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| 175.1 | Canadian Chronicle - May 4th, 1989 | KAOFS::D_BIGELOW | Hedonism - ahhhhhh! | Mon May 08 1989 14:32 | 301 |
| Date : Thursday May 4th, 1989 Circulation: 364
Dist : Weekly - 1st Edition Editor: Darrell Bigelow
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| ** The CANADIAN CHRONICLE ** |
| |
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WELCOME to the Canadian Chronicle, a new weekly publication
of activities and events ocurring in Canada, from the latest
Federal and Provincial Government Politics, to the business
section; following Canadian technological, industrial and
retail advances, break throughs, and financial postitions; to
health and human interest articles. Basically, any newsbreaking
story that I feel is worth publishing, will be included. It
is certain that I won't be able to publish every article that
breaks the news, so don't be alarmed if one gets out without
it being mentioned here.
For quite some time now, I have been contemplating a news
magazine that will provide information to Digital employees
who are from Canada, and posted throughout the world. It is
my hope that this publication will provide them with news they
might not otherwise receive. Of course, any individual interested
in Canadian events is more than welcome to this publication.
I will be grateful for any constructive criticism you may have,
and will try to answer all mail, however, "letters to the editor"
will NOT be published. There have been some requests to include
letters, since they help promote international understanding,
however, I have chosen to exclude this section of the publication
since most letters sharply criticise other people's opinions,
and I do not wish this publication to become an outlet for people
to vent their frustrations.
I'd like to thank Marios (from VNS), for announcing this publication
in VOGON news, sincerely appreciated. And I'd like to thank all
of you -- I never anticipated such an overwhelming response.
It is my wish that all who subscribe to the "Canadian Chronicle",
will enjoy reading it, as much as I enjoy writing it.
Best Regards,
Darrell Bigelow
Editor
Federal & Provincial Politics
------------------------------
"Budget Leak /89"
The biggest newsbreaking story this past week started last Wednesday
with the 1989 Federal Budget leak.
The Honourable Micheal Wilson, Federal Finance Minister, decided
to let out details of the budget a day early, before the Minister
was to table the budget in the House of Commons last Thursday. Mr.
Wilson decided that it was necessary to release information on the
budget, when an unknown man provided Global News reporter Doug Small,
with the "1989 Budget in Brief" pamphlet, a document that is not
supposed to be released until after the budget is tabled.
The unknown man asked Mr. Small to meet him at a gas station in
the east end of Ottawa. There, he slipped a brown enveloppe con-
taining the Budget in Brief, to Mr. Small through Mr. Small's car
window, and then vanished. Mr. Small's wife read him the contents
of the document as he drove to the television station. With five
minutes remaining in the news broadcast, Global News televised
major highligts from the Budget in Brief pamphlet.
Later that evening, CBC television interrupted the NHL hockey
playoffs with a Special News Report. Federal Government opposition
leaders, and Members of Parliament, were called in for conferencing
and for the preparation of a news release.
The Honourable John Turner, Liberal Opposition Leader, demanded
that the Prime Mininster ask for Mr. Wilson's resignation. He said
that as far as he was concerned, "there is no budget, there is no
minister, and this is a non event". In light of the budget leak,
Mr. Turner decided to post-pone his own resignation as leader of
the Liberal party, which had been expected any day. The Honourable
Ed Broadbent, Leader of the NDP party, took the same side as Mr.
Turner, declaring that Mr. Wilson must resign since he was ultimately
responsible for the security of the budget information. Mr. Broadbent
went on to explain that individuals knowing the contents of the
budget pamphlet could have potentially made millions of dollars on
the stock exchange for their own personal gain.
Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, said that it was not Mr. Wilson's
fault for the budget leak, and asked why he should ask for the
resignation of a man who had "done nothing wrong".
The RCMP police were called in early for a full investigation into
how the leak started, and who started it. Mr. Small (the news reporter)
said the gas station lot was dark, and he was unable to get a descrip-
tion of the man who gave him the pamphlet, although other people
say they believe Mr. Small knows the identity of the man.
There has been no futher development into the identity of the
individual who first released the information, however, the RCMP
beleive they have narrowed it down to someone in the printing shop
where the pamphlets were made, although the print shop clearly denies
that the leak started with anyone on his staff. If the man is caught,
he faces up to 10 years in prison.
"BUDGET HITS HARD"
Finance Minister, Micheal Wilson, tried to table his budget
in the House of Commons last Thursday, even though most of Canada
already knew what was in store, from the previous nights' events.
However, when Mr. Wilson attempted to table the budget, both
the Liberal and NDP oppostion parties yelled out for his resignation
and stormed out of the Commons.
Among those non-esential luxeries getting taxed again, are:
cigarettes - up $4.00 per/carton, or 50 cents per pack, (it now
costs approximately $4.00 per/pack of 25), alcohol up 1%, and
gasoline - up approximately 2 cents per litre.
The Individual Surtax increased from 3% to 5%. Most Canadians
were very upset with this increase, as the Individual Surtax
several years ago, was supposed to be a "one time tax only", and
now it seems it will always be with us, although Mr. Wilson said
he hopes his successor in the future will view this tax, as one
that should be removed.
All services as well as goods will now be taxed. For example,
sending your daughter for music lessons will be taxed, getting
a hair cut will be taxed. There remains only a few types of
goods which will stay non-taxable, among these are groceries
and prescription drugs.
The Government is scrapping the Nuclear Submarine project, and
closing 7 military bases, while scaling down 7 more. A source
from a local military base does not expect a reduction in personnel,
and that most personnel will be trasferred to other bases. In
addition, some government subsidized companies will be cut back
such as VIA RAIL and the National Capital Commission. Foreign Aid
will also be cut back.
The current Canadian Deficit stands at $30.5 billion. Mr. Wilson
expects revenue returns of $5 billion this year, with the budget
remaining at 30.5 billion the following year. In 1991, with
the help of a new Federal Tax, Mr. Wilson expects revenue returns
of $9 billion, to decrease the deficit of 1991 to approximately
$26 billion. Canada's total current outstanding debt is approximately
$320 billion.
Analysts and the general population are calling this year's
budget the hardest to hit in Canadian history. And it is going
to hit very hard ... with the rate of taxes and inflation soaring to
approximately 20% to 30% of a person's yearly income, the average
4% to 6% wage increases just can't keep up. A middle income, dual
income family earning $100,000 last year, paid a total of $32,000
in taxes alone, and with this year's budget, it will only get worse.
"TAX RETURN - MEETS DEADLINE"
The deadline for Canadians filing their 1988 tax returns, was
by midnight of May 1st, 1989. Some postal stations remained open
until midnight throughout Canada, to help last minute citizens
get their returns in before the deadline.
Any tax returns filed after May 1, are subject to a penalty charge
for late filing, if the citizen owed money. Any returns after May 1
that were execting a refund, are not subject to penalties.
As of last week, 7 million Canadians had not yet filed a tax return.
For those people expecting refunds, the average refund per
Canadian is approximately $500 .
"TURNER RESIGNING"
The Honourable John Turner, leader of the Liberal oppostion
party, announced on Wednesday May 3rd, that he "will be resigning
at an appropriate time". It is anticipated that Mr. Turner's
resignation will come into effect when the Liberal party has
elected a new leader.
After Mr. Turner's defeat in last year's elections, failing
to bring the Liberal government into power, many members of
the liberal party were asking him to step down. Mr. Turner had
never officially mentioned anything about his resignation until
May 3rd, although it was exected to happen sooner or later.
Canadian Living
---------------
"HOUSE PRICES CONTINUE TO RISE"
Owning your own home is becoming a very expensive proposition,
as housing costs rise to exorbarant prices. Housing costs have
been dramatically on the rise in Canada for the past 5 years.
An average 3 bedroom single house in Toronto or the surrounding
area can cost as much as $300,000, with executive homes in new
subdivisions rarely going for less than $500,000. In suburban
Ottawa, the same average 3 bedroom house sells for approximately
$150,000. New houses, on 40' x 100' lots start at $160,000 upwards
to $230,000. Executive homes often reach $300,000, with one listing
I've seen recently, asking for $1,000,000. Just purchasing
a lot (land without a house), in a suburb sells for between $60,000
to $100,000. Lots in suburbs however, are very difficult to purchase
as most are owned by developers who are not willing to sell individual
lots. Two to five acre lots in rural areas start at $45,000 and go
up to $80,000.
The news of the Federal Budget will make it even more difficult
for anyone wishing to purchase a new home. The Federal government
will be slapping on a 9% tax on the purchase of properties beginning
January 1st, 1991. Since the tax will become part of the total
purchase price of a home, home buyers will be faced with mortgaging
the tax as well as the original cost. This of course means having
to pay interst to banks or mortgage companies on the new tax. Note -
this tax will NOT apply to houses that have already been built.
To break this down a little better, if you were to purchase a new
home for $200,000 + tax = $218,000, 12 payments per year for 25
years, at 12% interest and property taxes of $2,500 anually, you
would need to earn a minimum $107,330 per year. Your mortgage
payment each month would be $2,504.36, with the total interest
payments over the life of the mortgage being $470,809 . The cost
of your $200,000 house over life of the mortgage now becomes
$688,809 .
Mortgage analysts and Realtors believe that many young couples
who may have been potential first home buyers, will now never in
their life be able to afford to own their own home. It is estimated
that only a severe recession will change this reality.
"INMATE KILLED"
Mike Steinkiewicz was to be a free man today.
Steinkiewicz was one week late however, when last Thursday, the
Ottawa man was attacked and killed by inmates in the shower room of
the Ottawa Regional Detention Centre.
Steinkiewicz was apparently sent to the maximum security section
of the centre instead of solitary confinement after he had been in
an argument in the laundry room where he worked, over an unpaid
drug bill. Inmates killed Steinkiewicz by kicking in his head and
throat when security guards had left them unsupervised by taking
a coffee break.
Steinkiewicz's family have called for an inquiry into his death.
Health
------
"CLEAN NEEDLES HELP RECUCE THE RISK"
Montreal drug users will soon be able to exchange used needles,
for clean disposable ones, in a program designed to help decrease
the spread of the AIDS virus.
The number of heroin addicts has trippled in the last five years
to 15,000. In light of this, health officials are stressing an
urgency to encourage addicts to use clean needles.
Life on the Lighter Side
------------------------
"SEWER BOYS - A SMOKING ADVENTURE"
In Kanata Ontario, two fifteen year old boys entered a sewer
system from a neighbourhood creek, to sneak away for a cigarette.
They followed the sewer system tunnels for a while, and then
realized they were lost. Both boys were very frightened, and
started to cry and call for help at another entrance that they
couldn't get out of. Some nearby children heard them and came
to see what was going on.
The boys pleaded that they not get the police to help, as one
boy had exclaimed, "Don't get the police. Please don't get the
police. If you do we'll be in a lot of trouble". One of the
children trying to help out, went home and told her mother. Shortly
afterward, the child and her mother returned to the sewer entrance
where the boys were trapped. She said not to worry, she had called
the police and they were on their way to help out.
The boys, now in panic mode, believing they were in serious
trouble, screamed and ran back through other tunnels in the
sewer system. A fire department worker was sent down who eventually
found the boys, and guided them safely back out. The boys got
more than they bargained for when they were taken to the police
station, where their parents were summoned. Both boys were
unhurt in the adventure.
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| 175.2 | The Canadian Chronicle - May 11th, 1989 | KAOFS::D_BIGELOW | Hedonism - ahhhhhh! | Thu May 11 1989 16:48 | 257 |
| Date : Thursday May 11th, 1989 Circulation: 511
Dist : Weekly - 2nd Edition Editor: Darrell Bigelow
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| |
| ** The CANADIAN CHRONICLE ** |
| |
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In This Issue
-------------
Messgage from the Editor
Liberal Leader Resigns
Budget - Feeling the Pinch
Via Rail President - Fired
Real Estate
Boeing Canada - Expands Arnprior Plant
Glass Found in Baby Food
Holiday Fitness Clubs - Takes a Permanent Vacation
AIDS-detection Kit Approved
PCB Spill Brings Company to Court
Teenagers Lost At Sea
He's a Busy Beaver !
Currency Exchange Rates:
Canada $1.00 <-> U.S. $1.18 <-> U.K. Pound 1.97
Message from the Editor
In an effort to control the useage of our computer resources
as much as possible, all future distribution of this news service
will occur on weekends. You should receive the Canadian Chronicle
each Monday instead of Thursday, with the third edition to arrive
in your mail on Monday May 21.
Federal and Provincial Politics
-------------------------------
Liberal Leader Resigns
During John Turner's resignation speech in the House of Commons
last Wednesday, he received standing ovations from all parties,
one of which left him in tears. Mr Turner has been the leader of
the Liberal party for the past five years. He was Canada's short
lived Prime Minister when he took over from Pierre Trudeau in 1984,
but had to turn over the reigns of power when a few months later,
he was defeated by the Tory (Conservative) leader, Brian Mulroney
in the 1984 Canadian election.
Mr. Turner said that he leaves a "dynamic and renewed party". That
may be ture, but he also leaves a party that is $3 million in debt,
and divided on a number of key policy issues. The Liberal party may
be months without a new leader, and are worried that the conservatives
will try to divert attention away from the Federal Budget and other
sensitive issues.
The Liberal Opposition party's national executive is expected to
meet within the next two weeks, to consider the question of a
leadership convention.
Anticipated contenders for Mr. Turner's position include; Jean
Chretien, former cabinet minister; Lloyd Axworthy, Manitoba MP
(Member of Parliament); Sheila Copps, Hamilton East, Ontario, MP;
Brian Tobin, Newfoundland MP; Doug Young, former New Brunswick
Liberal leader; Donald Johnston, former lawyer and friend to former
Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau (but he is a long shot); and Clifford
Lincoln, former Quebec Enviornment Minister.
Business
--------
Budget - Feeling the Pinch
An independent think-tank, called the Conference Board of Canada,
is predicting that this year's federal budget, raking in massive tax
increases of $3.7 billion, will hit consumers hard. The board's
chief economist said, "The federal government's latest budget will
virtually guarantee no economic growth for the second half of 1989 and
could bring the Canadian economy perilously close to a recession
at the end of this year. Everyone will feel the pinch of increased
federal sales ane excise taxes leading to higher prices in the stores."
Finance Minister Micheal Wilson says that if the government doesn't
take action to get the deficit down, "we most surely would be going
into a recession".
It appears Canadians wouldn't have much to look forward to either way.
VIA Rail President - Fired
Transport Minister, Benoit Bouchard, fired VIA Rail President and
Chief Executive officer, Denis de Belleval, after they had dis-
agreements over the future of Canada's passenger rail service, on
May 3, 1989.
De Belland was against a $500 million dollar cut in Federal subsidies
to the Crown Corporation over the next four years. The cut was
part of Finance Minister Michael Wilson's budget. De Belland will
be replaced by Canadian National Rail's chairman, Ronald Lewis.
Mr. De Belland believed that such a drastic cut would mean the death
of the Canadian Rail service, however, Bouchard denies that this will
happen, adding that higher fares, cutting lines, and the involvement
of other levels of government and even the public sector will help
keep VIA running.
VIA rail has received anual subsidies from the federal goverment
for quite a few years, with last year's anual subsidy reaching
$600 million.
Real Estate
In last week's edition I mentioned the new federal tax of 9% on the
sale of new homes becoming effective Jan 1, 1991, and how it
would hurt and possibly prevent first-time homebuyers from being able
to purchase a new home.
The Canadian Real Estate Association, will be pushing for a proposal
to allow first-time home buyers to use their "Registered Retirement
Savings Plans" to use as funds for downpayments.
Boeing Canada - Expands Arnprior Plant
Boeing Canada's Arnprior Ontario factory, will be constructing a
second floor to their existing building, which is estimated to cost
$900,000. The Arnprior division makes aircraft parts, as well as
modifications and overhauls to the Canadian government's Chinook
and Labrador helicopters. No new full-time employment is planned.
Health Watch
------------
Glass Found in Baby Food
Shopper's Drug Mart in Nepean Ontario, removed hundereds of jars
of baby food from the store's shelves after a woman found a piece of
glass the size of a silver dollar in a jar of Gerber strained blue-
berry baby food, while she was feeding the food to her son. Her son
was not harmed.
A spokesman from Health & Welfare Canada said there was a similar
incident last month in Brantford Ontario, when another woman found
a piece of glass in a jar of Gerber pears.
A representative from the Gerber company refused comment until they
have had a chance to examine the glass.
Holiday Fitness Clubs - Take a Permanent Vacation
John Valentine, owner of Holiday Fitness Clubs in Canada, closed
the doors to six of the athletic club centres in Ottawa and Toronto
Ontario, two months ago. He had promised that they would re-open
a few weeks later after "corporate restructuring".
However, Gary DeMers, an investigator from the Ministry of Consumer
and Commercial Relations said there was virtually no chance that the
clubs would re-open.
Landlords who leased space to Holiday Fitness, have terminated their
lease agreements and are looking for new occupants.
More than 50,000 Holiday Fitness members have been left without any
recourse or reimbursement.
AIDS-detection Kit Approved
The federal government has approved a kit that allows scientists to
detect AIDS viruses in one test.
IAF Biochem International Inc. said in a statement that the
diagnostic kit allows the simultaneous detection of both HIV-1
and HIV-2 viruses, offering "the added advantage of reducing the
amount of technician and laboratory time required for the total
testing."
The approval enables Biochem to manufacture, market and sell the kit
to AIDS testing laboratories across Canada. The company intends to
negotiate agreements with multinational drug companies to market
the kit worldwide.
IAF Biochem specializes in the research, development, manufacture and
marketing of products for the detection, treatment and prevention
of diseases involving the immune system.
PCB Spill Brings Company to Court
Consolidated-Bathurst Incorporated appeared in a Quebec court on
Monday, and pleaded "not guilty" of a charge of "failing to inform
Environment Canada promptly" of a PCB-laced oil spill in April.
Approximately 6,800 litres of toxic PCB-laced oil is alleged to
have leaked from the company's Belgo mill in Shawinigan, Quebec.
The mill is situated on the St Maurice River about 30 kilometers
from Trois-Rivieres, Quebec.
On June 26, Consolidated will appear in court again when the judge
will set a trial date.
Tragedy Strikes
---------------
Teenagers Lost At Sea
Two boys from New Waterford, Nova Scotia, are presumed dead, after
searchers failed to locate the boys in a rescue attempt last Friday
and Saturday. The two teenagers were last seen waving their arms
frantically, while drifting out to open ocean in an old steel oil
tank.
A New Waterford resident spotted the boys and alerted police around
7:45 Friday evening. A Labrador helicopter spent Friday night
searching, and were joined Saturday by a Buffalo aircraft, two
coast guard vessels, local aircraft and fishing boats, while
voluteers scowered the coast line in the rescue attempt.
The boys have not been found and are presumed to have drowned.
Life on the Lighter Side
------------------------
He's a Busy Beaver !
A Nepean Ontario couple got quite a surprise one recent Sunday
morning, when they looked out the rear window of their house, to
discover a beaver hard at work building a damn in their swimming
pool. The winter pool cover was still on, and had some snow-melt
on top that must have looked inviting to the beaver. The fact
that there was no flowing water didn't seem to upset him, he kept
hard at work anyway, using shrubs from the back yard to complete
the damn.
Nepean bylaw enforcement officers arrived on the scene, but thought
they had come to pick up a stray dog. The two officers broke into
uncontrollable laughter when they saw the pool, the beaver and the
damn. They were able to capture the animal in a garbage can
loaned by a local neighbour. The confused beaver was later released
somewhere along the Jock River.
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| 175.3 | Canadian Chronicle - May 22, 1989 | KAOFS::D_BIGELOW | Hedonism - ahhhhhh! | Tue May 23 1989 12:26 | 376 |
| Date : Monday May 22nd, 1989 Circulation: 541
Dist : Weekly - 3rd Edition Editor: Darrell Bigelow
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| |
| ** The CANADIAN CHRONICLE ** |
| |
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In This Issue
-------------
The Tax Man Cometh, Again
Polar Team reaches North Pole
Forest Fires Hit Prairie Provinces
SPAR lays off workers
Sumitomo's bid for Lumonics complete
Ford announces plant expansion
Mitel posts anual profit
STM takes bigger stake in Ottawa
Diamond hunt in Saskatchewan
Heart Institute gets $2.8 Million Research Grant
Hospitals to benefit from Man's Winfall
Just a "Ducky" Day
Rainy Day, so Jason, 7, drives to School
Currency Exchange Rates:
U.S. Dollar buys $1.19 Canadian
U.K. Pound buys $1.96 Canadian
Federal and Provincial Politics
-------------------------------
The Tax Man Cometh, Again
Well, just as soon as the Federal government takes a huge chunk
of money out of taxpayers, along comes the Provincial governments,
with their tax grabs, and following closely behind them, municipal
tax increases. This year has been devistating for Canadian tax-
payers. Vancouver-based Fraser Institute says that for every
dollar Canadians earn, they pay 52 cents to taxes. In their research
the organization estimated that a family earning an income of
$39,500 will pay $20,697 in taxes.
I don't know the situation across Canada, but since I live in
Ontario, I can highlight Treasurer of Ontario Bob Nixon's Provincial
Budget, which was released Wednesday May 17th.
* The minimum hourly wage for adults will increase by 25 cents
to $5 per hour, beginning October 1;
* A case of 24 beer sees a hike of 30 cents, (the federal budget
just recently took its' share too, with a 36 cent increase, which
makes a total increase in a case of brew, up 66 cents);
* A new 5 cent disposal charge will be added to all non-refundable
wine and liquor containers;
* Medicare premiums will be replaced by a payroll tax paid by
employers - 1.95% for large employers and .98% for small
employers.
