The Prince George Citizen SATURDAY, JANUARY 23,1993 51 CENTS (Plus GST) I ncluded nside ZfUSftSJUUt Low tonight: -8 High tomorrow: 0 Search for a music man 3 Warning from scientists 4 Rocky rivalries relished 11 Phone: 562*2441 Classified: 562-6666 Circulation: 562-3301 IT'S CONSIDERED MULRONEY’S ONLY CHANCE OF WINNING Upbeat tone might be just a by ERIC BEAUCHESNE and JULIAN BELTRAME Southam News OTTAWA — The timing of Statistics Canada’s declaration this week that the recession is over may have had as much to do with politics as economics. The upbeat announcement, made despite massive unemployment and expectations of major layoffs in the coming year, came as the prime minister’s office was busily fending off ambitious pretenders to the throne. Late Thursday, Brian Mulroney’s top adviser Hugh Segal, was phoning select reporters to get the message out that the politically beleaguered prime minister was not yet ready to throw in the towel. Segal told reporters he had warned four undeclared leadership contenders — all top Tory cabinet ministers — in the strongest terms to stop their behind the HARCQURT, CABINET Analysis scenes campaigning because the boss was staying on to fight the next election. At the same time, details of Statistics Canada’s intention to declare the recession over were leaked to Canada’s national news wire the night before, ensuring it received media-wide play the following day. An economic turnaround is seen by many as Mulroney’s only hope to survive in an election that must be held this year. The StatsCan announcement, which understandably received front-page play across the country and was the top story on most TV and radio news broadcasts, gives Mulroney ammunition against caucus concerns his continued leadership could cost the party dearly. Especially prominent in news reports ■MB were the words of StatsCan director of current analysis Philip Cross: “It’s over. The recession is done, history,” Friday, Cross denied leaking the report, which he said would be highly unusual, but revealed that a copy of the Canadian Economic Observer containing the information was sent to the office of Supply and Services Minister Paul Dick the day before. “We did send a copy of the Observer, as we do every month, to the minister’s office the day before, so if there’s a tip off there, maybe that’s the problem. “I’m not going to explore that,” Cross said. “I don’t want anything to do with the minister’s office.” The dual news reports did much Friday to put a halt, temporarily at least, to furious rumors that Mulroney would announce his intention to step down at next weekend’s Tory caucus meetings. A party insider said Segal’s initiative is as strong a sign as any that Mulroney will not step aside and turn the party over to one of five or six young lions clamoring for a chance to tum Conservative fortunes around. “1 believe he will tell caucus in no uncertain terms that he’s staying and when he does that’ll end it,” said the source. “He’ll brook no negative voices whatsoever. He plays caucus like Arthur Fiedler used to conduct the Boston Pops orchestra.” Several cabinet sources confirmed that Segal had made the phone calls telling leadership hopefuls that Mulroney was not amused with published reports of behind-the-scenes lobbying. A published report said Trade Minister Michael Wilson, Defence Minister Kim Campbell, Communications Minister Perrin Beatty and Environment Minister Jean Charest were contacted, but sources said other ministers were phoned by Segal. "What was happening was unseemly .. . it even got to the point where MPs were being courted (by the four),” said one cabinet source. Segal’s intervention, however, does not end all speculation about Mulroney’s future and advisers to the leadership hopefuls were busily trying to put a favorable spin on developments Friday. Asked one, does this mean Mulroney is staying or only that the behind-the-scenes lobbying was getting out of hand? “Maybe he was saying, ‘I don’t deserve this. I don’t want the perception out there that I was being thrown out of my job by my own people,’ ” suggested one cabinet source. Tories were in agreement Friday that only Mulroney can end all speculation and that he’ll do that next weekend. Cut in salary not so deep by MICHAEL SMYTII VICTORIA (CP) — B.C. Premier Mike Harcourt is tightening his belt — but not as snugly as his office originally boasted. Harcourt told a provincewide television audience Thursday night that he was cutting his own paycheque by five per cent as a personal sacrifice to whittle down the province’s huge deficit. Cabinet ministers were also hit with a five per cent pay cut, Harcourt said in his state-of-the-pro-vince address. The premier’s office said Thursday night that the cuts would mean a $3,890 annual pay reduction for the premier while the 18 cabinet ministers would lose $3,590 each for a total savings to taxpayers of $68,510. But on Friday, the premier’s office admitted that those figures were wrong. It turns out that the cuts will only apply to the “special allowances” paid to Harcourt and his cabinet colleagues, said Andy Orr, the premier’s press secretary. It means Harcourt’s paycheque will be cut by $2,250. Cabinet ministers lose $1,950. Total (revised) savings to taxpayers: $37,350. “There was some confusion on the figures,” Harcourt admitted Friday. “We’re still determined to lead by example.” The mistakes came in calculat- ing the politicians’ total take-home pay and which part of it would be hit with the five-per-cent cut. Here’s how it works: All members of the provincial legislature earn a base salary of $32,812 plus an “expense allowance” of $16,406 for a total of $49,218. The premier and cabinet ministers also earn a “special allowance” of $45,000 and $39,000 respectively. In total, Harcourt takes home $94,218. Cabinet ministers pocket $88,218. On Thursday, the premier’s office said the pay cut would apply to the base salary as well as the special allowance. On Friday, On-said the base salary is excluded. Liberal finance critic Fred Ging-ell said the sneaky arithmetic reveals the pay cut to be nothing more than a public relations