NEWS photo Cindy Gooilman

Rescuer honored

LYNN VALLEY firefighter Bud Dennis receives a com-
memarative book Aeflections trom North Vancouver District
mayor Murray Dykeman for his cutstanding rescue efforts in
Lynn Canyon. The mayor presented the book and letters
from the district thanking Dennis for his contribution.

m7 RE

HELP

HELP’S AT Hand, by North.

Shore Community Services
(NSCS), is a forum for discussing
government policies and pro-
“grams, benefits, consumer. and
legal rights, taxation. and public
services. 7
Answers are intended only as a
general guide and should not be
applied to individual cases. without
further consultation. ;
Question: We are planning to
.do renovations on our home.
Most of the werk will be done by
private contractors that we hire.
I have heard that we should pro-
tect ourselves against liability in
_ case someone is injured on the
‘job. Isn’t it the responsibility of
the worker him or herself?

Answer: It is true that some
workers are registered. with
Workers’ Compensation: Board
. (WCB) which would cover them in
‘ease of an injury on the job.-On
the other hand, many are not reg-
istered and it is the responsibility

-of homeowners to insure
themselves. The regulations state
that if the total cost of the project
is $5,000 or more for labor and
materials and if you supply the
materials and hire workers — full
time, part time, or casual — or
deal with an unregistered labor
contractor, then you are consid-
ered an employer.

As an employer, you are
responsible for safety on your
worksite.

AS we. said, some contractors
are registered. WCB recommends
that you protect yourself by ask-
ing if the people you hire are reg-
istered, and get verification of it.

You can do this by asking for
their WCB registration number
and by obtaining a clearance Jetter
from the WCB’s assessment
department. The number to call
for this is 244-6181.

If you have any doubts about
whether the guidelines for regis-
tration apply to you, call assess-
ment registration at 276-3082

Registration of your project is a
simpie procedure.

.. You are assessed at a rate based
on the type and value of the work
that is being done. This year’s rate
for homeowners is $6.14 for each

$100 worth of earnings paid.

Based on this rate, a typical
renovation job costing $7,000 for
wages would be assessed at $430.
There are three ways to register:
by phone at 244-6182; by calling
the assessment department and re-
questing an employer’s registration
form and applying by mail; or, in
person at the Richmond office or
at any WCB area office.

Whatever way you register, you
will need the following informa-
tion: the value of the materials
you will be supplying for the pro-
ject and how much you will be
paying to the unregistered workers
you hire.

Once you have registered you
will be assigned a number and
given information about your
responsibilities as an employer.

You will also receive a payment
schedule that tells: you how much
your assessment is and when you
have to pay it.

Remember that employers who
are not registered when an injury
occurs can be liable for the total
compensation costs for the injury.
That includes medical costs, the
worker’s lost wages, and
rehabilitation costs.

For safety or general informa-
tion, you can contact a WCB in-
formation officer at 1-800-66I-
2312 from out of town or 276-
3200 locally. Some people prefer
to work with a ‘‘principal con-
tractor’’ for their building
renovation work. The principal
contractor does all the hiring and
provides the material and equip-
ment.

He or she should also be regis-
tered with WCB, and therefore
has the responsibility of workstie
safety and assessment payments.

But as we suggested above, ask
for your contractor’s registration
number and obtain a clearance
letter before you agree to the
project. Information given in this
columm is intended only as a
general’ guide and should not be
applied to specific circumstances
without further consultation.

This column is prepared with
financial assistance from the
Notary Foundation. For more in-
formation call NSCS at 985-7138.

DIXON WARD WILL BE AT THE
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“THE BIG |
STEAL” &

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LIMITED

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ON SATURDAY,
AUGUST 21,1993
10AM TO NOON

Come in for an
Autographing
Session.

AS { 3

Using Your Bank

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Bank Card for scanning.

Proceed tothe keyed “PIN” pad.

Press which account you want
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Most major bank cards are compatible
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pie F n

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