* Personal income tax will rise one percentage point, to 53% of
the federal rate;
* Homebuyers will pay a total of $30 million more in land transfer
taxes;
* Welfare spending will increase by $415 million and benefits will
go up 6%;
* Municipalities and school boards will be allowed to assess levies
on new homes to pay for schools, roads, sewers and other projects
in new developments;
And with critics calling driving a car "the new form of sin taxes"-
* A new $5 tax on each new tire you purchase;
* An immediate 1 cent per litre gasoline tax increase, with another
1 cent per litre increase beginning in January 1990.
* If you buy a gas guzzler, you'll pay a new $600 tax for cars getting
highway ratings of 9.5 to 12 litres per 100 km; $1,200 for 12.1
to 15 litres; $2,200 for 15.1 to 18 litres; and $3,500 for over
18 litres.
* The cost of a driver's licence jumped from $21 to $30;
* Vehicle registration fees jumped from $54 to $66 in most parts
of Ontario, but in Toronto went from $66 to $90;
* With tax increases totalling a record $1.3 billion, the annual
Ontario provincial deficit will fall to $577 million, the lowest
level in 15 years.
National
--------
Polar Team reaches North Pole
Members of the ICEWALK '89 expedition, which was an international
team of people from Britain, the U.S., the Soviet Union, Austrailia,
West Germany, Japan and one Canadian from Ikaluit, North West
Territories; reached the North Pole on Sunday May 14th. The ex-
pedition was led by Irish adventurer, Robert Swan.
The expedition had started from Ellesmere Island, N.W.T., and
extended more than 1,000 km to the Pole. More than half of the
team had suffered frost-bitten feet since encountering -55C
cold in early April. Bad weather conditions had hampered drop offs
of supplies and interruption of radio contact on several occassions.
The team made the trek to the draw attention to global pollution and
the green-house effect -- warming of the Earth.
Forest Fires Hit Prairie Provinces
In Manitoba, a raging forest fire completely destroyed the tiny
community of Briggspur, and came within 1km of another town, Cowan.
About 100 people had to leave the community, before the flames
from the 40,000 hectare fire burned the community to the ground.
Fortunately, no-one was hurt.
A local state of emergency was declared for districts of Mountain
and Minitonas, about 200 km northwest of Brandon.
The weather remained hot and dry with temperatures nearing 30C,
but light winds helped firefighters control many of the 104 fires
which were concentrated in a belt across south-central Manitoba.
Manitoba fires have forced the evacuation of about 1,450 people
this year.
In Saskatchewan, approximately 36 fires were reported, with one
fire engulfing 18,500 hectares of land. Scattered rain, light
winds and lower temperatures helped firefighters to gain better
control of the situation.
Local residents in both provinces believe many of the fires to be
the work of arsonists, because "they (the fires) just shouldn't
have started where they did. There is no reason some of those
fires could have started, unless they were deliberately set".
Business
--------
SPAR lays off workers
Seventeen workers have been laid off at the defence systems division
of Spar Aerospace Limited in Kanata.
A downturn in business resulted in staff cuts in manufacturing,
engineering and administration. The company hopes business will
pick up by the fall, with the possibility workers will be recalled
at that time.
The Kanata division designs and manufactures tactical infrared
surveillance products and systems for defence applications. The
company is headquartered in Toronto, operates a division in Montreal
and two subsidiaries in California.
Sumitomo's bid for Lumonics complete
Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan has successfully acquired
Kanata-based Lumonics Inc. in a $73.6-million taeover. About 95%
of the laser company's outstanding shares were tendered following
last month's offer.
The takeover will enhance Lumonics' technological and marketing
capabilities, with the aim of becoming a world leader in the laser
market, it was stated in a news release.
The presence of Sumitomo in Japan will make Lumonics the world's
first global laser company with operations in North America,
Europe and the Pacific Rim.
Ford announces plant expansion
- Oakville, Ontario -
Ford of Canada is investing $225 million in its St. Thomas, Ont.,
assembly plant to build a new line of full-size cars -- the
Ford LTD Crown Victioria and the Mercury Grand Marquis.
The expansion will not create new jobs at the factory which employs
3,700 people, said Kenneth Harrigan, President and CEO of Ford Canada.
Harrigan said the plant, just outside of London in western Ontario will
begin producing the new cars in 1991.
Mitel posts annual profit
Kanata-based Mitel Corporation is back in the black after 5
years of losses.
The telecommunications firm posted annual profits of $22.2 million,
or 21 cents a share, compared with a loss of $24.3 million and 38
cents per share in fiscal 1988. Cost-cutting measures including
the elimination of 400 jobs worldwide last March, contributed to the
gain of $200,000 before extraordinary items compared to a loss of
$32.6 million in fiscal 1988.
Despite strong competition at home, sales in Canada grew 6.1% to
$67.8 million, with Mitel's share of the PBX market increasing
to 28% from 24% last year.
The sale of the company's 200,00 square-foot Renfrew facility in
June and an extraordinary gain of $15.8 million from the use of
taxes incurred in previous years bumped up profits by $22 million.
More than 120,000 Mitel telecommunication systems have been sold in
over 80 countries, making the company the second largest supplier
of PABXs worldwide.
STM takes bigger stake in Ottawa
STM Systems Corp. announced plans to build a $12 million, 80,000
square-foot Systems integration Centre in the Ottawa Business Park.
The new cetre will include an office complex, application software
and computing centre and will eventually house the company's more
than 400 Ottawa employees.
STM Systems was formed in September 1988 through the merger of
Canada Systems Group and Datacrown and is the largest computer
services and systems company in Canada. (or so says the newspaper).
STM Systems has more than 1,500 employees across the country and
annual sales of $200 million.
Diamond hunt in Saskatchewan
A Toronto-baded company, Coronad Corporation, in a joint-venture
with Claude Resources of Saskatoon, claims it has discovered a
mineral commonly associated with diamonds on it's land claim near
Sturgeon Lake in northern Saskatchewan. The mineral is kimberlite,
a rare iron-magnesium pipe-like deposit which is always found in
association with diamonds. The company expects to take 3 months
to determine if the kimberlite contains diamonds.
Diamond drilling activity in the area started in 1987 when Monopros
Ltd., the Canadian subsidiary of De Beers of South Africa, the largest
diamond company in the world, began exporing in a gravel pit.
Health & Living
---------------
Heart Institute gets $2.8 Million Research Grant
The Ontario Provincial government will be giving $2.8 million over
the next 5 years to the Ottawa Heart Institute for artificial
heart research.
The Institute is developing an electro-hydraulic ventricular assist
device (EVAD) which would be implanted in people with heart disease.
The device normalizes blood pressure levels and is the first step
towards a totally artificial heart that doesn't require the patient
to be hooked up to equipment.
The announcement of EVAD came just two days before the official
opening of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute's research
centre. The research wing, which cost $17 million to build, is
for clinical study of heart tissue, artificial heart devices,
cardiac anaesthetics, endocrinology and hypertension.
Hospitals to benefit from Man's Winfall
A disabled Ottawa man, won $7.4 million dollars in the Loto 6/49
draw last Wednesday. The Loto 6/49, is a Canadian Lottery, with
odds of winning being 14 million to 1. The winfall is tax free.
Ronald Normand, who won the jackpot last week said he hasn't figured
out what he will do with all the money, but he's going to make sure
that the Ottawa Civic Hospital's Heart Institute and the Royal
Ottawa Hospital will receive some of the money. Normand has suffered
two heart attacks, and says he knows the hospital needs the money.
Normand, a divorced father said he's been buying about $20 a week
in lottery tickets for years before he struck it rich last Wednesday.
A lottery spoksman said that Normand will collect about $5,000 in
interest, daily.
Life on the Lighter Side
------------------------
Just a "Ducky" Day
The "Festival of Spring" kicked off last week with Ottawa becoming
the "duck capital of the world". 70,000 rubber ducks hit the water
at the Hartwell Locks, with the lead ducks finishing the 6km duck
race in under 45 minutes, 50 minutes faster than last year's time.
The duck race was sponsored by the Ottawa Kiwanis Club, as a
fundraising event that raised $225,000 for the Children's Hospital
of Eastern Ontario. The first 10 ducks to cross the finish line,
earned their owners a total of $70,000 in prizes.
The first prize of "his & her" four wheel drive trucks went to
Patricia Dregas, a 20 year old Bell Canada clerk. Although estatic
about hearing she had won the 1st prize, Patricia is uncertain what
she'll do about the trucks since, she doesn't drive ! Guess you
could call that just another "ducky dilemma".
Rainy Day, so Jason, 7, drives to School
- Cornwall, Ontario -
* I couldn't have told this next story better than the original
author, so from Ottawa "Citizen" staff writer, Jack Walker,
comes the story in it's entirety: *
Seven-year-old Jason thought it was too wet to walk to his
bus stop Thursday. So he hopped into the family's 1979 Buick
Regal and drove to school.
"He stopped for two traffic lights, one stop sign and used the
turn signals properly," said police Constable Dan O'Reilly. "From
what I was told, he certainly wasn't the worst driver on the road."
Judith Richer said it began aound 8 a.m. when son Jason asked for
a ride to the bus stop.
"I told him it wasn't raining that much, but when my back was
turned he grabbed the keys off the hook and drove off."
She said Jason hadn't driven before but that he's a close observer
and a quick learner.
Aside from slamming into the garage door as he took off, the three-
foot-tall Grade 1 pupil drove the 1.2-kilometre route flawlessly.
"I heard a big bang when he hit the garage door and then saw him back
out of the driveway," his mom said. "I ran after him for a couple
a blocks until he disappeared."
She then called the police.
When O'Reilly arrived at the school, he found the car parked, its
hazard lights flashing.
Jason was waiting calmly in the principal's office.
"I asked him why he took the car," said O'Reilly.
"Because it was raining," Jason replied.
Police won't file charges.
"It was raining just like he said," said O'Reilly. "So what
are you going to do?"
His mom wasn't so lenient. Jason was confined to quarters.
"I told him he could have hurt people," she said. "he said 'Yes,
but I didn't.'"
|
| 175.4 | Canadian Chronicle - May 29th, 1989 | KAOFS::D_BIGELOW | Hedonism - ahhhhhh! | Mon May 29 1989 14:10 | 463 |
| Date : Monday May 29th, 1989 Circulation: 547
Dist : Weekly - 4th Edition Editor: Darrell Bigelow
--------------------------------
| |
| ** The CANADIAN CHRONICLE ** |
| |
--------------------------------
In This Issue
-------------
Federal Budget Leak - Step by Step
Canadian Dollar Bill -- Headed for Shredders
7,000 Workers Face Temporary Layoff
CN Rail Workers Face Layoff
Petro Canada - Up For Sale
Westinghouse -- Closing Plant
BNR Expansion Delay
Hershey Goes High Tech
Computer Smuggling
Calgary Flames Win Stanley Cup
Fireworks Destroys Store
Alberta Hit by Snowstorms
Air Conditioner Shortage
Little Girl's Death -- Saves Others
Debbie's Day to Remember
Currency Exchange Rates:
U.S. Dollar buys $1.21 Canadian
U.K. Pound buys $1.90 Canadian
Federal and Provincial Politics
-------------------------------
Federal Budget Leak - Step by Step
The following, is a chronological account of how the federal
budget leak that occurred in Canada. It traces events from the
government printer to the hands of security equipment salesman
Robert McFarlane, to the RCMP three days later.
The following exert, has been reprinted here from the Ottawa
Citizen newspaper:
* Sunday, April 23: A summary of the upcoming budget, Budget in
Brief, is printed at a government print ship in Hull. All security
precautions were taken, according to officials.
* Monday, April 24: Robert McFarlane meets two friends in an east-
end Ottawa bar and is given a copy of Budget in Brief by a friend who
is a government printer. He takes it home and discusses it with his
father, George.
* Tuesday April 25: George takes the pamphlet to his Mutual Life
Insurance office on Carling Avenue and shows it to a colleague. It
is copied and sent to Toronto with a Mutual employee from there.
Another copy is sent to an employee at company headquarters in Waterloo
and another copy is kept by George's friend. Later, George discusses
it with his second son, John.
*Wednesday April 26: Robert takes the pamphlet to the Laperriere
Avenue offices of Time Communications Ltd., where he shows it to
a friend. That afternoon, Ottawa television station CJOH receives a
phone call from an unidentified man asking if the station is willing
to pay for a copy of the budget summary. The man is told the station
does not pay for the news. About 3 p.m., a man phones Global television
in Toronto. Several hours later, Global reporter Doug Small meets a
man at a west-end Ottawa gas station and is handed a copy of the
budget summary. The coer is on backwards. Small goes on the air about
6 p.m., and the goverment begins attempting to reconvene the Commons
so that Finance Minster Michael Wilson can release the budget. Later,
Wilson calls a press conference and reads an abbreviated version of
the budget.
* Thursday April 27: Mutual president Jack Masterman contacts the
RCMP and Wilson's office to inform them an Ottawa employee has a budget
summary and that a copy has been sent to an employee in Waterloo.
Calls for Wilson's resignation are the order of the day in the
Commons. The government says there was one leak. The Citizen reports
an employee of Department of National Defence was given details of
the budget by his father one day before it was leaked to Global. A
concerned Robert and George McFarlane call lawyer Robert Houston and
tell him they have a copy of the budget summary. Houston contacts the
RCMP who take the budget and question father and son.
* Friday april 28: The RCMP re-interview, fingerprint and photograph
the McFarlanes and ask to administer a lie-detector test to Robert.
* Monday May 1: Robert takes a lie-detector test which satisfies
the RCMP that he did not leak the budget to Global.
* Wednesday May 17: CBC reports an Ontario company had the budget
before Global got it.
* Thursday May 18: As the RCMP investigation into the leak continues,
there are further media reports involving budget leaks -- more reports
of a Toronto company having advance knowledge of th budget.
* Tuesday May 23: Mutual Life president Jack Masterman issues a
statement confirming an Ottawa employee had budget details and passed
them on to other employees before the leak to Global.
* Wednesday May 24: Lawyer Houston, saying his clients are too upset
to meet with the media, calls a press conference outlining the
McFarlanes' involvement with the budget.
RCMP police, are expected to lay charges. Whoever is charged and
convicted of the budget leak, could face five to ten years in prison.
Canadian Dollar Bill -- Headed for Shredders
The Canadian $1.00 bill will come to an end on June 30, 1989. The
government will issue it's last paper dollar on that day and will
begin rounding up and destroying the 313 million presently in
circulation. The dollar bill is being replaced by the $1.00 coin,
nicknamed a "loonie" (because it has a picture of a loon on one side).
On July 1st, all banks and trust companies are under order to
return all $1.00 paper bills to the Bank of Canada in exchange for
the "loonie" equivalent. The dollar bills will be shredded and
turned into land fill.
Business
--------
7,000 Workers Face Temporary Layoff
Fishery Products International Ltd. of Newfoundland is expected
to lay off most of it's 7,000 workers for a period of 3 months,
beginning in January 1990.
The company had it's share of the Northern Cod quota trimmed by
20,000 tonnes for 1989, afater federal scientists recommended that
the total catch of northern cod be reduced to 125,000 tonnes by 1990,
from it's 1988 level of 266,000 tonnes. A special federal task force
verified that the fish stalk wasn't nearly as large as had been
previously thought.
A spokesperson for the company denied layoffs had been planned,
and stated; "That is completely untrue. We have no idea why anybody
would have said that".
Despite the spokesperson's statement, a layoff at the company
seems inevitable. Another fish company, National Sea, told it's
employees it would have to permanently close it's plant in Lockerport,
Nova Scotia, and reduce operations at eight other sites in Nova
Scotia and Newfoundland to cope with quota cuts that it faces.
CN Rail Workers Face Layoff
Canadian National Railway plans to layoff 1,500 track maintenance
workers by October; 34% of the layoffs are expected to occur in the
Prairie Provinces, however, a significant number of seasonal jobs will
be created as a result of changes. CN will employ a variety of
new track machinery that will ultimately lead to the elimination
of 3,395 permanent positions. [I couldn't quite follow the news-
paper article clearly on this, as the paper stated that CN will
establish 1,892 new jobs for a net loss of 1,503 jobs. If you add
the two figures together, you get 3,395. I can only speculate that
this means the new positions created, will also be eliminated in
the future.]
Petro Canada - Up For Sale
The federal government plans to sell 49% of Petro Canada through
public share offerings in 1990; a detailed proposal will not be ready
for the public until then. A Kitchener stockbroker estimates the
shares will sell for $10 to $20 each when they become available on
the market.
The government is waiting to sell of it's remaining 55% of Air
Canada this summer before it puts part of the Petro Canada shares
up for grabs, because it believes the stock market would not be
able to absorb another large offering at the same time.
The goverment sold 45% of Air Canada in October 1988, at $8 per
share; they are now trading at more than $13 per share.
Petro Canada, has $8.6 billion in assets. It earned $126 million
on sales of $4.8 billion in 1988. Petro Canada is ranked the 16th
largest company in Canada.
Westinghouse -- Closing Plant
One Hundered and forty-seven workers will lose their jobs when
Westinghouse Canada Limited, closes it's plant in Renfrew Ontario,
by the end of the year.
The Westinghouse plant is a manufacturer of turbine components
which are primarily used through pipelines. When the price of oil
dropped several years ago, many large government contracts were
cancelled, and demand for turbines dropped. Manufacturing of these
turbines will be moved to Westinghouse's Hamilton plant which
Employees will be offered early retirement packages or severance
pay, while others may be offered positions elsewhere in the company.
BNR Expansion Delay
Bell Northern Research, a subsiduary of Northern Telecom, is
experiencing a temporary delay to begin construction of it's Nepean
Ontario complex until 1990. The delays are a result of "fine-
tuning" an agreement with the National Capital Commission to lease
300 acres of green-belt land, in a 99 year lease.
Construction of the first phase of the project, was to begin this
year. It will consolidate all of the company's area facilities into
one office building the size of 10 football fields, and will house
2,300 employees. Completed contruction is now expected by 1992.
High-Tech Briefs
----------------
Hershey Goes High Tech
Hershey Canada, recently underwent a 110,000-square-foot expansion.
It has built a computerized distribution centre that will be fully
operational by June 1st.
Spoksperson David Fisher, said the Smith Falls Ontario town, where
the plant is located, will soon be known as "the Candy Capital of
Canada".
Except for some bulb shipments, all products from other Hershey
Manufacturing facilities in Canada and the Us will be routed through
the 11 shipping bays at the Smith Falls facility.
Every piece of equipment in the new facility will have a comuter
attached to it, from lift-trucks to wireless hand-held terminals.
A totally computerized inventory control and stock locations system
are wired into a mainframe in Rexdale Ontario, creating a "totally
paperless environment".
Hershey is the largest producer of assorted chocolate candy products
in Canada.
Computer Smuggling
Warren Wetstein, 32, of Toronto Ontario faces a charge of
"conspiring to export computer equipment without a license". The
businessman was indicted by US authorities for a plan to smuggle
high-tech computers into the Soviet Union. Canadian police have
been asked to arrest Wetstein as soon as "bureautractic channels"
have been cleared, however, if Canadian police arrest him, the US
government will have to ask for extradition. Four texans have
also been arrested in the same case.
Sports Spotlight
----------------
Calgary Flames Win Stanley Cup
In the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Calgary
Flames defeated the Montreal Canadiens, 4 to 2 in the final game.
The Flames defeated the Canadiens three games in a row, and won
their first Stanley Cup since the team was founded 16 years ago.
Flames defenceman, Al MacInnis was named the winner of the Conn
Smythe Trophy, as the most outstanding player in the playoffs.
MacInnis led all scorers with 30 points and had at least one point
in 17 straight games.
Miscellaneous News
------------------
Fireworks Destroys Store
In Hamilton Ontario, a 7-eleven convenience store, was completely
gutted by a fireworks display blaze and explosion.
Around 3 a.m., two youths entered the store. One youth started
lighting fireworks which were in a card-board display case, and
then both youths fled the store.
The fireworks blew out the store windows from the force of the
explosions, and fire spread rapidly throughout, which caused an
estimated $200,000 in damage.
Two female employees managed to escape unharmed -- there were no
customers in the store at the time.
The youths were found by police about 20 minutes later. One youth
has been charged with "mischief endangering life", the other youth
was not charged.
In an un-related incident, a Toronto teenager lost three fingers
of his left hand when a "Roman Candle" blew up as he was lighting
it. Darren Getfield told his parents at the North York General
Hospital; "I never had a chance. It went off before I could get
my hand away".
Alberta Hit by Snowstorms
Calgary Alberta was hit with Mid-May snowstorm that dumped over
10 centimeters of wet snow and rain on the city last week. Edmonton
received a 16 centimeter surprise snowstorm last Friday and a high
of only 3 degrees celcius.
Ontario on the other hand, enjoyed temperatures of up to 28 degrees
celcius during the same week.
Air Conditioner Shortage
Air conditioners aren't selling like hot-cakes in Canada anymore,
because they are already sold out ! A month before summer even
begins, and all major retail stores have sold out of room-size air
conditioners.
Usually sales aren't as brisk until mid-June, but with the long
hot summer Canadians' experienced last year, all it took was one
hot week in May this year, for retailers to completely sell out.
So fellow Canadians, if you're in the market for a new air
conditioner, better put your order in for next year -- all the
stores say that they're finished for the season.
