B.C. duo guilty of U.S. murders /5
Fantasia wins American Idol /15

Martin named Panthers coach /9
Implant surgery ahead for deaf tot /13

CITIZEN
Serving the Central Interior since 1916
al causes. An autopsy will be performed but results are not expected for two to four months. Fogolin is survived by his parents, Lee and Carol, and older brother Rory, a former AJHL player. Lee Fogolin, a 13-year NHL veteran, earned two Stanley Cup rings with the Edmonton Oilers. Fogolin, a skilled defenceman at five-foot-10 and 171 pounds, played 42 games for the Cougars last season, scoring two goals and three assists with 35 minutes in penalties. The Cougars selected Fogolin in the fourth round, 58th overall, in the 2002 WHL bantam draft. "We all loved Mikey. He was such a great young man, mature beyond his years," said Brandi Brodsky, the team's business manager and Fogolin's billet for part of the season.

PRINCE GEORGE

THURSDAY, MAY 27, 2004

80 CENTS (HOME DELIVERED: 56 CENTS A DAY)

Cougars rookie defenceman dies
by JIM SWANSON Citizen Sports Editor Prince George Cougars defenceman Michael Fogolin died in his sleep Wednesday morning at his family home in Edmonton. Fogolin, a rookie with the Cougars last season, was 17. The cause of death has not been determined, but it is believed Fogolin died of natur"Our hearts are with Lee and Carol and the Fogolin family. We are just devastated by this, and we can only think of how tough this is for Mikey's family." Funeral arrangements are pending. The Cougars ask that the family's privacy be respected, and condolences can be sent to the family at pgcougars_mikefogolin@yahoo.ca -- See related stories on page 8

FOGOLIN

Bureau mum on delay in rail ruling
by GORDON HOEKSTRA Citizen staff Since it's now taken the federal Competition Bureau almost six months to assess the $1-billion CN-B.C. Rail merger, it's likely there are some competition concerns, rail transportation expert Bill Waters said Wednesday. "There must be some issue that's being debated back and forth on this because it's obviously not being rubberstamped," said Waters, an economist who is co-director of the University of B.C.'s Centre for Transportation Studies. However, it's difficult to say what the specifics are, said Waters, as there's been no "good leaks." Both CN and the B.C. government had been anticipating an announcement from the bureau at the end of March or early April. Waters said the obvious possibility is that there are continuing concerns that shippers on B.C. Rail will lose interswitching access to other rail lines. "Will they still have the same competitive alternatives?" he questioned. "But that's been obvious all along, and I thought the original call for proposal said they had to address that." The Competition Bureau -- which does not discuss details of its private analysis of mergers and buyouts -- confirmed Wednesday the review is ongoing. Don Thorne, a spokesman in Prince George for the Council of Trade Unions on B.C. Rail, said workers believe a decision from the Competition Bureau is imminent, perhaps as early as this week. Thorne said he's heard the delays may be over competition issues around grain shipments. The unions have opposed the deal. Thorne said he expects the B.C. government and CN will move quickly to implement the deal once the Competition Bureau makes a decision. The B.C. government inked the deal with CN to sell B.C. Rail's freight business and equipment under a long-term lease in November, but full contract details have not been released. The Liberals are eager to finalize the deal, which they say will bring economic benefits to northern B.C., including more than $170 million in economic development cash. But because the province is waiting for the Competition Bureau ruling, legislation on the deal planned for the spring sitting was postponed until this fall. Prince George North MLA Pat Bell said while he's frustrated with the length of time it's taking to finalize the deal, the Competition Bureau review is not a negative. "I think whatever comes out of that review will give people comfort to know, in fact, there will be competition in the movement of goods in our area," said Bell, the province's junior mining minister. Bell said the deal -- and its ensuing benefits to the Port of Prince Rupert -- was a hot topic of conversation at a joint B.C.-Alberta cabinet meeting in Prince Rupert on Wednesday. The B.C. government and CN have pledged $32 million to upgrade the Port of Prince Rupert to handle container traffic, a critical and growing component in the transportation of goods, particularly to Asia. Alberta would like to start moving agricultural products like oats, peas and grass seed by container through the port. "From the Alberta government's point of view they see the CN deal as being integral to the development of the port," said Bell. The total cost of the Prince Rupert port upgrade is between $60 million to $100 million.

