Airport job finished

Air travellers will soon be enjoying
the comforts of a warm, indoor -
luggage area/NEWS A7

in memory of

Gripping start

Daisy Wesley’s death one year co
ago sparked efforts to open a ;
shelter/COMMUNITY PAGE Bi

Terrace wrestlers open new
‘season with strong |
performances /SPORTS Bis

WEDNESDAY
DECEMBER 15, 1993

uIC

PENALTIES PAID by peopic
who wrongfully collected unem-
ployment insurance are climbing.

And most of that is caused by
Tepeaters who pay more each

time they are caught, says the lo- .

cal Canada Employment Cenire’ 8
investigator.

“A peron can pay as much as.
300 per cent. That’s what gives
us the oump,” said Sherlyn
Taylor.

Figures for the area from April
to October indicate $616,000 in

Home
thefts
climb

YOU BETTER watch out —
and it’s not because Santa’s
coming to town.

Holiday thieves are out in
force and Terrace RCMP have
been deluged by break-in
complaints aver the last weck.

“Tis the season to be jolly,”
remarked RCMP Const. Andy
Burpee. jo... --.

overpayments were made, OF 845
cases investigated, 283 resulted in

- penalty assessments of $437,000,

First time offenders pay 100 per
cent of what they collected, sec-
ond time offenders pay 200 per
cent and third time offenders pay
300 per cent. -

“Tr sure adds. up. There can be
quite high penaltics if a person

does this deliberately,” said
Taylor.
The monetary amount of

penalties has been growing since

the percentages were increased in
1989,

For the year beginning April 1,
1992 to March 31, 1993 the
employment —_ centre found
$946,000 in overpayments. Near-
ly 600 cases involved penalties of
$473,000.

That latter ‘penalty figure - is.
quite close to the amount: as--

sessed in the seven months since
April 1 of this year.

Taylor said it’s important that _
people who received overpay- .

fraud penalties climb

ments report them as soon as pos-
sible,

The great majority of overpay-
ments. made stemmed - from
honest mistakes or wrong inter-
pretation ‘of | unemployment

. regulations.

And while the amount of over-

- payments and ‘penalties is high, it

is low in percentage terms: when
compared’ to unemployment . in-
surance payouts.

““Tast year there. 9,638 claims
with $49 million in payments and

By Dec. “to, “RCMP “had a Sibek een

received 19° break-in com-
plaints for the month. At that
rals, we're sute to surpass No-
vember’s total of 28 reported
break-ins. There were 25
break-ins in October.
“Everybody knows that
people have a Jot of stuff in

their house for Christmas,” ~

Burpee said; . adding the
holiday season always brings
out the thieves,

“The horseshoe area seems
to be getting hit pretty bad
lately,’” he said. “‘Quite a few
of them are daytime B-and-
E’s,””

He explained it is usually
youths seeking quick cash or
items to sell ta buy drugs.

Reported break-ins this
month include:

« Theft of B.F. Goodrich
tires from a truck at the North-
em Motor Inn around 5 p.m.
on Dec. 5.

« Theft of gold, jewellery

and elecironic equipment from —

a home on the 4600-block of
Loen Ave the night of Dec. 4.

' Theft of jewellery, clo-
thing, cameras and cash from
a house on Bruce St. on Dec.

5, Suspects fled the scent on

bicycles.

* Theft of a 1991 Polaris
RXL 650 snowmobile from a
Ford pickup truck in the
Safeway parking lot the night
of Dec. 4.

* Theft of DuMaurier
cigarettcs and a cassette re-
corder from |. Gill's’ con-
venience store on Lakelse Ave
atSam Dec, 8

Doctor

THE DOCTOR who: ted to have’ "

northwest ‘hospitals agree on

where the region’s surgical ser- —
vice should be located regrets the

matter has become a contest...

situation is much more complex
than arguing over who should get
what,

The Issue arose a year ago with

the release of i study on north -

~ One of its many:
tions © Was: to

PP gets ares ot

@ A bow-wow Christmas
WOOF WOOF! Who says Man's best friend doesn't get to sit on Santa's lap? The Terrace
SPCA broke down cultural barriers and put dogs and cats in their rightful place in the holiday
season with their Pet Pictures With Santa fundraiser, A rather excited Stephanie, a paodle-
dachshund cross, was the first eager customer to clamber up into the lap of the jolly St. Nick ~
to record the moment for posterity. Organizers of the event say it was a big success and will

be repeated next year, Santa posed with dogs and cats of all shapes and sizes, as well as a
"number of rabbits, a cockatiel, and a grey parrot with a red tell. ; -

move ©. ni
orihopacdic surgeon from:Kitlmat,

regrets It's a surgical

to Prince Rupert lo help support

other. ‘medical: services at that’

city” s hospital. ;
And making the recommenda-

fon comie:to pass was fo happen -
Dr. Peler Newbery gays the

by’ agreement between northwest

‘hopsitals. *

But the hospitals could. not
agres and now It seems as if the
decision’ of where surgeon Dr.

