CHILDREN'S FACILITIES, BURN UNIT
Victoria finally promises to improve hospital here
The
20r Copy
Citizen
Monday, June 12,1978 Vol. 22; No. 113 Prince George, British Columbia
by JOHN ASLING Citizen Staff Reporter
The provincial ministry of health has made a number of concessions in the struggle for better hospital facilities for the northern interior.
Because of the concessions, better care for seriously ill children and some burn patients should soon be a reality at Prince George Regional Hospital.
Officials at the hospital and the medical community have been waiting since February for a response to their toughly worded brief calling for updated facilities here.
Hospital officials have announced the provincial ministry of health has agreed to pay for renovations for a pediatric intensive care unit and a partial burn unit at the hospital.
The burn facilities will mean patients with less severe bums can be treated here, instead of having to travel to the Lower Mainland. The more severe burn cases will still have to go south.
Victoria has also agreed to allow an activation and rehabilitation facility to go ahead in the next stage of the hospital's construction program. That could mean work will begin on the 22-bed ward within 18 months.
Health Minister Bob McClelland is expected to respond later to other demands in the joint hospital-doctor brief on facilities presented to the minister here in February.
Board chairman Ed Barnes said hospital and medical officials are satisfied their demands are getting a good review from the ministry.
But medical spokesman Dr. Ron Dabbs said today doctors are not aware of the ministry’s response and he would not be prepared to comment until it has been studied.
Barnes said there is recognition now that Prince George is a regional referral hospital. He said Victoria now seems to be taking the hospital’s requests seriously.
While the minister did not promise specific dollar figures, administrator Bert Boyd said “The onus is now on us to provide information and anticipate the dollar costs.”
“Their understanding regarding facilities is much greater now than it was a year ago,” Boyd said.
In addition to those areas the minister indicated the request
for a 500-bed hospital is still being studied as are requests for a CAT scanner, a kidney unit and radiotherapy facilities.
Still a key area of concern for the hospital though, is the acceleration of the construction program by four of five years
— a demand made in the February brief.
The ministry has not responded to this yet and Boyd says “unless that is resolved we’re going to always remain behind in our long-term development.’’
Because of this, he says the hospital’s facility woes are not over.
“The final judgment will come down when we find out the decision on the timing,’’ Boyd said.
In the February brief the pediatric intensive care unit was called “one of the most appalling areas” in the hospital. The renovations should mean all seriously ill children will be in one specialty area.
The hospital administration has been asked to study its partial burn unit needs and indicate how many beds should be set aside for this.
Boyd says by fall he hopes to know at least what the ministry is going to be giving them. “I’mtakingthisasan indication we should be moving and moving quickly,” the administrator said.
Numbers
game
planned
VANCOUVER (CP) - A computerized numbers game run by Loto Canada will go into operation this fall despite opposition from the provinces, Iona Campagnolo, minister of fitness and amateur sport, said Sunday.
She said the $1 game will not take business away from provincial lotteries because Loto Canada will share profits with the provinces as it does with its $10 ticket lottery that offers prizes up to $1 million.
Judge gives Son of Sam 315 years
NEW YORK (AP) - David Berkowitz was sentenced today to a total of 315 years in prison for six “Son of Sam” murders and seven wound-ings. Under state law, he could be paroled in 30 years.
In rapid appearances before trial court judges from three of New York City’s five boroughs, Berkowitz was sentenced to consecutive 25-year to life prison terms for the six murders in the random shooting rampage that terrorized the city for a year.
He received additional sentences for the seven wound-ings. The killer, in anonymous notes before his capture, called himself the Son of Sam.
Berkowitz, 25, first appeared to be sentenced for the murder of his last victim, Stacy Mos-kowitz. After sentencing was pronounced in that case, Daniel Carrique, a friend of the Moskowitz family, bolted from his courtroom seat and went after Berkowitz, shouting: “You’re gonna burn in hell, Berkowitz." However, guards in the court building got to Carrique first and carried him from the courtroom. He was arrested and will be charged with assault and obstructing government administration, a court officer said.
NO WORD HERE
Major 'quake rocks Japan; toll mounts
Citlwn Photo by Dav* MUim
Driver safe
The driver of this demolished truck lived to tell about it. Dennis Matson of the Burns Lake area was travelling west on Highway 16 West when he was in collision with a car near the Lakeside Resort turnoff Sunday. The truck then drove into the ditch and rolled over. Occupants of the car, driven by Lloyd Kovach of Prince George, received minor bumps ana bruises.
1981 TARGET
Trudeau unveils constitution plan
OTTAWA (CP) - Prime Minister Trudeau announced Monday that he is determined to give Canada a new constitution by the end of 1981.
