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CITIZEN
Serving the Central Interior since 1916

PRINCE GEORGE

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2003

$1.00 (HOME DELIVERED: 54 CENTS A DAY)

Most laid off teachers back on job
Cats start 10th season tonight against Kootenay
PAGES 8, 9
by PAUL STRICKLAND Citizen staff Most of the teachers who received layoff notices last spring are back at work, although not all of them with permanent, full-time work, says the Prince George school district's director of human resources. At the start of this summer, 54 laid-off teachers were on the recall list, Georgina Johnson said Thursday. Now 43 are back at work. "I think that's pretty good news," she said. Ten others on the recall list were not available for callback for a variety of reasons, Johnson said. For example, one teacher while waiting for recall accepted a teaching job outside the country. Some of the others are now on leave. One teacher in the Robson Valley is available for work at present but has not been called back to a job yet. Of the teachers called back to work in Prince George, a few were offered full-time continuing work at schools where additional teachers were required because of an increased student population. A large number, however, are back teaching in temporary positions, such as for someone on maternity leave, or are working part-time, such as in kindergarten positions, which are half-time, Johnson said. Trustee John Rustad said it is hoped that many of the support staff laid off this past spring will be recalled by the end of this month or in October as principals determine their staffing requirements at their schools. "I would expect a majority would be back by the end of October," Rustad said.

Industry urges caution with timber pricing
by GORDON HOEKSTRA Citizen staff The B.C. forest industry is cautioning the province to consider carefully whether to implement a more marketbased timber pricing system unless the new system helps resolve the softwood trade battle with the U.S. If the province ag rees, it could throw into question the timing of the start-up of the new timber pricing system, which is one of the underpinnings of the B.C. government's sweeping forest policy changes introduced in t he ALLAN legislature last spring. "So far, our position has been to support an auction-based system if it gives us a trade solution, and if it keeps us relatively competitive," B.C. Council of Forest Industries president John Allan said Thursday. "But if we don't have a trade solution, and we're finished our work on an auction-based system, then our request to the government has been -- and (Premier Gordon Campbell) has acknowledged and agreed to it -- we would need to sit down and assess where we go from there." Allan took the helm of COFI last year, which integrated several forest industry associations into one, including the Northern Forest Products Association. Work on the auction-based timber pricing system is not complete, but B.C. Forests Minister Mike de Jong has already said he wants to see the new pricing system up and running as soon as possible. De Jong -- who was not available for comment Thursday -- has also said the forest policy changes will go ahead whether a softwood deal is in place or not, stressing the reforms are driven by what makes sense for B.C. domestically. The changes are meant to remove restrictions on timber flow and harvesting for major forest companies, but also increase the amount of timber available to First Nations and on the open market, which it is hoped will spur more value-added wood production. The province already puts up about six per cent of its timber for auction, and is planning to increase that with part of the 20 per cent of timber harvesting rights it's taking back from major forest companies. If there is no negotiated trade deal, provinces have to apply to the Department of Commerce for a review of their policy changes. If a province is successful in showing its system is marketbased, they'd get duty-free access to the American market. B u t A l l a n s a i d t h e qu e s t i o n i s whether you would want to seek that review since it only deals with the 18.79 per cent countervailing portion of the duty. The 8.43 per cent antidumping duty would remain, he noted. There is also the issue of what would happen to the more than $1.4-billion in tariffs already collected. Negotiations in the trade dispute are expected to remain on hold following a series of NAFTA dispute panel decisions this summer. The U.S. Commerce Department must report back to the NAFTA panel by mid-October on the 18.79 per cent countervailing portion of the duty, and the U.S. International Trade Commission must provide proof to another NAFTA panel by mid-December that Canadian softwood exports threaten the U.S. lumber industry. -- See related story on page 3

Citizen photo by Brent Braaten

ON THE RIGHT PATH -- A cyclist rides through Fort George Park early Wednesday evening as the sun starts to set. Cycling this morning could be a soggy experience but the day is expected to improve by afternoon. See weather on page 2.

