a AREA HIGHWAYS were closed last week as heavy snow and warin temperatures combined for hazardous avalanche conditions. Highway 37 into Stewart was the hardest hit in the Bear Pass area, Jeaving the town cut off for several duys. Also closed was Highway 37 North 2etween Bell Irving I] and Bob Quinn. The Shames Mountain road was closed Jan, 10 and 11, re-opening Jan. 12, anda small stide closed Hwy 16 30km east of Terrace Jan. 10 for a short period. Highways avalanche technicians y weren't able . 0 use a helicopter to drop explosives on some of. . che slide areas last week because of bad weather, ’ They were able to use a 105mm recoilless rifle at TAKING AIM: Avalanche control technicians use an ex-U.S. Army 105-mm recoilless rifle to trigger snow slides. Avalanches cut off Stewart, Shames some locations to bring down built up snow before it came down by itself. Highways ministry official Jane Stead said it's important to catch high hazard areas before the snow becomes too deep. “Instead of waiting for it ta come down natu- rally, we bring it down in a controlled environ- ‘ment and bring it down while there's a smaller amount of snow,” says Stead. Crews opened up the Bear Pass section of | Hwy37 on the way to Stewart from Meziadin late last week. ~ Closures had-cut off Stewart from the outside world for several days. ~ Also opened up was the stretch between Bell I and Bob Quinn in the early evening hours of Jan, 13. Bad weather for several days grounded attempts (0 use a helicopter to drop explosives and bring down snow. The Shames Mountain closure was the first since 1991 and Shames marketing co-ordinator Steve Bailey -said he. wasn’t overly concemed with the days lost, That's becailse temperatures of up to six degrees’ on ihe mountain last week kept skiers away, The good side is that people are becoming “aware that there is ‘a lot of snow on Shames, Builey added. “The word’s gelling out now that we have a lot of snow,” he said. The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 17, 1996 - A3 News In Brief _ Jackie Penner at 635-3757 or Dorothy, who’s staying at Pictures and pictures The Terrace Standard has a number of unclaimed, contributed pictures gathered over the years of of people having anniversaries, birthdays, participating in communily events and in sporting events. But we're moving the end of January and can't take the collection with us, That’s why it’s important for people to reclaim their photographs as soon as possible. We'll have the collection in a large box in our foyer until Jan. 26, Please come and get your photographs. Fire destroys home Fire has consumed a Kresion Road home near Lakelse Lake, Thornhill volunteer firefighters responded to the call just after 2 a.m, Jan. 12, Dorothy Derrick and two foster girls escaped un- harnied, Derrick doesn’t know what woke her, but says one of the girls told her the fire detector was going off. Fire chief Guy Belanger says it'll be difficult to fig- ure oul how the fire started because there’s not much left in house to examine. He says high winds fanned the flames and house burned quite quickly. A trust fund has been set up at the Terrace and Dis- trict Credit Union in Dorothy’s name. If you can by donating household items you can call her sister’s place, The number there is 638-0093. Penner says donated items are coming in but that Dorothy could still use kitchen and bathroom items. Onc local dentist she says, is donating a set of den- tures to replace the ones burned in the fire, and some- one might donate a house for a couple of months. Derrick had owned her home for 20 years and did have fire insurance, but says it won't cover the cost of replacing the house itself. She’s thankful with the support. ‘‘It’s fantastic. It’s just totally great to have that kind of support.’ Reform goes hi tech THE PROVINCIAL Reform party constituency organi- zation here has become the first of its kind in B.C. to dabble in the Internet. Up and running this week is a home page (an elec- tronic magazine) and an e-mail address to which people can send messages. “It’s even got my picture on it,”? said Skeena Reform candidate Ron Town, The e-mail address is reformbc@kermodenet. The home page address is Altp:/iwww.kermode.net{reforinbe —— It's RRSP time again With rising government debt and increasing concern -over the long-term viability of existing public pension plans, RRSPs have become an important part of retirement panning for many Canadians. Prior to the introduction of RRSPs in 1957, the only people who could shelter their retirement savings from taxation were those employces of companies with registered pension plans. The direct cost of the plans were cither shared by the employee and employer or in some cases were borne totally by the employees. In either case, the net effect was tax-free retirement savings plan for employees. To provide an equal savings opportuni- ty for people who did not enjoy the same privilege of tax- exempl retirement, savings, the system of tax-exempt RRSPs was introduced, Comparison: Tax-Sheltered and Non-Sheltered Investment Sheltered