IF SOMEONE from a col- lection agency ever comes looking for you, don’t avoid them. That's advice from Evelyn Lewis,. owner of Select Bailiff Services. She opera- tes: throughout the north- west, though her head office is based in Kitimat. The best thing you can do, says Lewis, is sit down wilh that person and try and fig- ure out how you're going to deal with your debts. Lewis says her agency works with a wide variety of people, some of whom have simply forgotten to pay their bills. Although nominally a col- lection agency, Lewis says she rarely has to collect goods from people in order to make up a debt. Instead she prefers to talk to them about how they can start getting that debt paid off — - and start establishing a good credit record. “We're not the big bad- wolves,”’ she says. debts to ber she says usually they're more than willing to negotiate a payment sched- ule that will work. A person ia debt doesn’t have to worry that he or she will suddenly be faced with huge payments each month. Lewis says people get in over their beads on any number of things — car, furniture and recreation vehicle payments are com- mon problems. High unemployment num- bers also mean more peaple beisig, referred to collection agencies. When counselling fails, and people aren’t motivated to pay off debt Lewis usual- ly turns to the courts, Wages can be gamisheed, she says, but not welfare cheques. Lewis tries to stay away from repossessing items to collect bad debt. . Collections though, are the mainstay of business for Caledonia Collection Agen- cies, Gina Bowker says the . “TERRACE. STANDARD’ Not big bad wolves everything from furniture and limousines to cows. Unlike Select Bailiff Ser- vices, Caledonia Collections doesn’t offer any counsell- ing services, she says. In- stead they’re more = an agency of last resort for companies dealing with people who simply won't pay off their debis. Caledonia operates throughout the northwest. Anyone can end up with financial problems, says Bowker. Quite often it’s an average person who’s hit hard times, and could have been your neighbour for the past 20 years. Bowker says she hadn’t seen any effect so far from the two month plus shut- down of Skeena Ceilulose. But she said if the shut- down had dragged on into the winter then people’s resources might have been stretched too thin. The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, September 24, 1997 - AG FINANCIAL ADVISER Orest Chalupiak says one of the worst things people do is spend more than they earn. He advises people to make a financial plan. Caledonia 1978 Grad Reunion August 1 & 2, 1998 We urgently need addresses of all 1978 Graduates both in town and out of town. gh Please mail or fax them ta: Cathy Frenette (Hart) 2609 Skeena Street Terrace, B.C. V8G 3K2 Fax: (250) 635-4960 (Please include the maiden name) ju & ds Moving ee), wos " ca a Ma Seg t oy) Just 10 Steps Away! . Help Us Move Clearance Sale Sept 24 - 27 New Home Opening in October! 3231 Katum st. Terrace Ph: 638-1711 When companies refer Taking charge of your finances FINANCIAL disaster — losing your savings or their fam- ily’s home — might be more likely than you think. What if you and your spouse both lost your jobs? What if either of you was permanently disabled in a skiing accident? ‘Fewer than 50 per cent of adults have any kind of dis- ability insurance,’’ says Orest Chalupiak, a financial ad- viser with Northern Savings Credit Union. During the Skeena Cellulose crisis many families real- ized their financial emergency plans may not be good enough — that is if they had a plan. The best time to create an emergency plan is before it’s needed. Here aze some more tips for financial security. company has repossessed — ~~ REFERENDUM VOTE ON INCORPORATION OF THE TERRACE/THORNHILL AREA Public Notice is hereby given to the Electors of the City of Terrace and a portion of the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine of a vote to be taken on the following question; “Are you in favour of the incorporation of the Terrace/Thornhill Area as a Municipality?” The voting area is outlined on the map. GENERAL VOTING DAY: OCTOBER 18, 1997 8:00 A.M. TO 8:00 P.M. LOCATION: Approval Registration No. M 310 _sa-= Proposed Municipal Boundary Caledonia Senior Secondary, : | 1) W Have a family budget 3605 Munroe St., Terrace —_ \Cfestasy 982 . 980 Know what you spend your money on, says Chalupiak. | Electors of the City of Terrace, Wa Se en erage aN It’s surprising how much those.coffees add up to over a “| Braun's Island and Little Island. ; 1298 (f =| E a mma ao eA ve year, If you spend $2 each work day on coffee, that’s $600 foe N pte rn —T 7a09 ur G05 | 4775 Wee, a year. cI Thornhill Elementary School, 2906 y 14 B ma ast | an 77 Clark St., Thornhill ~ = TERRACE : ee ee iso 11492513 us Wi Have a goal Other Regional District Electors within (A 1 fs Sh ee Tes Know what you want to do with your income. the vating area. Wei | (16 % Whether it’s paying a mortgage, saving for retirement, . {16 F ar a your children’s education of a vacation, you need a plan. AOA vente. rr 997 ee a” THORNHILE 1° " It’s a good idea to involve the entire family in planning. a A M.TO B:00 PM Braun's re AED joa * _ Perhaps the grandparents want to help pay for your chil- LOCATION: us ume S sland ae taza | 1051 dren’s education. CITY OF TERRACE MUNICIPAL OFFICE © 2 enn Ee And don’t make the mistake of buying something without figuring out how you’re going to pay for it. 3215 EBY STREET, TERRACE, B.C. rons 1908 eae 2282 , where | \ 1911 ios 4992 655 SPECIAL VOTING DAY: OCTOBER 17, 1997 i Have the proper insurance Most people have life insurance, but what about dis- 3:00 P.M. TO 6:00 P.M. ability insurance. LOCATION: 1741 ine 1749 ‘A person before the age of 65 is twice as likely to be MILLS MEMORIAL HOSPITAL 1995 | 1936 | 1937) i919 wean ons | “OY ‘ 790 disabled for 90 days then to die,’’ says Chalupiak. 