PRINCE GEORGE
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THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2003
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Teacher heads back to Kuwait
by BERNICE TRICK Citizen staff
Liz Stevens left Prince George and headed back to her teaching job in Kuwait on Wednesday.
Although some of the English teachers at her private school are not returning until the war situation settles down, Stevens is happy to go back and finish her teaching term by mid-June before temperatures soar.
“Temperatures are in the 30s Celsius now, but by July they’ll be in the 50s,†said Stevens. She added it’s also important to complete this term, so teachers ger a break before the next term begins in mid-August.
E-mails from students’ parents in Kuwait show they are anxious for school to start again because “the kids are driving them crazy,†Stevens said.
Citizen photo by Dave Milne
Liz Stevens waves from a departing jet as she leaves Prince George Wednesday for Kuwait.
Stevens faced more than 22 hours and through Minneapolis, Amsterdam flying time along her route on KLM and Dubai before landing in Kuwait Royal Dutch Airline from Vancouver City.
Public schools in Kuwait reopened March 29, while Stevens’ school is scheduled to be back in operation Saturday.
She said her first task upon arrival Friday will be to “shovel the dust†out of her apartment which creeps throughout during sandstorms.
She said she goes cautiously, but without fear.
“We teachers all have Saudi visas if we need them to get out, and safe haven homes in Kuwait provided by students’ families, so we feel pretty safe.â€
Teachers are also provided with Arab-like clothing to wear, if necessary, during any times of strife such as a war.
“We have a scarf to wear over our hair which classifies us as Arabs among
the population, and the black gown, which I carry with me all the time,†Stevens said.
“It may be a priority to wear the scarf when I return.â€
Teachers use the buddy system — never less than two together — when they are out and about in the city, which has a population of about two million.
The school provides teachers with housing, transport to and from school, and most other living necessities with the exception of food.
They are paid about the same as public school teachers here, but their expenses are much lower, she said.
Stevens’ husband, Gary, a city bus driver, will remain in Prince George along with daughter, Angela, 23, and Liz’s mother, Karin Hardy.
Forest policy changes have 'promise/ prof says
by GORDON HOEKSTRA Citizen staff
The B.C. Liberal government’s sweeping changes to forest policy hold some promise, but may have fell short in at least one area which could have increased access to timber, says a Simon Fraser University economic geographer and author of a book on restructuring the B.C. forest sector.
Introducing more timber holders is a positive move, said SFU professor Roger Hayter, referring to the Liberals’ intention to take back 20 per cent of the timber harvesting rights of major forest companies and redistribute it to First Nations, communities, woodlot holders and increased timber auctions.
“In general, if you diversify tenure, you’re getting a wider range of decision makers potential-
ly involved in the forest sector, and you’re increasing the chances for innovation and local development,†said Hayter, author of Flexible Crossroads: The Restructuring of British Columbia’s Forest Economy, published in 2000.
But Hayter would have liked the province to provide a mechanism to put some timber into open log markets, rather than simply auctioning standing timber. “It’s a better way to go,†he said, noting that Japan uses log markets to great success.
The province is planning on more than doubling the amount of annual timber harvest in B.C. to 20 per cent. The prices brought at auction will be used to set the timber harvesting fees on the remaining 80 per cent of B.C.’s Crown timber.
It’s meant to create a more transparent pric-
ing system that is sensitive to market prices, which may also help address demands by the U.S. lumber industry that B.C. create an open market for timber if it wants duty-free access to the American market.
Other have also argued the province should have put timber through log markets, including the IWA forestry union and the Coalition for Sustainable Forest Solutions, a group of environmentalists, unions, some First Nations and several forest-based communities.
Prince George North MLA Pat Bell has said there’s nothing preventing someone from starting a log yard, stressing that for the first time there is going to be more timber in different hands and it will be allowed to flow where it’s best suited.
— See related story on page 3
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Avalanche victim named
by KAREN KWAN Citizen staff
A Prince George woman has been identified as the snowmobiler killed in an avalanche north of Takla Landing Monday.
RCMP said Leslie Ann Miller, 27, was found Tuesday buried under the slide on Scallop Mountain in the Driftwood range, 325 kilometres northwest of Prince George. Her 33-year-old husband, who was riding on the same snowmobile, is recovering in hospital from injuries to the lower body.
