The Prince George Citizen - Friday, December 15,1995 - 13 CITY EDITOR: Mark Allan 562-2441, Local 382 FAX: 562-7453 Community HERE NOW Truck crash study planned Citizen staff Transport Canada announced Thursday it will conduct the first-ever study of heavy truck crashes in Canada with the co-operation of the RCMP and the province of B.C. The one-year study will start January 1996 and investigate heavy truck crashes in the B.C. Interior along highways 1, 5 and 97. These roads carry the bulk of commercial traffic in the province, including raw materials and manufactured goods. The study will determine how and why crashes occur and develop a plan to reduce the number and severity of crashes. New director Prince George lawyer Richard C. Gibbs has been elected to the board of directors of the Law Society of B.C. The society is the governing body for lawyers in the province. It sets standards of admission to B.C. and of professional conduct, disciplining lawyers who violate those standards. Gibbs was called to the bar in 1976 and is a past president of the Prince George Bar Association and the Association of Legal Aid Lawyers. Another city lawyer, Peter D. Warner, has been re-elected to the board of directors. Out of Alba Out of Alba is the featured band Friday in a coffeehouse night at the Internet Cafe. The event, sponsored by the UNBC Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), starts at 7:30 p.m. The cost is $5 per person. Tickets are available at the Internet Cafe, Bell Book and Candle, the UNBC Women’s Centre and PIRG offices. Have you seen Chandra? IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING: Relief greets bishop retrial decision THE O’CONNOR by The Canadian Press Facts in the sex case involving Roman Catholic Bishop Hubert O’Connor: Who: Hubert Patrick O’Connor, 66. The charges: Two of sexually assaulting native workers, two of indecently assaulting native students. Where: At St. O’CONNOR Joseph’s residential school near Williams Lake. First trial: Judicial stay of proceedings ordered after defence accused Crown of withholding complainants’ therapy records. Second trial: Ordered in March by B.C. Appeal Court; ruling upheld by Supreme Court of Canada, records to be provided. O’Connor’s status: Resigned as Bishop of Prince George; currently in retreat at undisclosed location. by DAVID HEYMAN Citizen staff There is relief in many quarters that the Supreme Court of Canada, in a 6-3 decision Thursday, has endorsed an earlier ruling and ordered a new trial for former Prince George bishop Hubert O’Connor. “It’s important that trials of this type be conducted in open court and that the result of the trial depends on the evidence that’s (presented) before the court,” says Crown prosecutor Malcolm Macaulay. “That’s a more satisfactory result for everyone, including the public, obviously.” The two charges of rape and two charges of indecent assault were stayed on the fourth day of the 1992 trial by the judge because he felt prosecutors did not make a full and timely disclosure to the defence of therapy notes from the complainants’ doctors. In the furor that followed, the attorney general appointed Macaulay as special prosecutor to appeal the stay. After the stay, Macaulay argued the Crown’s case to the B.C. Court of Appeal and then to the Supreme Court of Canada. He says he anticipates being the prosecutor for the new trial, too. His opponent for the trial says the Supreme Court decision was a letdown. “I’m naturally disappointed that we have to go through another trial with respect to this matter,” says Considine, who was O’Connor’s defence lawyer in the first trial, too. Barbara Croome, spokeswoman for the Prince George-based court watch- dog group Equal Justice for Women, has a different opinion. “It’s been a long time coming and we’re glad the Supreme Court has upheld it and ... will go forward with the trial,” she says. “The charges are very serious and it should be brought before the court.” Richard Krehbiel of the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council says the important thing is to have the trial heard. “That was what concerned people previously is just the issues just couldn’t get out,” he says. “People will be quite pleasetf the issue is finally going to be tried.” Macaulay and Considine must now agree on a new date for the trial which is slated to be held in Vancouver. They agree it will likely be held some time in 1996. Macaulay won’t say if the four original charges will stand or if there will be a change. O’Connor, 66, was charged originally with sexually assaulting four former students who worked for him while he was principal of an Indian residential school near Williams Lake between 1964 and 1967. Citizen staff Prince George RCMP are asking for the public’s help in finding 14-year-old Chandra Henkel, who was last seen November 30 of this year at Pine Centre Mall. Police believe she may still be i n t h e Prince George area living with chandra henkel friends. Chandra is about 5’ 11”, 125 pounds and has dark blonde hair and hazel eyes. If you know where Chandra is, or have any information on her whereabouts, please phone the Prince George RCMP at 561-3300. Now it’s Heather’s turn to help the less fortunate Citizen staff After years of playing Santa to Heather Ingham and her two kids, the Salvation Army is getting the favor returned. Ingham ended up on welfare a few years ago when a relationship went bad. Times were tight and each Christmas she was forced to go to the Salvation Army Citadel to pick up a hamper full of food and gifts for the kids. She’s going to the Citadel this year, too, but this time it’s to help pack the hampers for others. “They helped me out when I needed them and I just thought there are other people out there in the same situation I was in so I’d like to return the favor,” she says. Ingham says those Christmas hampers meant everything to her family. “It sure made a difference,” she says. “The kids knew I didn’t have much money so I could actually say (the gifts) were from Santa.” Ingham’s luck changed earlier this year when she got a job with the Safety Training Academy. It was subsidized by the Ministry of Social Services for six months but after working hard, even washing walls, Ingham impressed her bosses enough to con- vince them to keep her on permanently and promote her to office manager. “They’re the reason I’ve made it this far,” she says. Ingham now has enough money to rent a comfortable house with, luxury of luxuries, separate rooms for the kids. “This will be the kids’ first Christmas in separate bedrooms,” she says. “It’s kind of nice for them to get to put posters in their rooms.” The extra money has also allowed her to enroll her kids in activities like sports for the first time. But the job has meant she’s only available to volunteer during the evenings. Nevertheless, Ingham says she’ll take the time out of her day to help others through the Salvation Army and possibly other charities, too. After all, the memories of Christmas past are still very much in the present for her. “Things have been just starting to get better,” she says. Citizen photo by Brent Braaten Heather Ingham pitches in to help the Salvation Army this Christmas. Pre-Christmas involvement Citizen photo by Dave Milne D.P. Todd Secondary School teacher Tracy Macfarlane takes a fall during a wheelchair basketball game between teachers and students at the D.P. Todd secondary gymnasium Thursday. The game was part of the school's 12 days of Christmas, sponsored by student council and running until Dec. 22. Activities include door decorating, a snow sculpture contest and a snowshoe race. NOW AVAILABLE Discover the soft side of hockey when Muppet,M NHL" Plush toys come to McDonald's. There’s Kermit, Miss Piggy, Animal and Fozzie all in NHL" All-Star jerseys with Easton sticks. Collect all four for just $3.49 each plus tax. At this great price they won’t last long. So hurry in, because these All-Star favourites are only available while supplies last and... only at MUPPFT. MUPPFTS character names and likenesses are trademarks ot Jim Henson Productions. Inc © NHL Shield and team logos are reg TM National Hockey League and member clubs. ©1995 McDonal