InteriorNEWS THE
109th Year - Week 8
PINK SHIRT DAY, FEB.24 SEE PAGE A 14&15
Wednesday, February 24, 2015
www.interior-news.com
PM 40007014
Single Copy • $1.30 (GST included)
61 Days To Go
The crowd goes wild after the Smithers Steelheads beat the Terrace River Kings 6-5 in double overtime last Sunday in one of the most tense games of the season. The Steelheads move on to the CIHL finals. Story, A5. Xuyun Zeng photo
B.C. Budget 2016: Children End of the road for Highway exempt from MSP premiums of Tears prevention initiative By Tom Fletcher and Chris Gareau Smithers/Interior News
Medical Services Plan premiums are being charged only for adults starting in 2017, and the qualifying income for reduced premiums is going up from $30,000 to $42,000 for single people. The new system creates a break for single parents, who will pay a single adult rate of $78 a month instead of the current rate of $150 charged for a family of three. A single senior or single parent with one child and an income of $45,000 may also be eligible for reduced premiums. The changes will reduce rates for an additional 335,000 people, and 45,000 more people will be exempted from paying as long as they are registered and qualify. But rates overall continue to rise. With a four per cent increase in personal rates this year and a growing population, the government expects
to collect more MSP each year of its three-year budget plan than with the current system. B.C. is the only province that charges premiums for health services, and the NDP opposition has called for them to be eliminated as a regressive tax. De Jong argues that MSP covers only 14 per cent of a growing health care budget, and eliminating it would amount to hiding the cost in the general tax system. Prosperity fund gets seed money With liquefied natural gas export projects delayed, Premier Christy Clark’s promise of a “B.C. Prosperity Fund” has been launched with $100 million from the current budget surplus. The fund was touted in the 2013 election as a way to pay off debt starting in 2017, and reduce or even eliminate B.C.’s sales tax with revenues from five LNG plants. See FANTASY on A2
Smithers/Interior News
A Highway of Tears victim prevention program looks set to shut down by the tenth anniversary of the 2006 symposium that led to its establishment. The Highway of Tears initiative performs advocacy work, victim support, radio advertising and victim prevention programs for communities along Highway 16. Run by Carrier Sekani Family Services, it was launched in 2006 to implement recommendations of the Highway of Tears Symposium Report. Those recommendations were based on input and ideas from a
contingent of about 500 people who attended the symposium from March 30-31, 2006. CSFS child services director Mary Teegee warned in December the initiative would have to shut down if it could not secure more funding. As the tenth anniversary of the symposium approaches, CSFS child services director Teegee said the project has until the end of March to secure funding. “We’re still basically doing stuff off the side of our desk and we’ve been able to keep one of the coordinators on so we will at least have her on, but definitely, it’s been difficult,” she said. See TEEGEE on A3
OTTERS SWIM IN WINNIPEG The Espersen twins faced tough competition from Western Canada.
SMITHERS MUSIC ON SHOW Alex Cuba represents the Northwest at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.
LNG OPPONENTS CALL FOR UNITY First Nations leaders from protest camps gather at Hazelton film screening.
SPORTS/A9
A&E/A17
THREE RIVERS/A25
Friday Only! see last page in A
By Alicia Bridges
Bear Grylls Knife Set
29
$
99