Wounded bear on loose
by TED CLARKE Citizen staff At best, a wounded bear is frightened and unpredictable. At worst, it is a serious threat to any human who happens to cross its path. Residents living near a section of forest that borders Greenwood Street east to North Kelly Road and north to Chief Lake Road are being warned about a black bear that was shot and wounded by a conservation officer before escaping into the woods Thursday morning. The bear bolted into the thick forest behind a Greenwood Street residence after it was hit in the front shoulder by the bullet and before the officer could fire another shot. "We shot the bear and wounded it and spent the day trying to track it," said Prince George conservation officer Murray Smith. "We put dogs on it to try and track it and we can't find it. It's in a very thick area of bush, 60 acres in circumference, and due to the thickness of the growth, we just can't find it. All we know is it's a young bear, about two or three years old." Conservation officers were responding to a complaint from a resident who spotted the bear on a neighbour's deck around 9 a.m. There have been several other bear sightings reported in the area in the past week. "The bear was hit well, and we feel there's a strong likelihood it has died or is going to die," Smith said. If anyone sees a bear that appears to be limping or in obvious stress, Smith said they should avoid it and call the conservation office at 1-800-663-9453.

TV times
INCLUDED TODAY
INDEX
Ann Landers . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Business . . . . . . . . . . . .20-22 City, B.C. . . . . . . . . . . .3,5,13 Classified . . . . . . . . . . .38-45 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Coming Events . . . . . . . . . . .2 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Entertainment . . . . . . .25-27 Horoscope . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Lifestyles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26,27 Nation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6,7 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-12 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14-16

Methadone clinic closing doors in November
by BERNICE TRICK Citizen staff Following four years of operation, the methadone clinic will close its doors in Prince George on Nov. 30. Founder and co-owner Bill Leslie said it's been "dying by attrition." "When a client leaves, we can no longer fill that space with a new client." There's no lack of clients, but the problem is finding doctors to provide the methadone which helps abusers get off heroin, morphine and other opiates. The only doctor active in the MetaClinic is Dr. Peter Morry from Houston who travels here every two weeks to see clients. Because there's only one doctor, the B.C. College of Physicians and Surgeons limits the number of clients to 60 at any one time. The doctor gets paid through billing the Medical Services Plan, and B.C. social services puts in about $8,400 per month for the 60 clients. "But our overhead is more than $11,000 per month for the doctor's travelling and accommodation, staff, rent, heat and everything else. We cannot feasibly afford to keep it open," Leslie said. "We had two doctors on board for two years, but for the past two years it's been a losing proposition." "We've had about 600 clients go though the program since it opened in October, 1999, and we've seen remarkable changes in some lives. But we won't just close the doors and tell our clients `we'll see you later.' We've been able to refer them to supportive doctors in the community who were just too busy to work in the clinic." There are only three doctors in the city who are licensed to provide methadone. Leslie said "a rough guess" is there are 500 drug users in Prince George. Furthermore, he's noted a "major increase" in the number of users of crack cocaine during the past few years. He said a problem with treating cocaine addicts is "that we don't have a tried and true pharmaceutical product to block the cravings of cocaine like methadone blocks the cravings of opiates." Leslie and his partner, Dr. June Postnikoff, now operate a clinic in Red Deer where there are 150 clients being treated by three doctors. The partners opened a clinic in Nanaimo about three years ago, but it went down the same road as MetaClinic. "Basically we went bankrupt, but clients in Nanaimo are going to an established clinic there with seven doctors involved."

Citizen photo by Brent Braaten

The city's methadone clinic, to help addicts get off heroin, morphine and other opiates, will close its doors Nov. 30.
Leslie said he feels bad to have to close the clinic. "I was raised in Prince George and my family is still there. I hate having to do this," he said

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