Sales of central air conditioning systems has also picked up.
These larger systems are still available, but the earliest installation
dates presently available aren't until mid-July.
Living Section
--------------
Little Girl's Death -- Saves Others
A Buckingham Quebec 4-year-old girl, was struck by a car last
Tuesday, after she had hopped on her bicycle and headed down her
driveway onto the street. She suffered head, chest and abdominal
injuries, that were so severe, her death was inevitable.
What little Claudine St-Louis will never know is that she helped
save a little boy's life in Edmonton Alberta, after her parents
agreed to let doctors use her organs for transplant. Claudine's
heart was transplanted into a six-year old boy in Edmonton, who's
heart had been deformed by Uhl's disease. One of Claudine's
kidneys was transplanted at the Ottawa General Hospital into another
person, her liver was given to an eight-year-old girl in London
Ontario, listed in critical condition, and her eyes were sent to
the Eye Bank in Toronto.
Claudine's father stated, "There was nothing else we could do...
Maybe there's a possibility to save other kids and it's like she's
going to live a bit".
Life on the Lighter Side
------------------------
Debbie's Day to Remember
Debbie Wright, is a recently divorced single mother who works
as a waitress. There was no coffee in the house last Sunday
morning, so Debbie stopped at a doughnut shop on her way driving
to work. She was going to be serving the noon-hour rush of people
at Les Tres restaurant where she works. Debbie was driving her
father's car, and as she pulled out into traffic, she hit a passing
car. Here is Debbie's story, in her own words:
"Great huh? I just smashed up my dad's car. You could tell right
away it was going to take awhile to sort things out, so I called work
and told them I couldn't make it.
You gotta look at the bright side. No-body was hurt. And I had
a coffee.
The policeman checked ou tht other driver (through his in-car computer
terminal) first, and told the guy he could leave and have a nice day
and all that. Then he ran a check on me.
"I've gotta arrest you," he says.
Then he showed me the problem. Two years ago my dog Queenie got
loose and was picked up by animal control. I bailed her out at the
Humane Society and then later a bylaw officer dropped by and laid a
ticket on me for $36.25. I had my dog back, so I filed it. Right?
Well, there's the outstanding ticket come back to haunt me through
the computer.
On top of everything else I've got an embarrassed copy on my hands.
He says he has to arrest me but wants me to promise I'll never tell
anybody. He's afraid he's going to get teased for busting somebody
over a doggie problem. Bat a cop's gotta do what a cop's gotta do.
He's friendly, and syas his friends call him "skate".
So I have to take a ride in a police cruiser to the police station
and if I don't come up with the money immediately the alternative is
five days in jail. I don't have the money. I can't think of anybody
at the moment I can call for help, but the officer insists. He says
it would be embarrassing for him if he had to lock me up.
Poor man. He has a mental picture of being teased. I'm starting to
see mental movies of myself being thrown into a room filled with large
women with tattoos. One of them wants to know if I want to be her
girlfriend.
In desperation, I come up with the one name I can think of, close
enought to help.
My ex. We don't exactly get along. But he shows up and who's he
got in the car with him? The other woman. We still haven't met.
Great way to make an impression. She stayed in the car. I could
read her mind. 'No wonder he had to get away from her. She's been
arrested.'
But he came up with a loan. He was encouraged by a policeman who
made it very clear he would be very upset if he had to lock me up.
With the money in hadn I was read my rights, put in the cruiser and
taken to the station. I paid my fine, but was 25 cents short. A desk
sergeant reached into his pocket and donated 25 cents to the Free
Debbie Fund.
Then I was driven by the policeman back to the coffee shop, stepped
out of the cruiser, and was getting ready to start jumping up and down
and shouting: Free at last ! Free at last !
Hold on, says the friendly policeman, and he starts apologizing again.
Then he wrote he a $54 ticket for failing to yield the right-of-way.
Am I upset ? No way.
I just want to tell all those people who, like myself, may have
thought the police weren't on their toes, that it's time to change
your mind. The system works. It serves and protects.
So get down to your bank and get your money out and put it back
under your mattress where it belongs.
Now my dog needs psychological help. She can't figure out why
I spent the rest of Sunday growling at her.
|
| 175.5 | The Canadian Chronicle - Monday June 5th, 1989 | KAOFS::D_BIGELOW | Hedonism - ahhhhhh! | Mon Jun 05 1989 15:27 | 329 |
|
Date : Monday June 5th, 1989 Circulation: 553
Dist : Weekly - 5th Edition Editor: Darrell Bigelow
--------------------------------
| |
| ** The CANADIAN CHRONICLE ** |
| |
--------------------------------
In This Issue
-------------
Message from the Editor
Charges Laid in Budget Leak
Air Canada Plans Share Issue
KLM Comes to Ottawa
Get Your Bus Passes from Banking Machine
NEWBRIDGE buys out CALMOS
IBM Sets New Plan
Housing Market Headed for Crash
Kingston Native Helps Find New Contact Lens Solution
Aids Carrier Knew He Donated Tainted Blood
Hotel Guest Crushed in Elevator
RCMP Blow Up Coconuts
Currency Exchange Rates:
U.S. Dollar buys $1.20 Canadian
U.K. Pound buys $1.89 Canadian
Message from the Editor
-----------------------
Please take note that there will not be any editions of the
Canadian Chronicle for the next three weeks. I am going on
training courses and am leaving this week. Expect to receive
the sixth edition of the Chronicle on Monday July 3rd. The
edition may come a few days earlier, as the third of July is
a Canadian Holiday, and the 4th of July is a Digital Canada
assignable holiday. The 7th and 8th editions will be published
on time, and then there will be a lack of editions for two weeks
following this, as I will be on holidays for the last two weeks
of July.
Federal and Provincial Politics
-------------------------------
Charges Laid in Budget Leak
Last week, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police laid charges against
five people, with theft of the "Budget in Brief" pamphlet, including
Global News reporter Doug Small, who went public with the information
the day before it was to released by Finance Minster Michael Wilson.
All five people have been charged with "possession of stolen
property".
Doug Small said he intends to plead innocent and said he
doesn't feel guilty. "I'm just doing my job" he said. "I'd do
the same thing, as I believe any reporter would do. I have no
regrets".
Small's boss said it was ludicrous for the reporter to be charged
when Global television tried twice before airing the budget to tell
Finance Minster Michael Wilson's staff that a leak had taken place.
Business
--------
Air Canada Plans Share Issue
The federal government filed a prospectus last week in each of
Canada's provinces, to sell off more of Air Canada's 41.1 million
remaining shares that the government currently holds. This represents
57% of all outstanding shares in Air Canada.
The amount of shares to be offered to the public, and the pricing
of them are to be determined at a later date. Currently, Air
Canada shares are selling for over $13 each.
KLM Comes to Ottawa
Ottawa International Airport, now has a new airline service,
making a coast-to-coast link in all major Canadian cities with
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. KLM will be servicing Canada with their
747 Combi Service aircraft. For Ottawans, KLM offers a direct flight
to the Schiphol Airport, which is 18 kilometers from Amsterdam, and
considered the gateway into Europe. KLM flies into 140 cities in
77 countries around the world.
Get Your Bus Passes from Banking Machine
Ottawa bus commuters can now purchase OC Traspo Bus Passes
from a Instant Teller banking machine. The first of such machines
has been installed at the St. Laurnet Transitway station. Only
cardholders of National Bank Client Cards and Bank of Nova Scotia
Scotia Cashstop cards, can purchase the bus passes. People who
hold other bank cards, and have access to "interact", can do all
their own normal banking transactions at the same machine.
If the resonse is good, more machines will be installed at other
transitway stations around the city.
NEWBRIDGE buys out CALMOS
A Kanata Ontario firm, Newbridge Networks has announced the purchase
of Calmos Systems Inc. Calmos, also of Kanata, will continue to
operate as a separate divison renamed "Newbridge Microsystems". The
purchase price was not revealed.
Newbridge Microsystems designs and markets semiconductor components
and subsystems for data communications and data processing products.
Newbridge Networks manufactures and markets digital (no, not us),
communications equipment, with offices and manufacturing facilities
in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong.
IBM Sets New Plan
The following is an exert printed in full from the Ottawa Sun
newspaper. The exert is written by Michael Cowpland, President
of Corel System Corporation. Mr. Cowpland, former president of
Mitel Corporation, writes a weekly column for the business section
of the Sun's newspaper. I found it to be an interesting article,
since IBM is one of our direct competitors.
IBM is an incredibly successful organization. It has consistently
been the world's number one company in terms of profits and stock
market value over the last decade and in 1988 reached a profit level
of $6 billion on sales of $60 billion.
IBM's success has been mainly due to its dominance in the mainframe
area, with 60% of the world market. Mainframes account for 50% of
IBM sales while personal computers only represent 20%. But IBMs
370 mainframe line is now 19 years old. Recently, IBM's momentum
has appeared to be slowing and its growth rate since 1985 has only
been 6% annualy versus 9% for the overall computer industry.
IBM's answer to reverse this decline is a new mainframe strategy for
the 90s. The new strategy involves entirely redesigning the 370
mainframe computer to enable it to network efficiently with all the
other computers in the customer's global organization. In addition,
much greater data storage using optical disks will be provided so
that images, voice messages and video can be handled effectively.
This should energize mainframe growth and also help sell more PCs.
The first step in this strategy was the announcement last year of
the IBM Systems Application Architecture (SAA) which lays down strict
rules for developing software that will "play" on PCs, minis or
mainframes. The following are the key aspects of SAA:
* "C" programming language to be used
* Standard communications protocols to be used (SNA/OSI)
* All programs to have the same Windows style user
interface (CUA)
The beauty of the SAA concept is that it takes the factors that made
Macintosh successful -- a graphical user interface and ease of swith-
ing between programs -- and extends the concept to make switching
between PCs, minis and mainframes easy.
This month, IBM announced an extension of its SAA strategy with
new software programs called Office Vision which used the new OS/2
IBM operating system. Initially, these programs will concentrate on
routine tasks like electronic mail, an address book, a phone list,
all manipulated using a mouse and a Windows style interface. Office
Vision will allow other popular programs such as Lotus 123, Micro-
soft Word etc, to snap smoothly into it and should boost the sales
of OS/2 which so far has only achieved 90,000 units.
The success of IBMs new strategy is vital to its ongoing success
and its position as the world's most profitable company. The next
few years will be very interesting to see if the IBM magic is still
as strong as ever.
Housing Market Headed for Crash
Investment dealer Wood Gundy, stated last week that the
housing market in Canada is facing a major crash over the next 12
months, that could cut prices by 25% in Toronto and set the stage
for a recession next year.
The high cost of borrowing money to buy a house and slowing
economy will dry up demand, causing house prices to tumble by
about 17% across Canada over the next year. The crash will hit
Toronto and Vancouver the hardest, but fallout from the downturn
will sap consumer spending and weaken the country's economy.
Economist Jeff Rubin reported, "We are likely to see a major
retrenchment in consumer spending in southern Ontario, setting
the stage for a national recession by early 1990."
High interest rates and housing prices have already started
to take their tole in the Toronto real estate market, where house
prices have doubled over the last three years.
The average price of homes sold last month in Canada's largest
city (Toronto) increased to $280,122 from $224,021 last year.
Wood Gundy said a family living in Toronto now has to earn more
than $80,000 a year to afford to buy a three-bedroom suburban
home, assuming that they can come up with a down payment. Based
on the average price of homes sold last month, a 25% down payment
would cost about $70,000.
Business Quip
-------------
Real Estate wizard, Donald Trump (and wife Ivana) have purchased
a Mitel 210 telephone switch system, for their yacht the Trump
Princess. It seems that Mitel (a Kanata Ontario based company)
is doing it's bit to keep Donald in touch with his business activities.
Health
------
Kingston Native Helps Find New Contact Lens Solution
A Canadian eye specialist has helped develop a new contact lens
disinfectant which helps prevent red, itch eyes and serious infection.
Dr. John Morgan, a professor of ophthalmology at Queen's University
in Kingston Ontario, found that many patients wearing rigid gas
permeable lenses were developing eye infections. About 20% of
contact lenses worn by Canadians are rigid gas permeable, a hard
lens which allows oxygen to pass through to the eye.
The infection turned out to be bacteria that had become resistant
to disinfectants in cleaning solutions on the market and were able
to contaminate previously sterile bottles. One type of bacteria
that began showing up in some patients was serratia, a bacteria that
grows in sink drains, which in rare cases can cause infection serious
enough to cause blindness.
The new solution will be available in Canada next month. (Sorry,
the newspaper article did not say what the product would be called.)
Aids Carrier Knew He Donated Tainted Blood
A Vanier Quebec man, James Thornton, age 27, was charged with being
a common nuisance, after he donated his contaminated blood to the
Red Cross in November 1987. James' doctor testified that James had
been told about the dangers of transmitting the HIV virus.
Dr. Gail Rock, former director of the Plymouth Avenue Red Cross
tranfusion centre, testifed that if Thronton's sample had not been
caught by AIDS testing, it would have been broken down and put into
a "plasma pool" and could have affected hundreds of thousands of
people.
Tests proved that Thornton had contracted the virus long before he
donated blood. A letter from Thornton's doctor, to Dr. Gary
Garber of the infectious diseases unit at the Ottawa General Hospital,
said that Thornton is a homosexual who has had numerous sexual contacts
since his first at the age of 13. Garber said Thornton only began
practicing "safe sex" (using condoms) a year after he first tested
positive.
Miscellaneous
-------------
Hotel Guest Crushed in Elevator
A 71-year-old man visiting Canada from the UK, was crushed to
death in an elevator accident at the Lord Elgin Hotel in Ottawa.
The man, identified as Robert Shale, his wife and several others ,
were on the elevator when it stopped on the fifth floor. The inside
doors opened, but not the doors to the hallway.
As Shale attempted to pry the doors open with his hands, the inside
doors closed on him and the elevator bagan moving. Shale was
crushed between the ceiling and the floor of the elevator as it
travelled between floors. Witnesses said it went up and down 10
times before stopping. Part of Shale's body was found on top of
the elevator car, and the other part was found inside the car.
An autopsy revelaed that Shale died from "sever head injuries".
Life on the Lighter Side
------------------------
RCMP Blow Up Coconuts
House of Commons security evacuated about 100 people from their
offices yesterday while the RCMP exploded two "abandoned coconuts"
with attached candles.
The Parliament Hill employees and MPs' staff members were moved
from their south facing offices to teh north side of the building
for about 30 mintues while the RCMP bomb squad detonated the
bizarre find.
"We blew the suckers up," said Cpl. Pierre Belanger.
The coconuts and candles were found at the west side of the Peace
Tower by a RCMP officer on routine Patrol.
The only explanation the RCMP had for the coconuts and candles was
that they were placed there by "somebody with a weird sense of humor,
probably just a practical joke".
|
| 175.6 | The Canadian Chronicle - July 10th, 1989 | KAOFS::D_BIGELOW | Hedonism - ahhhhhh! | Thu Jul 13 1989 11:56 | 464 |
| The following issue of the Canadian Chronicle was published yesterday.
************************
Date : For Monday July 10th, 1989 Circulation: 563
Dist : Weekly - 6th Edition Editor: Darrell Bigelow
--------------------------------
| |
| ** The CANADIAN CHRONICLE ** |
| |
--------------------------------
In This Issue
-------------
Message from the Editor
House of Commons MP's on Summer Recess
Construction Drops
DU PONT of CANADA to Build $24-Million Plant
Molson - Planning New Breweries
Dental Resin Fights Decay
Abortion Protesters Arrested
Two Men Hurt by Falling Slabs
Sexual Assaults net Man 15 Years in Jail
New Statutory Holdiay
Canada has a New Museum
Tele Foaming
In A Slump
Motorcycle Manouvers
Currency Exchange Rates:
U.S. Dollar buys $1.17 Canadian
U.K. Pound buys $1.86 Canadian
Message from the Editor
"Is it Monday yet ?", I'm sure you've been asking yourselves.
This above statement quickly followed by "So where's the
Chronicle ?".
My apologies for not getting this paper out on Monday, but as
you may have guessed, life has been very hectic (and busy) for
me lately. About once every three years, everyone has one of
those months that goes by, that seems more like two days.
As you'll see from the last article, most of my free time last
week was devoured by a motorcycle course, I celebrated my
birthday, am about to become an uncle (for the first time) to
twins, my wife is throwing the baby shower and wanted help with
preparing food and decorations, the screen door had to be fixed,
my father-in-law needed help building his house, etc, etc, etc.
So, without any further excusues, here's Monday's edition
of the Chronicle.
Federal and Provincial Politics
-------------------------------
House of Commons MP's on Summer Recess
Members of Parliament (MP's) got a head start on their summer
recess on June 28th, they weren't expected out until June 30th.
Opposition MPs complain that the government has managed to defer
a host of tough issues until MPs have long fled Ottawa for
the summer.
By doing so, the Mulroney (Tory) government escapes close
scrutiny of controversial matters such as the plans to slash
Via rail services. Transport Minister Benoit Bouchard was to
receive a long-awaited report on how Via proposes to cope with
cuts in its operating budget. Bourchard has refused to accept
opposition pleas that he hold off announcing any changes to
passenger rail services until MPs return to the commons in
September.
Finance Minsister Michael Wilson also decided to wait until the
Commons shutdown before releasing technical details of his proposed
new sales tax.
Business
--------
DU PONT of CANADA to Build $24-Million Plant
Du Pont of Canada will build a $24 million plant in Ontario to
produce a chemical that could replace one of the most potent ozone-
eroding chlorofluorocarbons.
The general fluorocarbons manager, Bill Barley, told a conference
on the environment and business that the plant in Maitland, near
Brockville Ontario, will produce HCFC-123, replacing CFC-11, which
is used in refrigeration equipment, insulation and cushioning foam.
CFC-11 is one of a family of chemicals that erodes the ozone
layer, which screens out cancer-causing ultra violet rays.
Du Pont is the world's largest manufacturer of CFCs. CFCs are
used in aerosol sprays, refrigerators, air conditioners, and to
create products like coffee cups and insulation.
Barley said the announcement carries on with a $200 million
Du Pont research and development effort to elimiate CFCs.
"The HCFC-123 facility is an important step toward Du Pont's
goal to phase out CFC production no later than the turn of the
century."
The plant will be added to a 600-hectare Du Pont facility already
in Maitland, about 60 kilometres east of Kingston, Ontario (or 10
kilometers east of Brockville). The plant will begin manufacturing
HCFC-123 late next year. However, it could take three years before
it clears federal tests to provide the product for a North American
market worth about $500 million.
Although the ozone depletion potential of HCFC's are 98% lower
that CFC-11, environment groups yesterday called the move a stopgag
measure. Julia Langer, executive director of Friends of the Earth
said, "This expenditure may preclude future expenditures on solutions."
**********
Incidentally, an in-side source at Du Pont told me about what
happened at the Maitland plant the week before. It's not a secret
since local radio stations in the area got hold of the story very
quickly, but there was no TV coverage, and no articles in the major
papers about it.
It seems that the week before Du Pont made the announcement for
plant expansion, a man and a woman who are members of "Greeen Peace",
scaled the south wall of the plant, climbed to the top of a water
tower, and dropped a "Green Peace" banner down the side, which could
be easily seen by people travelling along highway 2. They were
obviously protesting Du Pont's manufacturing of CFC-11. No-one
in the Dupont plant knew that these people were there, until a couple
passersby in cars called the local radio stations, who in turn called
Du Pont to find out what was going on.
Du Pont security personnel quickly made their way to the water
tower, convinced the man and woman to come down, read them a couple
of paragraphs from a piece of paper (believed to be a document
that indicates what violations the two people had incurred), and
then drove them away in a Du Pont van. No-one knows what happened
to them after that.
It is also believed, that Du Pont had been planning the new
plant for a long time, but the incident with Green Peace, prompted
them to make their announcement sooner than expected.
Construction Drops
The value of all construction started nationwide has dropped
17% so ar this year, according to figures released last week.
Construction started from January to May was worth $10.6 billion
compared with $12.7 billion for the same period last year, say
statistics from CanaData.
"The figures seem to indicate the softening we expected is
showing up," said Alex Carrick, a CanaData economist.
Commercial construction, one of the pivotal indicators of the
industry's health, is weakening. Both the value and the number
of square feet started have dropped for the first time this year.
Molson - Planning New Breweries
Molson Breweries will build a string of super-breweries across
the country once it gets federal approval for a merger with Carling
O'Keefe Breweries, Molson president Mickey Cohen told the company's
annual meeting on June 28.
Cohen said that the combined breweries would build a big bottling
plant in Ontario, one in Quebec and one in the West, to achieve
economies of scale offered by big breweries as opposed to several
small ones.
This is part of $200 million Cohen said Molson Companies Ltd.
will spend in the joint brewing project to make Canadian beer more
competitive on foreign markets and with foreign imports. This
is what the merger is all about.
Molson announced in January the joint partnership with O'Keefe,
owned by Elders IXL of Australia, to create the largest brewer in
Canada and the sixth largest in North America.
The merger is being studied by Investment Canada and Cohen said
he remains confident it will be approved soon.
Molson estimates that 1,400 jobs will be lost as a result of
consolidation from the merger. About 500 will be laid off and
the others will be eliminated by attrition and early retirement.
Molson Companies Ltd., has four major divisions: brewing; Diversey
Corporation, a worldwide supplier of cleaning and sanitation systems
and products; retail merchandizing, such as Beaver Lumber; and the
Montreal Canadiens NHL Hockey Team and its associated ventures.
