PRINCE GEORGE
High today: 4 Low tonight:-5 Details page 6
FRIDAY, MARCH 10,
Citizen
Serving the Central Interior since 1916
EEEE
$1.00 (HOME DELIVERED: 50 CENTS A DAY)
Scott provided city excellent exposure
by BOB MILLER Citizen staff
Prince George received tremendous exposure through national television during the recent Scott Tournament of Hearts, say local
TODAY
COMMUNITY
PAGE 13
Book donation
TVtimes
MOST COMPLETE TV LISTINGS
IN THE CENTRAL INTERIOR
In Today's
PRINCE GEORGE
Citizen
Off cx/LDvirut ttvifi' tousy^
‘There’s a cop at the front door. You know anything about a pyramid scheme?"
canada.com
E-Mail address:
pgcnews@prg.southam.ca
Our web site:
http://www.
princegeorgecitizen.com
D
INDEX
Ann Landers..................30
Bridge *.....................22
Business .................16-18
City, B.C................3,5,13
Classified ...............19-23
Comics ......................28
Coming Events................30
Crossword ...................28
Entertainment 26-28
Horoscope ...................22
Lifestyles...................30
Movies....................26,27
Nation .....................6,7
Sports ....................8-12
Television...................26
World.....................14,15
58307
00200
tourism and economic development officials.
Dale McMann, CEO of the Prince George Regional Development Corporation, said televised coverage introduced the city to perhaps a million people who didn’t know much about Prince George before the Scott.
“It’s good for us, positive for the profile of the city,” he said. “It shows we can host a national-level event and have the facility to do it.”
While there’s no concrete way to measure what impact the exposure will have on the city, the benefits can’t be denied. Prince George is much better off for having hosted the event, McMann said.
CBC drew 978,000 viewers for the Feb. 27 championship game between B.C.’s Kelley Law and Ontario’s Anne Merklinger, won by B.C. 9-4, said Christian Hasse, CBC communications spokesman in Toronto. By comparison, ratings for the Scott final almost equal those of the Brier, which has averaged one million viewers in the past four finals.
The Feb. 26 semi-final game between B.C. and Manitoba on TSN drew a national audience of 541,000 viewers, said TSN communications spokesman Chris Doyle. Figures for the round-robin draws aren’t available yet, but the average audience during last year’s Scott in Charlottetown was 386,000, Doyle said.
“The Scott Tournament of Hearts is always a big event for us and the people in Prince George did a great job,” he said from Toronto. “And the Prince George Multiplex proved to be
Hydro should compensate Cluculz: MIA
by BOB MILLER Citizen staff
In a letter to B.C. Hydro, Prince George-Omineca MLA Paul Nettleton has called on the utility tjq, compensate residents of Clucurz Lake who lost dozens of appliances and computers due to a power “spike”
Feb. 21.
Cluculz Lake lies mid-way between Prince George and Vanderhoof, which is roughly the geographic centre of NFttlcton Nettleton’s riding. iLfclUN
In the letter to Ron Threlkeld, senior vice-president for Hydro’s transmission and distribution department, the Liberal MLA says in the interest of equity and maintaining consumer goodwill, Hydro has no option but to provide compensation for their damages.
The letter says B.C. Hydro provided compensation of $12,000 to Cluculz Lake residents who had equipment damaged in a windstorm in 1991.
Nettleton calls on Hydro to review its right of way, pruning problem trees and removing those considered most hazardous and provide protection equipment that would isolate customers from such spikes in future.
In a letter to the editor in Thursday’s Citizen, Wayne Cousins, media relations manager with B.C. Hydro, says the company is reviewing damage claims and collecting all the facts before determining the most appropriate and fairest way to respond.
“We will announce our decision within 10 days,” he wrote.
The damage occurred when wind blew down a tree, apparently shorting a power line through a distribution line, causing a split-second power spike which damaged appliances in about 70 homes and businesses.
a perfect facility for curling.”
Cheryl Kelly, interim general manager for Tourism RG., said the city got the sort of exposure that put it on the map for Canadians across the land.
“Anytime we can get national TV coverage it’s a plus for the city,” she said. “People know who we are and where we are. The prospects for long-
term benefits are excellent.”
Kelly said her mother, who watched the coverage from her Ontario home, learned a few things about Prince George she didn’t know before and Kelly’s mom has visited here two or three times before.
Neil King, chairman of the city’s Scott organizing committee, who is
iq Saskatoon on business and taking in some of the Brier, was impressed by the audience figures.
“Oh boy, that’s super,” he said, adding he thinks the national exposure will help Prince George sell itself as the locale for similar events.
See editor John Harding’s editorial on page 4
Citizen photo by Dave Milne
COUGAR DAY — Prince George Cougars Travis Eagles, left, and Justin Cox talk with kindergarten children at Gladstone Elementary School Thursday. It was Cougar Day at the school and the two WHLers played hockey, did some time tables, talked to some classes and generally had a good time with the school full of fans.
RCMP ask blackmailed johns to come forward
by GORDON HOEKSTRA Citizen staff
No johns have come forward a day after the RCMP went public with their hunt for extortionists believed to be blackmailing men who have used prostitutes.
The police are hoping one of the johns who may have been targeted will come forward and tell tHeir story because, so far, investigators have little evidence to go on.
