Education: New hockey academy considered for Maple Ridge. 3
Heealth: Petition for im mmunization. 5
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MLA on side with need for ambulance Bing and councillors sign petition for improved paramedic service By Neil Corbett ncorbett@mapleridgenews.com
A petition for improved paramedic service in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows has garnered the attention of the public, as well as MLA Doug Bing, who says the area needs at least one more ambulance. Matt Kelso, who started the petition in late December, has already collected approximately 1,500 signatures through the website change. org, and is aiming for 10,000. But his work has already convinced the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows MLA. Bing looked into the matter after being contacted by Kelso. “I certainly understand where he’s coming from,” said Bing, adding that it’s not a new issue. While he was on Pitt Meadows council, the issue was brought up by members of the public. Then, as an MLA, he has twice had residents visit his office to complain that the area needs improved ambulance service. Kelso asserts that paramedic service has not kept up to the fastgrowing population in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows. With a combined population of 94,000 residents, the cities are served by two ambulances, manned 24 hours per day. By comparison, Delta has a population of 100,000, and is served by five daytime ambulances and three on duty 24 hours. Kelso said that is an eye-opener for local residents. See Paramedics, 8
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Brent Scott, in charge of maintenance at the McIntosh Plaza apartments, and caretaker Shannon Houghton show off the garden created at the downtown building.
Increases across the board From MSP to ICBC rates, costs are going up B y P h i l M e l nychuk pmelnychuk@mapleridgenews.com
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he new Liberal government is keeping its promise by dropping the income tax rate for middle income earners by 1.5 per cent. According to the party, that will save workers making between $44,700 and $89,000 about $670 a year.
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Then there are the hikes. In April, B.C. Hydro raises its rates by four per cent. Medical Service Plan premiums jump by another $36 a year for individuals, while families will pay an extra $72 a year. Then, according to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, another $44 a year will go to ICBC car insurance premiums, on average. But it’s at the grocery store where people will really feel the pain of stagnant wages and constant cost increases, to the tune of another
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$345 a year. The low Canadian dollar and drought shortages in the U.S. keep pushing the cost of filling a grocery cart upward, with the result that the overall bill could climb by four per cent. The numbers come from the University of Guelph’s Food Price Report 2016, which predicts that the price of meat, fruit and nuts could jump the highest, by up to 4.5 per cent. The price of vegetables won’t be far behind, with increases ringing
in as much as four per cent. The increase is identical to the increases shoppers faced in 2015. There are ways to squeeze more of the food dollar, however. It’s a problem for the low income and senior folks that Candace Gordon helps through her Community Kitchen programs. She teaches people how to cook and eat cheaply. While gasoline prices are low, Gordon notes that many of those that she helps can’t afford a car. See Costs,3
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