4720 HAUGLAND AVENUE 7 Even if you have disabilily insurance through work, it TERRACE, B.C. “| 1828 | 1828 | | Tse we fw vioe BI a, Ny m ews might not be cnough. yo2r | saye {1000 | yogn| 3 tat Atrport ‘\@, 4 TERRACE VIEW LODGE 7B i730 Hag? 128 wes Ka @ Know what your benefit plan offers 4103 SPARKS STREET Some people don’t take full advantage of their employer- TERRACE, 6.C. we , _ | 2740 fe 4061 2215 3058 sponsored benefit plans, says Chalupiak. ; , {084 gi Don’t carry high interest debt ed Pay your credit cards off every month, If you have high ELECTOR ELIGIBILITY: - credit card debt, roll that debt into one low-interest loan. Only those electors who meet the Store credit cards can have interest rates as high as 30 Municipal Act Requirements for per ceut. resident and non-resident proper- ty electors may vote. 1724 Val 1733 1720 7 1719 LBs sir | 995 | 904 | 993 Re Note: Indian Reserves Excluded from Proposed Municipal Boundary ELIGIBLE RESIDENT ELECTORS: | * 18 Years of age or older on the general voting day. + Must be a Canadian citizen - re * Must be a resident of British Columbia for at least 6 months prior to general voting day. _ « Must be a resident in the voting area at least 30 days prior to general voting day. OO , re « Must not be disqualified by this Act or any other enactment in a referendum or be otherwise disqualified bylaw,” A o ~ wo a pant & a 3 Ss a g eee ts & “A = a 3 B 4 og 5240 Wt Have an emergency fund Every family should have an emergency fund. It should be three to six months worth of living expenses, An em- gency fund is just as important as an RSP, B Don't accept advice without questioning it Chalupiak is always surprised by people who invest . money on the advice of a neighbour. Make sure you know what you’re investing in and get advice about anything you’re not sure about from a financial advisor. Resident Electors not on the Register of Resident Electors may register at voting time. fa Know what you're worth It’s a good idea to do an annual review of what you’re NON-RESIDENT PROPERTY ELECTORS: ; « Must not be eligible to register as a resident elector for the specified area worth. Tally your assets, such as a car, house and savings, * 18 Years or age or older on the general voting day = and subtract debts. , ~ . Get the children involved in this as well. * Must be a Canadian citizen oo ree Bee : Doing a yearly review lets your check your savings plan « Must be a resident of British Columbia for at least 6 months prior to general voting day. cea nee to see if it’s working. + Must be the registered owner of real property within the voting area at least 30 days prior to the general voting day. * Must not be disqualified by this act or any other enactment in a referendum or be otherwise disquallfied by iaw. — Wi Reduce your tax burden os So Yes, you probably know this one, Investing in an RSP is still the best way to defer taxes. Most people can get 30-40 per cent of their RSP contri- bution back after taxes. Non-Resident Property Electors may register at voting time, but must have applied for a property elector certificate to be eligible to vote. The deadline to make application is October 3, 1997, at the applicable office during regular busi- ness hours. Electors of the City of Terrace apply to the City of Terrace Clerk and the Electors of the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine apply to the Regional District Clerk — ‘Mt Live within your means Don’t rely on banks and lending institutions to tell you how much debt you can afford. ; If you start buying too many toys you'll never reach your financial goal, such as buying a house, “Don’t spend more than you earn,”’ says Chaluplak. SCRUTINEERS: Persons interested in volunteering as a scrutineer, for or against the question, must apply to the Chief Election. — Officer, between October 1 to October 10, 1997. A scrutineer must be an Eligible Voter within the voting area. © For more information on the referendum process please contact: | a -_ i Mrs, Elaine Johnson, Chief Election Officer at 635-2965 Regional District Kitimat-Stikine Office at 615-6100 City of Terrace Office at 635-6311 . ‘gs Trouble with loans? Don’t avold creditors. If you don’t talk to your creditors, they'll think you’re not willing to pay back your loan, : The best thing to do if you’re having financial difficulty. is-to phone creditors and set up.a payment system you can live with, oe a