Star-Phoenix from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada • 1

I IvJiliyilUPlJ T3EF Historic case set in motion Junior Hockey preview The StarPlioeiiix TODAY TOMORROW Friday Sept. 19, 1997 10 0 16 3 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Suggested Price: 70 $1.17 Tax not included am Hamlet reeling over boy's death Residents of 'dog town' point fingers after tethered sled dog kills three-year-old 1 the attack, but returned it to Campbell Wednesday night. Early Thursday morning, when the town awoke to learn the boy had died, the dog was taken by a federal government veterinarian and the RCMP to a Shellbrook vet clinic where it was killed at Campbell's request. Police have withheld the boy's name because they still can't find his mother. St.

Denis said Campbell is in shock over the attack by one of his husky-German shepherd cross dogs. "He's a good guy and he tried to keep care of his dogs as well as he could. I seen him feeding them every day. He gets people to feed them when he goes away. He's not a bad guy, he's got kids Herman Campbell keeps his sled dogs.

George St. Denis, a friend of Campbell's, was working in a yard about 100 metres away when the boy's hysterical aunt cried for help. "She started screaming and I couldn't understand a thing," St. Denis said. "One of the women next door pulled the kid away from where the dog was.

He was kind of in shock, and there was a lot of blood and everything, but we couldn't really tell what was wrong with him." St. Denis said Parkland Ambulance and the RCMP arrived quickly and whisked the boy away to hospital in Prince Albert, He was then transferred to Saskatoon, where he died. Shellbrook RCMP took the dog after By Leslie Perreaux ofTIieStarPhoenix CRUTWELL The cold, rainy weather cast a gloomy pall over this tiny hamlet Thursday, as townspeople struggled to explain how a three-year-old boy was killed in the jaws of a chained-up sled dog. Each of the town's 50 or so residents has a theory and they don't hesitate to cast blame. Some say civic officials have failed to enforce dog bylaws in the town where dogs have outnumbered humans for decades.

Others blamed the dog owner, who they allege skirted the same bylaws by keeping more dogs than the bylaws STTOKY permit within town limits. Still others wondered why such a young child was allowed to wander a block away from where he was staying and into a yard where four dogs were chained and four other pups often romped freely. The boy, who died at Royal University Hospital Wednesday, was from Prince Albert and had been staying with relatives in Crutwell, 20 kilometres west of the city, when he wandered into the junk-filled yard where St. Denis Danger and grandkids who played with that dog. He's so sorry and he just doesn't know what to do right now," St.

Denis said. MORE ON PAGE A3 Best foot forward IS LOCAL SORRY STATE Christopher Smith is going to prison for the 1995 murder of a Meadow Lake store clerk. Smith apologized to his victim's family and to his own and swore he would use his time in prison to turn his life around. A3 NATIONAL ti i 1 1- I TAUNTING POLICE A New Westminster court heard the scornful voice of a man accused of a brutal sex slaying in Abbotsford, B.C. Terry Driver bragged on tape he killed 16-year-old Tanya Smith and swore police were too dumb to catch him.

C17 COLD-HEARTED SURGERY Surgeons in a Toronto hospital temporarily "killed" a patient for 18 minutes while he cooled down to 15 as part of a 15-hour operation to fix a tricky aneurysm. B7 mm if a INTERNATIONAL RCMP probe affiliate of Metis Nation of Sask. over fraud allegations By James Parker of The StarPhoenix RCMP commercial crime officers have begun an investigation into allegations of fraud at Metis Employment and Training of Saskatchewan Inc. (METSI). The force confirmed Thursday that Human Resources Development Canada (IIRDC), the federal department which dispenses $8 million a year to METSI, asked for a probe last week.

IIRDC has suspended administrative funding to the METSI because of concerns about poor bookkeeping and possible fraud. "Our commercial crime unit is looking at it and will take the appropriate action," said Sgt. Rick Wychreschuk, an RCMP spokesperson. METSI, an affiliate of the Metis Nation of Saskatchewan (MNS), began operation in April after the MNS and Ottawa signed an agreement giving the Metis greater control of employment and training programs previously managed by the Metis Pathways Secretariat METSI has 12 regional offices and about 40 employees. The federal government has threatened to cancel its agreement with.

the MNS, appoint a trustee and order a forensic audit if METSI does- n't improve its accounting systems. Ottawa's concern was prompted by a forensic audit undertaken by Saskatoon financial consultant Rod Yano at the request of the MNS. Yano started his examination of METSI's books in June. An Aug. 27 letter sent to the MNS executive outlined his concerns.

