Friday June 19 2015
▼ LEGO travels back to the future 29
▼ Mills named Official of the Year 28
The
Leader HEPNER’S HEALTH CARE IDEA IS ALREADY IN PLAY ▶ B.C. MINISTRY OF HEALTH HAS COLLECTED $28.2 MILLION FROM PEOPLE CRIMINALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR INJURING PEOPLE
▶ Under the Health Care Cost Recovery Act, $28.2 million has been recovered from criminals who ring up hefty health care costs. B.C. MINISTRY OF HEALTH
BIKE OWNER FINED $13,500 KEVIN DIAKIW
The owner of a motorcycle that raced through a Surrey mall has now been fined more than $13,000. While police were unable to identify the owner as being on the motorcycle at the time of the infractions, they are fining him as the registered owner of the bike. It was Feb. 20 when the bike was seen tearing down 104 Avenue near 152 Street with police helicopter and police squad cars in pursuit.
KEVIN DIAKIW
Recovering health care costs from criminals who put others in hospital is already happening, The Leader has learned. On Monday, Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner said that she wanted to see the province’s civil forfeiture legislation changed to allow B.C. to recover health care costs from people who’ve been shot. Hepner is frustrated with the lack of cooperation, and sometimes outright mocking of police, by victims injured in the recent rash of shootings in Surrey and North Delta. Since March, more than 30 incidents of gun violence have occurred in the streets, with many tied to an ongoing drug turf battle over dial-adope operations. And those being hurt are not cooperating with police. One shooting victim told police
▼ OWNER OF MOTORCYCLE THAT TORE THROUGH WAL-MART IN GUILDFORD HAS BEEN SLAPPED WITH 58 INFRACTIONS
continued on page 5
Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner suggested earlier this week that health care costs be recovered from uncooperative victims of crime. FILE PHOTO
“the bullets fell from the sky,” while another said “I will take care of it myself.” Hepner wants to recover health care costs from uncooperative victims. Suzanne Anton, B.C.’s attorney general and minister of justice, said she understands Hepner’s frustration. But Anton also said in the scenario described by Hepner, the Civil Forfeiture Act would not apply. Civil forfeiture involves taking action against property, not people, when that property has been determined to be a proceed of crime.
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However, Hepner’s plan has some legs at the B.C. Ministry of Health, where officials say it would be possible under the Health Care Cost Recovery Act (HCCRA). Since 2009, when the HCCRA was enacted, the government has collected $28.2 million from criminals who ring up hefty health care costs. Last year alone, the ministry opened more than 3,000 files. For the cost recovery to take place, the person who committed the crime must be identified and criminally convicted. The health ministry typically charges the perpetrators who put
a person in hospital, but it could conceivably be argued someone’s risky lifestyle choices contributed to their injuries. The ministry indicated that in order for the cost recovery to work, the defendant needs to have assets, or more often, private insurance, which can sometimes prove challenging. Civil action is also a possibility, but it can prove costly, and there’s no guarantee the money will be returned to the ministry. continued on page 5
Video image of a motorcyclist exiting the escalator in Guildford Town Centre. YOUTUBE
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