0 Central Mountain Your Northwest Cotutector 1-800-663-3905 or Call Your Travel Agent 152224 POLICE BEAT Quiet time for RCMP Citizen staff The Prince George RCMP had a light night Monday. The police opened only 31 files between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., about half of the usual number. Some were serious, including a missing person, assaults and fights the police had to break up. However, most of the calls were just a normal day in Prince George. False alarms, drunks, mischief to vehicles, someone who got a pizza without paying, a break and enter at a home and one at a business — the kinds of things that are upsetting to people involved in them, the things that keep the police on the run every day of the year. Games stolen Video games cartridges are expected to be available at a very low price in Quesnel, one the RCMP there want to raise. Someone smashed a glass case at the Met Mart store in the West Park Mall and took about $4,000 worth of video game cartridges. The Quesnel RCMP would like the public’s help to assure that the thief pays for what he did. If you have information about the theft, you’re asked to call CrimeStoppers at 992-TIPS. B.C. Body discovered after 2 months by Canadian Press VICTORIA — The body of an elderly woman who disappeared nearly two months ago has been found in a rugged section of Pender Island. RCMP said the body of Connie Pearson was discovered west of Signal Hill by some university students looking for firewood. No foul play is suspected but an autopsy will be performed to try to determine the cause of death. Pearson, 82, disappeared Dec. 13. Threat subsides KAMLOOPS — The threat of freezing on Adams Lake is declining as fast as the temperature rises, giving both Adams Lake residents and the Highways Ministry a break. The ministry hired an ice-breaking tug to clear a passage in the lake’s icy surface, allowing a car ferry access to both shores. But as the warm air moves in, the risk of a layer of solid ice trapping residents drops. The tug costs $800 a day, said Jim Davidson, the ministry’s public information officer. Those charges are in addition to the ferry’s $4,400 a week. The residents’ road access was cut off when members of the Adams Lake Indian band removed a cattle guard last summer. The basics NANAIMO — A parents’ group has renewed its efforts to establish a back-to-basics school in Nanaimo. Parents for a Traditional School was waiting for approval of a policy on alternate programs or schools, passed in December, before resubmitting a proposal to the school district. The group’s original proposal was defeated by trustees. Higher yield KELOWNA — High-yield farming, with the help of pesticides, can actually save wildlife habitats, says the director of global food issues for an American think tank. Dennis Avery of the Hudson Institute said he believes the use of pesticides can increase the yield of farms, reducing the need to clear more land. Saving the land would mean saving species. Avery’s speaking tour is sponsored by the Crop Protection Institute, a 43-year-old organization whose members include chemical-producing giants like Du Pont. “Pesticides are absolutely crucial in giving us the strongest weapon (fruits and vegetables) we have against cancer,” says Avery. Abbotsford killer still at large May have left area after taunting phone calls ended by Canadian Press ABBOTSFORD — Police believe the man who killed one teenager and left her friend for dead may have left the Abbotsford-Chilliwack area after making his last taunting phone call more than three months ago. Investigators appealed Monday for people to call if they know someone who left town after Halloween night and who matches the description of the killer of Tanya Smith, 16, slain Oct. 14. “We’re considering the possibility that he may have left town,” said Abbotsford police Insp. Rod Gehl. He said police are urging women not Officer injured when he fired at suspect VICTORIA (CP) — A police dog-handier was bleeding from head wounds and losing consciousness when he shot and wounded a suspected burglar. Const. Mike Nedzelski, 34, and his dog Ziko were beaten with a flashlight before the officer shot the suspect, a suburban Saanich police spokesman said. Nedzelski, an eight-year member of the department, needed stitches to close his wounds. Ziko received veterinary treatment for bruises. A 51-year-old man was in stable condition in hospital Monday following surgery to remove the bullet. Charges of breaking and entering and assault with a weapon were pending. The incident occurred after Nedzelski answered a call of a possible break-in at a house Sunday evening. When Nedzelski and Ziko arrived, a