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THE PRINCE
FREE PRES
VOL.2 NO.10
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1995
 PHONE 564-0005
 Who’s king?/An uphill battle
 ▼ UNBC
 Big hikes in tuition predicted
 By CHERYL JAHN
 Free Press staff writer
    Cuts to federal transfer payments are putting the University of Northern B.C.’s “raison d’etre” at risk. Though its not written in stone, its expected the federal government will cut between $60 million to $80 million next year alone in educational transfer payments, leaving the provincial education ministry holding the bag.
    For UNBC, which will have its budgetary wheels in motion throughout December, the funding cuts will spell leaner times for administrators, faculty and students alike.
    Rob van Adrichem, the university’s media officer, says department heads and all those involved in the budgetary process have been told the ministry is cutting funding by at least eight per cent from last year’s funding, and to prepare their budget’s accordingly.
    “That means UNBC will get about $2 million dollars less in funding this year.”
    The deficit, he says, will not be borne by one specific discipline -it’ll be spread out as evenly as possible.
    “Until the department heads have their draft budgets in, its hard to say where the cuts will be made. But, its pretty much accepted there’ll be less to play with across the board.”
    The eight per cent budget reduction is called for even while planning for a 25 per cent increase in tuition fees.
 Turn to Look, A6
 Council won’t lose PGRH without a fight
     The Prince George Community Health Council is calling the Regional Health Board’s decision to take over governance of the Prince George Regional Hospital “totally unacceptable. ”
     And they plan to let the Board know it in no uncertain terms.
     At its last regular meeting in November, the Board voted to take over governance of the hospital, something the Health Council sees as lunacy.
     “Its our job to create an integrated health care system for Prince George. How are we expected to do that without PGRH as the focal
  point? We can’t build a house without all the bricks,” reasons Lorna Dittmar.
     To add insult to the Council’s injury, the Health Board has suggested in a letter that it do up two community health plans - one that includes governance of PGRH, the other that doesn’t.
     “Its taken a lot of work to get this far on one plan, and now they expect we do two? We, as a council, we don’t have the time or energy,” exclaims an exasperated Peter McEwen.
     The Community Health Council members have voted to send a letter not only denouncing the Regional Health Board’s decision but also
  saying it will continue drawing up a community health plan, only one plan, that incorporates governance of the hospital in it.
     But, despite all the fire and brimstone at the council meeting, one calmer voice did speak out. That of Tim Rowe, the Ministry of Health New Directions facilitator. Mr. Rowe reminded council members that the Regional Health Board's move was not, as far as he knew, a permanent one.
     "The letter refers to this decision as an ‘interim’ decision until (he Ministry has set out some guidelines for governance.”
  Turn to Ministry, A6
INSIDE
 A3
                                                                                                       Remembering
                                                                                                    No one will forget 14 women in Montreal.
 B3
                                                                                                                             Elves Alert
 Light-hearted amusement is on the menu.
 B5
                                                                                                                  Masked man
                                                                                                              Jamie McCaig is making the saves for the midgets.
                                                    1996 Northern B.C. Winter Games
                                                       65 Days to go
    Raymond Thomas and cousin Michael Thomas are too young to know they should be cursing the accumulation of white stuff. The pair were carousing in a snow drift at Parkwood Mall. And remember to keep an eye out for kids who are enjoying the weather, when you're driving.
                                                                                                                                                                                    Tonya Hartz/Free Press