PRINCE GEORGE
High today: 24 Low tonight: 9 Details page 22
Y, JULY 30,1996
Citizen
■HHI
TODAY
In 2 Minutes
OLYMPICS
■ American Carl Lewis jumped his way to Olympic immortality Monday by winning his fourth consecutive gold medal in the long jump, giving him nine golds in his Olympic career, tying the record of the great Paavo Nurmi. Page 10
WORLD
■ The call was quick, the ominous message short. After that, it is unclear what Atlanta 911 operators did about the warning that a bomb would go off in Centennial Olympic Park in 30 minutes. This much is known: The warning didn’t make it to the park in time. Page 15
CANADA
■ If Big Brother really was watching over you, private companies would have to adhere to laws governing how they use personal data they collect, says Canada’s privacy commissioner. Page 6
WORKPLACE
■ In today’s job market, finding work can be an uphill battle, especially for older workers. But it can be a huge help if you think young, if you can’t be young. Page 20
THEATRE
■ The Old Vic Theatre in London will house that modern rarity — a true theatre company — next March when Sir Peter Hall opens his first show as the new artistic director of the venerable Canadian-owned playhouse. Page 17
This morning’s top local headlines:
Metis sculptor shares his gift /page 13 Family Y in renovation mode /page 3 Little League training for big day/page 7
E-Mail address: CITIZEN@NETBISTRO.COM
INDEX
Ann Landers........ ....14
Bridge............. ... .23
Business ........... .17,18
City, B.C............ ..3,13
Classifieds .......... .21-24
Comics ............ ....16
Community Calendar ....14
Crossword ......... ....16
Entertainment...... .....4
Horoscope ......... ... .23
Lifestyles........... ....14
Movies............. ....17
Nation............. 6
Sports ............. ..7-12
Television.......... ....17
World ............. ....15
5830?
00 IOC'
City, CNC join old tradition
Heraldic coats of arms presented at special ceremony
by DON SCHAFFER Citizen staff
Prince George and the College of New Caledonia joined a 900-year-old tradition Monday when the two institutions were presented with their heraldic coats of arms.
Robert Watt, the chief herald of Canada, presented the coats of arms, flags and badges during a ceremony in Prince George city council chambers at city hall.
“These symbols won’t automatically make Prince George a better place,” Watt said during the ceremony. “That’s the job of the citizens of the city.
“But they can serve as a source of pride, and as an inspiration.”
The heraldic symbols put Prince George in a growing company of dries and institutions in this country. Watt said between 110 and 120 grants of arms are presented each year across Canada, which was given the power to grant heraldic symbols in 1988.
The practice has become increasingly popular since 1988, when Canada earned the right to grant arms without applying to the centre of heraldry in Britain.
“If I showed you some 50 coats of arms, you would see dramatically that our landscape, our stories, our history is very much in evidence,” said Watt, who returns to Ottawa today. “Quite rapidly, from one end of the country to the other, people have come to understand that this is a part of us, even though the idea is a very old idea.”
He said Monday night marked the first time two corporations have been presented with their coats of arms in the same ceremony.
The process was started in 1994, when Watt was in Prince George to present the University of Northern B.C. with its coat of arms. The city and college both applied to the Canadian Heraldic Authority for their coats of arms, and two years ago Monday, Graham Anderson, the heraldic consultant
Citizen photo by Brent Braaten
Mayor John Backhouse and Robert Douglas Watt, Chief Herald of Canada, display the new city flag above the coat of arms. Both feature elements that have been used on crests and logos in the past.
placed in charge of the process, began working on the projects.
Both coats of arms feature elements taken from crests used as logos by the city and CNC in the past, reflecting the traditional focus of the exercise.
“I think it’s very important,” Mayor John Backhouse said.
“There is recognition that it was part of the history and development of this city, so where it was possible to incorporate some of the elements within heraldic symbolism, that was
used.
“I think it’s a sign of the growing maturity of the city,” Backhouse added. “It provides us with an official — that is, something that’s granted by the crown — coat of arms.
“I think it gives us an increased stature.”
Terence Weninger, president of CNC, was pleased with his institution’s coat as well.
“It’s a project that grew out of our 25th anniversary in 1994,” Weninger
said. “It has to do with tradition . . . and what this will do is draw attention to the rich history and identity of not only the college but the name Caledonia, which goes back to the days of Simon Fraser.”
The city and college also received flags and badges. The coats of arms will be used on official documents, among other decorative functions.
How a coat of arms is drawn, graphics, page 3.
Fatality investigations continue Environmental
projects put youth to work
Citizen staff
Police continue to investigate two fatal accidents on our roads in the past few days, Prince George RCMP Const. Gord Molendyk said Monday.
One person was killed and two others critically injured last week in a single-vehicle accident on Highway 97 North.
Carrie Johanna Clarke, 16, of Prince George, a passenger in the back seat, died in the crash Thursday evening.
The driver, Cory Richards, 18, and the front-seat passenger, Dionne
Nadeau, 15, were thrown from the vehicle.
Richards continued to be listed in critical condition at Prince George Regional Hospital Monday. Nadeau was listed as critical but stable, RCMP said.
