Dear Editor,
Fund the Future, regarding the underfunding of Thompson Rivers University — described in a comprehensive write-up by Clinton correspondent Raven Nyman (“The Rundown: Clinton News”, The Journal, January 25, 2018) — is an issue that must concern the whole region.
The two visiting Thompson Rivers University Student Union members, Leif Douglass and Cole Hickson, explained their concern to Clinton council recently, but the issue is one which should concern all councils and educators in the South Cariboo. The underfunding of a university affects the quality of education of our young people.
We want the best educators, and the best require salaries that match other institutions like U.B.C. and Simon Fraser University.
The development of the former University College of the Cariboo in Kamloops was a hard-fought battle to bring parity of education to our region. Many of our high school graduates attend Thompson Rivers University. A degree from an underfunded university can influence the potential future of all students.
How? Well, a degree in any discipline is assessed and compared with degrees from other universities. If the university is considered not up to the highest standard, the degree may be meaningless in the employment market, even if the grade point average of an applicant is high.
It isn’t just the academic record of a student that is considered; it is the institution it came from.
When two student union representatives from Thompson Rivers University take the trouble to visit a municipal council with facts and figures, expressing their concerns about underfunding at TRU, it should surely be a concern for us all.
Esther Darlington
Ashcroft, B.C.
Dear Editor,
I am a retired woman living in a small town. Like many seniors, I work part-time to supplement my pension income. In 2016, I was diagnosed with cancer and was unable to work.
Two of the most boring topics on the planet are cancer and seniors; add taxes and this is slam dunk loser. Not sexy subjects. Most of you have already figured out that there are no amusing stories here, no heartwarming tales of rescued animals. There is a mention later of rescue cats if that will entice you to keep reading. But seniors and cancer patients should keep reading, especially if you live in a small town.
I spent the summer at a cancer centre. I stayed in motels Monday to Friday while receiving chemo and radiation treatments, then drove home on the weekends. The cost of motels, food, and gas were expensive. Many of the people who I met at the cancer centre were unable to go home on weekends. Their costs were obviously much higher.
Cancer centres are only available in major cities in Canada. Everyone living in small communities must travel long distances for treatment. This is true not just for cancer centres, but also for every major medical centre and recuperative centre in Canada.
Medical travel expenses are deductible against taxes payable. However, you have only one calendar year to claim the expenses on your taxes. If your income goes down because you were sick and not able to work, your taxable income drop, so you likely cannot recover all of your expenses. That is one huge catch-22. By the time you are able to work again, you are no longer able to claim. Time has run out.
Expenses cannot be brought forward and claimed in the following years. And, to add insult to injury, medical travel costs are capped just like any other medical expenses. So, we will never be able to recover in full.
Canadians lucky enough to near larger cities where cancer centres are located do not need to think about motels and meal expenses. About 20 million rural Canadians are not so lucky. We have to worry not only about the cure, but also the cost of the cure. You lucky ones can stop reading now; unless of course you know someone who lives in a small town or you want to hear about the rescue cats.
I was very fortunate to have savings to call upon, but many people I met at the cancer centre were having difficulty meeting the costs. Some were worried about going into debt in order to save their lives.
I strongly believe that rural Canadians should be allowed to bring forward medical travel expenses and apply them to taxes earned in the future until the costs are fully recovered. Now, I agree that the costs have to be reasonable: no Hilton hotels or room service! I stayed in motels that offered “special hospital rates”. But even with hospital rates, make sure you get cancer in low season. Being sick in high season is not good thing! But I kept my costs as reasonable as I could.
To change this catch-22 in the tax act, I wrote a petition on Change.Org challenging Bill Morneau to “Change the Tax Act” (http://bit.ly/2D1mCIU), but it has not got many signatures. I have also prepared a petition on the House of Commons website; but again, not enough interest. If I were a person with a really sick puppy or horse, I would have donations, and signatures up the wazoo! But I am just an old lady with two healthy rescue cats.
If you want to sign the petition, the link to it http://bit.ly/2mYXn3Z.
Please help and pass this along to your friends and families.
Anne Rouleau
Penticton, B.C.
Clarification: In last week’s story about the top 10 types of businesses consumers complained about to the Better Business Bureau (“Better Business Bureau reveals businesses that got the most complaints”, The Journal, January 25, 2018), it should have been clarified that the list was based on complaints received from across British Columbia by the BBB serving Mainland B.C., and not by the BBB country- or continent-wide.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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