www.pgcitizen.ca
THE
SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 2015
PRINCE
GEORGE
CITIZEN
Newsstand $1.80 incl. tax | Home Delivered 70c/day
CNC cuts discussed at packed forum
Samantha WRIGHT ALLEN
Citizen staff, sallen@pgcitizen.ca
College of New Caledonia’s board faced a full house at Friday’s monthly meeting and an afternoon forum held in response to opposition to proposed cuts.
Board chair Keith Playfair started off by saying the college has faced years of cuts.
“All the easy spots are gone. Unfortunately we’re down to where we’re cutting meat from the bones this year and I can honestly say that no one on this board is happy.”
In the last month, the board has received more than 500 pages of letters in response to proposed course suspensions that include the entire dental program as well as cuts to counselling and daycare.
On Friday, the board heard from college counsellors, dental faculty and at least 20 presenters who signed up to speak at the afternoon forum, organized after the college agreed to delay the budget vote by one month.
At issue is a $2.8 million deficit which president Henry Reiser was careful to note represents the operational rather than capital budget.
“We cannot move money from capital into operation,” said Resier, adding the university is obliged to follow the government’s direction in how it allocates some of its funds.
Reiser called the ratio of administrators to faculty “medium to low” in comparison to other institutions, noting that some administrators have nothing to do with the operational budget or faculty.
consider their comments before the budget meeting - and vote - in April.
Dental program
CITIZEN PHOTOS BY BRENT BRAATEN
ABOVE: CNC president Henry Reiser and board chair Keith Playfair participate during a public forum Friday at CNC. TOP: A public forum was held at CNC Friday to discuss the college's budget.
CNC’s faculty association gave its breakdown of administrators: in 2014, 17 administrators made over $100,000 compared to
two in 2002. Faculty, it said, represent 45.4 per cent of the college’s staff.
Reiser told the speakers the board would
Some of the loudest voices came in support of the dental program which gave the board a thick booklet of letters and a 5,000 signature petition against the suspension.
The Education Council, which advises the board on academic matters, said it opposed the proposal when it met, also in early March.
Faculty slammed the college’s process and lack of consultation with staff and students.
“We were shocked and we were blindsided,” said Heather Brown, the clinic coordinator for dental studies, of the meeting in early March when faculty learned the program would be suspended.
Brown said the information communicated to faculty by the college has been “confusing and somewhat inaccurate.”
The $360,000 the college quoted to faculty as clinic upgrade and equipment costs included an incorrect estimate, said patient coordinator Monica Costley, adding it also included items on the wishlist
Costley pointed to the $33,000 program staff raised to cover the cost of new computers, which were set to be installed this summer, as a sign of their willingness to work with CNC on costs.
They said they would be open to talking about faculty to student ratios, increasing course fees and clinic fees, which at $30 for an adult are low.
— see ‘WE ARE, page 5
UNBC board delays budget approval
Charelle EVELYN Citizen staff cevelyn@pgcitizen.ca
Approval of the University of Northern B.C.’s 2015-16 operating budget will be put off until May as additional scrutiny is given to the financial plan.
The information was compiled in mid-February, explained UNBC’s vice president of finance and administration Eileen Bray.
“Since that time, the estimates we’ve prepared require additional work,” she said at Friday afternoon’s board of governors meeting. “What was proposed in February was a best-case scenario.”
UNBC’s board of governors is responsible for overseeing the school’s financial
matters. The well-attended meeting was the group’s first sitting since a labour dispute with the school’s faculty association shut down the university for two weeks earlier this month.
During the meeting, university president Daniel Weeks conveyed the sense of frustration with the budget process that he heard at the sitting of the school’s senate earlier in the week.
“I think it’s important the board understand one of the primary issues and emotions felt at the meeting was the palpable issue of trust - trust with respect to administration and, I would respectfully say, a trust issue extends to the board as well,” said Weeks.
— see PRESIDENT, page 3
Bourque charged with breaching probation
Vancouver Province, Citizen staff
A sexual sadist known for killing family pets and fantasizing about killing the homeless is back behind bars.
Kayla Bourque, 25, has been arrested in Vancouver for allegedly breaching the conditions of her probation.
Bourque, who is originally from Prince George, was charged with three counts of breach of probation. The Vancouver Sun reported that she is accused of “possessing a device capable of accessing the Internet, accessing the Internet and accessing social networking sites.”
Bourque’s initial probation conditions prevented her from being around children or using the Internet.
The gruesome details of her case originally made headlines in January 2013, when she was released from jail and the
BOURQUE
provincial Justice Ministry issued a public warning that a dangerous, high-risk offender had been released and planned to live in the Vancouver area.
— see ‘AFFECTIONLESS, page 3
ANNIE'S MAILBOX 33 NEWS 1-5
BRIDGE 33 B.C. 8
HOROSCOPE 2 CANADA 13-15
COMICS 34-36 WORLD 17-19
CROSSWORD 34 SPORTS 9-12
CLASSIFIEDS 23-26 TRAVEL 22
OPINION 6 AT HOME 29-31
Today's Weather
iM
Hi+10° Low+T
See page 2 for more details and short-term forecasts
Contact Us
CLASSIFIED: 250-562-6666 READER SALES: 250-562-3301 SWITCHBOARD: 250-562-2441
0 58307 00200
058307002005