WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 201 1 | WWW.PGCITIZEN.CA News 5 CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN FLIPPED — A single vehicle roll over on Highway 16 West at Hiller Road Tuesday over the lunch hour. Man fights muggers, loses wallet Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca A Prince George man was relieved of his wallet but managed to ward off the thieves’ attempt to also steal his backpack. Police are now calling for public information to help them locate the suspects. The attack happened Tuesday at about 5:30 a.m. on a lone man walking near East Central Street. “A 35-year-old male was approached by three unknown males on foot in the area of 22nd Avenue and Griffiths Avenue, in the vicinity of PGSS,” said Prince George RCMP spokesman Cpl. Craig Douglass. “The males attempted to take the victim’s backpack but were unsuccessful. They began kicking and punching the victim and were able to obtain the victim’s wallet and a pack of cigarettes. The three suspects fled northbound on foot on East Central Street.” The victim refused medical treatment. Douglass said he was only able to provide police with a description of one of the suspects: a male, approximately five-foot-five, un- shaven and wearing dark clothing. No other description available. If you have any information about this serious Criminal offense, please contact the Prince George RCMP at (250)561-3300 or anonymously contact Crime Stoppers at 1(800)222-TIPS (8477). RESPONSIBLE REVELLING Red Nose gets 76 home Citizen staff Operation Red Nose volunteers were kept busy over their first weekend of the holiday season. On Friday nine teams provided 25 rides home and on Saturday, a dozen teams gave 51 rides to people who had too much to drink to get behind the wheel themselves. It added up to 76 rides, just five fewer than during the opening weekend last year. In all 37 volunteers, including those answering clients’ calls and operating dispatch, showed up on Friday and 42 were helping out on Saturday. Between 10 and 15 teams are slated for this weekend and more volunteers are needed. To become a volunteer, visit ornpg.ca and fill out an application form, print it off and take it to the community policing office at 575 Brunswick. Those who need a safe ride home can call 250-962-RIDE (7433) between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. Operation Red Nose is organized by the Rotary Club of Prince George Nechako in conjunction with ICBC and the RCMP. 'We just use our time wisely' —from page 1 “Right now it is a simple case of resources going to the places needed, and it is flexible. Council made it clear that they wanted the unit to remain, and it does, with as much resources as needed. In spring we will look at a full compliment of members again, if needed, but right now, because of the weather, it is not needed.” According to MacNeill, the people who would normally occupy the unit’s time downtown are few, because of the winter weather. Even rainy weather causes a drop in their calls for service, he explained, and every winter it tails off. “Our one commitment is the downtown core, we just use our time wisely,” he said. “We still take care of the downtown as our duties state, but in quieter moments we can do things like help out the drug section on their projects. They are interconnected anyway. The people we target in the downtown core are highly interconnected with the work the drug section is doing.” MacNeill said that the DEU was not confined just to the business core, but worked all the way into the VLA neighbourhood, especially with crackshacks and the vagrancy around liquor stores nearest the downtown. Council balked at more cop funding Is your portfolio ready for a revolution? lachrymose \LAK-ruh-mohss\ (adjective) DEFINITION: given to tears or weeping: tearful Grandma was often lachrymose when she listened to country music on the radio. —from page 1 Stubbs spelled out five options for the future of the unit: maintain the status quo, dissolve the unit, reduce the unit to three staff, fund all five positions in the DEU, or fund three positions and return two officers back to their units. Funding all five officers in the unit would have cost $560,718 in 2012 and $768,125 in 2013. Funding three positions would have cost $336,431 in 2012 and $460,875 in 2013. On Oct. 24, city council’s committee of the whole - made up of all members of council - voted unanimously to reject the request. The committee’s recommendation was for the proposal to not be considered during 2012 budget deliberations. “I can say for myself I firmly believe the Downtown Enforcement Unit is absolutely essential for making our downtown turn around,” Stolz said. “I’m not willing to back away from the five-man unit. “We can manage the five-man unit with the resources they have.” Mayor elect Shari Green made getting tough on crime a major plank in her platform. Green could not be reached for comment as of press time, but in previous interviews said she strongly supports maintaining the unit at five members - without additional funding. Initiatives Prince George director of downtown initiatives Tara Bogh, who is a member of the City of Prince George’s Downtown Partnership, said the unit has made a significant difference downtown. “They’ve seen a significant decline in crime downtown,” Bogh said. “I’m pretty confident in the RCMP superintendent’s ability to monitor the location of crime and restore the unit if there is an increase in crime downtown. The conditions in the downtown have definitely improved - so we’d like to see that situation maintained.” The RCMP are part of the Downtown Partnership, Bogh added. A spokesperson for the Downtown Business Improvement Association could not be reached as of press time. Whether you're close to retirement or just starting to save, PowerShares^ Funds can help you achieve your investment goals. 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Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch Clinical Counsellor All regions of B.C., in particular Prince George, Central Cariboo and North Coast ICBC hikes slammed by consumers group The Province of R.C is looking for personahle and dedicated contractors to support its Responsible Gambling Strategy Knowledgeable, gaming-neutral and em pat hie, you will provide counselling services and resources to promote healthy choices and help reduce impacts associated with gambling. The Canadian Press A consumers group is angry B.C. drivers will be facing higher ICBC premiums next year. The company says its earnings and investment income are down while injury claims are up sharply, and it will be seeking a rate increase averaging out at 30 dollars a year for each driver. Consumers Association of Canada President Bruce Cran says drivers should be furious because the provincial government has siphoned off more than 700 million dollars from ICBC over the past two years and dumped the money into general revenue. Insurance Corporation President Jon Schubert says the company’s earnings tumbled 280 million dollars over the first nine months of this year compared to the same period last year. Closing date: 4 pmH December 1, 2011. For a full job description and application instructions, please visit www,bcbid.gov,bc,ca click Browse> Browse Using The Advanced Search and enter CP-09-11 as the Document Number. British Columbia The BrtI Plan:? CHi Evclt