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Speculates on the $20 million lawsuit filed by the four Ghermezian brothers' Triple Five Corporation against the province's now-defunct Alberta Mortgage and Housing Corporation. While the suit is shrouded in mystery, sources allege the province may have to swallow a loss incurred by a massive Ghermezian development. Background of West Edmonton Village; What the suit contends; Province reviewing its options.

Reveals the Canadian federal bureau of Competition has uncovered a conspiracy among Canadian company Chemagro Ltd., Etobicoke, Ont., the German firm Bayer AG and Abbott Laboratories of Chicago, to rig the price of bacillus thuringiensis, the insecticide of the '90s. The province of Alberta has been spending some $50,000 a year on the substance, which is used to control a host of pests that threaten the forest industry. Details of the case hard to come by; Comments.

Investigates whether or not hatemongers and members of paramilitary racist groups are infiltrating the Canadian Armed Forces. CAF eviction of racists; Four peacekeepers in Somalia charged in the beating death of a civilian; Participation of CAF members in Charter-of-Rights-protected white-supremacist activities near Victoria's Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt; Possibility forces at CFB Chilliwack were providing training to Idaho-based Aryan Nations church; Details.

States Calgary Court of Queen's Bench Justice Blair Mason has found Wayne William Kuchera of Edmonton not guilty of criminal negligence in the death of Dr. Robert Frisby in a skiing accident on the Ecstasy Run in Banff in January 1991. Background of the case; Difficulties in proving criminal negligence; Previous case in Alberta; Assessment that Frisby failed to yield the right of way; Comments.

Recounts a report by Ottawa-based Canadian Resource Center for Victims of Crime head Scott Newark, who contends justice system reforms initiated by the federal Tories in recent weeks are hastily designed, poorly constructed and unlikely to stand up to legal challenges. Ill-conceived recent legal reforms include the new rape shield law, gun control legislation banning automatic weapons and anti-stalking legislation. Other draft legislation; Comments.

Recounts the actions of four members of Canada's elite Airborne Regiment who were charged with the March 16 death of Shidane Omar Arone, a Somali caught trying to break into the Canadian compound at Belet Huen, Somalia. Charges against the four; Military refuses to release the details of an autopsy on Arone; Other violent incidents against Somalis blamed on UN forces; Insight into how Canadian peacekeepers view their duties; Response in a volatile situation; Comments.

Describes the arrest and trial of Rimbey farmer Phillip Cartier on charges of possession of psilocybin (the active drug in magic mushrooms) for the purpose of trafficking. Cartier has been found guilty and sentenced to 18 months in jail. His previous arrests for trafficking; His argument that growing magic mushrooms was a legal activity; Profit potential in magic mushrooms was clearly enormous; Comments on the case.

Focuses on the ruling handed down by Alberta provincial court Judge Sharon Van der Veen which assessed the Crown $1,500 in damages in the case of Bun Ly Pang, who had been charged with indecent exposure. Judge Van der Veen argued the accused has the right to seek compensation when his charter rights have been violated. Background of the case; Right of those accused of a crime to see all evidence collected against him; The `Stinchcombe' case; Details of the decision.

Contends that when conflicts arise regarding the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (which guarantees freedom of the press and the right to a fair trial), freedom of the press usually loses out, a long-running irritant to Canadian crime reporters. Differences between freedom of speech in the US and in Canada; Attorney-General's office issued March guidelines attempting to clarify what constitutes contempt of court; Revived demands that law governing contempt be changed; Details.

Questions the efficacy of the proposed anti-stalking legislation tabled by federal Justice Minister Pierre Blais. Bill C-126 would make it a criminal offense to repeatedly follow another person, communicate with him directly, threaten, beset or watch his home, workplace or business. Difficult to determine in court; Need to educate the police and judiciary regarding violence against women; Comments on child custody suits; Other provisions of Bill C-126; Details.

Tells how Canada Safeway, in its battle with The Real Canadian Sueprstore and other heavies, has been manipulating prices to get good reports from retired Edmonton grocer Max Satanove in his newsletter `Max's Food Basket.' Safeway banking on Satanove's predictability; Charges by former Safeway employee Rick Walker, over manipulating prices at two stores; Examples of Walker's figures; Comments from Safeway spokesman Sherrie Dutton.

Discusses the circumstantial evidence surrounding the murder trial of Ron Stephenson who claims that two men broke into his home, tied his wife Tammy to a bed, handcuffed him to a chair and set the couple's house on fire. Comments from Edmonton police; Month-long trial marked by tales of Satanism and sexual bondage; Strain on jury members.

Discusses the case of two-time killer Fred Harold McKinnon who is serving a life sentence without parole. How he wants the chance to apply for parole; Crimes committed; The Criminal Code; How he has gone from troublemaker to model prisoner; More. INSET: Bar and bench (appointments and awards), compiled by Bob Butler..

Reports Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) announced the boom in housing may be over in that there will be a general slowdown in the high turnover and rising values of the past two years. Government stimulation as creating past boomlet; How government initiatives worked; Other external factors contributing to boom; More.

Examines Canada's General Systems Research Inc., which was driven into receivership in January of 1991 through a combination of pointless extravagance, a lack of business acumen and marketing expertise and a payroll inflated by politically motivated hirings of Tory friends. Development of the LC1110 laser cutter; Latest rescue effort by Roger Ball; GSR Laser Systems Inc. moved to humbler quarters; Raising funds; Staying ahead of the competition.

