A10 ❘ FAITH ❘ THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2011 THE TIMES
Unity with the Lord . . . not just with the Vancouver Canucks
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RETHINKING THE COSTS OF BAD DRIVING
THE ROAD RULES
Licensed drivers in underinsured motorist British Columbia are protection. required to know and Driver Risk Premiums obey all the rules that are separate from Autogovern the operating of plan insurance premiums, vehicles on our streets which, while also reflective and highways. There of the driver-owner’s good are various sets of rules or not-so-good driving made by the various record, are more linked levels of government all Cedric Hughes Barrister & Solicitor to the crash history of the with an overriding, twoinsured vehicle. In other fold but interlinked purpose: to minimize harm words if the car is involved in a crash while and to move traffic efficiently. Most licensed being driven by someone other than the regisdrivers are motivated to keep up to date on tered owner, the crash will affect the driverthe rules and to follow them because doing so owner’s insurance premium and not that of minimizes their risk of harm and enables them the driver involved. According to ICBC, under to travel in smooth flowing traffic. the current system of assessing risk for insur-
Of course the penalties for not obeying the rules also motivate compliance. Under the BC Motor Vehicle Act and Regulations, there are at least 127 rules the violation of which can result in a fine or a fine combined with driver penalty points. Fines for violating a rule can be disputed within 30 days on the basis either that there was no violation or that the amount of the fine is incorrect. Driver penalty points attach to a driver’s driving record. Drivers who incur enough penalty points are assessed a Driver Risk Premium (DRP) that they must pay once a year for at least three years. Drivers assessed a DRP who fail to pay it invalidate their current Autoplan insurance coverage, incur ongoing interest charges, and cannot renew their license or Autoplan insurance until they have cleared their debt. Alternatively they can reduce or eliminate the DRP by surrendering their license voluntarily or under a prohibition for a portion of or for the entire billing period. The funds collected under this program provide holders of valid BC drivers’ licenses with third party liability insurance, accident benefits, and
ance purposes, more than 80 per cent of BC drivers are currently receiving the maximum discount on their insurance premiums even though some of these drivers have multiple crashes and multiple driving convictions.
Recently, ICBC proposed a new system for linking driving records to insurance costs. It suggested defining bad driving more broadly to include even just one speeding ticket and to extend the effect of such ‘bad driving’ on the driver’s insurance rates for up to three years following the violation. Not surprisingly reaction to this proposal was immediate, and reportedly for the most part, negative, Days later ICBC announced it would undertake a “province-wide consultation and rethink”. A common refrain from the critics: the “extremely wide gulf” between getting a ticket once, and exhibiting “a pattern of bad driving”. Whatever the immediate result of this discussion may be, the standard of care in driving is clearly moving higher. Cedric Hughes L.L.B. Leslie McGuffin L.L.B. www.roadrules.ca
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hen I am not pastoring here in town I dabble a bit at academics. I teach and research social issues facing today’s families. Recently I was involved in a project that was designed to better understand the importance of religion and culture in helping second generation immigrants feel at home in Canada. Some of the questions I asked children of immigrant parents had to do with family customs, religious practices, friendship networks and experiences with prejudicial treatment. It was a wonderful eye opening experience for me as I was able to interview individuals of various faith and ethnic traditions. Koreans, Ghanaians, Punjabis and Chinese were just some of the groups I had a chance to talk with. Even though they all came from very different backgrounds, with different practices, beliefs and experiences, they all had the exact same response for what it means to be Canadian. Their answer was unanimously – hockey! A sport most of their parents had never heard of before coming to Canada was what united them as Canadians. It is hard not to see what happens when the Canucks win a playoff game. South
TODD MARTIN
Faith that matters Fraser Way is full of people celebrating the victory. There is not a white side of town, a yellow side of town and brown side of town when it comes to supporting and celebrating the Canucks. There is only unity in flag waving, horn honking and cheering. There are not Conservative, NDP and Liberal chants or lanes of the road for just the rich to drive on and the poor to stay off of. Old fans don’t start cheering early and then go to bed early while the young fans come out later. Men don’t cheer on one side of the road and women on the other. There is just unity. Catholics don’t cheer on their knees and Protestants with their hands in the air. There isn’t a table and chair sections for some Sikhs while other cheer sitting shoulder to shoulder. Some don’t face east to cheer while other’s face west either. Everyone is there celebrating together as Vancouver Canucks fans. After all hockey is what it means to be a
Canadian. Yet what does it mean to be a Christian? I think it is sad to say that even for Christians in this city there is greater unity in seeking Lord Stanley than the Lord Jesus Christ. The run for the cup will come and go (and I hope we win it all!) but then what? I am not going to push the idea of unity at all costs because that is not the right focus either. As we move into the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in 17 years, I encourage you to use each game as an opportunity to look around and see what is going on, not just with this city, but in most places in British Columbia. Then remember the words of Paul in Ephesians 4:3-5 (NIV) Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; No it is not unity at all costs, it is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit above all else – even the Vancouver Canucks. ■ Todd Martin is a pastor with
the Harvest Christian Fellowship. Contact him at toddfmartin@gmail.com.
Vern’s lessons can be yours, too BY MICHAEL KERRY For the Times
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ern had reached the stage where he was thoroughly disgusted with himself. His addiction to alcohol had driven his wife and daughter away and he couldn’t blame them. He’d once owned a roofing company, but a bad fall had wrecked his feet and he hadn’t been able to do any meaningful work since he’d turned to drink and lost the business. Now he was reduced to welfare, a dingy basement suite and a struggle to stay warm. He tried to count his blessings, such as they were. Even in his misery,he was now able to avoid the booze. Whenever he scrounged a few dollars, he didn’t spend it on getting drunk and he was glad that at least he had that much sense. And thank God for the Salvation Army. They had helped him get off the street and every day he could get a good meal at their centre. Vern had a bit of self-respect left and he didn’t like begging. But asking for “change” was really quite easy, so occasionally he’d do so. That’s how he came to be at the door of a downtown coffee shop when Eric and Jeff walked in. They were on their way to the library, on assignment from a Bible school that was part of one of the local churches. There was always an air of excitement among the students because Christianity was taught as it had been practiced in New Testament times. The school told them that prayer produces healing and every day they expected to see signs, wonders and miracles.
“Do you have any spare change, guys?” Vern asked. “Nope,” said Jeff, “But we’ll buy you a coffee.” Vern limped into the coffee shop and introduced himself to them. Over a meal he told his story and they told theirs. Something about their optimistic demeanor caught his attention. Jeff and Eric probably didn’t realize that they were doing what they’d been taught. They were living out the Bible verse that says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” Eric and Jeff didn’t go to the library that afternoon. They spent nearly three hours with Vern. By the time they had driven him to his home, he was a changed man. It wasn’t the just nine dollar lunch that produced the change. Their chat was fairly general at first. Vern was grateful for the coffee and food, and genuinely interested in these two kids who cared enough to feed him, but it was their excitement that fascinated him. They were unashamedly passionate about Jesus. When they asked Vern if they could pray for him he shrugged his shoulders and said, “Sure.” His feet were completely healed. That was all last year. Now Vern is an enthusiastic, Bible-believing employee of a construction company. Not all his problems are over, but his life has more meaning than it ever had. He’s even hoping that he can earn back the trust of his wife and daughter.
■ Michael Kerry is a freelance columnist and can be reached at nut.shell@shaw.ca.