Cohen said that Molson, which earned a record $87 million last
year on sales of $2.6 billion, is looking for new acquisitions
beyond its current core business, but would not elaborate.
Health
------
Dental Resin Fights Decay
A dental varnish developed at the University of Toronto has
eliminated cavitgy-causing bacteria that normally gets trapped
in children's braces.
Tests of the resin on 27 children with braces show that after
six months -- the major bacterial cuase of tooth decay -- were
undetected in 55% of the subjects.
"Braces trap food partcles and allow bacteria to grow unhindered,"
said Dr. James Sandham, who developed the varnish in the faculty
of dentistry. "Frequently, when braces are removed, teeth appear
white and chalky, indicating early stages of dental decay.
"It's an excellent step in the prevention of dental decay in
children," said Sandham.
Health and Welfare Canada is reviewing the varnish.
Abortion Protesters Arrested
About 115 pro-life demonstrators were arrested after they
blocked the entrance of a downtown abortion clinic in Toronto
for four hours.
Some of the demonstrators were dragged away by their feet
when they let their bodies go limp as police tried to remove
them from the front and back entrances of the Scott Clinic.
About 200 protesters initially marched on the clinic during
the morining but left when police and a group of pro-choice
supporters arrived. The arrests were made when they returned
in the afternoon.
"Think of all the babies we've saved today", said Rev. Ken
Campbell, founder of Choose Life Canada.
The protesters were taken to a police station and released after
they were warned to stay away from the clinic.
Protesters who marched on the sidewalk in front of the clinic
and sang hymns while carrying pictures of aborted fetuses and
plastic dolls shaped like unborn babies, were not arrested.
Women seeking abortions were swept into the clinic hidden
among groups of staff members.
Miscellaneous
-------------
Two Men Hurt by Falling Slabs
Two men were injured last week when a pair of large marble
slabs, two foot by four foot, two inch thick panels, seemed
to explode and rain down in large chunks, which fell 30 feet
from the side of the downtown L'Esplanade Laurier shopping mall
in Ottawa Ontario.
Three Bell Canada workers rushed over to aid the two men. One
man had severe cuts, but both were bleeding profusely. The man
with severe cuts remains in hospital, while the other was treated
and released later in the day.
Mike Thompson, one of the Bell Canada workers, said that it was
a good thing the slabs blew apart, since if they hadn't, the two
injured men would most likely be dead.
Several passersby from the lunch-hour crowd, speculated that a
combination of the recent extreme heat and the day before's strong
colling breeze, caused the slabs to first expand, then contract and
pull away from their moorings.
Engineers from the Olympia and York Corporation were called in
to investigate the accident.
Sexual Assaults net Man 15 Years in Jail
A Quebec man who videotaped his violent sexual attack on a
drugged woman was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Pierre Rochon, 37, of Masson, about 25 km northeast of Ottawa,
was sentenced earlier this month to 12 years in jail for similar
attacks on two other women.
Yesterday's sentence will be served concurrently with the first,
for a total sentence of 15 years.
Rochon pleaded guilty in Quebec Court to one charge of sexual
assault and one charge of administering a drug.
In January 1987, he drugged the woman and videotaped his
subsequent sexual assault on her.
Investigators believe Rochon drugged the woman with Halcion,
a sleeping pill. Rochon sometimes drugged them for 16 hours at
a time.
None of the women were aware of the attacks until police seized
a briefcase containing videotapes of the assaults. The briefcase
also contained Rochon's business card, stating he was a private
detective. He was also found with naked photographs of the women,
and two jars containing pubic hair and nail clippings from the
victims.
Rochon, who has a previous record for gross indecency, has asked
to undergo psychiatric treatment at the Philippe Pinel Institute
near Montreal.
New Statutory Holdiay
All workers in the Province of Ontario will receive another
statutory holiday this year.
An amendment to the province's Employment Standards Act means
that Boxing Day, Dec 26, has been designated as the eighth
statutory holiday in Ontario.
Many companies already give their employees the day after
Christmas off, but it has never been official or legal until now.
The other seven statutory holidays in Ontario include: New Year's
Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving
Day, and Christmas Day.
Canada has a New Museum
An estimated 40,000 people decended on Canada's new museum,
the Canadian Museum of Civilization which opened it's doors
in Ottawa, on June 29th.
Many of the exhibits inside are still not completed in the
$275 million complex, but that didn't stop the opening.
Some Canadians who visited the museum described it as "gorgeous",
"absolutely beautiful", and one woman said "it makes me proud
to be Canadian".
Travel
------
I received a note from a reader who requested that I add a note
about the average cost of gasoline, for those of you who might be
interested in travelling in Canada. So, the cost of gas, (at least
in my area) is approximately 52 to 54 cents per litre, however
prices may vary from station to station.
Tid-Bits
--------
The Queen "Mum" from England visited Canada last week. While
she was in Ottawa, she was driven in the same car that her and
her late husband rode in, 50 years ago to the day. The Queen
also visited the new "Skydome" in Toronto (the one with the
retractible roof).
********
Canada celebrated a Birthday on July 1st, which is a Federal
Holiday for Canadians.
Life on the Lighter Side
------------------------
Tele Foaming
Tim Wadge, of Kanata Ontario, recently offered his view
of a telecommunciations problem.
He wanted to check his water bill and called the proper
department at regional government. His call was answered
promptly at 3:56 in the afternoon. "Hold the line please,"
the voice said.
He held until 4:04 when a recording came on the line.
"The office is now closed".
In A Slump
Christine Shaiken was kind of proud of the little trophy she
won at a tennis tournament in Old Celsea. She took it home and
with some flourish, showed it to her son Michael, 11.
Michael studied the trophy and left the room without saying
anything. He returned moments later with his mother's other
equally small trophy, that she was awarded for curling in 1982.
"Gee mom", said Michael, "you've been in a seven-year slump"!
Motorcycle Manouvers
Last week, I took a motorcycle skills course to improve
my driving skills, and increase my overall awareness of driving
a motorcycle on the streets. Besides, at the end of the course
they give you a riding road test, and if you pass, your
beginners license can be upgraded to a permanent license.
Well, I had been practicing for a couple of months before
the course, so I already knew a lot of what they taught in the
course, and didn't have too much trouble picking up the extra
skills. The driving part of the course occurred over the week-
end, both on Saturday and Sunday, from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
On Sunday around 3:00 p.m., they started giving each person the
road test.
With a little nervousness, but a lot of confidence, one of the
instructors called my name. Anxiety attack! I swallowed hard
and began to sweat a bit. It was my turn to take the test.
The were five obstacles that you had to go through.
You lose points for going too slow, hitting pylons, etc. If
you crash, or drop the bike, it's an automatic failure.
I was doing quite well until I reached the "swerve curve".
This is a setup, where the insturctor stands between two pylons,
the motorcyclist is at the end of a short stretch of road, and
starts a straight path heading directly for the instructor. When
you reach a certain distance away from the instructor, he tells
you wich way you are to swerve around him, whether it be to the
right or left, through hand signals.
My first attempt at this part of the test, was perfect, if I
do say so myself. I had practiced this manouver so much that
it was almost second nature to me. Except, the insturctors
asked me to do the run again, because I was 1/6,000ths of a second
too slow. "Could you repeat that please", I yelled over the noise
of the motorcycle. The instructor shouted back, "I said, you were
going 1/6000ths of a second too slow, you have to do the manouver
again". "That's what I thought you said" I yelled back in disbelief.
I never knew they could measure that on a stop watch, but now I
know what they mean when the say it only takes a fraction of a
second to have an accident. So I did the run again, went too fast
this time, swerved, and hit the pylon. It cost me 5 points.
By the way, I'm all smiles anyway, because I did pass the test.
|
| 175.7 | July 17th, 1989 | KAOFS::D_BIGELOW | Hedonism - ahhhhhh! | Mon Jul 17 1989 20:25 | 296 |
|
Date : Monday July 17th, 1989 Circulation: 565
Dist : Weekly - 7th Edition Editor: Darrell Bigelow
--------------------------------
| |
| ** The CANADIAN CHRONICLE ** |
| |
--------------------------------
In This Issue
-------------
Message from the Editor
Sales Tax Rates May Vary
IBM beats arch-rival to the punch with PC
Companies Request Faster Tariff Removal
Mosaid Plant Expansion
Stings Kept Keith Awake
Rough Riders Need $$$$$
Molson To Market New Beer
Currency Exchange Rates:
U.S. Dollar buys $1.18 Canadian
U.K. Pound buys $1.88 Canadian
Message from the Editor
Just another reminder that there will not be any editions of
the Chronicle for the next three weeks, as I will be away on
holidays. The next edition should be published on August 14th.
There are also, eleven people from my distribution list who were
unable to receive the Chronicle during the last distribution, due
to nodes being unreachable, unidentifiable users, disk quotas
exceeded, etc. If you know any of these people, please ask them
to send me some mail if their situation has been corrected, and I
will forward them last week's edition. Thank-you.
Federal and Provincial Politics
-------------------------------
Sales Tax Rates May Vary
Retailers could end up charging whatever tax rate they like on
different products under the proposed goods and services tax,
leaving consumers with no idea what taxes they would pay, say two
lobby groups.
Finance Minister Michael Wilson has said the new tax, to be levied
on everything from haircuts to shoes, will be charged at a rate of 9%.
But shopkeepers will only have to pay 9% tax on their total sales,
since Wilson can't stop them from hiding the tax in pricetags, said
Peter Woolford, policy vice-president at the Retail Council.
That means retailers could cut the tax rate on slow-selling
products and make up the difference on other items that sell quickly.
"Merchants who handle a much wider range of merchandise can
decide where they will take the tax in comparison with a more
specialized retailer who may not have the ability to allocate the
tax differentially among different product lines," Woolford said
in an interview.
Larger merchants, such as department stores and chain stores, will
especially be able to vary tax rates since they sell a wide range
of products.
Business
--------
IBM beats arch-rival to the punch with PC
by Michael Cowpland
President of Corel Systems Incorporated
Former President of Mitel Corporation
IBM made big news on June 20 when it became the first company
to announce a PC using the latest Intel computer chip, the i486
which has an amazing 1.2 million transistors packed into it. This
has about three times the computing power of the 80386 chip which
powers the fastest existing PCs and has 275 thousand transistors.
The new IBM PC is not totally new as it consists of an upgrade
to the 80386 based PS/2 Model 70 so that the existing processor board
is replaced using a new board with the i486 chip on it. This is
nice for existing Model 70 owners as they can be state of the art
without buying a new machine and it verifies IBM's pitch that the
PS/2 architecture is "open" and planned for the future. IBM
also announced a 20% price reduction on the basic Model 70 so that
a new machine equipped with i486 upgrade is reasonably priced and
about the same as Compaq's high end 80386 machines.
This is the first time in the last five years that IBM has beaten
arch-rival Compaq to the punch in announcing the hottest PC available.
It indicates IBM's determination to be a technology leader and not a
follower and it is impressive that a company of IBM's size can react
this fast. Compaq's stock plummeted five points when the announcement
was made indicating analysts' concern that Compaq might be slowing
down and consequently lose some of their market share.
Until recently, Compaq sales of high-end PCs have been doing very
well. Of the 3.7 million 80386 PCs that are forecast to be shipped
worldwide in 1989, Compaq is expected to have a 12% market share
while IBM is only expected to achieve 10%.
IBM's new i486 PC will be shipping sometime in the fourth quarter
but in the meantime their announcemnet will help boost Model 70 sales.
Companies Request Faster Tariff Removal
The Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement will come into effect more
quickly than expected for many sectors of the North American
economy if officials in the two countries agree to demands from
the industry.
Finance Department officials said last Thursday that they
have received requests for faster reduction of tariffs on 2,200
categories of Canadian products and 2,800 categories of U.S. goods.
In almost all cases, immediate removal of the tariffs has been
requested, said the officials, who asked not be named. The tariffs
range from 1% to 25% of the value of the goods.
The requests cover about $12 billion worth of imports from the
United States -- roughly half of the total trade on which duty is
paid.
"The requests are extremely wide ranging," said one official.
"They affect virtually all industry sectors."
The officials stress that the tariffs will be removed only if there
is broad support within the industries affected in both countries.
Views from industry and the public are being sought.
There is no legal recourse for parties that oppose decisions on
given proudcts, once these have been made, said the officials.
The free trade deal, which went into effect Jan. 1, stipulated
that many tariffs would be phased out over five to 10 years in order
to give industries in both countries time to adjust.
Most requests for faster removal of tariffs are in the areas of
chemicals, plastics, machinery, metals, textiles and agriculture.
About 350 Canadian companies submitted requests for accelerated
phase-out of tariffs.
The officials did not give an estimate for the value of Canadian
exports that would be affected if all the requests were approved.
The full list of products will be published on Saturday and the
public will have until Aug. 31 to comment on the requests.
Negotiations with the United States will start at the beginning
of December and the new tariff schedule is to come into force on
Jan. 1, 1990.
The government is not supporting the removal of tariffs on any
items on the list, stressing that its only role is to deal with
requests from industries.
Mosaid Plant Expansion
Mosaid Technologies Inc. of Carp Ontario has announced an
expansion which brings the company's two principal subsidiaries
under one roof.
The new 22,000-square-foot facility will be home to MOSAID
Inc. and MOSAID Systems Inc., formerly housed in two separate
buildings totalling 14,400 square feet.
Mosaid Inc. specializes in the design and analysis of MOS (metal
oxide seminconductor) memory integrated circuits (ICs) while the
second subsidiary designs and builds memory IC test equipment.
Buoyant international sales for the comany's products have
fuelled growth for the past three years, the company reported.
Sales reached a record $9 million in the fiscal year ended
April 30, up from $5.8 million in 1988, and just under $2 million
in 1986.
The comany plans to add another 20 people to the staff of 66
within the next year.
About 96% of Mosaid's revenues are derived from exports to the
United States, Europe and the Pacific Rim.
Sports
------
Stings Kept Keith Awake
The effects of jellyfish stings kept Vicki Keith awake even though
she was exhausted from crossing the English Channel, but the Canadian
swimmer said she was proud of herself.
Keith, 28, from Kingston Ontario, became the first person to swim
across the channel using the butterfly stroke. She reached the French
coast near Calais early last Tuesday after starting almost a day
earlier.
"I feel great," Keith said when reached by telephone in a Dover
hotel. "I feel really proud of myself. I think I swam better than
I've ever swum before."
The gruelling swim left her tired but Keith had managed only a
few hours sleep after completing the swim. "The jellyfish sting
was getting to me."
Keith said the only disappointment was that the swim failed to
attract much attention in Britain. She was trying to raise money
for the work of the Variety Club in Britain and Canada with disabled
children.
Club officials estimated she raised the equivalent of less than
$8,000 Canadian, which Keith said "isn't a lot of money."
The channel swim was part of a three-continent seven-swim
effort to help disabled children.
Her next challenge will be the Catalina Strait in California.
Rough Riders Need $$$$$
The Ottawa Rough Riders (football team), are in need of money
to keep the organization going. At last count, the club needs
almost $2 million to clear its' debt.
The Rough Riders are asking the City of Ottawa to freeze the
club's $166,333 debt owed to the city, give back revenues from
concessions and parking, and are looking for a one-time grant of
$500,000 from the region. The $500,000 , if they get it, will
obviously come from tax-payers pocketbooks.
The CFL (Canadian Football League), has already contributed
$309,000 to help bail the Rough Riders out.
Miscellaneous
-------------
Molson To Market New Beer
The world's No. 2 beer is now available in Canada.
Molson Breweries said Thursday, it has signed an agreement with
Japan's Kirin Brewery to sell Kirin and Kirin Dry -- already
domestically brewed in two Molson facilities -- in B.C. and Quebec.
The Japanese beers will be sold through Molson's regional
breweries and Santa Fe Beverage Co., the brewing giant's sales and
marketing subisdiary specializing in collers and imported beers.
Molson has been brewing Kirin -- No. 2 in the world -- in Montreal
and Vancouver since last June, but only for export to the U.S.
With Thursday's announcement, Molson adds its Toronto brewery to
the Kirin brewing lineup.
Michael Murphy, v-p of sales for Santa Fe Beverage Co., says
Kirin reflects the company's commitment to provide consumers with
a wide selection of quality beers.
"It also gives us real opportunity to cement an international
relationship with a very large company."
Murphy said he's not concerned that the introduction of Kirin
Dry, officially launched in B.C., would interfere with the sales
of Molson Dry.
Tid-Bits
--------
As the Queen "Mum" was finishing her trip to Canada last week,
Prince Andrew and wife Sarah were just beginning their's.
The Royal Couple arrived in Prince Edward Island last Thursday,
and were greeted by a happy crowd of cheering onlookers at the
Province House.
The Royal Couple will be in Ottawa this week.
|
| 175.8 | | KAOFS::D_BIGELOW | Hedonism - ahhhhhh! | Mon Aug 14 1989 14:18 | 269 |
|
Date : Monday August 14th, 1989 Circulation: 568
Dist : Weekly - 8th Edition Editor: Darrell Bigelow
--------------------------------
| |
| ** The CANADIAN CHRONICLE ** |
| |
--------------------------------
In This Issue
-------------
NDP House Leader, will not seek Top Spot
TAXing our way to the Poor House
Tax-Payers Keep Bailing out Big Business
Rough Riders Will Stay Alive
Transplant Success for Newborn Infant
Currency Exchange Rates:
U.S. Dollar buys $1.15 Canadian
U.K. Pound buys $1.88 Canadian
Federal and Provincial Politics
-------------------------------
NDP House Leader, will not seek Top Spot
NDP House Leader Nelson Riis said last week that he won't seek
the NDP party's leadership.
The Kamloops B.C. MP told a news conference that he wants to
spend more time in his constituency.
"I don't particularly enjoy being in Ottawa", he said.
Asked if he might be considering provincial politics, Riis said:
"I'm not going to rule that out. I've always indicated it's my
intention to return to spend more time in British Columbia...
Whether it's sooner or later, I haven't determined that yet."
Five members of the federal NDP caucus have declared their
candidacy - Steven Langdon and Howard McCurdy of Windsor, Ontario.,
Ian Waddell of Vancouver, Simon do Jong of Regina, and Yukon MP
Audrey McLaughlin. Two little-known party members have also
announced their intention to run.
Travelling candidate forums begin August 26 in Winnipeg. The
new leader of the NDP (New Democratic Party), who will replace
present leader Ed Broadbent, will be chosen at a convention in
Winnipeg on December 3rd.
Business
--------
TAXing our way to the Poor House
As mentioned in an earlier edition of the "Chronicle", the
Federal Government will be imposing a 9% Federal Tax on everything
from funerals to haircuts, effective January 1, 1991, which will
put Canadians among the highest taxed citizens in the world, unless
Canadians stand together and demand changes to Finance Minister
Michael Wilson's budget.
Taxation, in recent years, has gone through the roof despite tax
reform, and now we're getting a 9% consumption tax that'll hit every-
thing from funerals to haricuts to postage stamps and shoes. Add in
Ontario's 8% sales tax, and we'll end up paying 17% tax on many things
we buy each day. The new tax means a one-income family earning $40,000
will pay $519 extra in 1991.
Meanwhile, the personal income tax grab has almost doubled since
1983-84, when the Brian Mulroney Tories first came to power. Back
then, the federal government (which collects income tax for all the
provinces execpt Quebec) took from our wallets $28.2 million. In
1985-86, that grew to $32.9 million; in 1986-87 to $37.8 million; and
in 1987-88, $45.1 million. Projections have $55.5 million collected
in the 1989-90 tax year and $55.5 million in 1990-91.
That doesn't include Ontario's higher taxes on booze, cigarettes and
driver's licences, plus new weird and wondrous taxes on tires,
fertillizers and payrolls.
The way it stands now, 50% of what Canadians earn goes to the
government, whom we work for up to July 7 - the day we celebrate Tax
Freedom Day, but if this keeps up, our Tax Freedom Day will land
at Christmas.
If Michael Wilson gets his way:
* 9% tax on services and new homes, with a 4.5% rebate on homes
priced $310,000 and less. But the Canadian Home Builders'
Association warns that'll still push the cost of a new home up
by 1% at a time when housing affordability has become a crisis.
* 9% tax on services like debt counselling and financial planning.
Lord knows we'll need those.
* 9% tax on cheques and safety deposit box rentals.
* 9% tax on music lessons, divorces and hotels.
* 9% tax on take-out and restaurant food.
* 9% tax on cost of land.
* 9% tax on cab rides, and much more.
When the dust settles Wilson will collect $5.5 billion more from
this new tax. The 13.5% manufacturing sales tax, which will be
replaced by this new tax, would have netted him $18.5 billion in 1991.
No-one is arguing that the manufacturing tax -- a hidden tax since
1924 that surely was passed down to us by the manufacturers in the
refrigerators, stoves and other items we bought -- wasn't outdated
and harmful to Canada's exporters, manufacturers and farmers.
But giving us a broader tax that'll hit everything that we do and
push the middle class closer to poverty isn't fair treatment either
- especially while we're watching the erosion of social safety nets
like health care and unemployment insurance.
And last, don't foreget that when this tax was introduced in Europe,
it wasn't long before the rates went up. In Great Britain, from 10%
to 15%. In Germany, 10% to 14%. In Denmark, 10% to 22%.
Tax-Payers Keep Bailing out Big Business
by Linda Leatherdale
Ottawa Sun Business Editor
Business failures can be costly for taxpayers.
Take for example, the Edmonton-based Principal Group disaster.