Releasing a set of constitutional reform proposals denounced in advance by Quebec Premier Rene Levesque as “profoundly insignificant,” Trudeau said his government would move alone to change the 111-year-old legal under-
Recall of Pintos?
Local Ford dealers don’t know yet whether Pinto and Mercury Bobcat cars will be recalled in Canada because of a recall in the U.S.
The U.S. recall was announced Friday because of defects in the cars1 fuel tanks.
Ford Motors Co. announced it will recall 1.5 million Pintos and 30,000 Bobcats to correct fuel-fiiler pipes and install longer pipes and an improved seal, plus installation of a polyethylene shield across the fuel tank. Ford of Canada has not announced a similar recall in Canada as yet, but is expected to do so.
The Pintos involved are all
1971-76 models and the Bobcats were made in 1975-76.
Repairs will be made free of charge, Ford announced in the U.S.
A Pinto car burst into flames five years ago in California because of the defects now to be corrected. A teen-ager was awarded $127.8 million in damages, which was later reduced to $6.6 million.
Prince George Motors, the local Ford dealer, said an announcement could be expected in Canada because of the U.S. announcement.
“But so far we have not received a word,” a company spokesman said.
pinnings of the Senate, Supreme Court and Federal Executive.
It also would draw up a list of human rights that would be guaranteed by law.
Then it would attempt to get agreement with the 10 provinces for other changes in the country’s underlying law -the 1867 British North America Act - that would be proclaimed two years later.
“The government has resolved to provide Canada with a new constitution by the end of 1981,” Trudeau said in a 26-page document entitled A Time for Action, a set of proposals designed to chart smoother relations between the two levels of government and to reform an underlying law that was “generally served us well."
It is Trudeau’s third major effort at constitutional reform during his 10 years in office.
Trudeau indicated that the November, 1976, election of a separatist government in Quebec is behind his latest in-ititative, arguing that "a fundamental renewal of the federation is needed to resolve the crisis threatening the stability, unity and prosperity of the country.”
Young
cyclist
injured
An eight year-old Prince George boy is in critical condition in hospital after being hit by a car on Sunday while he was riding his bicycle.
Police said Jody Stafford was riding his bike east on Strathcona Street and collided with a car in the Victoria Street intersection. The car was driven by Dave Paul Huska, 28, of Prince George. The accident took place shortly after 1 p.m.
Also taken to hospital after another accident was Edward John Ashley, 16. He was the sole occupant of a car which ran into a lamp post on Liard Street shortly after midnight Saturday. Damage to the vehicle amounted to about $5,000.
Workers back at pulp mill
Operations at Intercontinental Pulp Co. are back to normal again today after about 100 employees failed to report to work Friday.
A company spokesman said everybody was back at work.
The refusal to report for work was the result of a suspension of one employee with which the others did not agree.
Talks between the Pulp Paper and Woodworkers of Canada and the company resulted in the return to work today.
Crown oil firm bids for Husky
CALGARY (CP) - Pet-iro-Canada, the federal govern-iment’s oil company, confirmed today it has placed a bid to acquire all the common shares of Husky Oil Ltd., a Calgary-based petroleum company with operations throughout Canada and the United States.
Husky Oil has two refineries in Canada, in Prince George and in Lloydminster, Alta. It also has 379 service stations in Canada.
In a news release, Petro-Canada President W. H. Hopper said he was informed senior Husky officials of the national petroleum company’s plans.
The deal would give Pet-ro-Canada ownership of exploration, production, refining and marketing activities in both countries as well as exploration activities overseas.
Husky officials were to consider the offer at a meeting today.
Hopper’s statement came after a meeting here Saturday between officials of both companies.
Hopper’s statement said Petro-Canada expects to make a further announcement before the opening of the stock market Tuesday.
The Petro-Canada statement did not indicate how
much it intends to offer for the 10.9 million outstanding Husky Common shares but stock market rumors last week suggested a price of about $50 per share was being considered by Petro-Canada.
Investment sources today said the $50 per share price-for a total of more than $500 million—would represent “a bargain” on Husky’s involvement in conventional crude oil, natural gas and heavy oil assets.
TOKYO (AP) — An undersea earthquake stronger than any recorded in the world so far this year rocked central and northern Japan today, killing 21 persons and injuring 340 others, police reported.
The quake, centred off Japan’s Pacific coast, hit hardest at Miyagi Prefecture, about 288 kilometres north of Tokyo. At least two persons were killed by falling telephone poles and two were crushed to death in a house under construction in Sendai, the prefectural capital, police said.
Authorities said the quake wrecked 140 houses, knocked down utility poles and toppled furniture throughout the worst hit area. They reported roads cut at 52 locations, nine wrecked bridges, 17 landslides, two destroyed dikes, and breaks in telephone lines in 27 places.
