Canucks name new coach /9
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 2006

Dear Friends In-line skating writer gets behind great form of the wheel /13 exercise /25

Lauren Conrad moves on to The Hills /17

$1.00 (HOME DELIVERED: 59 CENTS A DAY)

Child deaths preventable, coroner says
BURNABY (CP) -- More than onethird of children who die in motor vehicle accidents in British Columbia are not wearing restraints, says a report that laments the fact more children die from preventable accidents than all other causes of death. "Inexperience, inattention, excessive speed, and the failure to use restraint systems are key contributors of children's deaths in these crashes," said B.C. Chief Coroner Terry Smith. The report released Tuesday looked at 819 child deaths from 2002 to 2005 to ensure they all had a secondary review. It's part of the cleanup initiated by the provincial government after it admitted last fall that hundreds of case files had ended up in a Victoria warehouse without being fully reviewed. Another review is underway to examine 955 child deaths that were not properly looked at from the late 1990s through to when the Liberal government eliminated the Children's Commission in 2002. Those deaths were the focus of a scathing report by former judge Ted Hughes who found government budget cuts and constant policy and leadership upheavals in the Children and Fa m i l y D e v e l o p m e n t M i n i s t r y stretched B.C.'s child protection system to the breaking point. B.C.'s Solicitor General John Les said the coroner's service report signals the strong commitment to conduct thorough reviews of child deaths in British Columbia. "This report is a part of a process that was completely endorsed by Ted Hughes and others, and I think it represents some good work, albeit somewhat late," he said. "Hopefully, it will contribute to the safety of children in British Columbia." But Adrian Dix, the NDP's critic on the children's file, said that for four years, the coroner's office did not conduct the necessary secondary reviews of children's deaths, missing an opportunity to make recommendations that could have saved lives. "I'm not blaming the coroner," said Dix. "This is the premier that botched this operation and he botched an operation that is fundamental, something that he had talked about for years and he didn't care enough to do it properly. The consequences are a six-year gap in child death reviews." Les said the government admitted its problems with child death reviews, while the Opposition is still trying to fight past battles. "The six-year quotation is obviously a huge stretch," he said. "The report, and I have reviewed it, is a very thorough report and it's a good indication of a lot more good work like this to come." Tuesday's repor t also noted an alarming trend involving the deaths of aboriginal children. Of the deaths reviewed, 21 per cent were native children, even though they comprise less than 10 per cent of the population of the province. The report also pointed out that of the 819 deaths reviewed, 23 per cent are children who are in the care of or are receiving services from the Children's Ministry. While Smith didn't know why more children were dying in care, he said those children were likely at higher risk for a number of reasons, "including things like drug addiction, and other issues."

Demolition work begins on KGV
by FRANK PEEBLES Citizen staff Demolition preparation has begun inside King George V elementary and the contractor says he still has not heard from the group hoping to save the historic part of the structure. "Nobody has contacted me and if they don't call me in the next day or two, they will be out of luck," said Steve Johansen of Western Thermal and Demolition. "I won't be doing any real demolition for a couple of weeks, but I'm doing my prep work right now, and I knock a building down a whole lot differently if I know there is part of it I have to save. If I don't have to save anything, I think nothing of taking a chainsaw to a wall to get at something on the other side." Removal of interior debris has already begun, with the next major step being the extraction of hazardous materials like asbestos insulation. "We have a very small crew in there right now, taking dumpsters full of stuff out of there," said Johansen. "We will crew up and be full into the hazardous materials abatement within a few weeks." The Friends of KGV group has been attempting to find an alternative to destroying the 1920s-era building. Different locations were suggested to which the structure could be relocated, a specialist in the transportation of buildings confirmed it was possible, but other obstacles like fibreoptic cables disallowed all of the initial ideas. No certain location has been determined, and financial concerns have also cost the group momentum to save the building. Calls to the group's spokespeople were not returned by press time. They were scheduled to meet last weekend to discuss their options. Even if Johansen receives no calls from the citizens group, "part of my contract is I have to take out some things for the school district: handrails and banisters from the stairs and a few things like that, and I understand they want to use that in the features of the new school somehow." The demolition of KGV and the adjacent former school district office is to accommodate the building of a new Duchess Park secondary school.

Citizen photo by Brent Braaten

ASSESSING THE DAMAGE -- Jason Jamison talks on a phone as he surveys the damage caused by a smash-and-grab at the Empire Board shop on Domano Boulevard. Thieves smashed the windows of the store with a vehicle, making off with a sunglasses display and hoodies.

