a es ey Page B6 For The The Castlegar Sun Wednesday, July 26, 1995 VOUNG | ot HEART) i r Nominations open for Local seniors fall prey to phone scam artists BC. Sonor Aware SGT. J. M. HERMAN For The Sun Residents of the West Koote- hay, especially seniors, continue. to receive telephone solicitations in which prizes or gifts are Promised in return for a purchase of a particular item. Most of these calls are made from central C Montreal. Recently, calls were made from a person representing a Montreal business. The caller was told that a purchase of pen and pencil sets for a total price of $1605.00 would result in a “gift” being sent The person was told to send the money by Priority Post The caller claimed sending Payment in this manner would keep the transaction within the legal system, proving the legiti- macy of the offer, This is false The gifts offered included $7500 cash, a ( ae-week exotic vacation Tor five years, a car, and a 46” big screen TV Investigators readily agree that not every telemarketer is a scam artist. However, the difficulty for someone receiving a phone call is distinguishing between a legiti mate sales person and someone attempting to make quick money AS% Mark your Calendar... ) Thursday July 27 is Senior's Day at Pharmasave You can save 15% on most everything you need! SENIOR'S DAY *MOST EVERYTHING “(Except prescription dispensary magazines, tabacco and sale products.) PRESENT YOU PHARMACARE CARD AND SAVEII OFF PS PHARMASAVE 1128 3rd St. (Downtown) Castegar 365-7813 at another's expense To combat this situation, a national organization called Pro- ject Phone Busters has been established to co-ordinate investi- gation of fraudulent telemarket- ing schemes. The agency consists of various federal and provincial agencies under the primary direction of the Ontario Provincial Police, led by Det. Staff Sgt. Barry Elliot Elliot is willing to answer any questions seniors or others may have about phone scams. He can be contacted at (705) 495-3899 So far in 1995, Project Phone Busters has receive more than 11,000 complaints, of which 2,300 claim to have been victim- ized by atelemarketing scam The complaints received are estimated to be approximately five per cent of calls actually being made. Local residents receiving such phone calls are asked to immedi- ately record all information pro- vided during their phone call on a Piece of paper. Engineers People over the of 65 now accoum for about 20 per cent of the North American population, and the percentage is rapidly growing. By the year 2030, near- ly one-third of the population will be more than 65 years of age These, figures are Significant to automakers, according to pan- elists at a recent SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) conven- tion. . The group pointed out thata number of problems, such as Poor night vision can cause seniors’ driving ability to decline Engineers note that the death This information can then be delivered to the Castlegar RCMP Detachment, which will forward it to Project Phone Busters. Generally Speaking, people Should never send money to any- one in retum for a promise of a gift or a prize. Here are some important Don'ts to remember when the telephone rings: Don't believe that everyone call- ing with an exciting promotion or Submitted Nominations are now open for the 12th Annual _ British Columbia Senior Award. The 1995 award, which con- sists.of the Brock House Society Medal and a $10,000 tax-free grant from Hongkong Bank of Canada, will be given to a B.C. i 65 or older who has a PP is thy, especially if you do not know them or their company. Don't be fooled by a Promise of a valuable prize in return for a “low-cost” i Dan't disclose information about-your bank or credit card, not even a credit card expiry date. Don't be pressured to send money to take advantage of a so- called “deal”. Don't purchase or invest with- out carefully checking the prod- uct, investment and company. And don't be afraid to hang up the phone. 4. rate in accidents rises for drivers over 65, and leaps dramatically for those over 80. However, the highest death rate is still among the youngest drivers. The panel concluded that engi- neers must consider older drivers when designing future cars, and use technology to help overcome problems. Suggested innovations include: wider availability of rearview miirors ‘that automati- cally adjust to reduce glare; onboard sensors that sound an alarm when the car comes too close to obstacles; head-up dis- Play systems that provide an Every vear thousands of British Columbians ereouciea PHARMANET: are hospital ized due to negative reactions to prescription drugs. That's why the Ministry of Health is introducing PharmaNet, a confidential computer network that keeps track of every Preseription fitted in B.C. Protecting Your Health A confidential new ser- vice that ensures your Prescription drug safety. PharmaNet will provide up-to the-minute information about all prescription medications dispensed to y community pharmacy in B.C. so your pha quickly identify — and protect you from harmful medication interactions Saving Tax Dollars, Preventing