Yano claimed he uncovered expenditures made without proper doc-umentation and evidence of fraud on the part of individuals connect- 1 ed with METSI and the Metis Nation of Saskatchewan. He claims more than $40,000 is unaccounted for. In an interview with The StarPhoenix, Yano said METSI had proper accounting systems in place but they weren't utilized. "The government is doing the correct thing," said Yano, who has urged the MNS executive to adopt a new policy and procedures man- ual at METSI, set standardized training allowances and initiate an im- mediate reorganization. MNS president Jim Durocher said he couldn't comment on the RCMP investigation.

However, he said the MNS is acting on many of Yano's recommendations and will produce a financial action plan next week. He said the MNS hopes to put in better management systems at METSI and co-manage the organization with the federal government. Integral to a recovery plan is the completion of a computer system linking METSI's 12 offices, Durocher said. Durocher said the financial troubles at METSI will hurt the MNS. The organization is just recovering from a financial debacle which saw the federal government cut its funding in 1994 after an audit revealed it could not account for hundreds of thousands of dollars in spending.

i Yi I FISHY ATTACK ON CANADA Canada became the butt of congressional bashing Thursday as Alaskan and Hawaiian representatives took on their neighbor for being environmentally unfriendly, ridiculous and acting like jerks. C18 Melanle Ulvick of the Saskatoon Business College took a shine to Gail Osachoff's shoes Thursday at 22nd Street East and Fourth Avenue. Ulvick was one of 850 Shinerama participants raising money M9 for cystic fibrosis. (SP Photo Gora waldner) Reformers lay groundwork for provincial party "I won't be in to work today, my wife's sick!" INDEX John Ann Landers D5 Business D10-D13 D1-D8 Lifestyle Classified B10-B13 Dl Movies National C1M17 -A14-A16 Comics, .117 Drive FrovjCity. A6-A13 Ai, A3 A2 B14 Snorts, B1-B6 -Til International, TV Listings MA Weather, C18.D9 Friday-Saturday Krawetz Tanner til then, the federal party won't offer support to any provincial parties.

Meanwhile, Meyers said he hopes the formation of a provisional party doesn't "drive a wedge between Saskatchewan Reformers." Several high-profile Reformers, like former MP Elwin Hermanson and sitting MPs Allan Kerpan and Garry Breitkreuz, are publicly supporting the Saskatchewan Party. "We've done a pretty good job at the national level. We now have eight MPs (in Saskatchewan) and we're pretty proud of that And we have a pretty united group right now. If this business of provincial politics drives a wedge between us, it is not helpful," Meyers said. The Saskatchewan Party has said all the right tilings about talking to the grassroots people, having a constitution and policy-making by the people and an open leadership, Meyers said.

"But this thing has been driven almost exclusively to this The group will present a paper about provincial opportunities for a party at the regional Reform conference in Saskatoon Oct 10-11. "We believe that one thing the Saskatchewan Party did not do, which is upsetting people in Saskatchewan, is that when they moved from one party to another they did so without their membership having a vote on it "And as Reformers we believe strongly that your seat is not yours as a politician, it belongs to the voters and that they have the right to decide. So this is why a lot of Reformers say, 'No, I want a Reform party to represent The provisional Reform party in Saskatchewan doesnt have backing from the federal Reform party at this time, national Reform chair Harry Meyers said. A national Reform assembly will be held in May 1998 where the mem-, bership will be asked if it wants the party to enter provincial politics. Un By Bonny Braden LeaderStar News REGINA Agroup of 36 Saskatchewan Reformers have created a "provisional Reform parry" so they can pursue affiliation with the federal party.

Alene Tanner of Moose Jaw said a recent survey of Reform members showed 53 per cent of respondents want to form a provincial wing. And only 34 per cent of the 1.631 people surveyed by Reform in August supported the idea of a Liberal, Tory and Reform coalition like the Saskatchewan Party. The provisional Reform party is simply a vehicle created after a meeting Saturday in Saskatoon to gather input from the grassroots membership, Tanner said "It's almost a misnomer to call it a party as such, because it isnt It's simply a group of grassroots Reformers who are working together to make a plan." STAR LINE MAJOR LEAGUE Reds 6. Expos 3 15osox3, Blue Jays 2 Giants 6. Dodgers 5 Braves 11, Mets 4 I'adres 7, Rockies 6 point by politicians.

And they've got a long way to go to convince me that they're really serious about what they said." Saskatchewan Party Leader Ken Krawetz said the fact there are MLAs involved with the Saskatchewan Party doesn't mean the grassroots is being ignored. Both the sitting MLAs and the party's steering committee are gathering input to build policy. Publications Mail Contract No. 460885 The StarPhoenix On-line: http:www.saskstar.sk.ca IK i MffilN MERLIN Will Sell a NEW MERCURY Car, or a NEW FORD Truck at Any Price Advertised in a Current Saskatchewan Newspaper. I 3750 Idylwyld Dr.

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