Two other passengers in the back seat, who were wearing seatbelts, received minor injuries and have been released from hospital.
A young motorcyclist was killed Friday after a collision with a taxi.
Prince George RCMP are waiting for results of toxicology tests, as well
as a report from the coroner’s office.
Around 2:10 a.m. Friday a motorcycle southbound on Queensway collided with a taxi turning left onto Queensway from LaSalle Avenue. Jaedrian Aaron Katz, 20, died in the crash.
★ ★ ★
A fatal motorcycle accident took place in Fraser Lake Monday morning, police said Monday.
Names and details were not immediately available from Fraser Lake RCMP.
Your ticket to ride is going up
by DON SCHAFFER Citizen staff
Bus riders in Prince George dodged a bullet Monday afternoon.
City council rejected a proposal that would have increased adult fares to $1.75 per ride from $1.25 and opted for a quarter-a-ride increase instead.
The new fare structure begins Sept. 1, and is the first such increase in three years.
Citing mounting operating deficits, city administration submitted three modifications of the existing fare structure and suggesting the city opt for one that would allow the transit service to maintain existing service levels and earn enough money to proceed with some capital improvements.
But council decided the proposed increases were too high and rejected the recommendation, opting instead for one that featured more moderate increases.
“I’m concerned about the working poor, people who are not on welfare but aren’t making very much money,” said Coun. Cliff Dezell, making the argument that seemed to swing the vote.
“For people who depend on the bus, an increase from $23 to $30 is a fairly significant additional expense, and I don’t see that reflected anywhere. I know we subsidize the system, and generally I believe in the concept of user-pay, but... “
Gary Champagne, the city public works director, said his statistics didn’t separate adult users making subsistence wages from those using it as a convenience.
He said the best breakdown he could give was between student and adult users; most student users take advantage of the lower-priced passes, while
most adult users pay the full-price fares with cash.
The most expensive option was not considered. It would have raised rates across the board to all users, upping adult rates to $1.75 per ride and student rates to $1.50, including large pass increases.
The option council adopted raises student punch card rates $4 to $28 per 40 rides, monthly pass rates to $36 for students and $48 for adults, and books of tickets to $12.50 for 10 rides for adults and $10 for 10 rides for students and seniors. Cash fare goes up a quarter for adults to $1.50 and for students to $1.25.
Day pass prices are eliminated. Champagne said the recommended option was best, since it allowed the city to raise needed capital for improvements and the construction of the Pine Centre transit station.
“If we don’t get this revenue from users, we’ll have to take it from general revenue,” Champagne said. “One way or another, we’ll have to pay for it.”
But council decided to go with the less expensive (for users) option, fearing that such a large increase in fares would reduce usage and thus defeat its own purpose.
City, province to discuss land
Comer of Hwy 16 and 97 a sore spot
Citizen staff
The City of Prince George hopes to consult with the owner of the disputed property at the corner of Highways 16 and 97 before it’s auctioned off in August.
Coun. Anne Martin submitted a report Monday afternoon to council outlining three concerns the city has regarding the property, on the southwest corner of the junction of the two highways.
The Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks plans to auction off the property, which butts up against the Uplands subdivision and has been the subject of much attention from commercial developers.
Martin’s report said community expectations for the property haven’t
been assessed, and that development plans might not take into account future highway and access needs.
The report, which was eventually approved, recommended the city ask the ministry to postpone its auction plans and start talks aimed at exploring the best use for the land.
“I’m concerned about the message we’re sending to developers,” said Mayor John Backhouse, saying the city shouldn’t discourage development plans without knowing what they are.
But council approved the recommendation after hearing that the ministry is interested in talking about appropriate disposition of the property. Administration was instructed to begin talks as soon as possible.
Citizen staff
More than 450 young people have begun work on environmental projects as part of the government’s youth employment program, including a handful in Prince George.
The Environmental Youth Team project is an $8.5-million effort aimed at youths between 16 and 24 who are not attending school.
The projects range from six-member crews restoring salmon streams damaged by logging to smaller teams working on technical maps and education programs.
The government pays wages to the participants while outside sponsors provide funds for training, supplies and travel. The sponsors include native bands, municipal governments, private businesses and non-profit groups.
“Sponsors from across the province have put forward comprehensive proposals, building in hands-on training components that offer young people the chance to learn while they work,” Environment Minister Paul Ramsey said Monday, announcing the first batch of people in the program with Premier Glen Clark in Victoria.
In Prince George, five young people will be employed in three different projects.
■ Two interns will map local creeks, trails and other areas for the City of Piince George to create a pamphlet and map and identify land ownership of McMillan Creek and the Nechako Crest Trail.
■ Two interns will complete a detailed development plan of the Cranbrook Hill Greenway for the Cranbrook Hill Greenway Society.
■ Another intern will work for the Ministry of Environment in its data management program.
Other projects in the North will employ young people in Burns Lake, Fort St. John, Smithers, Terrace, Kitimat and 40 young people in Prince Rupert in a major commercial fishery observer program on the Skeena River.
Clark said 900 more young people are to participate in the program this year.
With Canadian Press
SWITCHBOARD: 562-2441
- _______________________
CLASSIFIED: 562-6666
READER SALES: 562-3301
058307001008