The Prince George
Citizen
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1989
50 CENTS
Low tonight: -1 High Friday: 2
PREMIER THINKING ABOUT FUTURE
Ann Landers....- „.30
Bridge.--.-.------—36
Business..-.—.——10, 11
City, B.C 2, 3, 12
Classified______34-38
Comics——————28
Commentary——3
Entertainment —26, 27 Family..———30, 31 Horoscope .———36 International .———9 Lotteries———8 Movies..—... —.—.——.........2 7
National .————8
Sports.———13-16 Television-----------36
Humiliating defeat 5
NATO arms talks 9
Canucks tie Jets 13
All food is safe 23
Remember the ’80s 29
TELEPHONE: 562-2441
Socreds suffer sixth straight loss
byelection
CULL
New Democrat in the former of Oak Bay-
RCMP Const. Ward Lymburner stands guard at the site off Foothills Boulevard where the remains of Marnie Blanchard, 18,
were discovered Monday afternoon.
Citizen photo by Brock Gable
NO CLUES IN MARNIE’S DEATH
Police combing Foothills site
by MARILYN STORIE Citizen Staff
An inconspicuous bush road is being scrutinized by RCMP investigators searching for clues in the death of 18-year-old Mamie Blanchard.
The unmarked road runs off Foothills Boulevard just north of North Nechako Road about 12 kilometres from downtown Prince George. It leads to a well-travelled recreation spot, the site of a B.C.
hydro line that stretches the length of a steep hill.
The hill is popular with four-by-four enthusiasts in the summer. In the winter, the area is often used by cross-country skiers and snow-mobilers.
From the bottom of the hill, the houses of Ridgcview Crescent are off to the right, overlooking the area where Blanchard’s remains were found by two cross-country skiers.
The skiers made their discovery
at 3:30 p.m. Monday about half a kilometre down a small side road leading off to the left at the bottom of the hill.
“That was a break for us,” said RCMP Staff Sgt. Elies Peleskey, in charge of the investigation. “If it had been any later in the day it would have been too dark and they wouldn’t have seen anything.”
A total of 22 RCMP investigators are studying the site, and questioning area residents who may
High crime rate troubling
by DIANE BAILEY Citizen Staff
Crime in Prince George is so high that police are having trouble keeping up, says the local RCMP crime prevention officer.
Cpl. Charlie Schaal said Prince George RCMP are inundated with calls about break-and-cnters, thefts from motor vehicles, alcohol-related crimes, domestic violence, and teen suicide.
He said police have dealt with more than 41,000 complaints this year. They answer an average of 60 to 80 calls a night, and up to
Bank rate
OTTAWA (CP) — The Bank of Canada rate edged down slightly today in the face of a high-flying dollar and the first Canadian merchandise trade deficit in 13 years.
140 on a busy weekend night.
“All that adds up to a real problem for us as we are kept busy reacting to the crime that goes on around here,” he told this week’s meeting of the Prince George and District Labor Council. “There is not the time for investigation and follow-up. It’s not really working that well.”
The solution is not to have an officer “sitting on every comer” because it is just too expensive, said Schaal. Policing costs in Prince George average $65,000 per officer. There are just over 100 RCMP members here.
Schaal said the public has to get involved in the various programs and organizations designed to prevent crime and deal with drug and alcohol abuse problems.
Community initiatives like Neighborhood Watch, organizations like the Parents Resource Institute for Drug Education, and workplace employee assistance programs are all areas where “a little bit” of
participation can make a difference, said Schaal.
By getting involved, individuals can become “role models” for their peers and for young people.
“You have to accept some ot the responsibility for where this town is and you have to accept responsibility for where it is going.”
have seen something. The death of the Prince George resident is being treated as a murder investigation.
Residents who may have been in the area cutting down a Christmas tree, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, or snowshoeing Nov. 22 may have seen something suspicious. It is also possible that a Ridgeview Crescent householder or motorist in the area may have seen a vehicle entering or exiting the side road.
Anyone who may have seen something suspicious is asked to call the Prince George RCMP at 562-3371 or Crimestoppers at 564-TIPS.
Blanchard disappeared Nov. 22 and was last seen leaving the Rock Pit Cabaret at 2 a.m. She was escorted out of the premises by a female employee after cabaret staff realized she was underage.
She was reported missing the next day, and Blanchard’s disappearance ignited an intensive 20-day search by police.
by STEVE MERTL VICTORIA (CP) — A subdued Premier Bill Vander Zalm said he would assess his future as Social Credit leader after the party lost its sixth consecutive Wednesday.
“I will confer with workers and colleagues during the days
ahead and will think hard about the course of action I must
take,” said a gravelly voiced Vander Zalm after Susan Brice narrowly lost to Elizabeth Cull Socred stronghold Gordon Head.
“In early January, I will share my thoughts with British Columbians through a provincewide television broadcast which I have asked my staff to arrange.”
Vander Zalm was elected on a wave of popular support in 1986. But his strong stand against abortion and an opinionated leadership style have offended many voters.
Despite the criticism after previous byelection losses — some in Socred strongholds — he has previously brushed off suggestions he should quit. This time he went further.
“I’ve always said byelections are difficult, but I’ve also recognized that six byelections is a tough loss and obviously that’s why I’ve got to talk to my colleagues and those that worked in the campaign and think about it.”
After the byelection loss in the Cariboo in September, where voters had elected Socreds since 1952, Vander Zalm pledged to lead his party into the next general election, expected next year.
Four Socred backbenchers quit the caucus after the Cariboo defeat but Vander Zalm’s leadership was endorsed at the party’s convention in October.
Cull, a 37-year-old school trustee and provincial government planner, defeated Brice, Oak Bay’s popular mayor, by 359 votes.
