MP wants ban on old-style light bulbs /27
TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 2007 $1.00 (HOME DELIVERED: 61 CENTS A DAY)

Beetle logging could raise flooding threat
by MARK NIELSEN Citizen staff Already a threat due to deeper-than-normal snowpacks, the potential for flooding along the upper Fraser River and Nechako River could be heightened by the mountain pine beetle, provincial river forecast centre hydrologist Allan Chapman is warning. Chapman said Monday he gave a presentation to the Fraser Basin Council in November in which he cited a Forest Practices Board study that estimates the impact of the insect and the subsequent logging on Baker Creek, which runs into the Fraser River at Quesnel. Nearly all of the trees in the 1,600-squarekilometre Baker Creek watershed are beetlekilled pine and according to the study, peak flows could increase by 60 per cent because so many trees have died and therefore absorb no water. What's more, based on 80 per cent of those trees being logged, that number could further increase to 100 per cent. -- See SIGNIFICIANT on page 3

Science can be plenty of fun for kids -- See photos on page 13 and story on page 25

Log truckers urged to keep driving records
by GORDON HOEKSTRA Citizen staff Provincial trucking safety officials issued a cautionary note Monday, saying even truckers exempt from carrying log books under new rules must keep records of their driving history. Truckers who operate within a 160kilometre radius of their home base do not have to carry daily logs if they return home for eight hours of rest each day, but the company they work for must maintain accurate records of their work activity each day. The record-keeping must include a driver's duty status -- driving or on-duty -- and the hour at which each duty status begins and ends and the total number of hours. Those records must be kept for a minimum of six months. The requirements include owner-operators who often operate from their homes, said Ivor Marriott, a carrier safety inspector in Prince George. Those records have to be produced when requested, he said. There has been some confusion around log book requirements, as well as record-keeping, under the new rules adopted in B.C. on March 1. The provincial rules -- which include exemptions for logging truck drivers -- were implemented in reaction to new federal rules which came into effect on Jan. 1. Under the new rules, all logging truck drivers must carry log books. The log book requirement is part of the province's effort to reduce the risk of fatigue-related collisions by providing drivers with additional rest. Truckers must provide information in their log books on hours of work, travel distances and carry records from the past 14 days. It helps enforcement officials better track truckers' hours.

Citizen photo by David Mah

MIXED WEATHER -- Ron Brent elementary students Jenna Gibbs, 11, and Kanisha Murdock, 11, were hanging around in the sun at lunchtime. Yet at 10 a.m. up on the Hart, Cruz Kinsley, 14, was walking through blowing snow to Kelly Road secondary.

Top Canfor investors reach voting agreement
by GORDON HOEKSTRA Citizen staff Three of Canfor Corp.'s major investors, including Jim Pattison, announced Monday they have entered into a voting agreement to appoint an agreed-to slate of directors. The investors have also agreed to vote against a shareholders' rights plan. Canfor Corp. is the largest forest industry player in the Northern Interior, operating five sawmills and a plywood plant in the Prince George area alone. The three investor groups in the voting agreement include Great Pacific owned by Pattison, Matthews-Cartier Holdings Ltd., owned by the founding Bentley and Prentice families, and New York-based Third Avenue Management LLC. Together they control about 52 per cent of the outstanding common shares. The shareholder vote will take place on May 4, and the voting agreement expires immediately after the meeting. The voting agreement does not include any formal or informal deal among the investors to sell or buy any Canfor shares, said a news release from the Pattison Group. Canfor's board of directors adopted the shareholder rights plan last December. Shareholder rights plans, also known as poison pills, are usually used as ways to guard against hostile takeovers. Mark Bishop, a forest industry analyst with RBC Capital Markets, said there are a number of possible reasons for the voting agreement and position against the shareholder rights plan. Bishop said while poison pills can guard against hostile takeovers, they can also be viewed negatively, because they can tend to make management more complacent. There is speculation that the investor moves could mean management changes, said Bishop. While the investment community is concerned about the operating performance of the company -- Canfor was only in the black in 2006 because of softwood tariffs refunds -- there has already been a revolving door in senior operating management, he said. "What this company really lacks is continuity and focus in stringing together several quarters of performance, and changes at the operating level, from that perspective we would not see as a good thing," said Bishop. It's also possible the investors are interested in increasing their stake in the company, perhaps to the point of taking the company private, he added. "Obviously these guys wanted to make sure a certain set of directors were voted in -- we don't have that slate -- but we can only imagine at the end of the day, whoever comes on the board now is probably going to be more decisive and cohesive than the prior board," said Bishop. "What that means in terms of where the company goes is obviously still under speculation. I guess that will have to unfold as it will." The rights plan adopted by Canfor last December was meant to trigger defensive measures in the event one shareholder acquires more than 20 per cent of Canfor's outstanding shares, with an exception for any shareholder who currently owns more than that. -- See RIGHTS on page 3

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Annie's Mailbox . . . . . . . . 17 Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Business . . . . . . . . . . . .22-24 City, B.C. . . . . . . . . . . 3,5,6,13 Classified . . . . . . . . . . .18-21 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . .15 Horoscope . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Nation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6,7 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-12 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,26

Job fair starts today
Citizen staff Starting today CNC and UNBC are working together to present Northworks!, billed as the largest job fair in the region. Organizers from the two education institutions said they have more than 50 employers attending, from the local, regional and national job sectors. "This is a great opportunity for employers to connect with the best and brightest Prince George has to offer," said a joint statement from UNBC and CNC. To be one of those people who comes to network with these various potential employers, come to CNC today or UNBC Wednesday where the job fair will be held between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day. It is free for the public to attend.

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