Examines the controversy over the `rape-shield' law, Bill C-49, which became public in May 1992. Then-justice minister Kim Campbell's role; Bill C-49 as a dangerous piece of legislation; Case of Michael McCoy, a 23-year-old former president of the University of Alberta's Kappa Sigma fraternity; How the rape-shield law works; Role of Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women (CACSOW); More. INSET: Guilty although proven innocent..

States that the anti-Muni forces suffered a serious setback in March 1993 when Air BC announced that it would soon be offering four non-stop flights per day from the Municipal Airport to Vancouver. Edmonton Regional Airports Authority (ERAA); Air Canada's plans; Reactions from Mayor Reimer; Comments from Air BC president Iain Harris; Views of Municipal airport supporters; More.

Discusses the lawsuit between evicted tenant Tony Calara and his landlord Triple Five Corporation Ltd. Calara turned his Edmonton restaurant and lounge, Tony C's, into a gay club, that was shut down by Triple Five after two days. Company spokesman Tina Tobin said Tony C's violated its lease when it failed to pay rent and changed the character of its business. Details.

Reveals that Justice Donald MacLeod of the Court of Queen's Bench, in an hour-long oral ruling, gutted Bill C-114 on the grounds it violated fundamental democratic rights. Bill C-114 severely restricted the ability of Canadians to speak their minds during a federal campaign, unless they did so in the name of the three major parties. Background of the legislation; Penalties; Previous attempts to stifle non-partisan political advertising; Battle not over.

States Alberta's Court of Appeals Justices Roger P. Kerans, Mary M. Hetherington and Howard L. Irving found the owners of an Edmonton hotel partially at fault for allowing an inebriated patron to drive home, even though he left the establishment in the company of his wife and sister, both of whom were perfectly sober. Background of the case; The law regarding bar staff and drunk patrons; Possible appeal; Worry that bar owners would be required to keep impossibly close track of patrons.

States Calmar Mayor Neil McKerracher declared a `Heterosexual Pride Day' for the town of 1,200, 23 miles southwest of Edmonton, as a personal protest against the City of Edmonton for declaring June 26 Gay and Lesbian Pride Day. Reaction to Edmonton Mayor Jan Reimer's promotion of sexual preferences; Contention that McKerracher's proclamation was a `cheap shot'; Comments.

Pays tribute to Leslie Dent, Edmonton's last surviving member of the exclusive group known to historians as the Red Chevrons. Dent died two weeks ago at the age of 96. How the Red Chevrons gained their title; Dent's service in both the First and Second World Wars.

Focuses on Canada's penal system and discusses an announcement made by Alberta's Justice Minister, Dick Fowler, that one of the province's 29 adult and young offender centers would be closed as a cost-cutting measure. Reaction of provincial guards, who are members of local 50 if the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees; Interest in Electronically Monitored Home Confinement (EMHC) technology; Discussion about closing the Belmont facility in Edmonton's Claireview neighborhood; More.

Looks at a controversy in Edmonton between citizens and the Edmonton Regional Airports Authority (ERAA). Threats that the international airport will close if the ERAA is not granted its demand that the downtown municipal airport cease competing with the International for scheduled flights; Landing fees at the Muni compared with those of the international; More.

Tells of the reaction of the law enforcement community to the news from Canadian National Parole Board spokesman Elaine Cherkowich that in early June, only 17 months after being convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 20 years in prison, career criminal Albert Foulston will receive a hearing for both day and full parole. Effects of sentence-merging on Foulston's sentence; Work of CAVEAT (Canadians Against Violence Everywhere Advocating its Termination); Comments.

States Alberta Court of Queen's Bench Justice Myra Bielby has found Daniel William Brennan, 50, guilty on two counts of sexual assault and one of anal intercourse in the case of David Poskocil, 22, a mentally retarded adult who cut Brennan's lawn on August 7, 1991. Background of the case; No physical evidence an assault took place; Video found in Brennan's home; Judge's decision that Poskocil was telling the truth.

Examines Canadian provincial energy minister Pat Blacks' announcement to the Petroleum Joint Venture Association in Calgary on selling the government's right to collect royalties on low-productivity gas wells. How Blacks' proposal may save the province money and cut red tape; Why the system in place now is inappropriate for small wells; Comments from liberal energy critic Nick Taylor; Financial risks of proposal; Details.

Details how accumulated losses and outstanding commitments have left taxpayers on the hook for $129 million stemming from loans and loan guarantees the Alberta government gave Gainers Inc. Reasons the meat packing plant is in such a sorry state; The antiquated Edmonton plant and accumulated liabilities; The `super-packer' proposal; Why closing it down may make sense; Comments.

Details how heavy equipment operators Brian Pothier and John Peterson, along with 50 other union members belonging to the Local 955 of the International Union of Operating Engineers, have quit their union to join the Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC). Disobeying the Operating Engineers' December 1992 directive; The building trades 30-year war against their upstart Christian rival; Unemployment Insurance Act; More.

Examines the closing of Edmonton's Montgomery Legion during the week of March 8, 1993. Comments from Tom Phelan, the Legion's chairman of an ad hoc relocation committee; Background on Edmonton branch of the Canadian Legion of the British Empire Service League; Comments from Jim Stobie, member of the Montgomery for 48 years; More.

Examines the Gross Revenue Insurance Plan (GRIP) which was originally implemented to shelter the grain industry from traditional nemises, bad weather and adverse export markets. The program's $400 million deficit in Alberta; Additional costs to taxpayers; Lack of guidelines for program implementation; Comments from Mike Makowsky, a spokesman from Saskatchewan Agriculture; More.