man was leaving through a sliding glass door at the back of the house, said Const. Chris Horsley. They pursued the man, who was eventually caught by Ziko. But the dog was beaten with a long flashlight similar to those police officers use, Horsley said. The suspect then turned on Nedzelski, who was calling for backup over his police radio. “Mike took a pretty good beating,” Horsley said. “He was struck repeatedly over the head as he attempted to handcuff the suspect. “He believed he was losing consciousness, so he drew his firearm.” to walk the streets at night in case the killer is still in the area. Two dozen police officers are working full time on the case, which has attracted almost 7,000 tips. Investigators have compiled a list of about 2,000 possible suspects who either look or sound like the killer, described as about six feet, thin and with a receding hairline. He is believed to be in his 20s or 30s. Smith and her friend Misty Cockerill, 16, were walking home from a party when they were attacked by a man with a baseball bat. Cockerill survived but Smith was dumped in a river about 15 kilometres away, where she drowned. Four days later, the killej made three taunting phone calls to police on Oct. 18 from pay phones only blocks from the crime scene. “I’m giving you the chance to try and find me,” he said in one call. “I’ll be cruising around looking for someone else.” A final call was made Halloween night from a pay phone outside a sport bar located beside the freeway in Abbotsford. Two weeks ago, a man considered a suspect in the Smith murder was eliminated and released on bail after a DNA test proved he was not the killer. Nass fishery proposal supported by experts VANCOUVER (CP) — T\vo B.C. fisheries experts agree with a controversial federal proposal that would create a native commercial fishery on the Nass River. The fisheries aspect of the Nisga’a treaty offers a sound and- fair method for managing Nass salmon stocks, say Peter Pearse and Peter Larkin, University of B.C. professors. They have headed numerous government inquiries and royal commissions into fisheries issues during the past two decades. In 1992, they worked together on a federal inquiry into missing salmon on the Fraser River. “They should say loud and clear, this is good for the fish,” Larkin said a few days after being briefed on the Nisga’a deal by federal officials. “My principal interest is in the conservation of the resource — and as far as I’m concerned, this is good news.” Under the deal proposed by Ottawa, accepted by the Nisga’a and rejected by the province, the natives would get fewer fish in their traditional food fish- i------------------ ery for a guaranteed share of the commercial catch in good years. Under a sliding scale, the Nisga’a would get about 26 per cent of the total harvest at current levels, or about 115,000 salmon. If the run increases, the non-native fishery would take an increased share, with the Nisga’a catch dropping to as low as 19 per cent. The Nisga’a would give up the right to claim more and more fish as their population grows.'The food fish quota is now made on a per-capita basis. The commercial fishing industry says the deal unfairly guarantees the Nisga’a a piece of the action. Industry leaders argue the natives should join the existing fishery by buying boats and licences. If you have a news tip, call 562-2441, Local 382 mi i . FROZEN * PIPES?? Give us a call. stinger Welding ltd. COMMERCIAL A INDUSTRIAL { > BMriif t MB ■ iBHiijWi Li —uCU£ & SAVE THIS AD ^53324| ENOVATIONS FREE Estimates Drywalling • Taping • Painting • Specializing in Textured Ceilings • Small to large jobs References Available -IOCO CONTRACmG _ Ed 962-9168 by Canadian Press VANCOUVER — B.C. college instructors have put their rotating strikes on hold for two days. Members of the College Institute Educators’ Association are recognizing a national protest against federal cuts in education transfer payments. Faculty and staff at colleges throughout British Columbia plan to attend rallies and marches in support of the protest, which was called by the Canadian Federation of Students for today and Wednesday. “The British Columbia post-secondary education system could face massive losses — over $200 million by 1997-98 — if the federal government goes ahead with planned cuts,” Ed Lavalle, president of the educators’ association, said Monday. Instructors have been staging one-day walkouts in a bid to win new contracts at eight B.C. colleges. They will resume their job action Thursday. “If you think an expert is expensive... wait until you hire an amateur!” •RED ADAIR World Famous'Oil Field Firefighter Who’s managing your money? Give us a call