ia = Non- Will you be able to afford to retire... For most people, RRSPs provide a means of topping up inadequate company plans or pensions provided under the various government programs. At present, Old Age ‘Securily, Canada Pension Plan and the Guaranteed Income supplement will provide a maximum of $1,221 per month for a’single retiree and $2,215 for a retired married couple {assuming cach partner qualifies for full Canada Pension . Plan payments of $713.19 per month). _~ When you consider that the average family income in British Columbia today is about $54,000 per year or about $4,500 per month., government-provided pensions fall con- siderably short of the provincial average income of $4,500 per month, For some retired people, of course, the cost of living may drop when they retire. Nevertheless, for most, a considerable gap must be filled by some other source of income, if.a retiree’s standard of living is not to change quite drastically. RRSPs can help to fill that gap. ~~ Saving within the shelter of an RRSP provides two dis- tinct advantage. First, it allows people to save more than they could outside an RRSP and to have their investment accumulate, tax-free, as long as ‘it is left in the RRSP. ' Second, it defers the payment of taxes from high-income- ‘eating years to retirement years when income will prob- ably be less andthe marginal tax rate lower. As the latler advantage suggests, RRSPs are nol sa much a tax-exempt savings vehicle as a tax-deferra! savings vehi- cle. A contributor can only draw out what has been contrib- ‘uted plus accumulated earnings, and must pay taxes on those withdrawals. The impact of the tax deferral can be very substantial over. the life of the RRSP, Assuming a combined federal- provincial marginal tax rate of 40%, a person would have to earn $1,695 to make an after-tax investment of $1,000 out- side an RRSP. Investing within the shelter of an RRSP, however, would require earnings of only-$1,000 because of the tax deferment provision. The table below compares the - effect of investing in an RRSP with the advantage of the tax -deferment, and investing outside an RRSP without the tax deferment. The table assumes an investment of $100 per month of earned income over a period of 30 years at a nominal 8% rate of return, ft also shows the impact on the value of an “annuity that could be purchased with the: two approaches. ; anARSP Sheltered Taxable income $30,000 © $30,000 Matginal tax rate 41% 41% Monthly earned income for investment $100 $100 Less: tax @ 41% ~ 2.0 41 Net monthly Investment > $190 $59 At 30 years: ; Accumulated value of investment $149,036 $46,638 20-year monthly annuity (pre-tax) $1,247 $390 At 25 years: ; 7 Accumulated value of investment © $95,103 $30,847 « 20-yr monthly annuity (pre-tax) $795 $285 CHOOS NOW NOT LATER The sooner you invest Fund performance to December 31, 1995 TRIMARK: FUND DLP 2035 249* 155% your money into Timark Mutual Funds, the sooner you can 1 YEAR JVEARS = STARS 10 YEARS TRIMARK -CANSDEAN FUND) (3 lol’ 16° 1L0* I YEAR S YEARS SYEARS ——Y VEARS benefit fiom the power of compounding. Trimark Mutual Funds can help your savings grow over the long tenn. m MUTUAL FUNDS Call: We Manage, To Outperform, GREAT PACHFIC MANAGEMENT co. x. cest, 1965) Member of the Montreal Exchange C.G.“BUD" HALLOCK JACQUES PELLETIER Representative Representative Bus./Res, 635-4273 Bus, G38-5581 * 5133 Agar Ave. 4643 Lakelse Ave, Terrace B.C.VAG 1ng ‘Terrace B.C. V8G IR2 All retwims, audited by inst & Young, Chartered Arccuntants, are historical untual compounded rates af vetuem and reflect chetnges én ent ite and distributions reinvested They do vint take into arcound sales harges ot ddministration fres, payable by unltholders, which wobld have-teduced returns, Past performance does nat guarance futiue results, Your unit "Salie and investment return will luctusie, Importunt Wormalon boul ang mutual fund is contained in is ae ified prosprctus, which Should he read a ly befare investing: Copies of thé provpects a aire aivailuble from the Snare adsiser listed abave ur fram Trimark lnvesimen! Mandgentent In, Regier ttadensatle ut Trimark nsesiencad Manaperend inc, “bleed by Irinaik Thvestene Managemen Inu. Research shows that oily one person in twenty is actually in financial position to afford to retire in the manner that they had tmagined. The key is to start investing in an RRSP as soon as possible. An RRSP is a lang teri investinent. Just watting one more year to open an RRSP can make a tremendous difference over time. — Interest multiplies over time. Don't wait until it’s too late. Open an RRSP toda 1. MUTUAL FUNDS ~ INCLUDING ETHICAL FUNDS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE. *Premium rates paid for larger purchase, transfers & long term deposits Call MEMBERLINK at: 635-0114 for up to the minute rates and information. Terrace & District Credit Union ,,,, 4650 Lazelle Ave., Terrace, BC ph. 635-7282 the credit union advantage: we are a profit sharing, member olpited institution we belong to you. . ong to yO." Serving Members & Thelr Familias