“I’d imagine there’s a few thinking about it, but nobody’s committed yet and no CrimeStoppers tips either,” RCMP spokesperson Mike Herchuk said Thursday. “We have reason to believe extortion is taking place here in the city, but that’s all we have right now.”
The issue of whether any john who comes forward to give evidence to police will be prosecuted is unclear.
Piince George RCMP detachment superintendent Steve Leach said he
couldn’t answer that question because it would be a Crown counsel decision. Each case would likely have to dealt with individually, said Leach.
B.C. Crown counsel wouldn’t comment on the situation. ‘Td have to have the file in front of me,” said Crown counsel Mitch Houg. “I couldn’t comment generally on the likelihood of that.”
Police believe the extortion has been taking place in the city for at least three months and that people with position in the community, money and/or families are being targeted.
Herchuk said police don’t know whether pimps or others are behind the extortion, or if it involves organized crime. “We don’t know who’s organizing this, but we know the sex trade workers are.involved — whether or not it’s knowingly or otherwise, we can’t say.”
Investigators have been unable to get information from prostitutes.
While he said they have had “tidbits” of information, he wouldn’t say how they found out about the scheme.
He said the johns are caught in a dilemma, having to choose between paying or having their families or others find out about their activities. “And Herchuk said it won’t stop once the money runs out, with extorition-ists sometimes demanding that people transport drugs.
“And some people — rather than be disgraced in front of their friends, family and community — will do almost anything, right up to and including murder,” said Herchuk.
At least one downtown community worker had little sympathy for the johns, although she had heard nothing of a blackmail scheme.
“I would have no pity ‘for the johns,” said Linda Keefe, who heads the Prince George Needle Exchange. “Maybe it will chase them all back home where they belong.”
Former McBride mayor says he was looking out for system, not himself
by BERNICE TRICK Citizen staff
Former McBride mayor Maurice Bonneville feels “no personal victory” about a B.C. Supreme Court decision determining he was correct in his claim that improper tactics were used in the Nov. 20 municipal election.
“This is by no means a personal victory. It was something that needed to be addressed,” Bonneville said Thursday from Saskatoon, where he’s vacationing.
“It addresses the responsibility that a person takes when they wish to represent the people in an election, especially in a small community
like McBride,” Bonneville said.
The town is 200 kilometres east of Prince George.
The B.C. Supreme Court on Tuesday declared the election of Mike Frazier invalid and the office of the mayor vacant.
The decision resulted from a hearing in which Bonneville, the incumbent mayor defeated in the election, petitioned the court with a claim that improper tactics were used during the election campaign.
Mr. Justice Glen Parrett determined Frazier contravened the Municipal Act by distributing inaccurate literature suggesting Bonneville endorsed a pro-
posal by the Fraser-Fort George Regional District to raise taxes, when in fact, the board had tabled the matter to the new year to be dealt with by the new board of directors.
“The decision to proceed with the petition was not arrived at overnight,” Bonneville said. “Every opportunity was given to the defendant for some type of retraction before any action was taken on our part.
Bonneville’s lawyer, Bruce Kaun, said he can’t find another case where a municipal election in Canada has been overturned on similar grounds.
Frazier could not be reached for comment.
Animal parts being legally sold in Prince George
by KEN FISHER Special to The Citizen
Animal parts are being sold in Prince George — legally and with the sanction of the Ministry of Environment, says a local conservation officer.
Bob Coyle says wildlife parts from around the province are auctioned off about once a year at the Crown Assets warehouse on Opie Crescent in Prince George.
Parts such as antlers, hides and horns, but not meat, are put up for sale with any profits going into the
province’s general revenue fund, he adds. “Any animals that are turned into the province, any animals that are seized by conservation officers or confiscated through prosecution, are all turned over to Crown Assets,” Coyle said.
Animal parts are also obtained through problem-animal control activity by conservation officers, he adds. This means bears destroyed by conservation officers in the line of duty may be skinned and the hide auctioned off.
“Taxidermists are buying them, dif-
SWITCHBOARD: 562-2441
ferent collectors are buying different pieces,” he says of the animal parts.
And instead of the parts being destroyed or thrown into the local landfill, Coyle says they are sold to generate money for the province and the money is used to pay for roads, hospitals and schools.
According to the ministry, the last auction in April 1999 sold 219 wildlife items and total sales were $58,030. In the previous year, 269 items were sold for $60,353. No taxes are received by the government from these sales.
CLASSIFIED: 562-6666
About 20 or 30 people usually attend the auction in Prince George, Coyle adds. He couldn’t say when the next auction is because, the ministry waits to have enough parts to make it worthwhile.
There’s also nothing illegal about an individual selling animal parts, Coyle says, as long as you have a hunting license and proper tag.
“If you shoot a moose and want to sell the antlers, you can do it quite legally,” he says. “You can sell any wildlife parts that you lawfully are entitled to, except meat.”
Ministry staff have the authority under the Wildlife Act to dispose of animals in other ways besides a sale, Coyle says. And he adds the auctioning of parts hasn’t stopped the province from donating animal parts to museums and schools for educational reasons, to native groups for ceremonies or for human consumption where salvageable.
To learn more about the sale of animal parts in Prince George, read Prince George This Week, delivered free to your home every Sunday and Thursday.
READER SALES: 562-3301
058307002005