November 26 , 1989 News 985-2131 Classified 986-6222 Distribution 986-1337 64 pages 25¢ COCKTAILS A CAVIAR The girls choose Murray PAGE 37 202 CASES RESULTED IN PENALTIES nvest gators track down over $245,592 in Ul overpayments INVESTIGATORS TRACKING suspected Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefit overpayments through the North Vancouver Canada Employment Centre (CEC) identified more than $245,592 worth of mistaken and fraudulent overpayments during the three-month period ending Oct. 31. Of 879 cases investigated by the CEC’s four-member investigations unit, 202 resulted in penalties amounting to a total of $59,126. Two of the cases were deemed serious enough by North Shore CEC officials to take the claimant to court. In October, a Sechelt man was sentenced to 21 days in jail for fraudulently receiving over $6,000 worth of UI, and a North Vancouver woman was fined $500 for fraudulently taking close to $5,000. Anu.ew Lane, the manager of the local CEC serving North and West Vancouver, the Howe Sound area and the Sunshine Coast, said the total overpayment dollar value discovered is ‘‘about as expected.”” But added Lane: ‘‘We're in- vestigating more claims now than we had in the past. It's part of the government’s policy to take a more careful look at who is being paid claims.”' UI investigations are initiated throvzh follow-up programs in place at the CEC. For example, investigators can compare infor- mation on iile about people who have received UI with records of employment. Said Lane: ‘‘There are other programs where employers tell us when they employ people. Some people who have been claiming for a while and then get a job try to claim the first few weeks while they’re working.” The office also fields a lot of anonymous phone calls and letters alerting staff about possible UI cheaters. “Jealous boyfriends and jealous girlfriends, jilted husbands and wives call us. People who cal! with fips generally tell us that ‘so-and- so is working both ends against the middJe and that’s not fair,"’’ Lane said. During the three-month period to Oct. 31, 8,300 claimants in the area served by the local CEC received $15,915,021 in UI pay- ments. The maximum weekly benefit rate payable is $363 per week. CAP COLLEGE DISPUTE Tentative agreement reached in strike A TENTATIVE contract agreement was reached early Fri- day morning between Capilano College and negotiators for the college's striking Office and Technical Employees’ Union (OTEU) Local 378 employees following an all-night barvaining session. Details of the agreement were not released by either side pending contract ratification votes, but negotiators for the college and the union were unanimously recom- mending acceptance of the con- tract. Capilano College president Douglas Jardine said the outstand- ing issues in the negotiations were “very amicably settled. We feel good about it. Is good for both sides."" OTEU workers began returning to work Friday after picket lines at the college were removed. Jardine said the college would be back to normal operations by Monday. Contract negotiations, which had originally broken off Nov. 10, resumed late Wednesday after the union presented the college with a new proposal. Classes for virtually ali of the college's 5,000 students had ground to a halt fast) Tuesday morning when OTEU picket fines were set up around the coliege. - . . NEWS photo Tery Peters first hospital satellite television service Wednesday. LGH director of education services Jean Blake is seen here on the hospi- tal’s roof beside the satellite dish that will bring the HealthSat network to LGH staff. See story page 3.