today. Jacobsen Financial Sector Securities Inc. 1460-4th Ave. 564-2020 1 -800-957-7777(RRSP) Second Front The Prince George Citizen - Wednesday, February 7,1996 - 3 Vancouver Kamloops $ Kelowna Some Conditions Apply One Way CLARK 'BUYING VOTES’ Citizen photo by Dave Milne OUR OWN CHINOOK has transformed Prince George from an icebox to a swimming pool as this pickup truck driver discovered Tuesday on Winnipeg Street. The thaw is expected to continue during the next few days. Money does grow on trees Gov’t offers cash to develop ways to improve the forest by KEN BERNSOHN Citizen Staff The provincial government wants to give away millions of dollars. It’s available for people who do things to improve the forest which aren’t required by law, and to provide training beyond what schools and companies provide. Kelly Nontell, director of workforce programs for Forest Renewal B.C. was in Prince George Tuesday to tell how much money you can get and how to get it. “On the workforce side of things the largest grant was $8.5 million to UBC for an endowment fund,” Nontell said in an interview. Usually grants for training range from about $10,000 to $120,000, he said. “Now $80,000 — $120,000 is becoming more common as people get more experience with the costs actually involved.” He suggests the first step in getting some government cash is to call Ken Pendergast, regional director for FRBC here in Prince George at 565-4400. Talk with him, then write a proposal. Some proposals are sure to fail. If one calls for buying buildings or teaching things where there aren’t jobs open to use the skills, they’ll get turned down, even if what’s being taught is important. If you talk about teaching people to do a job and it’s one companies have trouble finding qualified people to do, your chance of success goes up. ■ Say you’ll teach how to restore watersheds damaged by old roads and logging or natural disasters and people who get good training will be able to get work. ■ People in the forest industry have to know about the Code. Teach how to teach it and you’re filling a need, getting people jobs, and Forest Renewal may help if your course is well-designed. ■ Too many people die in the woods. For a long time, operating logging equipment was purely on-the-job training and experimentation. People who take training courses learn more about the risks before they face them. That’s the sort of thing Forest Renewal is interested in looking at. The costs of training in a proposal that passes have to be based on more than guesswork and the cost is different if you rent a meeting room in town than if you train in the bush. FRBC has people who keep a keen eye on estimates. They also want to know how you figure out job prospects for graduates, and on what you base them. Finally they want to know what qualifications you have to train others. What’s approved depends on the proposals that come in and the ones that get approved depend on the needs in each area of the province. Nontell feels the best way to start is to look at what’s needed, not at what you’d like to offer. And, of course, it can’t be things already required by law or part of normal company overhead. The aim is to enhance the forest and the job prospects of the people who work there, not to subsidize the status quo. VICTORIA (CP) — NDP leadership frontrunner Glen Clark is buying votes with taxpayer-funded ads lauding his Vancouver Island highway megaproject, the B.C. Reform party said Tuesday. Reform Leader Jack Weisgerber said the ads are a cynical attempt by Clark to prop up his popu-larity by plugging a ■ne P* O-project he has re- ject IS sponsibility for as a already cabinet minister. - « “It’s a total waste r“n?i of $350,000 that 5100 mil-has everything to do lion Over with politics and ab- hudffet ” solutely nothing to do with public service,” Weisgerber said. The price tag is how much the NDP government is spending on TV, radio and print ads to inform the public about the project this winter. Weisgerber said the ads are “spreading lies” when they say the cost of the project is still within its $1.2 billion budget. “The project is already running at $100 million over budget,” Weisgerber said. Clark couldn’t be reached, but a spokesman in his Employment Ministry said Weisgerber is misleading people. “Our budgets are right on target,” said Philip Newton, adding the ads are part of a schedule of public-informa-tion campaigns drawn up three years ago. Newton defended the ads cost, saying taxpayers have a right to be kept up to date on such an enormous project. “It’s a long construction and motorists are inconvenienced by it. “They want to know what’s going on.” Job action at colleges put on hold