After the dust settled, and following more than two years of
hearings (which also used taxpayers dollars) - it's been decided
the Alberta government will bail out the 67,000 investors.
It'll cost taxpayers $85 million.
It also cost Connie Osterman her job. The Bill Code enquiry
into the collapsed Donald Cormie empire found the government and
Osterman (then consumer and corporate affairs minister) negligent
in enforcing regulations.
For investors, the bailout - plus recovering of funds by receivers -
means they'll recoup about 75% of their almost $500 million in
investments in the one-time respected financial services conglomerate.
Not bad - considering some of those were unsecured and not guaranteed.
In Ontario's Astra Trust Co. fallout of the early 1980s, fingers
were also pointed at government negligence, and taxpayers again paid
dearly.
That disaster was a hot potatoe for Ontario Premier William Davis -
whose government granted a mortgage brokerage licence to Astra's
mortgage lending arm, Re-Mor Investment Management Corp. at about
the same time another Astra affiliate was in financial trouble.
A red-faced Davis ended up paying $6.4 million to the 320
Re-Mor investors.
Argosy Financial Corporation investors weren't so lucky. Seven
years later, in 1987, after the Liberals came to power, Ontario
Treasurer Robert Nixon told the 1,600 investors - out of pocket by
$31 million - they would get no money.
And it appears that could be the same fate for the more than 1,300
investors in Ottawa's recently collapsed Glen Coulter empire.
Ontario Ministry of Financial Institutions Minister Murray Elston
- who says he's satisfied his government has been responsible in
monitoring the affairs of Coulter Financial Corp., and its mortgage
lending arm Kiminco Acceptance Co. Ltd. - said last week there would
be "no bailout" for investors.
His message was laced with the hard warning that if people are
willing to invest in unsecured, high-risk second and third mortgages
(to earn rates two to three points higher than traditional insitutions),
then they must also be prepared to take the risk.
He's right.
Though I believe the regulations surrounding the mortgage brokerage
business should have been toughened some time ago, and that members
of the industry should be forced to contribute to some sort of
contingency fund, for bailout use in case of a collapse -- I also
believe consumers have a responsibility.
If you're looking to invest some hard-earned cash to watch your
money grow, do your homework. Read the fine print. And most of all
shop around and know what's insured and what isn't.
And remember - don't put all your eggs in one basket, especially
if those funds are earmarked for retirement years.
And most certainly, if you do decide to take the risk in something
that isn't insured, don't go crying to the government if the invest-
ment goes sour.
Governments are over their heads in debt and taxpayers are already
bailing them out with higher taxes. The last thing we need is to
bail you out, too.
Sports
------
Rough Riders Will Stay Alive
The Ottawa Rough Riders CFL football team, have been bailed out
of bankruptcy by a $500,000 loan, among other incentives, by a 16 to
14 vote by Regional Council officials last week.
Many people thought that the attepts by General Manager Joanne
Polack to get the loan (which was originally requested as a grant)
would result in the doom of the Rough Riders. However, Polack and
the Rough Rider team emerged triumphant after the Regional Council's
vote, and they are execpted to remain in business for at least
another year.
The Riders' have won only 3 games in the last 24 played.
Miscellaneous
-------------
Transplant Success for Newborn Infant
Wesley Behm's heart transplant has opened the door for other infants
who may need the same surgery, his doctors say.
The 20-day-old baby from Palmer Rapids is the youngest heart trans-
plant patient in Canada. Wesley is the first born son to Sharon and
Brian Behm, who also have four daughters.
"Once the first (transplant) in Canada was done and proven feasible,
it is likely that other Canadian babies needing the same kind of
operation will have it done in Canada," said Dr. Peter Vlad, senior
cardiologist at Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO).
"Wesley received his new heart last Wednesday at the Ottawa
Civic's Heart Institute.
"It's likely now the type of patient that will have transplants
will be expanded," he said.
But he's not expecting the transplants will increase dramatically,
although the potential is there.
One of the big problems with infant transplants, he said, is finding
suitable donors.
Now that that hurdle has been overcome, Wesley's recovery is being
closely monitored by a team of at least six doctors and a full-time
nurse, said Dr. Jeffery Simons, co-ordinator of the pediatric medical
intensive care unit at CHEO.
|
| 175.9 | The Canadian Chronicle - Monday August 21, 1989 | KAOFS::D_BIGELOW | Hedonism - ahhhhhh! | Mon Aug 21 1989 20:13 | 356 |
|
[1m
Date : Monday August 21st, 1989 Circulation: 569
Dist : Weekly - 9th Edition Editor: Darrell Bigelow
[5m
--------------------------------
| |
| ** The CANADIAN CHRONICLE ** |
| |
--------------------------------
[0m
[1m
In This Issue
-------------
Message from the Editor
Mini Protest of Lottery Tax
Ford Lays Off 2,100 Workers
Economic Growth to Weaken
Toronto Home Sales Crash
Lendl beats McEnroe
Oil and Garlic can be Deadly
PMS Risk Found in Caffeine
Laser Disc in Comeback as CDs gain Popularity
$2.3 Million in Bogus Bills Seized
Lunar Eclipse
One Whale of a Baby
Currency Exchange Rates:
U.S. Dollar buys $1.16 Canadian
U.K. Pound buys $1.89 Canadian
[0m
[4;1m
MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR
[0m
I am experimenting with various style formats for the
newsletter. If you are reading this from your "mail" account,
or from the CANADA notes conference, please "extract" it into
a file, and then read the newsletter by "typing" the file.
I'd also like to know your opinion of the new format. So,
to make certain that I don't receive 500 mail messages, please
let me know if you [1m DON'T [0m like the new format
and explain why. I believe (and am hoping) that most readers
will find the Chronicle more enjoyable in it's new format.
[4;1m
FEDERAL AND PROVINCIAL POLITICS
[0m
[1m
Mini Protest of Lottery Tax
[0m
In what is being called a mini-tax revolt, about 7,000 residents
of Saskatchewan have signed a petition opposed to a new 10% tax on
lottery ticket sales in the province.
"The opposition to this tax represents the amount the people of
Saskatchewan are fed up with being overtaxed," said Myron Kowalsky,
NDP revenue critic.
Kowalsky presented the petition in the legislature last week.
Signatures were gathered at kiosks and convenience stores around
the province where people can buy lottery tickets.
Saskatchewan became the first province to tax lottery-ticket sales
when the new levy was introduced July 1.
The provincial Conservative government dubbed it a hospitals tax
and said it would raise money to pay for health care.
But ticket sales in the province have fallen drastically since then.
Preliminary figures indicate sales dropped 28% in July, to $7.9
million from a projected $10.6 million.
Kowalsky said the drop represents more than just anger at the
new tax. People are opting not to pay it as part of a larger protest.
[4;1m
BUSINESS
[0m
[1m
Ford Lays Off 2,100 Workers
[0m
About 2,100 Ford of Canada workers will be laid off this month
to help reduce an inventory of engines and engine parts, a company
spoksman said. About 1,000 workers at the company's Windsor casting
plant will be laid off for the last week of August, Jim Hartford said.
About 1,100 employees at the company's Essex engine plant will be
laid off for the last week of August and the last week of September.
[1m
Economic Growth to Weaken
[0m
Canada's economy, outpacing almost every other major industrialized
country last year, will perform below average this year and next, the
Conference Board of Canada reports.
The board has already predicted Canada's economy will skirt a
recession, despite the burden of high interest rates.
But the research group now says most economies in the world's
seven major industrial countries will grow faster than Canada's.
"After being at virtually the top of the leader board among the G-7
countries for the past several years, economic growth in Canada is
expected to be near the bottom," said Ranga Chand, director of the
Conference Board's International Business Research Centre.
The average forecast of four major international economic groups
is for Canada's economy to grow by 3.0% this year and 2.2% in 1990
after adjusting for inflation, the Conference Board said.
That's slower than the average growth of 3.2% in 1989 and 2.8%
next year predicted for the seven major industrial economies as a
group.
Last year, Canada's economy grew by 5.0%, faster than every other
G-7 economy except Japan's, which expanded by 5.7% in 1988.
The board did not specifically rank growth among the seven major
economies, but said economic performance in Canada, the United
States and United Kingdom will be below average in 1989 and 1990.
The other three major industrial countries are West Germany,
France and Italy.
Chand said the seven nations, which have jacked up interest rates
to fight inflation, face a quandary over whether to lower borrowing
charges in the face of a possible world-wide recession.
"If they were to now jack up interest rates further, they really
run the risk of actually tipping over the economy into a recession,"
Chand said.
The problem facing most countries is their economies are slowing
under the weight of high interest rates, but inflation still remains
a problem.
Canada's July inflation rate remained from the month before at 5.4%
Statistics Canada reported last Friday. The rate has climbed from
5.0% in May and 4.6% in February, March and April.
[1m
Toronto Home Sales Crash
[0m
Sales of new homes in the Toronto Ontario area last month were
the lowest since the 1982 recession, and builders lay the blame on
the Bank of Canada for not easing up on high interest rates. Only
592 homes were sold last month, the lowest since April 1982 when 575
sales were reported, the Toronto Home Builders' Association says.
July is traditionally a slow month, but last month's figures were
almost 66 per cent below those of July 1988, when there were 1,754
sales. U.S. mortgage rates have come down significantly, but the
Bank of Canada is keeping Canadian rates from dropping.
[4;1m
SPORTS
[0m
[1m
Lendl beats McEnroe
[0m
Ivan Lendl had little difficulty defeating John McEnroe
yesterday at the Player's International Canadian Open Tennis
Championships in Montreal. It took him a little over two hours
to collect $173,900 top prize money, defeating McEnrone 6-3, 6-1.
[4;1m
HEALTH
[0m
[1m
Oil and Garlic can be Deadly
[0m
Watch out for garlic and oil products -- they can cause a
deadly form of food poisoning, warns and Edmonton Alberta
health official.
"People somehow believe garlic has magical qualities that render
it sterile, but it doesn't," says Dr. James Howell.
The federal Health and Welfare department recently issued a special
warning about the mixture because it presents "an extreme risk" of
botulism if improperly handled.
Howell says chopped, minced or whole garlic mixed with vegetable
oil offers an ideal environment for the development of botulism
bacteria. If home made, the product should be continuously re-
frigerated. Commercial preparations should be kept in cold storage
while not in use.
[1m
PMS Risk Found in Caffeine
[0m
Women who drink even moderate amounts of caffeine appear to be
more susceptible to premenstrual syndrome, researchers say.
A study by the Oregon State University shows that women who drink
half a cup to four cups of tea a day were twice as likely to
experience PMS. When the caffeine intake was increased to 4 and 1/2
to eight cups a day, the incidence of PMS rose nearly ten fold.
Tea used in the study contained less caffeine than would be found
in a cup of brewed coffee or in some soft drinks.
PMS, which occurs in the second half of the menstrual cycle, can
cause depression, fatigue, irritability, anxiety, headaches,
swelling or tenderness of the breasts and a craving for sweet or
salty foods.
[4;1m
TECHNOLOGY
[0m
[1m
Laser Disc in Comeback as CDs gain Popularity
[0m
The laser disc, once thought to be headed for extinction, is
coming back.
In the last two years, it has finally started to establish a niche
in a rentals and sales market dominated by videocassette. Image
Entertainment, the biggest U.S. laser disc distributor, reported
that revenues were up 169 per cent during the last fiscal year. At
Pioneer LDCA Inc., the second largest distributor, sales are up 20
per cent in the first six months of the year.
Last year, Image Entertainment president Martin Greenwald said,
about one million discs were sold in the United States, at a cost
of between $25 and $40 each. The projection for this year is 1.5
million.
The laser disc is basically a big version of the compact disc,
which has revolutionized the recording industry by "reading" discs
by laser rather than by needle. Using the same technology, the 12-
inch laser disc -- primarily used to market movies -- produces both
sound and picture when played on a compatible machine.
The big selling point of laser disc is both audio and video
excellence with almost no reduction in quality after extensive use.
Its competitor, the VHS videocassette, offers sound and picture
considerably inferior. Not only that, the audio-video quality of
cassettes drops off considerably with use. In lines per screen --
a measurement of picture clarity -- the laser format provides 420 lines,
while the cassette format is capable of roughly half as many.
Though growing rapidly, the laser disc market is still small.
Industry analysts report only 300,000 U.S. households with laser
disc machines and just 3,500 titles on the market. Videocassette
recorders are not much older than the disc machines but proved much
more popular because they were cheaper and had the ability both to
play prerecorded material and to tape programs off the air, while
the laser disc can only be used for playback.
In the next few years, however, laser discs may make a big move on
videocassettes, because that market's growth has finally slowed as
it nears the point of saturation. VCRs are in about 65 per cent of
U.S. homes (compared to .50 per cent for disc machines).
The growing interst in the laser disc is largely a by-product of the
CD explosion. Pioneer's introduction in 1985 of the combination
machine -- which plays both CDs and laser discs -- started the trend.
"People who were buying CD players decided that they would spend a
little more on a machine that also plays video discs," Greenwald
said. "People who buy the combination players are into CDs first
and laser discs second. But it's still a boost to the laser disc
market."
However, the laser disc player is still more expensive than the
VCR. On the other hand, the discs are cheaper to buy than most
films in their initial home video release, due to the economics of
a home-video business that is largely based on rentals.
Availability of laser disc titles is still a problem. "Right
now many of the classics aren't on laser," said Meir Hed, whose
small Videotheque chain stocks laser disc. "If there were more
titles, laser discs would be more attractive to consumers."
[4;1m
MISCELLANEOUS
[0m
[1m
$2.3 Million in Bogus Bills Seized
[0m
More than $2.3 million in bogus $100 U.S. bills have been seized
by police in what the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) term
the biggest bust ever of a counterfeit ring operating in Montreal,
Quebec.
Phoney bills worth at least another $200,000 have entered cir-
culation, said RCMP ins. Raymond Berube.
Three men were arrested -- one on additional drug charges --
when police seized bills and printing equipment late last week after
a seven-month investigation, he told a news conference.
"The counterfeit money was not only (intended) to rip off grocery
stores but also as front money to buy drugs."
Lt-Det. Raoul Mongeau of Montreal police said most of the bills
seized were only located last Friday.
[1m
Lunar Eclipse
[0m
It was a spectacular night for star gazers in the Ottawa
area last Wednesday night, as a lot of North America (I suspect)
were able to see a full lunar eclispe of the moon.
A lunar eclipse (in case some people may not know) is when
the moon passes through the centre of the shadow cast by the earth
and turns a coppery red or grayish in colour.
The next lunar eclipse is not expected until 1992.
[4;1m
LIFE ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
[0m
[1m
One Whale of a Baby
[0m
Trainers and 5,000 visitors at Marineland (Niagra Falls, Ontario)
couldn't believe their eyes last Tuesday -- it was a whale of a show.
Halfway through a scheduled show at the game farm and amusement park,
12-year-old Nootka the killer whale gave birth to a 45-kilogram baby.
"It was just the neatest thing to see. The audience just went
crazy," said Tom Western, Marineland training director.
The birth of the female baby -- believed to be the fifth killer
whale born in captivity in the world -- came as a surprise to trainers
who thought Nootka was just gaining weight.
"We're embarrassed to admit we didn't know she was pregnant. But
whales are extremely sleek animals and don't bulge when pregnant,"
said Angus Matthews, Marineland's general manager.
|
| 175.10 | The Canadian Chronicle - Monday August 28, 1989 | KAOFS::D_BIGELOW | Hedonism - ahhhhhh! | Tue Aug 29 1989 12:34 | 407 |
|
Date : Monday August 28th, 1989 Circulation: 571
Dist : Weekly - 10th Edition Editor: Darrell Bigelow
--------------------------------
| |
| ** The CANADIAN CHRONICLE ** |
| |
--------------------------------
In This Issue
-------------
Message from the Editor
Quebec Blasted for Trade Stance
PetroCan to Cut 1,200 Jobs
Retail Sales Slump
Performance Rewards
Major Breakthrough for Cystic Fibrosis
AIDS Video To Be Shown In Schools
Technology in Full Colour
Canadian Presumed Dead in London's Boating Disaster
Currency Exchange Rates:
U.S. Dollar buys $1.19 Canadian
U.K. Pound buys $1.90 Canadian
MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR
-----------------------
My apologies for not getting the newsletter out yesterday, but
I was sick at home, and unable to get it distributed until today.
For all of you who didn't like the new format of the Canadian
Chronicle last week, because of the use of embedded escape sequences
to bold and underline, which created jibberish on the screen, caused
some security concern, couldn't read properly on some types of
terminals (specifically through the use of DECwindows), and was just
plain inconvenient...the new style has been put on hold, and the old
style is back.
It is my personal opinion, and that of some other people who liked
the new style, that bolding, blinking and underlining, does add some
nice qualities to the newsletter, but since the use of escape sequences
to create this effect causes too much trouble, I will not attempt
this again unless I can find a way of creating the same effects,
without the use of escape sequences. Some readers who wrote in,
offered various methods of doing this, but each has some restrictions.
Thank-you for your comments, they are appreciated. I'm sure you
understand that I was trying to improve the quality of the newsletter
and make it more enjoyable for all readers, not make it worse. And
I'll try again in the future, when I find some suitable alternatives.
(Hopefully by then, we'll all have graphic workstations in full
colour, with lots of pictures, etc.)
FEDERAL AND PROVINCIAL POLITICS
-------------------------------
Quebec Blasted for Trade Stance
Premier David Peterson left the premiers' conference Tuesday
with a swipe at Quebec's refusal to trade freely with other
provinces.
"I find it somewhat ironic that some premiers prefer to have
American companies do things they won't let other Canadian
companies do in their own provinces ... it always drives me a
little strange," Peterson said.
Quebec Premier Robert Bourassa was the most vocal provincial
supporter of the free trade agreement with the U.S.
"Those who talk bravely and heroically about free trade with
U.S. are not talking nearly as bravely and heroically inside of
of our own country," said Peterson.
BUSINESS
--------
PetroCan to Cut 1,200 Jobs
A move by Petro-Canada to cut operating expenses could cost as
many as 1,200 jobs across the country by the end of the year,
a company spokesman said yesterday.
Sheila O'Brien, public affairs director for the Crown oil
company, said about half the job cuts could come at head office
in Calgary, Alberta.
She said an internal study undertaken in June to cut $100 million
from operating expenses is expected to eliminate 1,000 to 1,200 jobs.
The study is expected to be completed in October and the jobs would
likely be cut by Dec. 31, she said.
Petro-Canada employs about 7,400 people across Canada.
O'Brien said most cuts will be made from the administration
and marketing divisions.
She said the reason for the move is oil prices haven't been as
high as had ben predicted a few years ago.
"The oil industry is not particularly healthy," she said. "Oil
prices have been about $14 to $20 US a barrel. We need to apprise
the corporation for that kind of environment.
"Petro-Can grew by acquisition. There is bound to be some over-
lap that now doesn't make much sense."
She said 359 of 600 employees eligible for early retirement this
year opted to take it. Employees are being offered a compensation
package for voluntary termination, which will be followed by
involuntary terminations, she said.
Retail Sales Slump
Retail sales stagnated again in June, showing no growth from the
month before and supporting indications of an economic slowdown.
Statistics Canada said yesterday total retail sales were $14.5
billion, unchanged from May.
Retail sales, an indication of consumer confidence in the economy,
have slowed since the beginning of the year.
"Retail sales rose on average by a modest 0.2% a month in the
first half of 1989," the federal agency said. "This is in contrast
to an average monthly increase of about 0.8% in the last six months
of 1988."
Women's clothing stores, which have suffered slumping slaes
levels for months, had the highest sales growth in June - 5.2%.
But this was offset by sales declines of 2.2% for motor vehicle
dealers and 4.6% for sporting goods stores.
Performance Rewards
After almost three years as an employee of Newbridge Communication
Networkds Corp., Scott Marshall has earned a reputation as a guy who
likes to thro people into the pool and ride the roller coaster at
Marineland.
Marshall's reputation didn't spread through office chatter; co-
workers have witnessed the silly side of the 36-year-old product
manager on Company-sponsored trips.
Marshall has been on three trips paid for by his Kanata-(Ontario)
based employer. In 1987, after about a year with Newbridge, Marshall,
his wife and all of Newbridge's employees and family -- about 250
people -- were flown to Florida on a rented jet for two days at
Disneyland and two at the beach. It was on that first foray the he
showed his pool-sid manner.
The trip was a pat on the back, a show of thanks from the high-
tech firm for a year of hard labour.
The Newbridge example is on the extravagant side of the spectrum,
but companies of all sizes in all sectors are looking for novel ways
to reward employees, individually or as a group, for hard work
through the year.
Newbridge rented a train in 1988 and took its by then much
larger staff and family, a total of about 500 people, to Toronto
for two days at the zoo and two in the city.
This year, the payroll has expanded again, 700 employees and
family had their way paid to Toronto for two days at Marineland
and two in the city.
Because of the company's growth, the annual trip is threatened
because of the organizational headaches that go with putting more
than 1,000 people on a train or in a hotel. But a boat cruise on
the St. Lawrence is being considered for next year.
The trip was an idea Newbridge President Terry Matthews brought
with him from Mitel Inc., which he co-founded with Michael Cowpland.
Cowpland, now the President of Corel Systems Corp., syas that
reward systems considered unorthodox here are commonplace among
California high-tech companies.
He too has introduced the reward philosophy to his latest venture.
Corel has small-scale benefits that are intended not only as
compensation but also to foster and informal atmosphere among
employees.
