BC RAIL: and Petrosul have
signed a $75-million, five-year
ontract to ship sulphur from
he Petrosul plant in Hasler
Flats outside Chetwynd to
Vancouver Wharves in North
Be : Vancouver,
ca Vancouver Wharves is 2;
[wholly owned | subsidiary of
ai BC Rail.
Due to a recent expansion
eta Energy’s Pine River ye
‘Wegas plant has increased its gas- i
“ “processing capacity ‘to 560}
{gimiltion cu. ft. per day from:
#260 million cu. ft. per day. 37
; Sulphur is a byproduct of ®
‘éinatural gas production, said i
P¢ BC Rail communications man- 37
ager Barrie Wall. : a
-The' expansion is the result;
Hof six months of negotiation
Fbewween BC Rail, Petrosul, 2%
“id the Pine River gas produc-
HOPS. f
pA “The expansion will boost
at BC Rail’s sulphur, shipments
‘trom: ‘1,300. tonnes*to 1,800?
tonnes. per day, said. the: rail:
ompany"s liquid bulk market
ne manager John MacDonald.
“dy At-also recognizes a desire!
a by BC Rail and others to keep
“sisulphur moving 'to the market
4 ‘place during the current down
Biside. period ‘of world sulphu

‘onnes of - grain ‘was shipped,
renting the previous record of iif

“September's ‘ i "1,307,638 (6

tonnes : “snapped . the « previous Hil

Se;-high,also : set_i
12, O17. tonnes. “

Ls 7 .ed by, employers.

en oral panes ‘extensivel
knowledge “of the marine trans- &
portation ; industry ‘and’ broad &

experience in’: ween dian :

agencies such

.. finance , committee’, of the House’. of ”;
_. Commons which .recommended against

eral Liberals) want to commit political sui-:

Employees with
coverage could

take $800 tax hit.

EMPLOYEES WITH dental plans are slat-
ed to have more tax. extracted from their
pay cheques next year if a federal govern-
ment proposal is implemented.

By Anna Marie D’Angelo

News Reporter

West Vancouver dentist, Dr. Bob Hicks, esti-
mates employces with plans will lose between
$250 and $800 a year if the tax goes through.

“If they tax it that heavily, it may not make any

' sense to have a'dental plan,” said Hicks, who is

the ‘chairman, for the Canadian Dentat
Association’s taxation committee.

Hicks ‘said the feds tried to tax the employee

benefit in this year's budget, but the proposal was
~ withdrawn “at the tfth hour.”
~ Meanwhile Capilano Howe Sound Reform MP.

Herb Grubel ‘said taxing dental. plan’ benefits

along with medical coverage provided by employ- ;

ers, fits in’ with the Liberal left-wing traditi' ii i of

“government.”
"They feel those things are legitimate targets :

of taxation because some people have to pay their -
dentists or their health plan expenses with after-

"tax money.” said Grubel.

~ He said the Liberals are concerned about “hor-

“jzontal equality”: people.with’ the same income’

pay the same amount of taxes, .
Grubel said the Liberals believe people who

_ are getting medical and dental benefits paid with

before-tax money: are ‘advantaged over
others. ; “
.Grubel is a member of the multi-party ©

“taxing dental or medical coverage provid: ;

“"s “EF cannot rule: it ‘out Gnstituting the”
tax) ‘but T ‘think it would. be extremely
unpopular. And I don’t think they (the fed.

‘ cide,” said Grubel.

“Martin ~ (Finance ‘Minister Paul, |

, Martin) is very desperate. He is desperate!
. in having to. balance the budget,” he
* added. :

Grubel said the Reforni Paty i is against

“all forms of taxation.