Fraud and PharmaNet will also save millions of tay. dollars every year by helping the Minisirn, of Health and B.C. pharmacists stop Presciption fraud and abuse tt will Cut hospital costs by reducing the number of patients suffering harmful reactions w presenppuon medications It will also enable the introduc ton of new measures where Patents get the best drugs at the lowest pnices, resulting N savings and improved benefits for patients such as children If sou quahfy fe PharmaNet w macare benefits late them more dd waiting Privacy Assured Your prescription records will be kept strictly confidential in PharmaNet's secure system. Only registered practicing pharmacists and their assistants are allowed access to your PharmaNet files. This information will be controlled by the College of Pharmacists of B.C. If you wish, you can assign a = confidential password to further restrict access. throughout British Columbia this summer When you see the PharmaNet logo at your local pharmacy entrance, you'll know they've joined the system. Your CareCard will help To save time for both you and your Pharmacist, please present your valid British Columbia CareCard each time you have a prescription filled.For more information pick up a PharmaNet brochure at your local pharmacy PharmaNet — 4 better health program from the Ministry of Health Government of British Columbia. PharmaNet is being introduced at pharmacies BC Ministry of Health and Ministry Responsible for Seniors demonstrated record of voluntary community service. “The purpose of the award is to Create greater public awareness of the important contributions senior citizens are making to our society, to recognize their accomplish- ments and record them in the his- tory of our province,” said Dr. Dick Stace-Smith, president of Brock House. The 1994 winner was former Kamloops mayor Peter Wing, who was honored for his lifetime dedication to community and Civic service in the interior. Study elderly drivers éfihanced view of the roadway, especially helpful in fog The Chevrolet Caprice and Buick Roadmaster are two exam- ples of cars designed with elderly drivers in mind, because a num- ber of buyers of these cars are in the elderly category. Features installed in both auto- mobiles include larger lettering of heating and air conditioning 'con-" trols, larger knobs arid baltons and less dashboard clutter. GM engineers say they are working on other future models that will feature a wide range of benefits for elderly drivers All seniors across the province are encouraged to participate Each.nominee's accomplish- ments are permanently recorded and become ‘a valued part of the society's archives. Nominators are encouraged to resubmit and update entries from previous years “We encourage all residents across the province to consider nominating those seniors in their community whose action: have made a positive difference,” said Maurice Mourton, executive vice-president with the HongKong Bank. Brock House Society, the orig- inator of the award, was founded in 1974 as a non-profit activity centre for seniors and now has almost 3,000 members. The recipient of the 1995 award will be chosen by a seven- member selection committee whose decision is final. “The selection committee acts completely independently from the society,” said Stace-Smith The successful nominee will be announced Oct. 18 and hon- ored at a special presentation din- ner Nov. 14 in Vancouver. Nomination forms, along with a brochure outlining terms of eli- gibility, are available throughout the province at all branches of the Hongkong Bank of Canada and the -Bank of British Columbia, as well as from Brock House Society's Vancouver headquarters. Submissions must be received, by the bank or the society, no later than Sept. 13. For further information, con- tact the B.C. Senior Award, c/o Brock House Society, 3875 Point Grey Road, Vancouver, B.C. V6R 1B3. Phone (604) 228-1461 Be one of the first five people to place a garage sale ad in the Aug. 2 issue of The Castlegar Sun and you'll win a six free tick- ets for the Seniors Louery Sum- mer Dreams "95 contest. Each ticket will give you three chances to win a vaca- tion vehicle plus thousands of Win with seniors lotto! dollars in cash. The draw date for the Sum- mer Dreams Lottery is Aug. 25. Even if you don’t win a free ticket, you can still buy buy them at SuperValu this Thurs- day, July 27. And you don’t even have to be a senior to buy a ticket or win a prize! Airy Mountain Appliance ONLY *20 For friendly service anytime call * Scooters * Wheelchairs * Medical & Homecare Supplies “Free Home Visits” Okanagan Medical & Supplies Ltd. HU You could win CASH CASH $1,000 + bodus prizes too! WIN ENDS AUGUST 18: + a $70,000 Royal Classic motor home with queen size bed, full bath, two way fridge & microwave PLUS $10,000 + a $30,000 eight seat GM Astro Minivan PLUS $5,000. +a $15,000 GM Tracker four wheel drive vehicle PLUS Tickets only $5.00 each or 6 for $25. Tickets available from Rusty Goldie at 365-2529 or at Supervalu on Thursday July 27. You don't have to be a senior to buy a ticket! HELPING SENIORS HELP