_ Sean Phelan. should:go' will: be.
“| Made by thé health minisiry.-

= Kitimat wants Phelan ‘to. stay,
Prince ‘Rupert wants him there

if and Terrace wants him at Mills. Ba

The level of rhetoric went upa.

notch last week and all three hos-

_ pitals have now distributed Ittters
backing their respective cases, -- -

Newbery, who did a stint as a
temporary regional medical ser=

“vices co-ordinator this year, per-
sonally backs having Phelan .

move fo Terrace and has recom.
ménoded so fo the - Bovin neial
goverment. °

. “Butonly if a. huniber’ of other.
* things firat take. place: and: In re"
- membering thet the mai’ thing is
oto have. &: full: Bedged feglonul

orthopaedic referral service in the
northwest,’ he said last week.

The. medical situation In Prince
Rupert has now changed with the
arrival of two general surgeons,
some up to date equipment and
the prospect of other. specialized
services, sald Newbery.

_ All of these ‘items ‘should be.
sufficient to mainiain a key core -'
O£ services without needing’ ans

orthopaedic surgeon,he added
$4 Ag‘ for: Kitimat, it a. move)
ught not-to be done without ad-

31.5 million in overpayments and
ptnalties,”’ said Taylor.
‘““Thal's around two per cent

and 3 wouldn’t say that’s out of |

hand,”” she added.

Most of the overpayments are
found by computer matching of
records.

But investigators also rely on
tips From the public.

Flagrant violators can also find
themselves — facing
claiges,

People who have collected

criminal —

Deadline es
dates loom =

75¢ PLUS B¢ GST
VOL. 6 NO. 36.

ing -

overpayments won't be. hit. with
penalties if they, voluntarily. come
forward.

One difficult unemployment in-
surance area in the northwest
stems from the pine mushroom
industry,

Because it is unregulated and
Tuns of cash, Taylor said there’s
no way involving record checks
to ensure that people aren’t col-
Iecting unemployment insurance
at the same time as they are © pick
ing.

for library ©

ASSUMING THE city gets a
positive answer to its provincial
giant application, the library pro-
ject could’ finally get the green
light by the end of next month.
But the timing is tight, city ad-
ninistrator Bob Halisor cautions.

Thé project recently got a boost |

when successful. bidder Wayne
Walson Construction agreed to
hold his quote until Jan. 25,

Normally, bids are good only
for 60 days and that deadline
pissed more than two weeks ago.

The concession should give the
ploject the breathing space it
needs as far as the BC 21 pro-
giam grant is concemed.

That’s because the city was told
it would receive an answer on the
application in 12-16 weeks,

The application was delivered
by hand to the minister on Sept.
15, Hallsor said.

Therefore, an answer would
theoretically be forthcoming by
Jan, 15 at the latest, 10 cays be-
fore Watson’s price expiry dead-
line,

In the meantime, Watson and —

architect Alan Soutar have ‘been
working on ways fo reduce the
cost of the project.

Hallsor™ is meeting with both
next week to review those pro-
posed cuts.’

He anticipated ihe resulting
wcommendations would go lo-a
council committee of the whole

meeting inearly January.

Once council had settled on a
final package, it would then meet
with library board Tepresentatives
to discuss the'situation, =

However, Hallsor noted there is

_ stlll.one major potential problem .
becdae “at” tie - way te 3 “os

rules haye been sot up.

The next deadline -for applica-
tions is Jan, 1, 1994, -

But the regulations do not allow

‘the city to. play safe by making

another application while the first
is under consideration.

And it appears unlikely to have
an answer on the original before
that deadiine passes.

A worst case scenario would
see the cusrent application re-
jected, no chance to put in anoth-
er until the next, April.1 deadline
and having to wait up to 16
weeks for an answer on that one.

That would mean no news until
early August.

Watson quoled $1.857 million
compared to the $1.75 million
original estimate,

Both the estimate and quote are
based on extending the basement
but leaving it unfinished for now.

In a referendum held last year,
city and regional ‘district voters
approved borrowing $1.235 mil-
lion towards the cost.

The BC 21 grant application is
for $577, 000.

Many seek city job

THERE’S NO shortage of people
looking to be the city’s next
tourism and economic develop-
ment officer,

Administrator Bob Hallsor said
64 applications were received by
ihe Dec, 3 deadline.

Although exactly what happens
Text has yet to be confirmed with
council, he said it was likely ad-
ministration will be asked to look
over (he applications first.

That should: whiitle down the
number to 10 or 12, depending on

tug of war

anesthetist whose income will
drop wilhoul the orthopedic
surgeon, Perhaps a supplement
might be considered,’’ "said New-

bery.
Existing surgical support skills

and the operating room ‘in Kittmat
could ‘be. maintained by: having

cay © surgery” done” thete® using

: ener ‘from. Terraces he cons.

2 g services, there. .to notect the: kinds “a

the calibre of applicants,

After carrying out reference
checks, a summary of cach
making the initial short list would
then go to council or its economic
development committee to reduce
the number to about five. S

Those making the final cut
would then come to Terace for
an interview, probably around the -
end of January.

_ Tf that schedule holds, Hallsor

expected the new officer to start
the job March 31.

place,” Newbery said. Pa

He said it makes sense to place :
Phelan in Terrace because of the
existing specialized services, and |
specialists,

“The one rider to Terrace is

making sure there is o.r. (operat-
ing room) time. It’s a little like a
chess game. All the pieces have

“to fit together,” said Newbery.

‘Medical. reasons aside, New-
bery said he had hoped a decision -
could be made without the mart

tals taking sides...

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