Canucks pick up Smolinski, Sopel, on eve of trade deadline /11

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2007

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Finding the strength to butt out /25

Sawmill burn investigated
Mirren may meet the Queen /17
by GORDON HOEKSTRA Citizen staff The environment ministry is investigating an open burn at the old Netherlands sawmill in the BCR industrial site, after The Citizen informed the ministry about it last week. Four piles of wood debris -- pieces of lumber, as well as chunks of timber -- were being burned last Thursday at the sawmill site, operated by Dollar Saver Lumber, which might violate provincial air pollution rules. The company was issued a burning permit by the Prince George Fire Department, but the provincial environment ministry says its regulations supersede city bylaws. Ministry of Environment official Mellissa Winfield-Lesk said Monday the Environmental Management Act states that no industry, trade or business is allowed to discharge contaminants into the air that may cause pollution. In order to do that, they would have to put pollution controls in place like a forced-air incinerator, said WinfieldLesk, who heads up the environmental quality section of the environment ministry in Prince George. The piles of wood at the old Netherlands sawmill on Thursday were being burned with no such controls. "They should know they have to contact us to find out what they're options are," said Winfield-Lesk. Dollar Saver Lumber officials maintain they had a permit from the fire department and did nothing wrong by burning the wood piles. The Citizen was tipped off about the burning of the wood by a member of

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Former CFL player sent to jail /7
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Piles of wood waste being burned at a mill in the BCR industrial site. The City of Prince George Fire Department did issue a permit for the burn. the public. Three weeks ago, another referral agency," observed Winfield- ify rules and responsibilities. member of the public told The Citizen Lesk. "We strongly want people to She stressed that it's important that about an incident of burning of wood come and contact us directly." any person -- including businesses -- waste, this time at Carrier Forest ProdWinfield-Lesk said she also believes wishing to conduct open burning ucts, just south of the BCR site. That the province and city are getting their should call all three agencies that have burn took place during an air quality "wires crossed" over exactly who has responsibility. Those include the enviadvisory in the Prince George area. It's jurisdiction and what needs to happen. ronment ministry, the city or regional also being investigated by the ministry. She said provincial ministry and city district and the Ministry of Forests. "(The Citizen) is becoming a bit of a officials would be meeting soon to clar-- See FIRE on page 3

Highway of Tears meeting planned
by FRANK PEEBLES Citizen staff The top cop in the Highway of Tears cases is coming to northern B.C. Friday to meet with the families of the many missing and murdered women. RCMP Supt. Leon Van De Walle will also talk with the governing body working to implement the recommendations of the Highway of Tears report. Van De Walle, who is in charge of the E-Division major crime section and the lead investigator in the Highway of Tears disappearances and murders, will be in Smithers on Friday, according to meeting organizers. "I find it hopeful," said Lucy Glaim, whose sister Delphine Nikal and cousin Cecilia Nikal are both among the missing. She said she has some blunt questions for Van De Walle. "My sister's case in particular has been put on hold due to budget constraints," Glaim said. "I'm hoping to get some answers about that excuse. I was told that two years ago by one of the investigators, and there have been so many of them. I've been told they even think they know where her body is, but they can't afford the backhoe, so it has been put on hold. I definitely want to discuss that with Mr. Van De Walle." -- See FAMILIES on page 3

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Education ministry approves proposal for Duchess Park
by FRANK PEEBLES Citizen staff The provincial government has agreed to build a new Duchess Park secondary school that is the full size hoped for by local school officials. Tonight's public school board meeting will feature a discussion on the arrangement now in place between the Ministry of Education and School District 57. The district has always wished for a new DPSS big enough to hold 900 students. The education ministry said last month it would only provide enough money for 650 students, citing excess space at other Prince George secondary schools as the reason. At the last trustees meeting, local school officials promised to lobby the government for the additional funding due to special circumstances, namely the placement of two well established French-language programs at DPSS. These two programs needed to be coupled and integrated into the full English-language composition of the school in order to be efficient. -- See SELLING on page 3

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INDEX
Annie's Mailbox . . . . . . . . 28 Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Business . . . . . . . . . . . . 22-24 City, B.C. . . . . . . . . .3,5,6, 13 Classifi ed . . . . . . . . . . .18-21 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . .17 Horoscope . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Nation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6,7 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-12 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,15

Citizen photo by David Mah

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BACK TO WORK -- CN trainman and United Transportation Union member Pierre Ducharme switches tracks by remote Monday and moves the locomotives to another part of the yard.

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