PRINCE GEORGE
High today: 6 Low tonight: -5 Details page 2
Citizen
Serving the Central Interior since 1916
MONDAY, APRIL 15, 2002
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Weather springs a leak: area hammered
Snow and rain create havoc outside city limits, power outages reported
by SCOTT STANFIELD Citizen staff
A new weather system which hit the Prince George region Sunday morning added to >he flooding which had already begun occurring in rural areas around the city, says the Provincial Emergency Program.
The Sunday forecast called for five -15 millimetres of rain before noon Sunday, with snow flurries and winds of 40 km/h.
As of Sunday, at least two homes in the region, both located on Johnson Road near the PG Airport, had experienced flooding during the previous 24 hours, according to PEP. Several roads such as Shelley Road south and Graves
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Road near the Blackburn area were also affected by water, which had overwhelmed ditches and culverts in rural areas.
According to onlookers, a woman managed to escape from her vehicle (pictured above) after it went off Graves Road and sunk into a ditch around 9 p.m. Saturday. People at the scene said she kicked out a window to escape from the vehicle and walked to a neighbour’s home to call for help.
While spring storms are common, this one was not.
“I don’t think we’ve ever plowed snow on the 14th of April to my knowledge,” city street crew foreman Terry Arndt said. “It (the volume of water) is really unusual for this time of year. It’s been incredible.”
Arndt said trucks have been plowing all the outlying areas in Blackburn, west of town and off the Hart. Other than a bit of trouble at University Way, he said the city has not been troublesome.
Sunday’s inclement weather also resulted in power outages in College
Heights, North Nechako, Giscome and Willow River areas, according to B.C. Hydro line manager Ed Elliot, who who said two circuits were out Sunday morning in Chief Lake and Beaverly.
Although flooding may appear minor, PEP personnel warns to exercise caution around flood-risk areas.
“Our real big concern is kids playing around culverts and ditches,” said Dave Barry, public information officer for PEP.
Anyone in flood-risk areas should become familiar with the following safety precautions:
■ High-velocity flows and floating debris can turn a normally tranquil creek or waterway into a torrent. Keep children and pets safe and never leave them unattended.
■ Do not try to clear blocked culverts or log jams; instead, call your local government, which has the proper equipment and trained personnel.
■ Never drive through floodwater, which can be deeper than it appears. If your vehicle stalls in flood water, get
Citizen photo by Dave Milne
The photo above shows a washout on Graves Road. Rushing water caused the road to collapse creating a hole some 10 metres deep. In the photo across the top of the page, workers use a front-end loader to remove a car from a culvert on Shelley Road south. The car apparently went off the road and sunk In the ditch and was forced against the entrance of the culvert.
out quickly and move to higher ground.
Further information about flood-proofing your home and flood precaution for homeowners
is available on the PEP Web site at http://www.pep.bc.ca/.
Homeowners with flooding problems can call the city at 561-7600.
Mayor’s effort to push softwood stalled
by SCOTT STANFIELD Citizen staff
Mayor Colin Kinsley said he received a “first-hand lesson in American politics” during a recent trip to Chicago, where he met with several officials to discuss some of the issues surrounding the softwood dispute.
“It’s more difficult than I thought, but I still think there was limited success,” said Kinsley, in reference to a possible resolution. “If nothing else, we have expanded our contact list, and our potential for support.”
Kinsley was not able to meet with Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daly, but he spoke with Steven Galavant, president of the Chicago Construction and Devel-
opers Association, and with Illinois State Senator Carol Ronin, who he said is sympathetic to some of the issues surrounding the construction industry in the Chicago area.
“According to Mr.
Galavant, they’re reluctant to play too big a role on the cost of supply, i.e. Canadian softwood, because they’re reluctant to trade off some of what they call political capital within the mayor’s office,” Kinsley said. “I think we have raised the awareness,
KINSLEY
but it’s more difficult than I anticipated. Nobody wants to champion the deal, except maybe the good senator might. But before she takes a stand, she needs to see a lot of written information."
Kinsley said “selling” a softwood deal will likely be accomplished via the effect on American workers in the construction, remodeling and renovating businesses, as well as the cost to consumers, particularly as it relates to affordable housing.
“That, in my opinion, is where we’re going to be able to get some attention,” Kinsley said. “We’re not going to get it on the effect on Canadian workers.”
Last year Kinsley initiated a petition
against U.S. anti-dumping and countervailing duties imposed on Canadian softwood lumber after sending a letter to U.S. President George W. Bush, asking the president to intervene to resolve the softwood dispute.
As of Wednesday, the petition had garnered more than 32,000 names, well shy of the goal of 250,000 signatures.
Kinsley said he might wrap up the petition campaign this week and forward the list to Federal Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew, who in turn can use “diplomatic channels” to deliver it to Bush.
The petition can be accessed at the city Web site at www.city.pg.bc.ca.
Stakeholders rally to save rail route
by SCOTT STANFIELD Citizen staff
Communities stretching from Vancouver to Prince George will be requesting Minister of Transportation Judith Reid refrain from canceling the Cariboo Prospector passenger rail service until the ministry completes its provincial transportation study.
The announcement was made following the “Save Our Train” meeting at the 108 Mile Ranch, which was attended by more than 75 stakeholders from all the communities along the line.
“There’s no doubt the elimination of the prospector as a service will have a detrimental economic impact on the region,” said Ken Veldman, vice-president of the Prince George Development Corporation. “There’s a lot of
tourism industry operators, especially through the Cariboo-Interior area, that really rely on that as part of their transportation package.”
Veldman said the status quo is not an option, not only because the province and B.C. Rail are not going to continue the “financial subsidy thing” but because the old, high maintenance Budd cars “really don’t do the job either.”
The challenge, he added, is to come up with a solution which improves the set vice and cuts down the deficit, one which will likely involve a third party, private sector partner which works with the industry.
“That a pretty complex business deal, and it’s going to take some time to do that,” Veldman said.
route by October. According to the company, the route lost $5 million last year and saw traffic drop by 40%. As well, replacing the 50-year-old Budd diesel cars would cost an estimated $30 million.
Last weekend’s workshop proceedings are currently being compiled, after which, a delegation from the north will present a report to Reid.
“It is apparent that the provincial government must consider the special needs for rural transportation infrastructure as our needs are very different from urban centres,” said Donna Barnett, mayor of 100 Mile House. "A plan to integrate rail, air, marine and ground transportation is what our communities need if we are to remain economically viable.”
PAGE 13 Relay fights cancer
Tourism officials have said cutting the route will disrupt the heavily-promoted “Totem Circle” package. This route takes travelers from Vancouver over to Vancouver Island, and then up-island where they board a ferry from Port VELDMAN Hardy to Prince Rupert, then travel to Prince George on Via Rail. From Prince George, the Cariboo Prospector takes them back to North Vancouver.
Although not yet confirmed, B.C. Rail has indicated it intends to cut the
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