The death brings to 26 the number of avalanche fatalities in B.C. and Alberta this season, making it one of the worst since records were kept, the Canadian Avalanche Association says. Ten people died in slides during March alone.
Cpl. Steve Pebernat of Takla Landing RCMP, which headed the search for Miller, said the avalanche swept down around 6:30 p.m. Monday. “They came over a ridge and went over a cliff and it caused an avalanche,†he said. “They didn’t see the cliff. They thought it was another hill.â€
He said the avalanche appears to have been triggered when the snowmobile hit a steep slope below, sending a wave of snow tumbling from above.
The couple had been snowmobiling with 11 oth-
er people, but the rest of the party was on the top of the ridge and no one was able to reach the pair, Pe-bemat said. “The man said when he regained consciousness he was buried up to the shoulders and had to dig himself out with his hands,†he said.
The other snowmobilers called a Canfor forestry camp at Lovell Cove, south of the avalanche site, he said, which dispatched a helicopter and a company first-aid attendant to bring the injured man to the camp while awaiting transfer to hospital.
An autopsy is being done in Prince George, but Pebernat said it appears the avalanche was the cause of death, although the tumble from the cliff would almost certainly have caused injuries.
The remote area is a popular snowmobiling spot for those living in the sparsely-populated area. Most of the snowmobiling party lived at Bulkley House, north of Takla Landing. Miller’s husband was employed at a logging operation in the area, but the couple resided in Prince George during the off-season. Leslie Ann Miller was the mother of two infants, aged two months and 18 months, RCMP said.
Pebernat said the snowmobilers weren’t carrying avalanche safety equipment, but it probably wouldn’t have made a difference, since the other people were not in a position to reach the victims.
Air Canada future in city up in the air
by KAREN KWAN Citizen staff
The Prince George Airport Authority is not predicting major changes in Air Canada’s regional service to the city after the company filed for bankruptcy protection from creditors this week, says authority chair Jim Blake.
Some industry observers, however, are predicting the company’s regional carriers will scale back service to smaller communities as it tries to rein in a $13-billion debt.
“We don’t anticipate any significant changes to Prince George†routes, Blake said. But he agreed that flights to smaller communities in the region could be affected, which would make Prince George a larger transportation hub.
“People still have to fly and they would travel to Prince George to fly out of here,†he said.
Even if the airline collapses, other carriers are certain to fill the void in service, he added.
The good news, Blake said, is that the airline doesn’t owe any money to the airport authority for landing fees, because until Monday, when control was transferred to the local authority, fees were being collected by Transport Canada.
The bankruptcy protection will allow the airline to continue operating while it negotiates a restructuring plan to pay creditors and stay afloat.
It could take up to six months for the restructuring process to be complete.
University of B.C. commerce professor Tae Oum, who specializes in transportation, has said he expects there will be a reduction in the number of flights as well as the communities served.
Regional routes are more likely to be affected rather than hubs for cross-country and international travel, such as Vancouver, he said.
Although the bankruptcy filing could mean less service to some areas, it could also bring cheaper fares and more flexibility for air travellers, as the airline tries to become more competitive, said Joanne Stjernegaard, owner of Carlson Wagonlit Travel. Air Canada promotions often have rules restricting when people can travel, she noted. “I think in the end it could be a good thing for travellers, but it’s probably not good for smaller communities (outside Prince George),†she said.
Air Canada spokesperson Angela Mah said there are no immediate plans to cut flights because of the debt restructuring. “All flights will continue to operate to all of our destinations around the world,†including service on Air Canada’s regional carriers, she said. However, service levels are reviewed regularly and change according to demand, she said.
Mayor Colin Kinsley said current service levels are necessary to attract investment to the city, noting that Air Canada’s flights are well-used in Prince George. “I hope they don’t make a central-Canada decision that harms the transportation network here,†he said. He added he plans to follow the restructuring process and keep in touch with Transport Minister David Collenette’s office.
Calgary-based WestJet, which began flying to Windsor, Ont., the same day Air Canada was granted protection from its creditors, is not planning any expansion in response to its competitor’s situation, a spokesperson said. “We’re staying on our business plan,†she said. The discount carrier continues to add new Canadian destinations to its schedule, including Montreal this month and St. John’s and Gander, Nfld., in June.
Citizen photo by Dave Milne
SLICK ROADS — A tractor-trailer unit towing a flat deck lies in the ditch after jackknifing around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday just west of West Beaverly Road. There were no injuries reported.
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