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Tax and fare increases for 2015

» Rates for transit, medical going up

Angela Espinoza
News Editor

i Minews

3 @theotherpress.ca

he year 2015 will see

a number of tax and
fare increases occur in BC
throughout the year. Taxes
on medical, hydro, and

will transit fares.

Already in effect are
BC’s medical services plan
increases; single person
medical plans have increased
from $39 to $72, and family
plans have gone from $70.50 to
$130.50 (for family of two) and
from $78 to $144 (for family of
three or more). Each has nearly
doubled from the previous

year’s cost.

Starting April 1, BC Hydro
will see a six per cent increase,
lower than last year’s nine per
cent increase. The adjustment
is part of BC Hydro’s 10-year
increase plan, which went
into effect in 2014 with what is
expected to be the largest tax
increase. Already confirmed
are that 2016 will see a four per

: see a three per cent increase.

Also going into effect

: on April 1 will be BC Ferries’

: four per cent fare increases,

: replacing the fuel surcharge

: and raising prices by 0.5 per

: cent. The fare increase is

: one of the ways BC Ferries is
: hoping to work around 2014’s
: upset over the possibility of

. . . : cancelling some ferry routes
transportation will be raised, as : , BC
: in BC.

TransLink’s previous fare

: increase was on January 1,

: 2013 when fares were raised by
: $0.25 (for one and two zones)

: and $0.50 (for three zones),

: and monthly passes were

: increased by $10 (one zone),

: $14 (two zones) and $19 (three
: zones). This spring, TransLink
: is holding a public vote on

: whether residents of Metro

: Vancouver specifically should

: increase their fare rates by

: 0.5 per cent. While major fare
: increases will not be occurring
: to TransLink this year,

: increases are expected as the

: 10-year plan to increase transit
: throughout BC is planned to

total $8-billion.

“There will be a lot more

: traffic congestion, pollution,

cent increase, 2017 will see a 3.5 sitting in traffic ... it’s a costly

per cent increase, and 2018 will :

Already in effect
are BC’s medical
services plan
increases...

: thing for our economy,” said

: Vancouver Mayor Gregor

: Robertson to CBC, in reference
: to fare increases being a result
of increased residency in

: Vancouver.

By November 1, ICBC will

: be increasing their monthly

: rates by $3, bringing the yearly
: average up by $36 later next

: year. This increase follows the
: recent cancellation of the BC

: AirCare program, which was

: previously supported by ICBC

: taxes.

The city of Surrey this year

: is expected to receive a 2.9 per
: cent increase to property tax,

: amongst other tax raises. Part
: of the tax increase is to pay for
: additional police service, and,
: according to CBC, Vancouver

: may also receive a similar rise

: in property tax.

 

theotherpress.ca

 

Still much to be done for women’s
abortion access after New Brunswick
Liberal announcement

Tess Allen
The Brunswickan

he barriers facing a New

choose may have been tackled
in a historic announcement
from the Liberal government

is far from over.

On December 1, New
Brunswick Premier Brian
Gallant announced that
amendments would be made
to regulation 84-20 of the
Medical Services Payment.
The amendments would
eliminate the requirement
that two physicians certify
the procedure is medically
required, as well as remove
the requirement that the
procedure be performed bya

specialist.

The amendment, which

: went into effect January
: 1, will put reproductive

: health procedures in the
. _ : same category as any
Brunswick woman’s right to : insured medical service.
: The government will also be
: working with regional health
: authorities to increase capacity :

in December, but local officials : and improve timeliness of

say the fight for abortion access :
: access.

“It’s great that the

: government has finally started
: to make some changes, but

: for us to act as if our fight is

: over now would be ludicrous,”
: said Sarah Dominie, chair

: of the University of New

: Brunswick’s Women’s Centre,

: which provides information to
: all students on issues such as

: abortion, sexual health, and

: eating disorders.

Dominie said that while

: it can indeed be considered
: a victory that abortions will

: no longer need to be deemed

: “medically required,” this

: becomes problematic when

: you take into account that

: the province still has not

: pledged to fund services

: outside of hospitals, and there
: are only two hospitals in the

province that will perform the

“It’s one of those things

: said Dominie.

“We've seen an inevitable

increase in women travelling

: to Maine and Quebec for the

: procedure, as they cannot rely
: on their home province to

: provide basic access to health

: ”
: care.

Jessi Taylor, spokeswoman

for New Brunswick
: Reproductive Justice, sees

: the changes as a first step in
: fostering improved abortion
: access for New Brunswick

: women.

: that these two pieces of

: legislation were abolished
: ... [but] without that third
: piece, a lot of the changes
: procedure—in Moncton and in :

: : that were made don’t have any
: Bathurst.

: practical applications, not
: : without something more to
: about New Brunswick that just :

: : supplement,” said Taylor.
: makes you hang your head,”

reproductive health best

: practices by refusing to fund
: services outside of hospitals,
: New Brunswick continues to
: be in violation of the Canada
: Health Act ... People are

: sometimes treated in a punitive :
: way when they access abortions :
: in some hospitals. There are

: also confidentiality problems
: when abortions are provided in :

“We're extremely pleased

“In failing to apply

: a hospital”

Dominie believes the

: key going forward lies in
: “continuing to make our voices

heard.”

“The efforts of pro-choice

: activists in the province over

: the last several months—

: notably the rally at the

: legislature in April and the

: nationally trending hashtag

: #NBProChoice—seem to be

: what has really been causing

: the government to notice,

: and bringing awareness to the
injustice happening here,” she
: said.

“New Brunswick is letting

: its women down. Abortion
: access is not something the

government can keep from us.
Canada is not a place where

: the government makes your
: choices for you, uncomfortable

conservative old men be

>: damned.”