A4 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 22, 1997 TERRACE STANDARD ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1988 ‘ADDRESS: 3210 Clinton Street Terrace, B.C. * V8G SR2 TELEPHONE: (250) 638-7283 * FAX: (250) 638-8432 EMAIL: standard@kermode.net Equity FIVE WEEKS. That’s how much time is left to contribute as much as possible to a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) this year and save a big chunk off income taxes. It’s the last great widely accessible tax shelter, and everyone should be taking full advantage of it. The RRSP system has been an ingenious way to entice Canadians into becoming a nation of savers. That’s important because the demographic bulge of the baby boomers is still yet to hit the golden years, and nobody’s absolutely sure what’s going to be left of the Canada Pension Plan once they are through with it. Unfortunately, the people the RRSP system — benefits most are the ones who need it least. Everyone gets to contribute 18 per cent of their income each year to their RRSP. That’s capped at $13,500 — meaning you have to be earning more than $75,000 a year before the limit is triggered. People at that level are also in the upper tax bracket, and gain the greatest reduction from their income tax bill. A 50 per cent tax bracket means the maximum contribution of $13,500 generates a $6,750 tax credit. Meanwhile many lower income earners aren’t contributing at all. Those who do contribute face a tougher struggle to hit their limit — usually a much lower number. And the return generated reflects their lower tax bracket: a $4,000 contri- bution in a 20 per cent tax bracket generates a tax credit of just $800. There are hints afoot that the government has plans to reduce the maximum RRSP contribution limit below the present $13,500 limit. That could be good news — if it comes ‘along with some plan to encourage young people to start contributing earlier. | Even a tiny monthly contribution started in a person’s mid-20s can mean a secure retirement later on — or money to finance a house pur- chase. Some kind of bonus tax credit for first-time RRSP contributors would be the ideal use of some of the money saved by lowering the cap. f 7 BEATS ME... IT WASN'T THERE _. THELAST TIME | SAW HIM... Red tape stifles log salvage VICTORIA - Beresford,’ a Cranbrook helicopter logging operator whose brushes with a sluggish and reluctant-to-change Forest Service cost him $200,008. Beresford wasn’t in the busi- ness of cutting down healthy trees. He was in the salvage business, harvesting trees that would otherwise rot. I'd also like you to meet Lawrence Shubert, owner of a Cranbrook saw mill that is idle because he can’t get his hands on timber, Shubert could use all the salvage wood Beresford might be able to supply. The Cranbrook — Daily Townsman recently publicized the plight of the two in particu- lar and the need for bureaucrats to make things a little easier for people with good ideas in general. | thought it might be a good idea to add to the impact of the story by giving it province- wide exposure. Beresford employed 14 people in a salvage logging show at Matthew Creek, near Kimberley. All the timber he took out was left over from a fire that had ravaged the area. Beresford would have made money on the operation and provided badly-needed timber for small independent saw mills in the area, had it not Meet Brian FROM THE CAPITAL HUBERT BEYER been for excessive red tape. Last winter his operation was shut down because, on orders from the Workers’ Compensa- tion Board, his crew cut down trees outside the prescription area, The WCB said leaving the trees in question would pose a safety hazard. The Forest Service called it a trespass. Eventually, the Forest Ser- vice agreed with the WCB and expanded the arca Beresford was allowed to log, but two weeks had been lost. Last spring, he was shut down again, this time because a consultant hired by the Forest Service said the ground was unstable due to run-off condi- lions in the watershed. Again, Beresford was eventually al- lowed to go ahead, but again, he had lost time and money. He's still an enthusiastic proponent of salvage logging. At Matthew Creek alone, it is estimated, there are still some 80,000 metres of burnt timber left, much of it salvageable, Ironically, while Beresford was losing money on salvaging trees because of bureaucratic interference, and Shubert would give his eye tecth for salvaged timber, a similar ex- ercise is going ahead full- steam in the Cariboo. Last November, Forest Min- ister David Zimhelt announced that that seven companies in the Cariboo — his home riding — had been awarded 3.5 mil- lion metres of beetle-killed timber, In a press release, the minister expressed downright pride over the massive salvage program. Now, what’s good for the goose ought to be good for the gander. If salvage harvesting of timber can go ahead in the Cariboo, why not in the Kootenays, and I mean without the bureaucrats getting in the way? Beresford says’ the large companies aren’t interested in salvage timber. Their mills are computerized to produce dimension tumber in the mos efficient way, And for that, they need green tim- ber. A small, independent opera- tor, on the other hand, can tum burnt wood into anything from kitchen cabinets to house logs, from furniture to two-by-fours. Forestry is still the pro- vince’s most important indus- try, and not just for the people employed by it. If British Columbians working in the forests and the related secondary induslries don’t earn a livelihood, the stream of tax dollars to Victoria will dry up and the cappiccino-sucking city slickers can kiss their stan- dard of living goodbye, tao. At a time when annual allow- able cuts in most regions are being drastically reduced, sal- vaging timber destroyed by fire or insects is one way to ease the transition to a more sustainable forestry. , All that’s needed is some streamlining of the bureaucracy which, in this case, is not so much mean- spirited as it is slow to move, People like Beresford and Shubert will do the rest. Over to you, minister. Beyer can be reached at Tel: 920-9300; Fax: 385-6783; E- mail: hubert@ceolcom.com TV bonanza ““WHAT’S ON TV tonight?’’ That familiar household refrain will get a boost here very soon should ExpressVu TV make its appearance as promised this summer. The system offers a great whack of channels through a federally-licensed direct to home satel- lite enterprise. It’ll bring strong competition to earth-bound cable systems and to those who al- ready have dishes through the so-called grey market bringing in American signals. To dedicated TV watchers, it means more choice. And given that ExpressVu will carry a healthy selection of Canadian channels, it should provide another avenue of spreading news and information about our country to all of its comers. TV already fractures an increasingly compli- cated society. Systems such as ExpressVu just might help our identity as Canadians. PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Rod Link a ADVERTISING MANAGER: Rick Passmore [iam PRODUCTION MANAGER: Edouard Credgeur NEWS Jeff Nagel * NEWS SPORTS: Dave Taylor COMMUNITY: Cris Leykanf OFFICE MANAGER: Kathleen Quigley ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS: Sam Collier, Janet Viveiros, Karen Dietrich ADVERTISING ASSISTANT: Emma Law, Keily Jean TYPESETTING: Sylvana Broman DARKROOM: Susan Credgeur CIRCULATION MANAGER: Karen Brunette MEMBER OF B.C. PRESS COUNCIL Serving the Terrace and Thomhill area. Published on Wednesday of each week by Cariboo Press {1969) Lid, at 3210 Clinton Street, Terrace, Gritish Columbla, VaG §R2. Stories, photographs, Mustrations, designs and lypastyles in the Tarrace Standard are the property of the copyright holders, including Cariboo Press (1969) Lid., its illustration repro services and advertising Reproduction in whola of 1 part, without writtan permission, is specifically prohibited. Authorired es second-class mail pending the Past Office Department, for payment of postage in cash. Speelal thanks to all our contributors and correspondents for thelr time and talents TT Perweer mh aetrariaon Modateh Celembis aod Fabee Good to appreciate authors “Nobody ever committed suicide while reading a good book, but many have while trying to write one.’’ — Robert Byrne Men can’t be too rich, women too thin, or authors too praised, How can you get in touch with authors? Write to them in care of their book’s publisher, or the radio or TV station where you heard or saw them being interviewed. If the author is on tour promoting book sales through interviews and book signing sessions you may have to wait six weeks or more for a reply, but rest assured, you will hear back. Last week I received a printed postcard form Margaret Atwood after a five month wait. I had wrilten to let her know how much my grand- daughters and I enjoy reading her latest kids’ book, Princess Prunella and the Purple Peanut. I addressed by letler to her at Key Porter Books Lid, Toronto. WELCOME To THE LAND USE PLAN NING- WORKSHOP. THROUGH BIFOCALS CLAUDETTE SANDECKI The postcard’s picture is the cover illustration from Atwood’s earlier novel, The Cat’s Eye, a shrouded woman carrying a huge marble. Her return address is that of her inain publisher, McClelland and Stewart, Toronto. Atwood's postcard reads, “Thank you for your kind let- ter, and please excuse the postcard you are getting in return. I read all the Jetters LOGGERS DON'T KNowW NUTHIN’ ABOUT TRAPPING. MINER'S Don'T KNOW NUTHIAD’ ' ABouT FSH STocKS. OrkneMer's Don't OF KNOW AUTHIAT ‘ABOUT LALDLUEE / people write to me, though be- cause of the numbers of them I’ve been receiving, it’s no longer possible for me to reply to cach one as individually as I would like. However, please be assured that I very much ap- preciate your having taken the lime to write. After all, where would writers be without readers?’” Using a fountain pen Atwood added, ‘‘So glad you and your granddaughters like Princess PI’ Six weeks before writing to Atwood, [ wrote to Charlotte Vale Allen, a Hartford, Con- necticut author of Claudia's Shadow and fourteen other novels. I addressed my letter in care of the publisher Mira Books of Don Mills, Ontario. After saying how much 1] liked Claudia’s Shadow - I had put my fife on hold until I fin- ished reading it one Sunday - ] asked Vale Allen why her main character, Rowena, smoked every time she ran into trouble, needed to think, or wasn't sure what to do, ‘‘Sure- peg GOVERNMENT DON'T oe ® KALI NUTHIA?’ BR, ABOUT CONSERVATION ly,’ I said, ‘‘at a time when so many of us ate encouraging particularly young women not to start smoking, or to quit smoking, why do you glamorize smoking as a vital way of dealing with life’s downs?” Inside of a month I was fold why. ‘‘] suspect,’’ Vale Allen typed, ‘'you are a non-smoker and therefore don't appreciate how a smoker falls victim to the urge whenever there’s pressure. It’s not a matter of my glamorizing the issue but rather a case of presenting ° what] know to be the facts.'” Whether authors well mil- lions of books and rake in re- spectable royalties or succeed less spectacularly, readers’ words of support give authors renewed confidsnce and ener- gy. What better way to assure your favorite author writes an- other book worth reading? Brenda Silsbe, Terrace au- thor of four childrens books, looks forward to kids drawings and notes. Says Silsbe, “'They’re terrific?" SHS AND HUMANS Don'T KNOW DAT KNOW NUTHIN ABouT Business!