract is settled, he added. maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca Move comes amid contract dispute between province, French division’s teachers MAGGIE MACINTOSH ANDREW RYAN / FREE PRESS FILES Alain Laberge, superintendent of the Division Scolaire Franco-Manitobaine, defends the raises of senior executives, noting the difficulty recruiting and retaining qualified bilingual staff. ;