High : 19 Low : 10 page 2
E-Mail address:

Washington, B.C. hold historic meeting
by FRANK PEEBLES Citizen staff Prince George-Mount Robson MLA Shirley Bond was one of the cabinet members in the room at a historic meeting Tuesday with members of the Washington state government. "Today was first time that cabinet members from Washington state and B.C. have met together to discuss a working relationship between our two jurisdictions," Bond said. Bond said Premier Gordon Campbell singled her out as being from the northern region of the province, so the Washington delegation was aware that the B.C. team was representative of the interests of the entire province. "Many of the goods from northern B.C. flow to the United States, and people in northern B.C. do have relationships with people in Washington state, do business there, go there for travel, so there is a flow back and forth," Bond said. "This is about improving the economic climate between our two places. To improve tourism, we have to get their people into the province first of all, then take the opportunity to attract them to the northern part of the province. That has a big impact on the fortunes of northern B.C., as does the flow of goods like beef and lumber over the border." The agenda centred on key points both governments agree need to be worked on to mutual benefit: border security, congestion at border crossings, sharing emergency resources, jointly fighting drug crime, enhancing early education, etc. Bond was also invited to attend Washington's fall meetings on the issue of early education. At the forefront of the discussion was the agreement to jointly lobby both federal governments to quash or at least delay plans for passports for all who travel across the border. Washington and B.C. oppose the measure and see billions of dollars in potential losses if travel and trade are hampered.

Golf club near deal
by MARK NIELSEN Citizen staff Prince George Golf and Curling Club president Kevin Bowman is hoping a deal for a new home will be reached in the next few weeks but he's not making any promises. "We hope to have something wit hin t he next two or t hree weeks," Bowman said. "I mean, I've even given up on estimating when we're going to have something but we're down to the nitty gritty and the final details for sure." The Pomeroy Group, based in Grande Prairie, Alta., has signed a formal offer to buy the club's current home in the middle of the city for $15 million. It's contingent on the PGGCC finding a new location. The club is looking at two possibilities off Foothills Boulevard north of the Nechako River -- one Crown land and the other privately owned. In November, 91.3 per cent of the members who cast ballots voted to sell the land to Pomeroy after facing a large bill for rebuilding the links ravaged by the pine beetle. Pomeroy plans a mixture of commercial and residential development once the club has moved out.

news@princegeorgecitizen.com
Our website:

http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com

INDEX
Annie's Mailbox . . . . . . . . . 16 Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Business . . . . . . . . . . . .22-24 City, B.C. . . . . . . . . . .3,5,6,13 Classifi ed . . . . . . . . . . . 19-21 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . .17 Horoscope . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Nation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,7 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-12 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14,15

Flight service in holding pattern
Citizen staff Prince George won't be benefiting from Air Canada's purchase of 60 new midsize jets anytime soon. "They have basically told us that we are status quo," Prince George Airport manager Steig Hoeg said. "They're looking at different markets, they're not looking at us as an existing market." Air Canada is in the process of purchasing 60 jets, ranging from 73 to 93 seats, from Brazil's Embraer. Fifteen of Embraer's E175 jets recently arrived and the first 11 of 45 Embraer E190 jets it has on order should arrive at month's end. Air Canada is also deploying 15 Bombardier CRJ705s it purchased in 2005 and recently launched services between Fort McMurray, Alta., and Toronto, Abbotsford and Toronto, and Comox and Calgary. Through its Jazz subsidiary, Air Canada provides daily flights between Prince George and Vancouver. "They're very supportive and we're working with them certainly on adjusting it and putting in some different flights, but there's no move there at all," Hoeg said. Air Canada spokesperson Angela Mah echoed Hoeg's comments, saying there is no plan to schedule the jets into Prince George. "The new midsized jets, including the Embraers and the Bombardier 705s, are being deployed on transborder routes such as Calgary to New York, Edmonton to Los Angeles, Calgary to Houston, Toronto to Salt Lake City and some of the domestic routes, such as Abbotsford to Toronto or Fort McMurray to Toronto," said Mah.

0

58307

00100

8

NEW PRODUCT
3 step water based spreadable stone coating (enviro friendly) 4 Colours Use on Sidewalks, driveways, basement floors, Available decks & patios

Windsor Plywood
Open 7 days a week!
100% LOCALLY O WNED & OPERAT ED

Reg. $45.99

le on sa

39

88

le on sa
Reg. $109.99

4 litres

88

88

3670 Opie Cres., Prince George
Phone: 564-8814 � Fax: 562-2391
00497880

10 litres

SWITCHBOARD: 562-2441

CLASSIFIED: 562-6666

READER SALES: 562-3301