Seismologists registered the strongest tremor at eight on the Richter scale-devastating power if it had been centred in a populated area.
In Miyagi it was strong enough to crack walls and knock over stone lanterns. In many other places, including Tokyo, it shook houses and toppled vases.
In Sendai, a city with a population of 554,000, at least two house fires, later brought under control, were reported, and an electrical blackout knocked out street signals and tied up traffic.
Telephone service was disrupted in some areas of Tokyo and officials said some water mains may have been broken in the capital. Bottles and cans fell from shelves in stores and homes. Commuter trains and subways were halted in Tokyo and other areas, and some runs of the 200-kilometre-an-hour bullet trains also were suspended.
A tidal wave warning was issued and later lifted for the Pacific coast of northeast Honshu, Japan’s main island. The first wave to hit the coast, about 30 minutes after the first late-afternoon tremor, measured less than seven inches. It was followed by other small waves causing no damage.
The Central Meteorological Agency said the epicentre of the quake was beneath the Pacific Ocean off Miyagi Prefecture. It reported a weak tremor followed by a much stronger shock nine minutes later that registered about 7.5 on the Richter scale at the epicentre.
The Seismological Institute at Uppsala, Sweden, recorded the strongest tremor at eight on the Richter scale. The institute said it was the most powerful quake it had detected around the world this year.
Chainsaw
assault
claimed
MACKENZIE (Staff) - A chainsaw assault on a home in Fort Ware is expected to result in charges against five Fort Ware men.
Mackenzie RCMP said five men broke into a number of homes in Fort Ware, about 360 km north of here Saturday night and assaulted homeowners.
When the men were locked out of the residence of Jim Van Sommers, Fort Ware storekeeper, the men sawed down the door with a power saw.
Five men are in custody and police say charges of assault and breaking and entering with intent to commit an indictable offence may be laid today.
Beer rationing starts
Purchase of beer at local liquor stores is now rationed to two cases per customer because beer stocks are getting low as a result of a strike-lockout in the brewing industry.
The rationing applies to all four Prince George liquor stores.
"We are hoping to get some American beer again, but we are not sure when that will be,” a store official said.
Hotels are still selling draught beer and operators say they can probably last this week.
Meanwhile, talks between (he brewing companies and the
union were recessed on Friday and are to resume by midweek.
About 1,400 brewery and distribution employees are off the job at Molson’s, Labatt’s and Carling’s in Vancouver and Victoria and at Columbia Brewing Co. in Creston.
The lockout followed a strike against Carling-O’Keefe after the union refused to negotiate with the newly-formed Brewery Employers Labor Relations Association. The strike against Carling started two weeks ago.
While Canadian hotels and neighborhood pubs are running dry and losing money,
Americans are cashing in on the draught as is the Canadian government.
Customs points along the border with Washington State are collecting $2.50 in duties and taxes for each dozen bottles of beer brought into Canada and taverns in the border town did land-office business during the weekend as thirsty Canadians streamed across the border.
The B.C. Labor Relations Board has set June 23 for a hearing by the Canadian Union of United Brewery, Flour, Cereal, Soft Drink and Distillery Workers which asked for a cease and desist order to stop the lockout.
TODAY
FEATURED INSIDE) ( THE WEATHER ) ( NOW HEAR THIS)
"So much for where to kick your opponent. Any questions?'
'Princess' broke
The girl they used to call the “Mafia princess” says it’s rediciulous, but she’s broke. Page 5.
On the track
Young track and field stars of the future shone here during the weekend. Page 11.
Flea war?
A city pet store owner is locked in combat with government officials over being told to write a test and secure a certificate before he can sell flea collars. Page 3.
Entertainment...... .......24-20
Business............. ..................8
City, H.C............. ..........2, 3, 0 Horoscopes........... ............23
Classified........... ..........13-20 International........ ..............5
................24 ..............7
Crossword......... ................15 .......10-12
Kditoriul............. ..................4 Television.............. ............25
The forecast for Prince George today is for cloudy skies with scattered showers and thundershowers. Tuesday is expected to be sunny with some cloudy periods and isolated showers.
The forecast high today is 18, the low 6. The high Sunday was 17, the low 7, with 8.6 mm of rain. On this date last year the high was 20, the low 7.
t A juvenile was caught red-handed Saturday breaking into a parked car. He chose a car parked near the Civic Centre and he removed a hat from the vehicle. What he didn't know was the car belonged to a policeman attending the annual RCMP ball and that there were numerous policemen around. He was caught by the traffic officer driving by. The hat, of course, was recovered.
• Noting that Newfoundland and B.C. had been ‘twinned” for Canada Week celebrations, a resident went to his encyclopedia and found, “Newfoundland has no snakes, skunks, poison ivy or hay fever.”