Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - September 29, 2005, Winnipeg, Manitoba City novelist up for Giller prize David Bergen’s book, The Time in Between, on short list for $ 25,000 honour D3 ® T HURSDAY , S EPTEMBER 29, 2005 A B SPORTS: Yankees take over top spot in AL East C1 plus... Rookies put fresh face on NHL C1 FOUNDED IN 1872 The Weather / D 12 Liquid sunshine. Cloudy, chance of showers. High 17 — Low 7 GARBAGE DAY 4 / SCHOOL DAY 6 Gov. Gen. rebuked The new Governor General’s beliefs in Canadian unity were reduced to merely wishful thinking by Quebec political leaders. Top News A 3 Mass evacuation Thousands of people are ordered out of their homes in the area of a tankertruck fuel spill in Abbotsford, B. C. Canada A 10 Aid for theatres City council votes a total of $ 330,000 to bail out two theatres, but Mayor Sam Katz says they can’t keep coming back for more. City B 1 Laptops for all kids A technology visionary has a strategy to get durable and reliable $ 100 laptop computers into the hands of all of the world’s children. Business B 4 In side Complete index on page 2 Find BREAKING NEWS at winnipegfreepress. com WINNIPEG SUBSCRIBERS ONLY FLYER IN TODAY’S PAPER H EY, WE FOUND YOU SOME CASH! Service available in select areas. Residential customers only. Conditions apply. Bundle discount will appear on the first residential phone bill issued for your address after promotional offers have expired, name or address on bundled accounts must match. Where names do not match for cellular and landline, cellular customer must consent to bundle. MTS design mark is a registered trademark of Manitoba Telecom Service Inc., used under license. Sign up online at mts. ca/ bundles, or call 1 888 MTS- SAVE ( 1 888 687- 7283) We’d like to help you save $ 10 or $ 15 a month. And all you have to do is sign up. SAVE A MONTH $ 10 OR 15 MORE than 300 volunteers are doing their bit this morning to promote family literacy in Manitoba during the fourth annual CanWest Raise A Reader Day. The volunteers — wearing bright orange Tshirts — are distributing copies of the Free Press and National Post and collecting donations between 7 a. m. and 9 a. m. at 21 locations throughout the city. Among the volunteers are CanWest staff, Free Press employees, Red River College students and members of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. All money raised will stay in Manitoba to promote family literacy programs throughout the province. A story in yesterday’s newspaper didn’t mention that CanWest is the organizer and major sponsor of Raise a Reader Day nationally, with the Winnipeg Free Press as its local partner. The Free Press regrets the error. CanWest spokeswoman Cindy Dowse said last year’s campaign raised about $ 50,000. More than $ 110,000 has been raised since the program began in Manitoba three years ago. Beneficiaries of the campaign include the Indian and Métis Friendship Centre, Canadian National Institute for the Blind and various schools, day cares and resource centres across Manitoba. CanWest Raise A Reader Day also supports Thompson Hospital, where new mothers are given a collection of books and encouraged to read to their children. In Winnipeg, the campaign benefits the Literacy Links Intergenerational Project, which brings seniors and children together through reading. Local sponsors of this year’s event include the Canadian Association of Optometrists, James Richardson & Sons Ltd., Delta Winnipeg, Investors Group, Premiere Van Lines, Salisbury House Restaurants, Prolific Graphics Inc., Manitoba Lotteries Corp., Pricewaterhouse- Coopers, AVW- TELAV and Great- West Life. Other national sponsors include Assante Wealth Management, Scholastic Canada, Microsoft Canada, Leapfrog Canada and 7- Eleven. By Alexandra Paul AWinnipeg RV dealer was barraged with calls yesterday from people willing to drive motorhomes to the Gulf Coast to shelter hurricane victims and workers. “ I’ve already got a ton of people,” said Jim Zinko, manager of Can Am RV. Responding to an ad in the Free Press , 150 to 200 drivers jammed his dealership’s phone lines. Zinko wants 50 drivers to take motorhomes down Highway 75 to the U. S. Interstate 29 and then south to the Gulf. The Gulf Coast is looking to Winnipeg for RVs because a massive demand has cleaned out motorhome dealers from Texas to North Dakota, Zinko said. Continued Please see MOTORHOMES A 5 By Paul Samyn O TTAWA — David Dingwall resigned as president of the Royal Canadian Mint yesterday less than a day after his office argued there was nothing wrong with $ 1 million in expenses and salary he racked up last year. Dingwall’s decision to pull the plug on the plum patronage post that paid him more than $ 250,000 a year was shocking for not only its suddenness but also for the way the usually combative Chrétien- era minister refused to fight back. In an interview yesterday afternoon, Dingwall said he willingly stepped aside to spare the federal Crown corporation from any fallout over his spending, which was detailed in a Free Press report that was distributed through wire services and published prominently in newspapers including the Ottawa Citizen , Montreal Gazette , Edmonton Journal , National Post , Calgary Herald and Vancouver Sun . Dingwall insisted yesterday that no one forced him to jump. “ It is very important that we don’t have any distractions as we move forward,” Dingwall told the Free Press . “ I don’t want to see any dip whatsoever or distractions which are going to take people ( at the mint) off their focus, and this kind of issue was meant to do that, and therefore as CEO I made this decision.” Dingwall defended his spending, which included posh dining, exclusive golf memberships, limousines — even $ 1.29 for a package of breathfreshening chewing gum — as completely above board and believes an internal review will vindicate him. Continued Please see DINGWALL A 4 MICHEL VENNAT President of the Business Development Bank of Canada Fired March 2004 following a court ruling that he tried to ruin the career of a predecessor who questioned a loan to a hotel in Jean Chrétien’s riding. MARC LEFRANCOIS President of Via Rail Fired in March 2004 over allegations he was aware public cash was being laundered through the passenger rail company to reward Liberal supporters. JEAN PELLETIER Chairman of Via Rail Fired March 2004 over remarks about a former employee. He called Myriam Bedard, a champion Olympic biathlete who complained about the company's role in the sponsorship scandal, a “ pitiful” single mother. ANDRÉ OUELLET President of Canada Post Resigned in August 2004 after an auditor found postal officials could find no supporting documents to justify $ 2 million in expense claims made by Ouellet between 1996 and 2003. Chrétien loyalists who have exited under controversy Crown corporation heads who recently resigned or were fired: Weird and wonderful We review a theatre season that promises to challenge the boundaries of drama D1 City motorhomes head for Gulf Coast JIM YOUNG / REUTERS Dingwall said yesterday that resigning was his decision, based on his corporation’s best interests. . Mint boss quits one day after criticism of his $ 1 million in expenses, salary . Local union says he was well worth the price, made plant profitable Dingwall goes out quietly Make a donation, promote literacy