For instance, pizza parties at the end of a day, once a month,
are Corel's alternative to stuffy executive meetings. "Anything
that mixes things up is good," Cowpland says.
Mitel, which under Matthews and Cowpland in 1977 flew 250
employees to Florida for a weekend, will sonn introduce a profit-
sharing plan under its new owner, British Telecom.
Employee recognition programs are key to keeping good people
on staff at Ottawa's Cognos Inc., says E.A. Clarke, its human
resources manager.
The software manufacturer has threee programs in place to make
sure that a job well done does not go unrewarded.
Its Excellence Award of $150 is handed out to any employee who
does something exceptional in the course of their daily work.
"On a day-to-day basis some people do exceptional work and
they need to be recognized for that," Clarke says.
Cognos's Special Contribution Award can pay up to $10,000 to
a staff member who devises a scheme that brings the company greater
profits or savings. For instance, if someone working in the
wharehouse develops a better inventory system, they would be
eligible for the award.
"Yes, the money is important, but the recognition is most
important," Clarke says.
"You have to take care of your employees. We are all out
there competing for the same group of people."
Newbridge and their rivals realize that the promise of a
gold watch at the end of a career is not enough to keep
employees with the company to retirement, or happy and productive
along the way.
Rewards are needed to keep morale high in an industry that
demands long hours and hard work from employees that are con-
stantly being courted by rivals, says Newbridge vice-president
Don Mills.
According to Peter Larson, director of the Human Resource
Development Centre of the Conference Board of Canada, companies
looking for a way to apt workers on the back must decide whether
they want to encourage individual effort or foster teamwork.
Newbridge's scheme "doesn't distinguish between the employees
who are working hard and those who are loafing a bit," says
Larson.
Merit pay, bonuses tied to job performance, are the backbone
of any employer's reward-pay scheme, he says.
The guiding principle in any reward-pay scheme is making sure
that bonuses go to the right people. "The people who contribute
the most (should) get paid the most."
The second rule is that any performance rewards should be seen
as attainable by all staff. Otherwise, incentives may only create
competition between thos considered top performes, Larson says.
The kind of bonus must vary. "Companies have to develop a mix
of financial and non-financial rewards."
HEALTH
------
Major Breakthrough for Cystic Fibrosis
A major breakthrough in the fight against cystic fibrosis was
announced yesterday by the Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto)
and an American Medical Centre.
Teams of scientists at Sick Kids and Howard Hughes Medical
Institute at the University of Michigan confirmed reports they
identified the defective gene which causes cystic fibrosis.
"This is one of the most significant discoveries in the history
of human genetics," Dr. Ronald Warton, geneticist-in-chief at
Sick Kids' Research Institute said in a press release.
Dr. Lap-Chee Tsui, a geneticist at the Toronto hospital, and
Dr. Francis Collins, of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, have
been credited with heading up the discovery teams.
It's a major step towards a cure for the most common life-
threatening hereditary disease in children.
About 2,500 Canadians and 30,000 Americans are now receiving
treatment to control CF.
Researchers have long known the disease -- which affects the
glands producing tears, sweat, saliva and mucous -- is contracted
when a child inherits the CF gene from each parent, but until
now had not indentified the molecular defect in the gene.
"You can imagine the euphoria around this place with a mile-
stone in research such as this," said Bob Dresing, president of
the American Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
The discovery will allow researchers to concentrate on
developing drug therapies for the defect.
The finding was made months ago, but its announcement was
delayed unitl it could be corroborated.
AIDS Video To Be Shown In Schools
Teenagers attending the Ottawa Board of Education schools will
see a new video about AIDS when they go back to school this fall.
Parents who previewed the video in June were a little uneasy with
certain segments, but most still want their children to see it, said
Robert Zacour, health promtions consultant for the OBE.
The 25-minute video "AIDS: The New Fact of Life" was produced by
the federally funded Canadian Public Health Association. The video
features two teenagers hosting discussions on acquired immune de-
ficiency syndrome and explaining how it spreads.
The controversial segment of the video uses animation to explain
how condoms can be used to avoid the risks of being infected with
the AIDS virus.
OBE schkools will show the video as part of the phys. ed. program
in Grades 11 and 12. But students not enrolled in phys. ed. will
not see the video.
David Hoe, executive director of the AIDS Committee of Ottawa,
thinks the video provides accurate information for teenagers.
"It was non-judgmental and leaves people with something to base
a decision on," Hoe said.
About 300 school boards across the country have ordered the video
and Walters says more are requesting preview copies.
TECHNOLOGY
----------
Technology in Full Colour
by Michael Cowpland
President of Corel Systems Corp.
Now that ordinary desktop publishing is becoming commonplace,
technology continues to push ahead and is bringing the cost of
producing colour output from your desktop within a reasonable
cost range. It is now ready for take off and forecast to grow
by a factor of 10 in the next four years.
The reason it has been a long time coming is that colour pages
are handled by computers with three superimposed layers of primary
colours requiring three times as much memory and circuitry. Despite
this complexity, manufacturers of colour laser printers and copiers
are racing to reduce prices and increase the market size. QMS,
for example, has reduced the price of its 8.5 x 11 inch Postscript
colour printer by 30% to $16,000 and Tektronix offers a 11 X 17
inch model for $21,000. With these types of printers, all the popular
desktop publishing software packages can easily produce high
quality colour output which can then be reproduced on a colour
photocopier. The most popular colour photocopier has been the Canon
which is about $60,000 and currently holds 70% of the market.
However, this is now being challenged by a new entry from Savin which
started shipping this month for only $26,000. Both machines use
plain paper but the Savin unit puts three primary colours down in
one sweep of the paper while the Canon unit lays down the image with
four separate sweeps of the paper.
Why both with colour at all? Eastman Kodak has the answers:
According to their studies, colour memos get 40% more attention and
have 18% more retention. They also generate a more positive feeling
toward products and services offered. In general, people are
becoming more sensitive to the quality of presentation so get ready
for a lot more colour in your office.
MISCELLANEOUS
-------------
Canadian Presumed Dead in London's Boating Disaster
Two Canadians are reported to have been on board a pleasure
boat that was rammed by a dredger on the River Thames in England,
in a disaster which killed up to 63 people.
Peter Alcorn, 23, of Antigonish, Nova Scotia, a fashion illustrator
was a guest on the boat that sank early Sunday, his mother Diane
said on Tuesday.
She said the family had been in contact with Scottland Yard and
were told her son is missing and presumed dead.
Mrs. Alcorn said a second Canadian, Ward Bingham, was also on
board and survived. She said all she knows about Bingham is that he
was originally from western Canada and lived in Toronto at some
point. Bingham was also a guest on the boat.
|
| 175.11 | The Canadian Chronicle - Monday Sept 4th, 1989 | KAOFS::D_BIGELOW | Hedonism - ahhhhhh! | Wed Sep 06 1989 13:44 | 571 |
|
Date : Monday September 4th, 1989 Circulation: 562
Dist : Weekly - 11th Edition Editor: Darrell Bigelow
--------------------------------
| |
| ** The CANADIAN CHRONICLE ** |
| |
--------------------------------
In This Issue
-------------
Message from the Editor
Federal Sales Tax is Big Issue !
West Economy to Take Lead
Noranda Buys Firm In Quebec
Heart Baby Improves
We Owe More on Credit Cards
Nepean Murder Victim was a 'Rambo'
SNOWBIRD TRAGEDY
Canuck Cleric -- Off The Air
Currency Exchange Rates:
U.S. Dollar buys $1.19 Canadian
U.K. Pound buys $1.90 Canadian
MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR
-----------------------
Yesterday, Canada enjoyed a federal holiday, called "Labor
Day", thus the delay in the Chronicle's distribution.
To help improve the quality of the newsletter, I have started
running it through a SPELL checker. On previous editions, I have
tried to screen out all "typos" by proofreading the newsletter
before sending it, but have been unsuccessful in correcting all the
mistakes. Hopefully the SPELL checker will help clear up whatever
errors I miss, and make the newsletter smoother and easier to read.
The following vaxmail addresses have been removed from the
Chronicle's distribution list, due to nodes being unreachable,
disk quotas exceeded, no_such_user messages, etc., for at least
the past few editions of this newsletter.
AVANT::SHAH BIGQ::ABROWN
BIGQ::CORMIER BTO::LYON_J
ELMWOOD::HALL KLO::KELLY
LINCON::DEGROSS MPGS::BARWISE
MQOA02::JDGIGUERE PILOU::FATOURETCHI
PILOU::MAX POOL::WEEKS
There are also several other node addresses which may be removed
in the near future, if attempts to reach them by mail prove
unsuccessful for whatever reason. The node addresses will be
posted here, before being removed.
Valid vaxmail node addresses are important if you wish to continue
receiving mail (that's all mail, not just this newsletter), so if
you're moving to another facility, changing machines, node names
or whatever, please let me know so that I can maintain the news-
letters distribution list effectively.
Thank-you.
FEDERAL AND PROVINCIAL POLITICS
-------------------------------
Federal Sales Tax is Big Issue !
In response to most of Canada's major newspapers reporting on the
new Federal Taxes becoming effective January 1, 1991, the government
of Canada spent more than $1 million, in newspaper ads of their
own to explain the new tax and how it will affect all Canadians.
The $1 million worth of newspaper ads is only the first wave in
a multi-million-dollar blitz to sell the federal sales tax, a
finance department official says.
But the highly classified group planning the media assault turned
down a request on Tuesday to allow a newspaper reporter and
photographer into its offices, citing "security" reasons.
The two-page ads explaining the tax in more than 100 daily
newspapers across Canada last weekend and this week are expected to
cost about $800,000, said spokesman Rob Irvine, adding the department
is also placing the ads in all 950 of the country's weekly
community newspapers.
The government is also considering running similar ads on TV
and radio which would cost many more millions of tax dollars.
As well as the ads, the finance department has a bank of
telephone operators working 12 hours a day to answer toll-free
lines established for the tax push.
The government came under a barrage of criticism for last
weekend's ads which explained in detail how the new 9% tax would
work and how it would affect prices for such things as air
conditioners, cars and hotel rooms.
The Liberal party has challenged the ads, calling the a "contempt
of Parliament and Canadians" because the tax hasn't been passed yet
and could be changed before it's scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 1991.
The two full page ads, are shown below, word for word, as stated
by the Department of Finance Canada. The first page in giant
block-size letters read:
ON JANUARY 1, 1991, CANADA'S FEDERAL SALES TAX SYSTEM
WILL CHANGE.
PLEASE SAVE THIS NOTICE.
IT EXPLAINS THE CHANGES AND THE REASONS FOR THEM.
The second page, was as follows:
IT IS A MAJOR PART OF THE ONGOING PROGRAM TO REDUCE THE DEFICIT.
A new Goods and Services Tax (GST) will replace the existing Federal
Sales Tax. It will be charged at a uniform rate of 9 per cent on the
vast majority of goods and services consumed in Canada. The existing
federal sales tax rate is generally 13 and 1/2 % at the manufacturer's
level.
The present federal sales tax system has been pushed beyond
its limits and can no longer sustain the demands placed upon it. The
structural weaknesses of the system have given some corporations the
opportunity to reduce the amount of tax they would otherwise pay.
For a tax system with 75,000 taxpaying corporations, there are 22,000
special arrangements and administrative interpretations required to
keep the system in operation.
The present federal sales tax system is an increasingly unpredictable
and unreliable source of revenue for the federal government. It
must be replaced.
Our enormous debt has put pressure on the government's ability
to meet other priorities. Canadians know the risks of not acting to
bring the debt under control. The size of the debt has left us exposed
to increases in interest rates, and vulnerable to international
economic shocks. The reliability and stability of our sources of
revenue are all the more important in such an environment. The new
federal sales tax will secure year by year reductions in the deficit,
while ensuring we can continue to provide Canadians with a standard
of services that is among the best in the world.
IT WILL STRENGTHEN OUR INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS AND CREATE
JOBS IN CANADA.
Our current federal sales tax favors imports over Canadian made
goods. We are the only country in the industrialized world that is
putting itself at such a disadvantage. The existing system also makes
Canada's exporters less competitive in the world economy. Our present
federal sales tax makes our annual economic output about $9 billion
lower than it would be with the new GST in place.
Under the GST, we will be able to completely remove tax from
our exports and make Canadian products more competitive abroad. And
in Canada, Canadian-made products will be able to compete more
effectively with imports.
The benefits to the Canadian economy from sales tax reform
will extend across all regions and sectors of the economy. The
Atlantic and Prairie regions fro example, will benefit significantly
because their economies are resource-based and export-oriented--
tow sectors that will benefit the most from sales tax reform.
The GST will lower the cost of the machines, supplies and
equipment companies have to buy to produce their products. This will
lead to higher levels of investment and expand our output. Higher
output will lead to more jobs.
IT WILL HELP LOW INCOME CANADIANS.
Once the GST is in place, families earning less than $30,000 a year
will be better off. This will be achieved through a combination of
income tax changes. First, low income Canadians will receive the new
GST Credit. Second, the middle personal income tax rate will be
reduced from 26 per cent to 25 per cent.
The GST Credit will be paid every three months and in advance of
expenses. Eligible Canadian households will receive their first
credit cheque in December 1990, before the January 1, 1991 GST start-
up date. About 9 million Canadians will receive Credit cheques. The
GST Credit will be calculated on the basis of income tax returns.
Every income tax return will contain a one-page form showing
Canadians how to apply for the GST Credit.
The amount of the Credit will depend on family size and income.
The basic adult credit will be $275. Most single adults will be able
to get an additional credit of up to $140, for a total of $415. The
child credit will be $100. Single parents will receive an adult
Credit of $275 for one of their children. Canadian households with
incomes up to about $25,000 annually will be entitled to the full
Credit.
A family of two adults and two children, eligible for the
full Credit, will for example receive cheque of $187.50, four times
over the course of the year, for a total of $750.
IT WILL ELIMINATE HIDDEN TAXES
Right now, everywhere in this country every time Canadians buy a good
or service made in Canada, they are paying federal sales tax. For
example, a substantial amount of sales tax is presently buried in
house prices. Under the existing system, it is clearly impossible
for Canadians to know how much federal sales tax they are paying.
There are four different rates on a variety of different products
and the tax is buried throughout the production process.
It will be clear to Canadians when they are paying the 9 per
cent GST. The broad base of the GST means it will apply to almost
everything. The few exceptions will be widely known.
Some retailers in Canada will have cash registers that are
capable of showing the GST separately at the check-out counter, while
other retailers will not. The federal government will provide an
incentive to retailers to assist then in acquiring the cash registers
to show the GST separately.
In all cases, the federal government will provide retailers
with signs for stores that clearly indicate that the 9 per cent GST is
being applied.
PROPOSED CHANGES
1. For consumers, the GST will be similar to a retail sales tax, at
the rate of 9 per cent on the retail price of goods and services.
The GST will replace the existing federal sales tax, which is
hidden at the manufacturer's level.
2. The GST will apply to virtually all goods and services sold in
Canada; however, Canadians will not be charged tax when they buy
the following GOODS: basic groceries; prescription drugs; medical
appliances such as eye-glasses and wheel chairs; residential rents
and existing houses.
3. Canadians will "not" be charged tax when they buy the following
SERVICES: loans, mortgages, securities and insurance policies;
health and dental care; most education services; daycare services;
legal aid, and municipal transit and passenger ferry services.
4. Newly constructed houses will be taxed, however, most new home
buyers will not see a significant increase in the price of a new
house resulting from the GST, because there will be a $900 million
GST housing rebate. In many parts of the country price increases
will be less than half a per cent. Indeed, many communities should
see lower prices a a result of the GST rebate. The main exception
will be Toronto, where extraordinarily high land prices may cause
prices of new housing to increase by 1 and 1/2 %.
5. Because the present federal sales tax will be removed, prices will
not automatically rise by 9 per cent when the GST is introduced.
The prices of some things will be lower, and others higher. The
prices of many big-ticket items for example, that are taxed at 13.5
per cent under the present system, will be lower once the 9 per
cent GST is in place. The price of other items that are not taxed
under the present system will increase.
Finally, well before the GST is up and running, the
government will be telling Canadians about the GST and informing
them about the kinds of price changes they can expect for key
goods and services when the GST replaces the existing federal
sales tax.
For instance, here are a few examples of what consumers might
expect:
ITEM PRE-TAX REFORM($) POST-TAX REFORM($)
Air Conditioner 780.00 770.00
Car 15,000.00 14,700.00
Snow Tires 200.00 203.00
Hotel Accommodation 90.00 95.00
BUSINESS
--------
West Economy to Take Lead
A weaker housing market and lower consumer spending will further
slow the Ontario economy next year, the Conference Board of Canada
predicted last Monday.
The provincial economy will grow only 1.8% next year, compared to
3.1% in 1989, it said.
Unemployment in Ontario will remain relatively unchanged at
between 5-6%, it said.
In contrast, a recovery in grain production and a surge in oil
and gas investments next year will enable western Canada "to
dethrone central Canada as the country's leading economic region
over the next two years," the board predicted.
It said British Columbia, now experiencing an influx of population,
will enjoy above average growth of 3.7% this year, followed by 2.5%
growth in 1990. Alberta's 1.9% growth this year would be boosted
to 3.6% next year; Saskatchewan from a robust 7.8% to 4.1%; and
Manitoba from 5% to 2.28%.
The Atlantic provinces, meanwhile, would suffer weaker growth, it
said, due to softer markets and fishery industry problems.
The Conference Board is an independent research organization.
Noranda Buys Firm In Quebec
Noranda Forest Inc., already the largest forest company in the
country in revenues, has achieved control of Normick Perron Inc.,
the largest lumber producer east of the Canadian Rockies, under its
takeover bid launched in June.
Noranda Forest yesterday announced results of the takeover offer
which expired Friday night. It said 99.1% of both the Class A and
Class B shares have been tendered, at $7.63 each.
Noranda intends to exercise its right to force remaining share-
holders to deposit their shares as well, said Thomas Stinson,
secretary and vice-president of the Toronto-based company.
"We're very happy," said Stinson, adding that the purchase will
cost Noranda Forest close to $122 million.
The acquisition is part of a trend in North America by pulp
companies to acquire sawmills to ensure supplies of wood chips.
Provincial governments allocate forest companies' access to
Crown forests.
(Incidentally, Noranda currently has major investments in many other
types of businesses as well, including Norpak Corporation of Kanata,
which is a manufacturer of videotext and teletext equipment.)
HEALTH
------
Heart Baby Improves
Month-old Wesley Behm isn't walking yet but leaving the intensive
care unit is one step closer to going home.
For Brian and Sharon Behm, parents of Canada's youngest heart
transplant recipient, that's a big step indeed.
"There's only one thing we know," said Brian Behm, "he has to be
better to be up here (in a pediatric ward). It's still a waiting
game to see how long it is before we can take him home."
Wesley was moved out of intensive care at the Children's Hospital
of Eastern Ontario a week ago Friday, just 25 days after he became
the youngest patient to undergo a heart transplant in Canada.
The Behms were told a few hours after their son's birth that
Wesley would need a heart transplant. Although they were warned that
infant hearts are not easy to find, a donor heart became available
on Wesley's 11th day of life.
Saturday night, the Behm's eldest daughter was able to visit
Wesley without a pane of glass between them for the first time.
"The other girls are coming in for the first time (Sunday). They're
going to enjoy that," said Sharon Behm. "If one sees him, then they
all have to see him."
Brian and Sharon don't know when they can take Wesley home, but
they're confident about caring for him on their own when the time
comes.
"We're taking care of him more or less ourselves now," Sharon
said. "We don't give him the therapy or medication but they (nurses)
go out of the room and we're left alone with him."
"It's just getting better each day," said Brian. "I can't wait
to bring him home."
MISCELLANEOUS
-------------
We Owe More on Credit Cards
Canadian consumers are sliding deeper into the red on their
credit card balances, the consumer affairs department said last week.
Last December, consumers owed about $10 billion in unpaid bills
to credit card companies and the figure will jump to $12 billion this
year, the department predicted.
Only about half of shoppers who use credit cards pay off their
balances each month, according to studies cited by the department.
The others pay interest ranging from 18-30% on unpaid balances.
The department cautions consumers to become better aware of
differences in credit interest charge practices. Some banks and
retail outlets charge higher rates but offer longer grace periods
when no interest is charged.
Some credit cards also calculate interest from the date of purchase
while others calculate from the date a statement is issued.
This spring, the House Of Commons consumer and corporate affairs
committee launched detailed hearings into the practices of credit
card companies in calculating interest on overdue accounts.
Petro-Canada just announced on Wednesday that it was increasing
it's rates from 20% to 24% annually, despite the investigation by
the House of Commons.
Nepean Murder Victim was a 'Rambo'
A Nepean Ontario man, murdered over the weekend at a local
gravel pit was known as a "Chinese Rambo" in Toronto.
Chiu Wei Kueng, 25, of Woodridge Cres., was found shot to death
in a gangland-style execution at a Carp Road, Ontario, gravel pit
a week ago Sunday morning.
Police sources in Toronto, where the man was convicted of weapons
offenses two years ago, say Chiu was shot at least twice with a
shotgun.
Chiu gained notoriety in Toronto by trying to arm members of
Toronto's large Chinese community to protect them from gangs of
Vietnamese extortionists.
Chiu and an Ottawa man (against whom charges were later dropped)
had set up a small arms factory in Ottawa converting starter's
pistols to .22 caliber pistols, a Toronto court learned in 1987.