Citizen photo by Brent Braaten

CASTING ABOUT -- Glen Mikkelsen, a member of the Polar Coachmen Fly Fishing Club, practises casting on the Nechako River. The club is hosting an open house today from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Studio 2880.

Native school `unique' in B.C.
by PAUL STRICKLAND Citizen staff The proposed Aboriginal Education Centre in Prince George, a secondary school with an aboriginal cultural focus, would be the first of its kind in the province. The school would serve Grades 8 to 12 and would be a three-way partnership of the B.C. education ministry, the aboriginal community and the Prince George school district. The school board agreed to pursue the proposal Tuesday night. Plans call for it to open in September 2005. "Certainly what we're trying to do with a culturally-focused Aboriginal Education Centre is unique in the public education system of B.C.," said trustee John Rustad. Rustad and trustee Michelle Marrelli are coauthors of a report tabled this week that was the background for the school board's approval of a recommendation to create the school. The Prince George school district would be the first in B.C. to try to establish such a secondary school, Corinna Filion, ministry communications officer, said from Victoria. However, she cautioned, "as far as the ministry is concerned, it's still in the preliminary stages." When the graduation rate for aboriginal students is still only 42 per cent, it is the structure of the current system that must be failing to meet their needs, Marrelli said. "We need to make a radical change," she said. "It will take some guts and support from all sides," Marrelli said. "If the provincial government comes on side with us, together with the Aboriginal Education Board and the Prince George school board, we have a chance to make a dramatic difference in the lives of these kids." Superintendent Dick Chambers agreed. "There is a need for us to try something like this," he said. It has broad support within the region's aboriginal community, he added. "Although it won't be without its challenges, it certainly deserves an attempt by the school district and the Aboriginal Education Board, and we hope the province will support such an endeavour," Chambers said. "We've got lots of work ahead of us, but we'll keep our fingers crossed that we can sort through the challenges." Ben Berland, chair of the Aboriginal Education Board, said the approval of the recommendation for an Aboriginal Education Centre is another step toward getting the school that the aboriginal board has been advocating for the past three years. "We're still waiting for the ministry and what their next step will be," he said. "We have to recognize this is a time when there are cutbacks and school closures, and we have to work around that." -- See editorial on page 4

High : 15 Low : 7 page 2

District, natives ink deal
Citizen staff A servicing agreement between the Fraser-Fort George Regional District and the McLeod Lake Indian Band was signed Wednesday -- paving the way for establishment of a reserve about one kilometre north of Bear Lake. The agreement means the regional district will provide all the services to the reserve that are available to members of electoral area G (Crooked River-Parsnip), such as water and sewer, fire protection and recreation services. As well, the band will pay for the services on the same basis as everyone else, through a rate on property taxes based on the assessed value of the land, said Finlay Sinclair, the regional district's manager of intergovernmental affairs. Band members will also be able to vote in the regional district elections, he said. It's expected that between 30 and 50 band members will live on the reserve once established, which is expected to occur this summer, with children there going to school in nearby Bear Lake, where about 230 people live. FFGRD chair Colin Kinsley called the agreement historic and a further step in developing relations with the band. In December, the regional district and the band signed a protocol agreement to share information, technology and staff resources. McLeod Lake band chief Harley Chingee said the agreement will make the reserve viable. Without the agreement, the province would not have released the Crown land in question to the band.

INDEX
City, B.C. . . . . . . . . . . .3,5,13 Classified . . . . . . . . . . .18-21 Nation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6,7 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-12 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14,15

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