“It’s just crazy really. People are taxed to the

" -amax,” said Grubel. 7
: He said if the Liberals decided to introduce the *

tax, the revenue gained would be more symbolic : ©

than : significant. in terms of government , ¢zht

NEWS Fhoto Paul NeGrath

“WEST VANCOUVER dentist Dr. Bob Hicks displays a signi in his office drawing atten
tion ta a proposal by the federal: government to tax: employee dental plan contribu- z

tions.

reduction.
The Reform MP said the finance committee '
received a lot of opposition to the proposal of tax- °

ing. employer-paid ‘medical benefits and. dental _

coverage. _
Meanwhile Hicks called the proposal a tax on

66 We will be back to the drill and fill’

days of the 1 960s instead of the

"preventive treatment of the 1990s. IP”

~ Dr. Bob Hicks :

lower income workers. more than People . with
higher i incomes. ‘

pay 50% to 100% of the employees’ dental costs.
Hicks used an » example, of a $40, 000 2-year

da’ item was deferred: to another meeting. '

health and a regressive move that will impact

* Employers ‘who provide dental plans usually ;

; wage eamer who has an average dental package

costing $2,000 a year. If the employer pays $1,000..;"
of that amount a year (50%) and. that $1,000 is.
taxed, the employee would have to pay $250 i in.
new taxes. ~

If the wage: camer makes about $100, 900, the .
new tax would be about $540 yearly,
. «It's not really.a dentists’ issue. It’s ‘the :
- dental patient who is Boing to be paying this :
» money,” said Hicks. . nt
“We : (dentists) can: see.

vt Y:
dental plans’ as’ affordable: and’ downsize
their coverage or decide to stop particip
ing in a dental plan altogether.
Hicks:-said: that ; dental “p
~ became widely available i in the 1970s, are
believed to be:a réason for a’ significant
improvement in Canadians’. dental : health,
especially in Canadian children... ©"...
ou. “We'see the reversal happening (with, the ,
‘tax),” sais Hicks...
“We will be back to the drill and fill days of the
1960s instead of the preventive. treatment of, the 2
1990s.” *,
‘The Liberal government’ is. ‘slated to. make a’
decision about the proposed dental plan tax’ before:

. the next budget.

i a copy, of council’ $ resolution be sent to

A OCAL “jobby group of hunters; tar-
: get ‘shooters, firearms collectors - and |
gun’-sellers. came. toi Monday. night’s:
North’ Vancouver District. Council

‘Myself, 1 my y family and’13 other people I.
“work with are frightened at the idea that our -
‘jobs. may be’ lost to these proposed amend-.
ments that are ill-conceived, superficial and,
in purpose, absolutely guaranteed to be inef-
fective: in acquiring an increased level of

afety to residents i in the district,”
LeDrew. | on .

"said Bruce ©
_ Where council stood on the i issue. The agen-

"NORTH VANCOUVER:
‘DISTRICT COUNCIL
By Martin Millerchip

LeDrew ‘is. sales manager for a North
Vancouver company that manufactures clay

_ targets and wholesales firearms and ammu-.

aition to retail outlets across Canada.

‘He and other. gun dealers and owners
from as far afield as Chilliwack argue that
legislating gun shops out of existence will
not increase community safety.

Despite’ waiting for four hours at the
“meeting, the. gun ‘lobby left not knowing

», the issue.

They vowed to return in January to press

The possibility of an outright ban on gun -
shops in the district arose after Coun. Janice
Harris proposed a motion at the Dec. 5 coun-
cil meeting expressing opposition to the sale
of rifles in retail stores.:

' Her motion, seconded by Coun, Ernie
Crist, was aimed at the new Wal-Mart outlet
in ‘Capilano Mall (located in, the City of -
North Vancouver) and stated that: .
& the mayor express in the strongest possi-
ble terms the District of North Vancouver's
opposition to the sale of rifles, guns and
bows and arrows at retail department stores /
in urban areas; and ' :

the City of North Vancouver Council and to’.

‘the appropriate government licensing’ body » . t

which’ considers applications. for. fire arms |.

‘sales permits.’

But that motion was ‘deferred when staff :

“were instructed to report.on how the district

can control or prohibit the sale of firearms. '
In’ 1993: council amended ‘the zoning’

-bylaw to prohibit gun shops as a home occu-

pation use in residential zones. : 7
But two existing home: occupation gun

shops were not affected by the'change.
Monday night staff confirmed that coun-

cil could further amend the zoning bylaw to:

“See Firearm bylaw page é 4