Saturday, December 5, 1992 @ ers look for loop holes after ICBC rate hikes @ Province ups penalty points for British Columbia drivers Neil Rachynski NEWS REPORTER ‘It’s a little early to sense what impact that has, and with | the new plate coverage as well it will take a month or two to see what impact the increases will have.’ Some local drivers are opting out. Autoplan rates from ICBC went up — ICBC’s Kim King 9.5 per cent Monday for new policies, and those renewing their car insur- ance will see the increase take effect in 1993. Sandy Santori, manager for Koote- nay Savings Insurance in Castlegar and Trail, said the increase is prompt- ing some drivers to take risks. “What we're already finding after just one day of premium increases is that people with newer vehicles are not taking out the optional collision and comprehensive coverage,” Santori said. As a result, he said people with ve- hicles that are only two or three years old are “putting a lot on the line by not heck with it, I can’t afford it,”” Santori said. “That's a $400 to $500 savings right there — or temporarily at least.” ICBC media relations co-ordinator Kim King said Santori’s comments “certainly make sense.” But she also said it’s too soon to say what effect the increases will have. “It’s a little early to sense what im- pact that has, and with the new plate coverage as well it will take a month or two to see what impact the increases will have,” King said. Rae Penman of Anderson Insurance said people who dodged 1991's 20 per cent insurance hike could face close to insuring it properly. “People have come in and said ‘the a one-third increase. She said coupled with last year’s increase, the 9.5 per cent boost may leave some drivers with a 30 per cent increase. The new rates include the mini- mum deductible for collision going from $100 to $200. If a driver is considered at fault in an accident, repairs to his or her vehi- cle would not be made without colli- sion coverage. The deductible for comprehensive insurance will also rise from a $50 minimum to $100. Of the 8,500 active policies in the Castlegar area, 2,200 have collision in- surance with the minimum $100 de- ductible. That compares to the 660 drivers that have collision with a $200 de- ductible. At the same time though, claim-free drivers who opt for the coverage will see such premiums drop about $35. Some 5,700 drivers in the area are taking advantage of comprehensive coverage with a $50 deductible. In contrast, only 323 people took the coverage with the $100 deductible rate. Comprehensive insurance covers incidents such as theft, vandalism and fire. Meantime, the Ministry of Con- sumer Services has announced the premiums for points will go up Jan. 1. As an example, drivers with six points, or demerits, will pay $245 in 1993 compared with the current $175 premium. Under the present system, mo- torists don’t pay on their points until they accumulate five. The new rates lower that. Drivers with fours points who pre- viously payed nothing will now have to cough up $150. __} B.C. wood-waste initiative gets mixed review from PT Neil Rachynski NEWS REPORTER The province wants to cut down wood waste from small sawmills. In what it calls “innovative new uses”, the Ministry of Forests issued a news release which recommends uses for the byproducts. of materials from lumber production. The report, prepared by a Nanaimo consultant with Sterling Wood Group Inc., suggests the following: * sawdust be used for live- stock bedding and garden nurseries. * wood pieces and sawdust be used for composting septic and livestock waste * ground-up bark be used for seed bedding at turf farms * edgings and trim pieces be used for residential fire- places Pope and Talbot’s resident manager Bob Coutts agreed with some of the recommen- dations. “I think, and this is my own personal belief, all those uses are viable and make a lot of sense,” Coutts said. But he said some sawmills may have trouble implement- ing the ideas. “Depending on the size of the operation separating the material is a problem.” ‘ As an example, he said sep- arating sawdust from bark “would require major changes.” Coutts also said he dis- agreed with using trim pieces for firewood. “Trim ends isn’t wood waste, as wood chips it’s worth a lot of money.” He said PT is already tak- ing its own steps to reduce hog fuel from 1,100 tonnes a day to 750 tonnes per day. “If you can’t get rid of hog fu- el then you can’t run your mill.” COMMUNITY BUSINESS MEETING Whist, December 10, 7 p.m. Christmas Dinner at Seniors Hall, December 19, 5 p.m: 4/95 Coming events of Castlegar and District non-profit organizations may be listed here. The first 15 words are $5 and additional words are 30¢ each. Boldfaced words (which must be used for headings) count as two words. There is no extra charge for a second insertion while the third consecutive insertion is half-price and the fourth and fifth consecutive insertions are only half price for the two of them. Minimum charge is $5 (whether ad is for one, two or three times). Deadlines are 5 p.m. Wednesdays for Saturday's paper and 5 p.m. Monday for Wed: should be brought to the Castlegar News at 197 Columbia Ave. MU M Ye Bulletin Board y's paper. Noti NUT JIN bY WA LLZZZZ LS per, an Lng INS Take a look at us now for unique Christmas Gift Ideas! Rather than tell you, Value and Extended hours for Christmas Shopping! Thur. & Fri. Sun. 12 p.m.