THEMSELVES Wednesday, July 26, 1995 The Castlegar Sun SUN STAFF PHOTO/Derek Zeieman __100% B.C. OWNED & OPERATED JOAN WATSON Clearer product labels needed to promote consumers’ health Labels lacking adequaté nutritional info For The Sun on a can of soup. Forgive me. I nced to know what's in it. Eating the wrong ingredients can put me out of commission for days. In my own defense, I have to Say the label information is often incomplete and hard to read. It doesn't help that everything has to be in two languages. Never mind the old law that says when dropped, the buttered side of the bread hits the floor. What about the oné that says the side of the box you first try to read is always the one written in your second language? There is a cure for this prob- lem. The Swedes invented it years ago. Every ingredient is assigned a number. For example: sucrose might be 2, carob bean gum 17, and canola oil 204. Let's say you can get a life threatening allergic response to anything with peanuts or peanut oil in it. Let’s say that ingredient number is 68. A quick scan of the label will reveal the presence or absence of the potentially lethal 68. What's more, 68 means the same ingredient no matter what language you speak. And how do you know what the numbers mean? The Swedish government issues wallet cards with all the code numbers identi- fied. They are available in stores in whatever language you prefer. When the system first came out it was common to see shoppers referring to the plastic cards. Over time, consumers became very familiar with the numbers of food colours and other additives they needed to avoid. They became equally familiar with ingredient numbers they con- sider beneficial. It takes very little Space to put 20 or 30 appropriate numbers on the package. The rest of the space is well- used for more complete nutrition- al labeling: percentage of fat, and other ingredients, and also what Percentage of essential nutrients are provided by each serving, caloric content, and number of servings per package. Best of all, this labeling is mandatory. in Canada we have a hit or miss system. With a few exceptions, the Estate Preservation Keep what's yours from the tax man. You'll likely be surprised at the size of your estate, and how much Revenue Canada will take away from your spouse and children Eliminate the tax grab on your valuable assets. (RSPS, your cottage, rental prop- erties, your business, your investments). Money Concepts has solutions to this major financial problem Contact us today for a free consultation. “Concepts that work” Burt Campbell’s ‘The Money Management People Wayne Miller * Bill Wenman + Burt Campbell 365-4980 * 1-800-897-0807 City Centre Square, Castlegar “In Canada we have a hit or the labels will be” manufacturer decides how infor- mative the labels will be. The Heart and Stroke Founda- tion says a good nutrition label is a tool that helps you make sensi- ble food choices. Like any tool, nutritional labeling is not much use unless you use it well. The truth is, you have to know quite a bit about nutrition to get much out of our labeling system. It’s probably fair to say that most Canadians do not read labels until they have to, unless they are health conscious. It takes that kind of motivation to struggle through the fine print. Nutrition labeling is.a volun- tary program that allows food fi to put inf i about calories, protein, fat, carbo- hydrates, fibre and about 20 vita- mins and minerals on a food label only if they want to do it. The best labels will give you the full nutritional picture; not just the value of a few nutrients. Breakfast cereals and some breads are among the best-labeled foods. If a nutritional claim is made for a food, “low-fat yogurt” for example, or “high in dietary fibre”, for cereal, the claim must be backed up with hard facts. Because, for the most part, the manufacturers can pick and choose what goes on a label, you might only be given the good news. Other information, more important to your health may be left off. And here's another catch Nutrition information. on the Package only has to declare what's inside. You might happily go home with a “cholesterol-free” cake mix, overlooking the fact that when you bake it, you might add oil, three eggs, and then frost it with a butter icing. Don’t be fooled by claims of “no cholesterol”, which you see on everything from oils, to bread, french fries, even potato chips. These foods are not neces- Sarily better for you. This claim perpetuates the myth that choles- terol in food is bad for you because it raises your blood cholesterol. In truth, dietary fat, not dietary cholesterol is the main culprit in raising blood cholesterol. “No cholesterol” chips are loaded with fat. Buyer beware. Canada ‘A’ Grades BEEF BLADE STEAKS Bone-in © 3.06 kg. 1°? Canada ‘A’ Grades CROSS RIB ROAST 4.39 kg. Bone in i QQ|cREAmy COLESLAW Per 100 g. 9 Ib. ASIAN NOODLE SALAD Per 100 g. SY Fresh COD FILLETS 11.44 kg. ‘f New Selection Our Compliments SALAD DRESSINGS Asst. variety 485 ml. 9 CANNED VEGETABLES Asst. varieties 341 ml..--398 ml. 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