Ten members of Toronto's elite Oriental Crime Unit arrested Chiu
in March 1987 and found him in possession of nine .22 caliber,
eight-shot revolvers, all loaded with hollow point ammunition.
Oriental nanchaku sticks -- a martial arts weapon fashioned from
two sections of wood joined by a short length of chain -- were
also seized.
Ottawa police, who assisted in the 1987 investigation, had kept
Chiu and an Ottawa associate under surveillance.
Chiu's defense lawyer told the court at the time that the young
Chinese immigrant was on "a bizarre mission to save his people."
The district court judge called Chiu's activity "an incredibly
misguided enterprise" and warned that such "vigilante action" must
be stopped in Canada.
When Chiu was arrested in Toronto, he was found "as a Chinese
Rambo with two loaded guns and a knife."
Chiu told police: "I want to equip the Chinese with the
firearms so they can retaliate against the Vietnamese extortion
gangs."
Chiu was sentenced to two years in jail after he pleaded guilty
to 14 counts of possessing a restricted weapon.
Local police forces said Tuesday they have uncovered no new
developments in the slaying at the Spratt Sand and Gravel pit.
Results of an autopsy were unavailable.
Ontario Provincial Police, Detachment Inspector Ron Kirkpatrick,
head of the murder investigation, was still talking to residents
in the area where Chiu's body was found.
Dieter and Cheryl Stoschele, who live a few hundred metres from
the gravel pit road, said they heard shots at about 3 p.m. Saturday.
"Everyone told the police they heard shots after 3 p.m." Cheryl
said.
"But the police were back again last night (Monday) asking if
we heard anything after 9 p.m. (Saturday)."
Scott Carruthers, who was working on his roof at about 3 p.m.
that day, said he heard a series of gunshots, "definitely five
or six.
"There were three quick shots, a pause and then a couple more"
said Carruthers.
SNOWBIRD TRAGEDY
Pilots flying at the air show where a Canadian Snowbirds pilot
crashed Sunday dipped their wings yesterday in memory of their
dead comrade.
Hours before the three-day show at the Canadian National Exhibition
concluded, divers discovered the body of Capt. Shane Antaya floating
near his downed CT-114 Tutor training jet.
Antaya, 24, of Stratford Ontario, was killed when his single-engine
nosedived into Lake Ontario just a few hundred metres from Toronto's
waterfront exhibition grounds after touching wings with another
aircraft.
Antaya's wife, parents, brother and sister watched his death plunge
from shore, along with about 100,000 other horrified spectators.
Maj. Dan Dempsey, 36, the pilot of the other jet and the Snowbird
leader, ejected safely over the lake with his aircraft in flames.
A Toronto police marine unit boat picked Dempsey up "as soon as
he hit the water," said Insp. Albert Boccongelle.
The two jets struck "centre stage" at 1:45 p.m. about 2 km south
of the CNE grandstand midway through a spectacular maneuver called
the upward and downward bomb burst.
Three jets loop, then dive, passing by four others climbing
straight up. The climax sees all jets fan out in a double bomb
burst pattern.
Antaya was Dempsey's "deputy" flying on his right.
"As the three planes prepared to split, something went wrong,"
said Col. Claude Thibault, commander of the Snowbirds' base at CFB
Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.
Antaya's jet plowed into the water (Lake Ontario). Dempsey's jet
burst into flames and hit the lake seconds later.
Some witnesses said Antaya's jet appeared to veer, as if he was
trying to avoid hitting boaters.
Although the show went on, it did so without the seven-member
Snowbirds. The elite aerobatic team landed after the crash and did
not return to the skies yesterday. The Snowbird's 15 scheduled shows
this year have also been canceled.
Canuck Cleric -- Off The Air
Move over Jim Bakker, here comes Rutledge ! Yes, even Canada
has it's share of religous evangelists gone bad !
TV evangelist Reverend Ralph Rutledge was suspended after confessing
to "moral indiscretions."
Reverend William Seres, an official with the Pentecostal Assemblies
of Canada, said last Monday the 53-year-old host of "Revival Hour"
had confessed to "indiscretions involving morals."
Rutledge's suspension was announced Sunday to his congregation
at Queensway Cathedral, one of Canada's largest evangelical churches
with a membership of 3,000.
Seres said Rutledge has agreed to a program of rehabilitation.
(Isn't that clever? "indiscretions involving morals" could mean
practically anything ! And isn't it neat how they send the
guy from the street to prison, and they send the preacher to a
rehab center !)
|
| 175.12 | Canadian Chronicle - Sept 11, 1989 | KAOFS::D_BIGELOW | Hedonism - ahhhhhh! | Tue Sep 12 1989 21:06 | 335 |
|
Date : Monday September 11th, 1989 Circulation: 563
Dist : Weekly - 12th Edition Editor: Darrell Bigelow
--------------------------------
| |
| ** The CANADIAN CHRONICLE ** |
| |
--------------------------------
In This Issue
-------------
Japan Boss Advises Canadian PM
Home Builders to Fight GST
Business Briefs
Canada Speeds up AZT Use
Ben Loses World Mark
Tough To Get Jobs in 1990s
Movie Maker in Sex Probe
Police Harvest Pot Crop
Currency Exchange Rates:
U.S. Dollar buys $1.18 Canadian
U.K. Pound buys $1.89 Canadian
FEDERAL AND PROVINCIAL POLITICS
-------------------------------
Japan Boss Advises Canadian PM
Prime Minister Brian Mulroney got some expert Japanese advice
last week about the national sales tax: Do a better selling job.
Mulroney asked Japanese Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu how he could
calm the protest over the 9% sales tax that has cost his Tories
dearly in the polls.
Kaifu, whose Liberal Democratic party was battered in Japans
July elections because of a similar tax, said Mulroney shouldn't
repeat his government's mistake and soft-pedal the tax.
"We ought to have spent more time explaining the tax issue and I
was frank in explaining this to the prime minister," Kaifu told
reporters as Mulroney stood solemnly by his side.
Kaifu's ruling party suffered heavy electoral losses in July
because of the 3% consumption tax and scandals involving kickbacks
and geisha girls.
Mulroney said he was aware of the "pitfalls" of the tax but
predicted it would be in place by Jan. 1, 1991.
But Mulroney said Ottawa can sell the tax if it can persuade
Canadians the tax on most goods and services is better than the
13% manufacturers sales tax.
"The easy way would have been to sit back with the old manufactures
sales tax...and say we will deal with sales tax later on," he said.
"We chose to deal with it now, knowing full well the challenges
and disadvantages."
Kaifu, in Canada on a four-day visit, met with Mulroney to
discuss global trade, international peacekeeping and minor irritants
between the two countries, such as drift net fishing by Japan off
the West Coast.
Meanwhile, Mulroney announced he has appointed top diplomat James
Taylor as Canada's next ambassador to Japan. Taylor, 59, replaces
Barry Steers who has been in Tokyo for eight years.
Taylor has held numerous posts during his 38-year diplomatic
career.
BUSINESS
--------
Home Builders to Fight GST
Canadian home builders will continue to challenge Finance Minister
Michael Wilson's proposed Goods and Services Tax, the president of
the Canadian Home Builder's Association said last week.
Speaking to a meeting of the Ottawa-Carleton Home Builders, Tom
Cochren said the new tax will increase housing prices by three times
that estimated in the Technical Paper, the 173-page document which
outlines how the GST will be administered.
While Wilson has made efforts to mitigate the negative effects of
the new tax system on the affordability of housing through a rebate
system, Cochren said the Department of Finance should return to the
drawing board to correct miscalculations in the Technical Paper.
Out-of-date housing prices have been used in the calculations and
the added cost of administering the tax has not been incorporated
in the analysis, Cochren said in a brief prepared for the meeting.
And Canadians can expect rents to go up significantly because
increased costs resulting from the tax will be passed on to the
renter by their landlords.
The uncertainty surrounding the implementation of the new tax
makes it difficult for builders to formulate long-term business
plans, the president added.
The situation is already having serious consequences in the
housing market, Cochren said. "The condominium market, which
depends on pre-sale mechanisms for financing, is already
experiencing very serious confusion."
BUSINESS BRIEFS
---------------
* SHL Systemhouse Inc. of Ottawa has been awarded a $2 million
contract to establish a new data centre for San Francisco General
Hospital. When completed in six months, the new system will inter-
face with more than 300 terminals and personal computers at the
hospital.
* Newbridge earnings soar in first quarter. Newbridge Networks
increased revenues by 170% to $27.3 million, the company reported
last week.
Net income for the quarter was recorded at $4.2 million, up $3.7
million or 695% over the same quarter last year.
"The first quarter financial performance demonstrates that Newbridge
continues to grow rapidly and according to plan," said Newbridge
chairman Terence Matthews.
"The emerging international opportunities for our products will
result in strong ongoing growth as our customers apply Newbridge
solutions to their communications networking plans."
Newbridge is an international company specialising in voice and
data communications equipment with offices and manufacturing
facilities in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.
HEALTH
------
Canada Speeds up AZT Use
(Aids Drug - OK'd on Trial Basis)
A new federal measure allowing earlier trial use of the AZT drug
against AIDS could cost at least $40 million annually, federal
figures suggest.
Health Minister Perrin Beatty said last week, the government is
allowing earlier use in AIDS-treatment studies of the drug
zidovudine, called AZT, after U.S. tests showed it effective in AIDS
treatment.
The drug does not cure AIDS but "staves off" symptoms and effects
of the killer disease, Beatty told reporters. Officials say it's
still too early to tell how much longer the earlier treatment will
mean an AIDS patient might live.
Estimates show the figure could go as high as 10,000 eligible
patients whose count lines are directed only to patients whose
count of white blood cells involved in fighting the virus has dropped
to 500 cells per cubic millimetre. Before yesterday's announcement,
AZT in Canada was administered only to those with AIDS or advanced
symptoms of infection, all with a cell count of below 300.
David Hoe, with the Aids Committee of Ottawa, welcomed the
announcement.
"It's the only drug that has widespread use in effectively
treating the virus. It's clearly been useful in the States and this
is a very positive move", said Hoe.
SPORTS
------
Ben Loses World Mark
Ben Johnson's admitted drug use has cost him the one laurel he
had left -- the world record that entitled him to be known as the
World's Fastest Man.
After a raucous debate that ended in confusion and rancor,
track's governing body moved yesterday to erase Johnson's time
of 9.83 seconds over 100 metres.
Over objections from delegates from Canada and the Caribbean, the
International Amateur Athletic Federation voted to take records away
from any athelete who admits under oath to taking banned substances.
Johnson, who confessed his steroid use last June to the Dubin
inquiry, is the only record-holder in that position.
"I think there are a number of people...under similar circumstances
as the person we're crucifying today whose countries did not do an
exhaustive inquiry to let it all hang out", said Amadeo Francis of
Puerto Rico, a member of the IAAF's policy-making council, who
stormed out of the hotel after the decision.
Johnson, contacted at his Toronto Ontario home, refused comment
about the IAAF decision.
"I'm feeling good, pretty good," said the Jamaican-born sprinter
who has spent the past year at the centre of Canada's greatest
sports scandal. "I'm going to train, man, I'm going to keep in
shape."
Johnson, 27, was slapped with a two-year competition ban -- it
expires next year -- after testing positive for steroids in Seoul.
While many of the people who once basked in Johnson's glow
refused comment, Angella Issajenko expressed no sorrow for the
latest blow to strike her former teammate.
"I fell no pity for Ben Johnson," said Issajenko, who has admitted
she took muscle-building steroids.
"That's what happens when you put too much fame and power in the
hands of a complete idiot -- they turn into an even bigger idiot.
It's all his fault."
Unless a faster time is recorded before New Year's Day, the mark
will go to Johnson's arch-rival, American Carl Lewis -- who ran
9.92 seconds in Seoul and got the gold medal after the Canadian
(Ben) was disqualified.
MISCELLANEOUS
-------------
Tough To Get Jobs in 1990s
( No room for middle managers in next decade )
There is no doubt that finding and holding a good job in the
1990s will be more difficult than it is today with all the changes in
our global economy.
Many prognosticators believe that both generalists and one-skill
managers will receive very little attention in the next decade which
is likely to see the decimation of the traditional middle manager.
In a recent publication of the National Institute of Business
Management, Dr. Marvin Cetron listed a number of suggestions to
ensure survival in the brave new world of the 1990s.
To position yourself for a successful grab at the corporate brass
ring, consider the following suggestions:
* Reassess your hi-tech systems skills and retool: Take computer
science courses offered at night or on weekends at a community college
or local university. Pick those that have the most practical
application to your field.
* Specialise within your area of expertise -- not just marketing
or sales, but a niche inside it. Examples: marketing to Pacific
Rim clients; product promotion in post-1992 Euromarkets.
* Apply new management techniques that place less emphasis on super-
vision, and encourage employees to take risks in product develop-
ment and innovative problem-solving.
* Be flexible about where you want to live: Corporate decen-
tralization is a clear trend, with many of the most important jobs
located outside major urban areas.
* Study foreign languages. Japanese, Spanish, Russian and Chinese
will give you the biggest business mileage.
The next decade will certainly be one of great upheaval for all
of us; however, we must anticipate changes. Act and not react. In
other words, to prepare for the 1990s, you must start now.
Movie Maker in Sex Probe
A media producer preparing a documentary on the Mount Cashel orphanage
sex scandal is under investigation for allegedly molesting a victim.
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary yesterday confirmed it is
investigation but refused to comment further or say whether charges
have been laid.
The assault allegedly took place last Tuesday in a St. John's
hotel room while the producer was interviewing former Mount Cashel
orphans for a documentary.
The victim, a 29-year-old man with the mentality of a 10-year-old,
told another former Mount Cashel orphan about the attack last week
and the pair went to the police.
Mount Cashel orphanage is operated by the Congregation of Christian
Brothers, a Roman Catholic lay order.
Two priests have been jailed for five years and 16 priests, former
priests or brothers have been charged or convicted of more than 100
charges of sexually assaulting young altar boys.
Police and church officials were first told about the sexual
abuse in 1975 but no charges were laid.
The scandal resurfaced this year after a former Mount Cashel orphan
went public and file a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the
province, the police and the Catholic church.
Police Harvest Pot Crop
Quebec police have harvested another bumper crop of marijuana
plants -- their second of the season.
About 1,200 plants -- with an estimated value of $122,000 --
were uprooted Saturday by police officers at a farm near Clarendon,
said Constable Richard Bourdon.
The plants were taken to Hull and destroyed in a furnace.
A month ago, police were tipped to 8,000 plants worth about
$400,000 on a farm in Litchfield.
|
| 175.13 | Canadian Chronicle - Sept 18, 1989 | KAOFS::D_BIGELOW | Hedonism - ahhhhhh! | Mon Sep 25 1989 11:05 | 487 |
|
Woops ! Sorry, I forgot to add the newsletter to the conference
last week. So here it is !
Date : Monday September 18th, 1989 Circulation: 563
Dist : Weekly - 13th Edition Editor: Darrell Bigelow
--------------------------------
| |
| ** The CANADIAN CHRONICLE ** |
| |
--------------------------------
In This Issue
-------------
TAX REVOLT - GST OPPOSITION GROWING
CANADA JOINS WAR ON DRUGS
LYNCH Gets TOP JOB in PC Federation
CAMPEAU Seeking Chain Store Buyer
Postal Union Issues Strike Threat
Group Slams Cuts to Military
ABORTION ISSUE
Dragnet Seeking 3 linked to Drug Jail-break Bid
Flight Attendant Told to "Hush Up" Crash
Currency Exchange Rates:
U.S. Dollar buys $1.17 Canadian
U.K. Pound buys $1.89 Canadian
FEDERAL AND PROVINCIAL POLITICS
-------------------------------
TAX REVOLT - GST OPPOSITION GROWING
Whether Michael Wilson (Finance Minister) believes it or not -- there
is a huge revolt under foot in Canada over his proposed 9% Goods and
Services Tax (GST).
In every nook and cranny of the country -- including right-leaning
big business groups -- there is concern over the new tax in its
present form.
And come September 25, when the House of Commons reconvenes -- the
howls of opposition will grow with petitions being presented every
day to stall the tabling of legislation for this new tax.
Why? Because the people and business, both small and big, are
angry over fiscal mismanagement which has rung up an awesome net
debt of $360 billion, while both personal and corporate income taxes
have nearly doubled. Since the Tories came to power in 1984, Canadian
taxpayers have been hit with 31 new taxes or tax hikes.
Meanwhile, Canada hasn't seen a balanced budget since 1975 --
and now with pre-recession high interest rates and inflation, the
country's out-of-control net debt (accumulated annual deficits over
the years) is growing by an alarming $3 million a minute, $83
million a day.
There isn't a lot of faith out there that the Tories' new tax
grab -- a 9% GST to hit most goods and services Jan. 1, 1991 and
collect billions in new revenue -- will go to the net debt.
Worse, there is a lot of concern the new tax will be an added
hardship on middle and low income earners, and senior citizens --
while a massive burden on small retailers, who will become the only
businesses in the world forced to administer, collect and remit
two retail sales tax systems, one federal, one provincial.
Other areas of concern are the tax will push up inflation by
3%, which will keep interest rates high, and balloon the net debt
further; while drying up business investment and fuelling higher
unemployment. As well, it is feared that despite housing rebates,
new home prices will soar; rents, which are exempt, will rise due
to landlords being hit by the new tax; and that savings on man-
ufactured items like refrigerators, stoves, and automobiles won't
be passed on to consumers; when the 13.5% Manufacturing Sales Tax
(MST) is replaced by the GST.
CANADA JOINS WAR ON DRUGS
External Affairs Minister Joe Clark announced last Wednesday,
that a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) team would be going
to Colombia to determine how best to help that country fight its
drug lords.
"We've taken a decision to send a special mission... to Colombia
to discuss the particular needs that Canada might have to meet,"
Clark told reporters.
"Those would be in the needs, broadly speaking, of communication
equipment, perhaps some security equipment."
Clark, who said the mission would leave "very soon," also
clarified Prime Minister Brian Mulroney's statement that cabinet
had accepted some of Colombia's proposals.
Clark said no decision would be made on Colombia's request for
armoured vehicles, bullet proof vests or surveillance and communication
equipment until "the mission has reported back."
Mulroney had told reporters earlier that Canada had "conveyed
to the government of Colombia our acceptance of proposals to help"
in fighting drug trafficking.
But a Colombian embassy spokesman told the "Ottawa Sun" there was
no agreement yet and Mulroney's aides quickly scrambled to deny that
a deal had been approved or a price tag set.
Colombian embassy spokesman Santiago Reyes-Borda said the shopping
list presented to Canada was no more than a general inventory of
Colombian needs.
Meanwhile, Clark said he's concerned about publicising the kind
of aid Canned may give to Colombia.
LYNCH Gets TOP JOB in PC Federation
Ottawa lawyer Jennifer Lynch has been acclaimed president of the
National Progressive Conservative Women's Federation.
"I'm really exhilarated," Lynch said, "I found running for
national office gratifying and I'm in the exciting position of
taking over when an historic statement has been made."
The statement, by the federation, says that a woman's decision to
have an abortion is "a matter of personal conscience and one to
be made solely by the pregnant woman, in consultation with her
doctor.
Lynch said she takes over the presidency at a time "when the
women of the party are making some sensational breakthroughs in
policy, fundraising and communication."
She says the federation aims to increase women's political skills
and their participation in party campaign, fundraising and social
policy committees.
The federation also called for a Royal Commission on the Family,
to examine the effect of an ageing population on the family and on
women as caregivers; the needs and aspirations of family members
and the effect on families of changed social and economic roles
and pressures.
BUSINESS
--------
CAMPEAU Seeking Chain Store Buyer
The Bloomingdale's department store chain is attracting buyers
like bees to honey, but Campeau's crown jewel isn't even officially
on the market yet.
Campeau chairman Robert Campeau, last week presented his company's
board of directors with a proposed financial restructuring plan which
includes finding a buyer for the famous chain of U.S. department stores.
Campeau's financially-strapped company desperately needs to come up
with some cash to pay down debts arising from its $6.6 billion US
purchase of Federated Department Stores last year.
A number of interested parties has already come forward declaring
their interest in the 17-store Bloomingdale's chain.
Ann Taylor Inc., once part of Campeau's U.S. retailing empire, said
it would be in hot pursuit of Bloomie's.
Reports say it is proposing a leveraged-buyout with Merrill Lynch
Capital Partners of New York.
Crown American Corp., the nation's fifth-largest shopping mall
developer, was reported to be considering a $1-billion bid for
the empire.
Frank Pasquerilla, Crown's Chairman and CEO said a bid would be
made "if the operation numbers we are asking for hold up".
Crown American's bid would be made in conjunction with Hess's Inc.,
its 76-unit department store chain in the east.
At Campeau's annual meeting in July, Campeau said Bloomie's was
worth more than $2 billion.
Limited Inc., America's largest chain of women's speciality
stores is also interested in Bloomingdale's, U.S. news reports said.
Marvin Traub, Bloomingdale's long-time chairman, has also said he
will try to lead an investor group to buy the chain.
(What does this have to do with Canada ? Well, Campeau has major
business holdings in Canada, including shopping malls across the
country.)
MISCELLANEOUS
-------------
Postal Union Issues Strike Threat
Canada Post union executives say a strike is on the way if the
federal government doesn't stop plans to privatize the Crown
corporation.
About 260 local presidents and executives of the Canadian Union of
Postal Workers wrapped up a strategy meeting last week at the Skyline
Hotel in Toronto.