-5 p.m. Courtesy Gift Wrapping! we would like to show you... Selection BONNETI’S MEN’S WEAR 233 Columbia Avenue, Castleger + 365-6761 @ Saturday, Décember 5, 1992 AroundTOWN OurPEOPLE 365-7266 STOPPING THE VIOLENCE Tomorrow is the third anniversary of the Montreal massacre. In remembrance of the 14 women who were killed, activities focused on ending the violence against women have been planned in Nelson. From 10 a.m. to noon, women are invited to help paint a mural on the construction fence on the 500-block of Stanley Street. From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., two workshops will be held, one for men and one for women at David Thompson University Centre’s student union building. Near the end of the workshop the groups will meet together to share ideas. At 4:30 ‘p.m. a 20 minute candlelight vigil will be held at the same meeting site for the mural Painting. Everyone is welcome to attend. Organizers ask for you to please bring your own candle for the ceremony. FESTIVITY ABOUNDS AT NEC Need a gift idea? The National Exhibition Centre's selection of Christmas gifts — handcrafted by Canadian artists — are available until Dec. 24. Corinne Jackson NEWS REPORTER oy may have once been living a nightmare. But today, seven years after leaving an abusive relationship, she describes the experience as awakening from a pupa to become a butterfly. “That’s what I think all abuse victims can he. They don’t have to stay in cocoons,” Joy (not her real name) explains. Joy says as more people come out and talk about their experiences with abuse, it makes it easier for others to come forward with their stories and start the healing process. “It looks depressing and sad and horrible that all this stuff is coming out, but at least now people have the chance to come out of the cocoon and become butterflies,” she says. While Joy’s story of abuse is not so unlike others, her will to survive and protect her child is incredible. Joy was sexually abused by a neighbor for two years from the time she was 11. “Before that I don’t remember anything about my life,” she explains. : According to Joy, counselors have told her that she must have experienced some sort of trauma before she was 11 — “more than likely sexual abuse. “One of the main points of an abuse survivor is that it takes away your belief in yourself. “It colors your life and more often than not you end up in an abusive relationship,” she explains. nd this is exactly what happened to Joy. Joy and Vern (not his real ame) met each other in 1979 while working up in Northern Canada. The couple spent seven years moving from province to province — something that Joy believes now was deliberate. “(Abusers) isolate you where you have no family, or friends, no car.” Although the abuse was at first subtle and mostly verbal, Joy says that after she had her son it got worse. “He told me... his main purpose for being with me was for me to have a child — preferably a son — and then my job was done. “Because my job was done it got worse after I had the son,” Joy says. Trying to remember the details of her story is difficult, Joy explains. “It’s like a period of your life that you just don’t want to remember” she says with hesitation. The following five years, after her son was born, are described asaliving nightmare. However, Joy says there were times she wasn’t too sure if she was living the abuse, or she was dreaming it up. “It’s like living in a’concentration camp. You have your captor... he used a brainwashing technique on me. “He’d attack me and then turn around and tell me I must have been dreaming, tell me that I must be crazy, there’s something wrong with me.” One incident in particular stands out in Joy’s mind which moved her to finally see a psychiatrist and see if there was something wrong with her. “I had my son maybe a week and my husband came home — he used to drink — it was the middle of the night. He raped me and forced me to do some things. “I ended up in the bathroom and I vomited and passed out. ccording to Joy, when she awoke Vern had a razor at her neck and aped her again. “I ended up in the corner in hysterics. “He came back a few minutes later and said ‘Oh (Joy) what’s the matter?’ . “It hit me like a ton of bricks that I was going to lose my mind.” After a psychiatrist told Joy to leave Vern, she began to plan her escape. After several failed attempts, she made her way to a transition house in June 1986 with her son. “That’s where my son disclosed,” she Says quietly. Her son had refused to let Joy take his clothes off to have a bath. As well, she says, “his penis and scrotum was all black and blue and that’s why he was crying every night.” According to Joy, the events that followed — hundreds of hours of interrogation, three psychiatric examinations, visits to social welfare, the police and lawyers — was fruitless. Eventually with the advise of one sergeant, Joy and her son moved, cutting and dying her hair to conceal her identity. Joy has not seen Vern since 1987, but she says that she and her son are still living in fear. “There’s always a cloud of fear and my son lives under a cloud of fear that my ex — his Dad — is going to find us.” No charges were ever laid against Vern. “There supposedly was not enough evidence for a criminal charge of sexual assault. “My son went to three doctors. All three doctors said he’d been sexually abused. They’ve said there is not enough evidence,” she says, staring off in the distance. oy says it makes her angry thinking about the hell she lived through. The only proud moment is the day Joy escaped. Today, Joy and her 11-year-old-son are piecing together the remains of their once traumatic lives. “The first time you're a victim, the door clangs shut on you,” Joy says. “And, the only thing that unlocks it is the ‘I’d rather die than live like this.’ “It takes a lot of courage to not give up.”