About 75 per cent of 32,046 eligible voters cast ballots. Cull had 10,751 votes, Brice 10,392, Liberal Paul McKivett 2,172, Green party candidate Garth Lenz 324, Independent Roland Isaacs 116 and Louis Lesosky, Human Race party, 21 votes.
Wearing a frozen smile, Vander Zalm congratulated Cull and praised Brice, who had gone out of her way to distance herself from the premier.
“Susan has fought a tough campaign and was a super candidate,” he said.
Vander Zalm stayed out of the Oak Bay-Gordon Head byelcction campaign, although the riding is only a 10-minutc drive from the
Disgust, elation here
Prince George reaction to the NDP upset win Wednesday in the Oak Bay-Gordon Head byclection was precisely what could be expected.
“I’m not too happy about it,” said Henry Novak, past-president of the Prince George South Riding Association. “I think the guy down there (Premier Bill Vander Zalm) isn’t getting the credit he deserves.”
“I don’t think you’ve seen a socialist revival in Oak Bay, the Cariboo, or Boundary-Similkameen” said Bob Holtby, a delegate to the recent Social Credit annual convention, referring to recent byelection wins by the NDP.
“Instead I think you’ve seen voter reaction to the current leadership.”
Lois Boone, Prince George North New Democrat MLA, reacted with a mixture of elation and concern to her party’s win.
“I’m surprised, but elated,” she said today.
“I didn’t think it was possible we could win Oak Bay, but it’s obvious British Columbians as a whole are accepting (NDP leader) Mike Harcourt and are accepting New Democrats.”
However, Boone added, “I’m concerned Vander Zalm may resign.
“We’ve had one unpopular Socred premier resign when he felt he couldn’t win the following election, and we got an even less popular one. I hope the people won’t be fooled again.”
Local Socred Judy Jackson reacted differently.
“I’m disappointed. I can’t understand people,” she said.
“People are voting down this kind of (socialist) government in Eastern Europe and we’re voting it in. What are we, backward?”
Bruce Strachan, Prince George South MLA and the Minister of Advanced Education, was unavailable for comment this morning due to the second provincial cabinet meeting in two days.
legislature.
But Cull, heavily supported by NDP Leader Mike Harcourt, made Vander Zalm the central issue in the byelection to replace former cabinet minister Brian Smith. Smith, who quit cabinet over differences with Vander Zalm, held the riding for 10 years before stepping down to head CN Rail, a federal Crown corporation.
Oak Bay-Gordon Head, a mix of seaside mansions and comfortable middle-class homes, had never elected a New Democrat.
The NDP win gave the party 26 seats in the legislature, against 38 for the Socreds and five Independents, all disgruntled Socreds.
SECOND THOUGHTS IN PEACE REGION
Not everyone cheering campus
'Can I use your phone?'
by BEV CHRISTENSEN Citizen Staff
The news a university will be established in Northern B.C. is being greeted with relief, excitement and hope for the future — with one notable exception.
The board of Northern Lights College, which has campuses in Fort St. John and Dawson Creek, recently withdrew its support for a northern university.
Board chairman Jim Inglis was unavailable this morning to comment on the board’s concerns because he was attending a meeting of the college directors in Dawson Creek.
But Pat Walsh, Fort St. John mayor, said today the college board is concerned establishing a university with its main campus in Prince George may detract from the delivery of college programs to the two Peace communities. Walsh has been a director of the Interior University Society (IUS) since its inception.
He said he personally supports the university but, like other Peace River residents, he fears once it’s established the new university will
ignore northern needs.
“Remember, we feel about Prince George the way Prince George feels about the Lower Mainland and that is justifiable because Prince George is a major centre.
“So people are thinking this will be a Prince George university at the cost of the delivery of college courses in the northeast,” he said.
IUS president Roy Stewart is travelling from Prince George to Dawson Creek today to meet with the Northern Lights College board.
Walsh said the residents of the area want to be reassured the new university will not abandon the regional concept which has always been a major part of the society’s proposal.
Before he left for Dawson Creek, Stewart said he was aware of the college board’s opposition to the university, but was not aware what their concerns were.
“A recent survey shows 97 per cent support for the university so I’m curious to know why they’re undertaking a campaign opposing it,” he said.
He, too, expressed concern about
the need to enshrine the regional concept of the new university in its mission statement.
“We must ensure it’s driven to structuring itself to serve the region by an immutable statement protecting one of the cornerstones of the society’s strength which is our regional basis of support,” he said Wednesday.
Stewart also said the society is anxious to see whether the legislation creating the new university ensures it will be treated as an equal of B.C.’s three existing universities.
“It is fair to say the three existing universities are veiy powerful in expressing their opinions and influencing the government, and they may regard the new university as a fledgling or not a member of the club and over time could influence the government to treat it differently,” he said.
Stewart said he’s optimistic the new university would be given the mandate the society had asked for and the resources to carry it out.
“I’m confident the new university will be a powerful lever for the economy up here... and will
lead to an influx of people, change the spending patterns and the demographics, and alter the cultural and social infrastructure,” he said.
The mayors of all communities in the area mirrored Stewart’s optimism.
Prince George Mayor John Backhouse says the city’s role will now be to identify all suitable land within the city limits on which the new university could be located.
But he admitted he’s having second thoughts about his earlier comments in indicating he thought the university should be built in downtown Prince George.
“That was a personal opinion and I now think we have to wait until the IPG defines the scope of the land required. It may be greater than I thought,” he said.
Quesnel Mayor Michael Pearce praised the efforts of the society who’d “rustled the bushes" to gain regional support for the northern university.
“I think it’s about time we got some major project just as I support the cancer clinic in Prince George instead of Kamloops or See CAMPUS, page 2
058307001008