KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK TUESDAY
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SEPTEMBER 1, 2015 | Volume 28 No. 105
TODAY’S WEATHER
Sun and clouds High 19 C Low 11 C
CAMPFIRE BAN LIFTED
BLUE VS. WHITE TONIGHT
Just in time for Labour Day weekend
All the Blazers’ training camp news in Sports
A4
A15
ICBC rates may rise by 6.7 per cent
Exercise and earn Air Miles Being fit and healthy has its own rewards, but soon an active lifestyle will come with a tangible payoff for British Columbia residents. Health Minister Terry Lake has confirmed the province and the Public Health Agency of Canada will roll out a rewards program this fall. Lake said it will allow participants to earn Air Miles if they demonstrate they are participating in activities that promote health living. Lake said the province has paid $2.5 million to join the program. It will begin in B.C. but, as other provinces come on board, Lake said it will be expanded across the country. An existing program supported by the federal government through a partnership with the YMCA has shown that people engaged in a rewards program increased their physical activity 110 per cent and were active 2.8 times per week; up from 1.3 times per week. — Canadian Press
CAM FORTEMS
STAFF REPORTER
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DAVE EAGLES/KTW
Nancy Bepple enjoying a sunny day at her solar-powered Nicola Street home.
SUNSHINE ON HER SHOULDERS DALE BASS • STAFF REPORTER • DALE@KAMLOOPSTHISWEEK.COM
When the sun rises in the morning, it beams down on Nancy Bepple’s home. The Nicola Street residence is bathed in sunshine by early morning, with all that energy being soaked up by the eight solar panels affixed to the front slope of the house. From there, the direct-current electricity goes up through coils and down the chimney to a series of eight mini-inverters that convert it to the alternating current she needs to power her home. While there’s a lot of technical description about the $8,000 system she installed, for Bepple, it’s simple to describe
• Better Construction • Juicier • Flare-Ups eliminated • Commercial grade steel parts • Patented infrared system
— she’s reducing her carbon footprint. “In the absence of strong government policy to address climate change, I needed to do something,” she said. It helped that Bepple was putting a new roof on her home so the work could all be done at one time. Her house is old, with two-by-four trusses, and
she wanted them reinforced to be sure the structure could hold the weight of the solar panels. Since she bought the house about a decade ago, she has used about 2,140 kilowattthours (kWh) annually. The house is small, just 850 square feet, and is home to just Bepple and her cat. See SURPLUS, A11
The B.C. Liberal government will work with ICBC over the next several months to reduce the sticker shock on a proposed increase to basic rates by as much as 6.7 per cent. The Crown corporation announced yesterday its proposed premium increase is being driven by the rising number and costs of injury claims. Persistent low interest rates are also reducing return on investments. “If we were to file our full application today, we would need to ask for a 6.7 per cent increase in basic insurance rates, in large part due to the unexpected and rapid escalation in the number of injury claims being reported to us in recent months,” ICBC’s CEO Mark Blucher said in a pre-
pared statement. ICBC’s bodily-injury costs topped $2 billion for the first time last year. They have increased by 64 per cent since 2008. Transportation Minister Todd Stone, who oversees the corporation, said the proposal submitted to the B.C. Utilities Commission is unacceptably high, but he would not commit to a target. Under ratesmoothing legislation brought in by his government, rates could vary this year from 3.7 per cent as a low to 6.7 per cent as a high. The ministry will work with ICBC. An expert in Crown corporations, Gordon Macatee, has also been brought in as part of the review. Optional insurance coverage increases are yet to be detailed, but are not expected to rise as much. See STONE A6
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