gimmick. “They have to start dealing with the real world,” Gingell said. “The province has a bloated, wasteful civil service that they’re doing nothing about.” Gingell said a truer reflection of the belt tightening is seen when Harcourt’s pay cut is expressed as a percentage of his total take-home pay. In other words, a cut of $2,250 is really only a 2.4-per-cent reduction of his total salary. See also page 2. REAR-ENDED BY SEWAGE TRUCK Bus collision sends 14 to hospital ‘Grits would scrap GST’ REGINA (CP) — A Liberal government would scrap the goods and services tax, party Leader Jean Chretien said Friday. Chretien said he will kill the unpopular seven per cent tax if his party wins the next federal election. But he did not say how he would replace the billions of dollars of revenue the GST brings in each year. “At this moment we are looking at very difficult, different alternatives,” said Chretien, in Regina along with his western and northern caucus for a meeting with business groups. “It’s a bit premature for us to have a definitive answer. There’s many propositions that have been made to us and we’re studying them. One of the difficulties we’re having with the GST at this time is we really don’t know how much money this thing has taken in.” A collision between a sewage tanker truck and a crowded city transit bus Friday afternoon sent 14 people to hospital. One woman remains in satisfactory condition at Prince George Regional Hospital today. All the other bus passengers were treated at PGRH and released by late Friday evening. The accident occurred on Fifth Avenue near Tabor Boulevard around 3:50 p.m. A city transit bus was struck from the rear by a sewage-disposal tanker truck as the bus was slowing to discharge riders, Prince George RCMP said. The bus was travelling west toward Foothills Boulevard. Three ambulances were required to transport all the injured to PGRH. None of the injuries were considered life-threatening, police and hospital authorities said shortly afterward. Damage to the two vehicles was about $6,000. The accident is under investigation. The bus was near its stop only 33 metres past Tabor Boulevard. More than half a dozen of the passengers had been carried away to the ambulances on stretchers. One was standing in the stairwell ready to step off the bus when the accident occurred, throwing that person against the side of the doorway. There were reports of neck and arm injuries. The tanker truck was still driveable after the accident. ★ ★ ★ A Strathnaver man is in serious condition in PGRH’s intensive care unit after a skiing accident near Mackenzie Friday. The man was flown in from Mackenzie after suffering spinal fractures and other injuries. Strathnaver is about 70 kilometres south of Prince George. ★ ★ ★ Prince George RCMP are looking for twin brothers who were driving a pickup thought to have been involved in a hit-and-run pedestrian-motor vehicle accident just before midnight Friday. The mishap occurred at 11:56 p.m. as the pedestrian was walking; in the 1300 block of Strathcona Avenue. The pedestrian was treated for minor injuries. Police are asking for help in locating the truck. The suspect pickup is a silver or grey GMC or Chev pickup, with rectangular headlights and possibly with a blue or green stripe on the sides. The twin brothers sought for questioning are in their early 20s with light brown or blond hair, possibly with the first names of Lee and Lewis. They are clean-cut in appearance. Anyone with information about the vehicle or the twin brothers is asked to call the RCMP at 562-3371 or Crimestoppers at 564-8477. Hospital bed closures, layoffs warned VANCOUVER (CP) — Some hospitals will be forced to close beds and lay off staff this year, Health Minister Elizabeth Cull said Friday. But that doesn’t mean British Columbians will receive poorer health care as a result. Cull said the three per cent increase in hospital funding announced by Premier Mike Harcourt in Thursday’s state-of-the-province address is by far the biggest increase any province is giving its hospitals this year. B.C. hospitals must find ways, she said, to cut waste and operate with greater efficiency for there to be any chance of containing spiralling health care costs. “(Hospitals) must run a tighter ship,” she said before attending a meeting here of provincial health ministers. Health-care costs in B.C. have ballooned by 50 per cent in the past five years. Tlie system cost almost $6 billion to fund this year, an increase of more than $400 million from last year. The three per cent increase for the coming year is down from five per cent granted hospitals this year. Cull said the continuing refoim of the system means that some bed closures and layoffs will occur. But if hospitals manage their funds properly, the public should not feel the pinch, she said. As for layoffs, Cull said they will undoubtedly occur. She noted the NDP government is trying to set up a “labor adjustment strategy” to help relocate some workers to other areas where they are needed. Cull said she doubts the lower-than-usual funding in- crease will translate into longer waiting lists for surgery. “We’ve been reducing hospital beds through efficiencies over the last year and in some cases we’ve been bringing waiting lists down. It’s more how you manage your hospital and what efficiences you can bring about,” Cull said. Both the Hospital Employees Union and the B.C. Heaith Association — the umbrella group for hospitals — have warned the three per cent increase is not enough to properly fund the system. INDEX Ann Landers .... 20 Bridge.................26 Business............18,19 City, B.C...............3 Classified .... 21-29 Comics.................14 Commentary 5 Crossword..............26 Editorial...............4 Entertainment ... 14 Family.................20 Horoscope..............26 Movies 14.P1* Sports ............11-13 P = Plus! magazine Farcus "I’m not sure, but I think they want us to pee on this stuff.” Citiizen photo by Brent Braaten Fire department and ambulance personnel remove an Injured passenger from transit bus. Fourteen passengers were taken to hospital.