PRINCE GEORGE
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Citizen
Serving the Central Interior since 1916
MONDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2002
by MARK NIELSEN Citizen staff
The Community Planning Council of Prince George will be hosting an open house this afternoon to present the Prince George Social Plan to the community and those who attend it will come across some provocative ideas.
Meant to set out a strategy for dealing with such basic issues as housing, health services, and community safety, recommendations in the plan include legalizing all secondary suites, establishing a standards of maintenance bylaw and allowing landlords to evict drug-dealing tenants.
But for the Community Planning .Council’s managing director, Lyn Flo-;rey, the important points are that the plan was “grassroots built” by holding neighbourhood meetings to find out .what residents’ concerns are and that Jthe aim is to establish a long-term structure to deal with those issues.
; “Generally a crisis happens or a problem occurs and everybody gets together to do something about it,” she said. “This is supposed to look at already having a structure to be there to deal with it immediately or to foresee it happening.”
In contrast to similar groups in other communities, the Community Planning Council is not a branch of city hall
Time running out to be mortgage free
The grand prize draw in The Citizen’s Live Free contest will be made Wednesday at 5 p.m.
The person whose name is drawn will receive one year’s worth of mortgage payments, or $750 a month for 12 months.
Draw boxes will be picked up Wednesday. To date there have been nine weekly winners in the contest, sponsored by Prince George Savings Credit Union.
Nettleton drawing more of a crowd
by MARK NIELSEN Citizen staff
In the weeks since he was ousted from the B.C. Liberal caucus, Prince George-Omineca MLA Paul Nettleton says he’s begun to attract a new constituency.
His Prince George constituency office was packed to overflowing Saturday when a meeting over concerns about changes to the way disabled people are assessed for assistance turned into something much more involved.
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Nettleton said that once word got out about the meeting, people representing a wider spectrum of groups and organizations showed up and a broader range of issues were touched on during the two-hour get-together.
He speculated no longer being in caucus had something to do with the turnout in that voters now perceive him as more approachable. He added he’s noticed an influx of disaffected voters beyond the poor and the disabled that includes unemployed forest workers, seniors, and social workers.
“They now feel that perhaps here’s someone who will listen, here’s someone who perhaps has some ideas about how it is we can have our voices heard.”
Although their MLA is now on the outside, Nettleton said constituents in Prince George-Omineca can still get government to act.
“We do collectively have the ability, not Paul Nettleton, but I believe the citizens, collectively, have the ability to impact and influence government,” he said.
As for the original reason why the meeting was called, Nettleton said there are several people in the city who are having trouble with new designation forms the/ll have to fill out by the end of March 2003 to qualify for assistance.
Part of the application must be completed by a doctor, and another must be completed by an “assessor,” but Nettleton said many of these people either don’t have access to doctors or assessors who are willing to or feel qualified to fill out the forms.
As a result of the meeting, Nettleton said a follow-up meeting with about a half-dozen groups will be held later this month and a more full-fledged public meeting will be held in January.
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Social plan set to be unveiled
but rather is independent and relies on funding from several sources.
But foe city approached the Community Planning Council in 1999 to develop Prince George’s first social plan with the intention of developing policies that could be integrated into the Official Community Plan.
As such, dty council will still be asked to take a close look at what is proposed. But the recommendations will also require co-operation from the Northern Health Authority, the school district, aboriginal groups, the police, community associations and various federal and provincial government agendes.
Coun. Dan Rogers ranks the sodal plan up with the city’s OCP.
“Primarily, OCPs have been focused on land-use and future development but this I think is planning focused on quality of life and the intangibles that will improve the sodal aspects of living ini Prince George,” he said.
Once feedback from the open house is incorporated into the social plan, Florey said it will be presented to dty council and to other stakeholders. The open house will be held in the Keith Gordon Room at the Prince George public library, 3-7 p.m. For more information, call the community planning council office at 562-2667.
Citizen photo by Dave Milne
SUMMER SWINGERS? — Rob Prideaux, right, shows off some leg and his swing during the Toque and Scarf Open Sunday at the Prince George Golf and Curling Club. The event marked the first time a golf tournament has been held in December in Prince George. Other members of the group who also bared their knees to the breeze were, Bob Davis, left, and Rick Mintz. Rick Szabo opted for pants. Attendance for the tournament was high, with 128 golfers taking part. See story on page 12.
There’s still no money
Trustees return from provincial meeting
Citizen staff
Local school district trustees joined colleagues from across the province in spending the weekend in Vancouver partid-pating in a training academy that familiarized newcomers with the workings of B.C.’s education system.
Trustees took in workshops on topics like schools boards and the law, the budget cyde, and the operation of a corporate board. They also listened to keynote speaker Dr. Elliot Eisner, a professor of education at Stanford University who addressed such matters as the core purposes of schooling and how they can be achieved. But if there is one thing that was stressed the most over the duration of the get-together, school board chair Bill Christie said it was there is no more money for education. Both Education Minister Christy Clark
and Deputy Minister Emory Dosdall emphasized that point in their speeches to trustees and administrators.
“Of course we had been hoping to try and lobby the government for more funds; it was made evident that there are no more funds,” Christie said.
Trustees face the daunting task of dealing with an estimated $6.5 million budget shortfall for the 2003-04 school year.
However, Christie is taking a never-say-never attitude when it comes to getting help from the province.
"They didn’t say this but what Fm looking at is if there is efficiencies across the whole system, across government, it just may free up some more money for education and health, because they both did say that their priorities are education and health.”
Bellavance on top of the world
Local freestyler sits in first place after two World Cup races
SAUZE d’OULX, Italy (CP) — Scott Bellavance of Prince George took the overall lead in the World Cup moguls standings after winning his second silver medal in as many weeks on Saturday.
His score of 27.17 left him just behind winner Mikko Ronkainen of Finland, while the bronze medal went to Travis Mayer of the United States.
“It’s pretty different from the last few seasons,” said Bellavance, 27, who hadn’t won a World Cup medal until this season. “It’s weird. Fve been doing lots of good training, but I haven’t been doing anything fancy in the competitions.
“I’m just doing what we’ve been doing in training.”
Veteran Stephane Rochon of St.-Sauver, Que., placed fifth. Prince George’s Chris Wong, a rookie on the World Cup circuit, finished 23rd.
Two Canadians also reached the women’s 12-skier moguls final. Elisa Kurylowicz of Manotick, Ont., placed seventh and Kristi Richards of Sum-merland was eighth.
Kari TVaa of Norway won the gold while Shannon Bahike of the U.S. was second.
CP photo
Prince George’s Scott Bellavance was all smiles after earning a silver medal at the World Cup moguls event Saturday at Sauze d’Oulx, Italy.
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