FEBRUARY 11, 2004 UNBC Forestry grad lan Brown received the highest mark on BC s Registered Forestry Professionals exam, outperforming 102 other candidates. This is the third year that a UNBC grad has received the top mark on the exam. lan is currently an operations techni- cian specializing in silvi- culture with the BC Timer Sales Program in the Burns Lake field unit. English professor Dee Horne has relieved a $32 000 (one year) grant’from the Social } Sciences and Humanities Research Council s “image, Text and Sound Technology” program. With the funding, Dee will crea LitCan, a Literary #4 Journal Publishing Network. LitCan will bring together literar journals in Canada that — focus on creative writ- ing to share, develop, and disseminate exist- ing and new technolo- gies to enhance acquisi- tions, publication, and marketing of electronic and print journals. _.< Scotiabank has made a significant contribution to the Northern Health Sciences Centre. The bank donated $150, 000 dollars, which will be used to help fund the acquisition of state of the art telecommuni- - cation equipment that will allow electronic transmission of the cur- | riculum. News § Photo by Jeremy Stewart The UNBC campus has recieved several dumps of snow so far during this winter semester, which is good if you like snow, skiing and other winter sports, and bad if this means you have to shovel a drive. On the bright side, with the tuition increases, most students are homeless and have no driveways in need of shov- eling. UNBC Outdoors Club News: Powder King Trip Coming Soon!!! By D. Danskin The UNBC Outdoors Club recently had their annual ‘Ski Smithers’ trip on January 24 & 25, and a good time was had by all the 60+ members who came! Smithers Hudson Bay Mountain did not dis- appoint, as usual, and boarders/skiers were treated to fluffy fresh powder on both days. The weather was good, although the -26ish temperatures on Sunday cut some folks day short, as the threat of frostbite became apparent. Aprlis ski activities included the usual takeover of the Bulkley Valley pool, and a taste of the local favor at the infamous ‘Garage’. Despite the heinous road conditions on the drive home, everyone made it back in one piece (unfortunately not the same can be said for every- one’s vehicles). thankfully no one was seriously injured!!), Thanks again to everyone who drove! Our avalanche course went on last week, with the field session held at Powder King on the weekend on Jan. 31/ Feb. 1. CAA instructor Jesse Anaka taught 7 members the basics of avalanche science, snow tests, rescue techniques, and backcountry win- ter travel safety. The recent dumps of snow provid- ed a great learning environment for the partici- pants, and the good conditions made the course an enjoyable experience. The Outdoors Club may be holding a second course, time and conditions pend- ing).come to a meeting for more info. Thanks again to Jesse for providing us with his expertise! The next major upcoming event is a bus trip to Powder King on Saturday Feb. 28th. The cost will be $40 for club members and $45 for non members, which includes your lift ticket and your transporta- tion on a big’comfy highway coach. It’s a great deal considering the cost of a lift ticket alone at PK is $40 and their ski bus charges $15, and for those who drive it eliminates the stress of navigating the sketchy Pine Pass. Details on departure/arrival times will be available at sign-up, which will be from February 23-27 in the Wintergarden. The bus only seats 42, so sign up early in the week to ensure a spot!!! For more info, come check out a meeting: every Thursday at 6pm, rm 5-178! Powder King Bus Trip The UNBC Outdoors Club is doing a bus trip to PK, on Saturday, February 28/04. Cost will be $40 (members) and $45 (non), which includes your lift ticket and ride on the bus. Sign up in_ the Wintergarden Feb. 23-27, only 42 seats available! Stronach wants to make tuition tax-deductible Speech betrays Conservative leadership hopeful's inability to speak French By Dave Weatherall, The Link “logue: deductible-an announcement that she believed Quebec is a nation. MONTREAL (CUP) — Belinda Stronach’s campaign stop at a popu- far Montreal club last Friday left onlookers and supporters noticeably unimpressed. Afier tourimg the room to shake hands with friends and supporters, the Conservative party candidate took to the podium to address the crowd of television cameras, photographers and reporters. Unable to address the crowd in the provincial mother tongue, Stronach began with an apology and then launched into her carefully scripted “Je ne parle pas beaucoup francais. Mais je vais Ecouter ... et apprendre,” which drew no applause and a few smirks from the French television camera operators. The entire room looked uneasy upon her early admis- sion, but settled when she launched into familiar Conservative rhetoric. “I believe we should give Canadians the most competitive tax structure in the world,” she said. Besides giving bigger tax breaks to business and making mortgage pay- ments partially tax deductible, Stronach also announced that she would make tuition payments tax drew significant applause from the scattered young people in the crowd who had been quiet until that point. Stronach continued to deliver an almost carbon. copy of her, other speeches, minus the support for gay marriage and the abolition of the gun registry, She emphasized the need to “disentangle” overlapping responsi- bilities between the provincial and federal levels of government. “Many fields are entangled by reg- ulation from both levels of govern- ment- entanglement that creates red tape and inereased costs,” she said. Stronach also wouldn't clarify if “Let me just say there would be no Canada without Quebec. I believe as we go forward with policymaking, we need to reflect [upon] Quebec’s her- itage, cultural institutions and Jan- guage.” Stronach faces Stephen Harper, the former Canadian Alliance leader, and Tony Clement, Ontario’s former health minister in the leadership con- test. The party formally ratified the three as candidates by Friday's dead- line. The vote will take place on March 20.