Daryl Tingley, national vice-president of the union, said last
week the public will know by this Tuesday if there'll be a postal
strike or what job action will be taken by the union.
"Any activity is possible and nothing is being excluded," Tingley
said. "Privatization is a very serious issue and we're dealing
wit it."
Tingley said the union is demanding Canada Post remain a public
service "to keep postal rates uniform and for equality of service.
"The situation has deteriorated and it has to be dealt with,"
Tingley said.
Other key issues being discussed are employee harassment and
absenteeism.
Canada Post, for the first time in 30 years, last year made a profit
of $96 million. About two-thirds of the money will go towards
modernising postal plants and equipment.
Tingley said the federal government is using Canada Post profit as
a bargaining chip to "attract investors" to sell the company.
"We made a profit and nothing has gone back to the service,"
Tingley said. "Most of the money has gone back into making Canada
Post look attractive to investors."
He said the situation between the union and management has
deteriorated.
Tingley accused management of dragging their feet during talks
this summer.
"Canada Post is stalling and not interested in talking. They are
just dragging their feet."
He said if Canada Post is sold, Canadians will face pricing
differentials and poorer service.
Group Slams Cuts to Military
Cuts in defence and foreign aid spending have eroded our sovereignty
and endangered national security, warns a highly-respected think tank.
In a damning report to be released next week, the Canadian Institute
for Strategic Studies also says the budget cuts have transformed
Canada into an international laughing stock with a declining influence
on the world stage.
A copy of the report was obtained by the "Ottawa Sun" newspaper.
"Canada is seen by the international community to be reneging on
promises made solemnly, not only in election campaigns, but also in
NATO Councils and before the General Assembly of the United Nations,"
it says.
"In the eyes of our allies, our credibility as a reliable partner
has been seriously eroded, with the potential for future long-term
negative impacts on our political, economic and military influence."
Former defence minister Perrin Beatty (Bill McKnight now fills
that portfolio) announced in April that Canada was slashing $2.74
billion from the defence department and $400 million from foreign
aid spending. The measures -- aimed at stemming an increase in the
federal deficit -- sent shockwaves through military and humanitarian
aid circles.
However, the institute concludes that important security interests
are being sacrificed to meet short term economic objectives.
ABORTION ISSUE
PRIME MINISTER WANTS A FREE VOTE
Prime Minister Brian Mulroney says he wants all MPs -- except for
his 38-member cabinet -- to cast a free vote on a new abortion law
this fall.
Mulroney will ask for cabinet solidarity to ensure the bill passes.
Mulroney said it's essential for MPs to vote free of party lines on
a crucial issue like abortion but he fears the legislation would not
pass if cabinet ministers were given the same right.
"If we bring in a piece of legislation we want it to go through
the House," Mulroney told Mike Duffy in an interview on CTV's
"Sunday Edition".
"What you could do is have cabinet solidarity on a given bill and
members of the party caucus are free to vote as they wish."
Mulroney said cabinet hasn't "finalised" the new abortion law but
added it would be drafted and ready for the Commons this fall.
Canada has been without an abortion law since the Supreme Court
struck down the old law last year.
Mulroney also said he felt betrayed by former deputy prime minister
Erik Nielsen, who wrote a scathing book about Mulroney's leadership.
"I trusted him," Mulroney said, noting he made him deputy PM and
defence minister because he considered him a friend.
"I had extended him every courtesy, my family and I.
"We had him at (3-year-old) Nicolas' christening.
"We took him into the bosom of the family."
Mulroney said neither he nor his wife, Mila, ever thought that
Nielsen had harboured ill-feelings toward him.
"It was a surprise for us, as it was a surprise for many other
colleagues to learn these opinions," he said.
Nielsen portrays Mulroney as untrustworthy and a lightweight
compared to former Tory chief Joe Clark in his book "The House is
Not A Home".
Mulroney refused to reveal during the interview whether he
planned to run again in the next election campaign, saying his
goal at the moment is to make "the second mandate as successful
as possible."
Dragnet Seeking 3 linked to Drug Jail-break Bid
(from Fredericton, New Brunswick)
Three "armed and dangerous" Central Americans, linked by the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to a possible Colombian drug-
ring jail break bid in New Brunswick continued to elude a Canada-
U.S. dragnet last week.
Police say the men are cohorts of five South American men arrested
in New Brunswick last Wednesday. The three are considered by police
to be "armed and dangerous."
The well-armed South Americans may have been planing a small war to
free two Colombians from jail here, police say.
RCMP Inspector Al Hutchinson said new evidence which came to light
late a week ago Friday, indicates the five men arrested in Edmundston
and Saint John last Wednesday were in New Brunswick to free the two
smuggling suspects.
Hutchinson said police will investigate "regarding a conspiracy
to commit a prison breach."
The four men arrested in Edmundston were captured with a carload
of assault rifles, machineguns and more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition.
They also had camping equipment and an inflatable boat.
The man captured in Saint John charged with carrying two unregistered
.22-calibre handguns. (Handguns are illegal in Canada).
Hutchinson said the five men are not being co-operative with
police. The four in Edmundston say they can't speak English, and all
are refusing to talk on the advice of lawyers.
Although the five held Venezuelan passports and visas, Hutchinson
said police are not sure of their identities or nationalities.
The two Colombians, Fernando Augusto Mendiza-Jaramillo, 26 and
Jose Ali Galindo-Escobar, 36, were committed Thursday to stand trial
on charges of importing illegal drugs. They return to court in
early October.
There were arrested in Toronto in April after police seized 500
kg of cocaine from an airplane that landed at a remote airstrip
near Fredericton.
The two Colombians and the five other South Americans were in
custody in secret locations last week.
RCMP Corporal Mike Seguin said the search of accomplices has
police forces in Maine and New Brunswick on the alert.
Seguin said the South American population in New Brunswick is so
small police are reacting to any sighting of a Spanish-speaking
stranger.
The U.S. border patrol confirmed they are on a "heightened state
of alert."
Security for court appearances last Friday and this Tuesday for
the five men arrested in Edmundston and Saint John were and will
be very heavy.
Security at the Fredericton courthouse was extraordinary last
Thursday for the two Colombians' preliminary hearing.
The courthouse, on the main downtown street of the small, quiet
city, was surrounded by police tactical squads.
Flight Attendant Told to "Hush Up" Crash
An Air Ontario executive told a tearful flight attendant shortly
after a crash that killed 24 people not to talk about the accident,
and inquiry heard last week.
The dramatic tape of the conversation was played for the inquiry
examining the crash -- headed by Mr. Justice Virgil Moshansky of the
Albert Court of Queen's Bench. The tape wasn't turned over to the
government investigators until they learned of its existence almost
six months after the March 10 crash.
"The wings were iced up ... before takeoff there was quite a bit
of snow on there," a distraught Sonia Hartwick said in the call to
Cliff Sykes, then director of flight operations for the airline based
in London.
"Okay, don't talk to anybody Sonia, okay? Don't tell anybody
anything," Sykes responded.
"If anybody asks you anything ... just say that you don't feel you
are capable of talking about it at the moment."
There has been speculation that a build-up of ice on the wings of
the 65-passenger plane caused the crash and the captain made a mistake
in declining an offer by airport staff to have them de-iced.
Hartwick, the only one of the four crew members to survive, as
calling Sykes from the northwestern Ontario town of Dryden, where she
and other survivors were take after the crash.
Hartwick, who had not hear the tape before, wiped tears from her
eyes as she listened on the stand last Thursday.
"I am surprised, astonished that piece of evidence of this relevance
and magnitude has not surfaced until this time said commission
council Fred Von Veh, who first heard the tape on Sept 1/89.
Von Veh, said crash investigators asked the airline a subsidiary
of Air Canada, for the tape after they were alerted to its' existence
by a pilot.
He said he has asked for an explanation as to why the tape had
not been given to the OPP, the Canadian Aviation Safety Board or
the commission of inquiry.
Paul Bailey, a lawyer for Ontario's chief coroner, was more critical,
saying that "only a moron in a hurry would not know that such an
important piece of evidence was crucial to this investigation and would
not turn it over or see that it got turned over at a very early stage
in the investigation.
The police should investigate Air Ontario for the obstruction of
justice or withholding evidence, Bailey said.
But Air Ontario lawyer Bruce MacDougall said the company missed the ape
tape, through an honest mistake and there was no attempt at a
coverup.
The Sudbury flight attendant suffered a fractured skull in the crash
and has been on a medical leave of absence since.
|
| 175.14 | Canadian Chronicle - Sept 25th, 1989 | KAOFS::D_BIGELOW | Hedonism - ahhhhhh! | Mon Sep 25 1989 11:07 | 373 |
|
Date : Monday September 25th, 1989 Circulation: 564
Dist : Weekly - 14th Edition Editor: Darrell Bigelow
--------------------------------
| |
| ** The CANADIAN CHRONICLE ** |
| |
--------------------------------
In This Issue
-------------
TAX WILL HIKE INTEREST RATES
CAMPEAU - $10 BILLION IN DEBT
B.C. Proposed Surcharge on Disposable Diapers
Heart Baby Heads Home
Maritime Cocaine Connection
1987 Canadian $ Salaries $
Currency Exchange Rates:
U.S. Dollar buys $1.17 Canadian
U.K. Pound buys $1.90 Canadian
FEDERAL AND PROVINCIAL POLITICS
-------------------------------
TAX WILL HIKE INTEREST RATES
Bank interest rates, service charges and insurance premiums will
all rise to pay for hundreds of millions of dollars in hidden costs
from the new sales tax, a Commons committee heard last Wednesday.
Ordinary consumers and small businesses will bear the brunt of the
new charges, the finance committee was told.
Banks will have to pass on at least $200 million in extra costs
to consumers, said Keith Dooricott, a spokesman for the Canadian
Banker's Association.
"It's just going to raise prices by that amount," he said, later
adding there is concern for consumers.
Credit unions will have to hike interest rates and other charges
by $50 million to $100 million, the Canadian Co-operative Credit
Society said.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada and the Canadian Life and Health
Insurance Association said their premiums will rise to recover the
GST insurers will have to pay on some goods and services they buy.
Since financial services and insurers are exempt from the new
scheme, they have no way to get government refunds for the new tax
they will pay on their purchases. Consumers will pay instead, without
knowing it.
Dooricott said the banks will likely raise their interest rates
for small business and consumers, since big corporations have the
ability to shop around internationally for lower rates and the banks
don't want to lose their business.
Despite the calls for improvements, all the groups expressed
support for the GST -- arguing that they should be included to
qualify for rebates.
And John Evans, a former Liberal MP who is now president of the
Trust Companies Association of Canada, called for sweeping application
of the GST, saying it should include all food, housing costs and even
rent.
He said if that's done, the tax rate could be lowered from 9% to
five or even 3%.
Evans said their is no doubt consumers would eventually foot
the bill.
Corporations don't pay tax, people pay it. Evans told the special
public hearings into the controversial measure.
Under questioning from Grit and New Democrat MPs, the bank and
insurance officials who testified in the fifth day of hearings
said despite their reservations they prefer the new GST to the current
13.5% manufacturers' tax, which is completely hidden by the time
consumers pay for it.
Liberal finance critic Doug Young argued Prime Minsister Brian
Mulroney and Finance Minister Michael Wilson are unlikely to change
or lower the tax if they see it's got business backing already.
But New Democrat Lorne Nystrom said he believes the government
is preparing the way to broaden the tax to include food and other
necessities and lower the rate to make it more acceptable to
consumers.
Meanwhile, all three parties agreed in a private committee meeting
to ask special House of Commons approval to televise the hearings.
That could be decided as early as today when Parliament resumes.
And Blenkarn quickly brushed off an NDP attempt to embarrass him
over a letter he wrote to the leader of the party's Newfoundland
wing about the committee's plan not to hold hearings in the province.
BUSINESS
--------
CAMPEAU - $10 BILLION IN DEBT
(Calls deal with Reichmanns a 50-50 partnership)
Robert Campeau surrendered control of his vast U.S. retail empire,
including Jordan Marsh and Bloomingdale's, to Olympia & York's
Reichmann family last Tuesday.
The move was expected as part of a vitally needed $250-million
U.S. loan and restructuring agreement, reached after a week of
wrangling. It shot cash into Campeau's bare coffers and should
keep merchandise flowing into the stores -- for now.
The question of future financing remains. Additional asset sales
would be among many options considered, Campeau spokesman Carol
Sanger said. But for now, Campeau is only seeking buyers for
Bloomingdale's, which it put up for sale nearly two weeks ago.
For coming to Campeau's rescue, Olympia & York has won the right
to raise its stake from 25.4 per cent of Campeau's stock to 38.4
per cent, on a fully diluted basis. Company chairman Robert
Campeau's stake would be cut to 43.2 per cent from about 54
per cent.
After the announcement, Campeau Corp. resumed trading on the
Toronto Stock Exchange and rose 75 cents to close at $14.25.
The stock took off this morning, rising another $1.38 by 11 am.
Campeau told the Canadian Press the new arrangement with the
Reichmanns will be a 50-50 partnership.;
"They're very honest people," he said. "I've known them
implicitly and I don't think that I would have gotten into a
50-50 partnership with anyone else."
He blamed much of his current financial trouble on junk bonds.
The availability of the high-interest-rate securities "tends
to make one too aggressive on the bidding" during a takeover.
Meanwhile, the new financing allows the retail companies to get
back to preparations for the Christmas Season.
However, Heller Financial, a U.S. factor company which acts as
a credit manager for suppliers to retailers, will keep the Campeau
subsidiaries on a cash basis for now, a spokesman said.
CIT group Factors, the largest factor in the U.S., said that after
a one-day shutdown on Monday, it would approve shipments for the rest
of the month and assess the situation after that.
"I think this is a big relief in everyone's mind," said Bernard
Chaus, president of Bernard Chaus Inc., a major supplier of women's
apparel to department stores.
He said he had not shut off shipments to Campeau stores.
The restructuring will be managed by a new board of directors and
a restructuring committee. The board will consist of three Campeau
nominees, including Robert Campeau and Campeau Cor. president Ronald
Tysoe; three nominees of Olympia & York, including executive vice-
president Albert Reichmann and chief operating officer Lionel Dodd;
and four representatives of minority shareholders.
But Campeau will not sit on the restructuring committee, which
will be let by Dodd and consist of Tysoe and two other members.
The U.S., operating company also will name a chief executive officer
and chief financial officer, who will report to the new board of
directors and its restructuring committee.
MISCELLANEOUS
-------------
B.C. Proposed Surcharge on Disposable Diapers
A surcharge on disposable diapers is among measures being proposed
to cut the amount of garbage generated by British Colombians,
Environment Minister Bruce Strachan said Tuesday.
"In a lifetime, each British Colombian produces 60 tonnes of solid
wastes," Strachan told municipal politicians in announcing the
province's new solid waste strategy.
Strachan said a partnership between the province, industry and
municipal governments could cut the amount of garbage produced by
B.C.'s three million residents in half within 10 years.
He told the Union of B.C. Municipalities that a surcharge on non-
recyclable goods could help meet that goal.
"If a battery is going to cause a problem, there should be a
surcharge on that battery," Strachan said. He admitted the same
principle would apply to the "motherhood issue" of disposable
diapers.
"They are a problem," Strachan said. "The principle is the
polluter pays."
Because the surcharge would be applied at the time of purchase,
similar to the refund deposit paid on returnable bottles the consumer
would ultimately bear the brunt of the cost.
Strachan said consumers must be educated.
"It could be as simple as asking fro a paper bag at a grocery
store rather than a plastic bag," he said.
While recycling is the major thrust of the $150-million garbage
management program, Strachan admitted there is a problem finding
markets for used glass, paper, rubber or other materials.
"We've really been at the mercy of the private sector," said
Vernon Mayor Anne Clarke.
Clarke suggested the provincial government become the broker for
recyclable materials "on an interim basis, until a balance is found
between supply and demand."
That way, Clarke said, a guaranteed price per tonne could be set
for the communities that do recycle while providing "a guaranteed
supply of product for the industries that will develop once they've
got that supply."
Heart Baby Heads Home
Canada's youngest hear transplant recipient bid a loud farewell
to the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario last Tuesday.
Wesley Behm -- bundled in a blue sleeper -- screamed as mom
Sharon buckled him into a car-sear before heading home with husband
Brian.
"I think he's going to miss these people," Sharon, 33, said as she
waved goodbye to hospital staff who had helped nurse her eight-week-
old son to health during his month-long stay.
"When we came in, we didn't think we'd be walking out with him,"
she said.
"This is one of the happiest days of my life," said Brian Behm, 36,
a logger in Palmer Rapids -- 90 km northwest of Ottawa Ontario.
The Behm's son underwent a lifesaving transplant operation at the
University of Ottawa Heart Institute 11 days after he was born to
repair what otherwise would have been a fatal heart defect.
Yesterday, Dr. Wilbert Keon -- head of the eight-man surgical team
-- praised the tyke's progress.
"We're obviously very gratified that everything turned out as well
as it did," he said. "There was a great deal unknown when we ventured
into this and it was a very difficult time especially for mom and dad."
Keon, who admitted he'll miss the tot, said Wesley's good condition
before the operation was the most important factor in his recovery.
Keon said the boy will continue taking medication to help his
immune system ward off any rejection of his new heart.
Maritime Cocaine Connection
The Atlantic Provinces are becoming a popular gateway for flow
of illict drugs to U.S. centres.
Legitimate businessmen in the Maritimes and drug traffickers
appear to agree on one thing: New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are
strategically located for penetrating the U.S. market.
That's a major reason many Maritime businessmen support free
trade.
But it's also the reason U.S. and Canadian law enforcement officials
are worried the region may see more illict drug traffic -- and its
attendant risk of violence -- in years to come.
The Maritimes' sparse population, relatively isolated coast and
proximity to the big populations of the Eastern seaboard have made
it an ever-more popular transit point for illegal drugs.
Several of the largest hauls of hashish, marijuana and cocaine in
Canadian history have taken place in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia
in the past four years.
In 1985, in Lockeport on Nova Scotia's rugged south shore,
RCMP seized 13 tonnes of hash worth $238 million; another $100
million in hash was discovered in a drug-smuggling operation in
Cape Breton in 1986, and marijuana worth $2.4 million was seized
from a plane at Brockway, N.B., in 1987.
Also in 1987, hashish oil worth $3 million was discovered in a
motor home near the largely unpatrolled New Brunswick-Maine border,
and earlier this year, RCMP seized $250 million worth of cocaine from
a plane on April 3rd at a backwoods airstrip near Fredericton.
The 500 kilograms of cocaine discovered in the small twin-engine
airplane had apparently been flown direct to New Brunswick from
Colombia. Two Colombians are now in prison awaiting trial in
connection with the bust.
Last Monday, five South Americans were charged with conspiring to
break the two Colombians out of the Fredericton jail. The arrests
followed the seizure of a massive arsenal that included assault
rifles, submachine-guns and 3,100 rounds of ammunition.
Mike Wright, the Drug Enforcement Administration attache to the
U.S. Embassay in Ottawa, said last Tuesday that drug smugglers from
South America like the Canadian east coast because it's so easy
to reach.
WORKING LIFE
------------
1987 Canadian $ Salaries $
Doctors come first, and artists last, on the list of 1987 incomes.
Statistics released last Tuesday by Revenue Canada show the average
annual income of Canada's 37,000 doctors was $99,195 in 1987 --
roughly seven times what artists and entertainers made that year.
Self-employed professionals, led by doctors, topped the Canadian
payscales in 1987, while the 21,000 self-employed entertainers and
artists were at the bottom with an average income of $13,382.
Dentists finished second in the financial footrace with an average
salary of $82,717, followed by lawyers and notaries at $76,331.
Accountants calculated their way to incomes of $60,198 and engineers
and architects brought home $41,771. Other self-employed professionals
had incomes of $28,114.
In the lower-end of the average pay range, fishermen earned
$22,804, property-owners $20,972, farmers $17,365, and pensioners
$13,445.
The largest group in the Revenue Canada list was the 11 million
employees, who were paid an average income of $23,711.
Teachers and professors were the highest paid employees, averag-
ing $38,290.
Provincial Crown corporation employees had average incomes of
$35,715 and federal Crown corporation employees $32,482.
That's a lot better than the average $22,742 wage paid to the
7.7 million employees of private enterprises.
|
| 175.15 | Final Entry | KAOFS::D_BIGELOW | Hedonism - ahhhhhh! | Thu Oct 26 1989 16:18 | 27 |
|
Hello everyone.
There have been several editions of the Canadian Chronicle
since my last posting, that have not been entered into this conference.
I have decided to discontinue entering the Chronicle in this notes
file for several reasons:
1) Chronicle newsletters can sometimes be lengthy, chews up
excessive disk space.
2) I often forget to add editions here, either they are very
late or not at all.
3) I do not wish to infringe the newsletter on un-interested
persons when they are reading new notes.
Therefore, I'm sure that anyone genuinely interested in receiving the
Chronicle on a regular basis, will send me a mail message, asking to
be added to the distribution list.
Best Regards,
Darrell Bigelow
|
| 175.16 | | KAOFS::S_BROOK | | Wed Sep 04 1991 19:35 | 6 |
| For those who didn't know, Darrel has now left Digital.
Does anyone know if someone else took over publication of
the Chronicle ?
Stuart
|
| 175.17 | | KAOM25::RUSHTON | The frumious Bandersnatch | Thu Sep 05 1991 19:22 | 4 |
| <<Does anyone know if someone else took over publication of
<<the Chronicle ?
...Chronic shortage of news.
|