2 THE VOICE, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2013 EDITOR JAMES McLAUGHLIN Cws INKING DRIVIN: PHINTERATACK JESSE LAM photo Attorney General Suzanne Anton addressed members of the press Wenesday morning as Victoria police chief Jamie Graham looked on. Rum and taxis a better mix, cops say Drivers warned drinking and driving can ruin Christmas — forever By JESSE LAM CBC launched its annual De- cember CounterAttack cam- paign yesterday, in partnership with police and the provincial government, to remind drivers of the serious risks involved with drinking and driving. “A drinking and driving crash marks the holiday season with tragedy, and not just this year, but forever,” said B.C. justice minister and Attorney General Suzanne Anton at a press conference. “These tragedies are 100 per cent preventable,” said Anton. “The relative risk of being in- volved in a fatal crash is on aver- age seven times greater at a blood- alcohol content between 0.5 and 0.8 compared to driving sober.” Anton said consequences are severe for anyone caught drinking and driving, including immediate driving prohibitions, vehicle im- poundments, and financial penal- ties. “Tt will be expensive, it will be inconvenient, it will be embar- rassing,” Anton said. “Police can also charge you under the crimi- nal code, which can result in a minimum $1,000 fine, a driving prohibition, possible jail time, and a criminal record.” Transportation minister Todd Stone noted the importance of planning a safe ride home if you’re drinking alcohol over the holi- days. “Approximately one-third of all car-rash fatalities in British Co- lumbia are a result of impaired driving,” said Stone. “Impaired driving is still the leading criminal cause of death in Canada.” According to Stone, 60 per cent of impaired driving happens on weekends, 45 per cent happens be- tween 9 p.m. and 3 a.m., and al- most three-quarters of impaired drivers are male. “There are so many options for getting home safely,” says ICBC president Mark Blucher, who sug- gested calling a taxi, Operation Red Nose, tor taking transit. Whatever option you choose, thank you for making a smart de- cision, for being there for your friends and family and helping to keep our roads safe for the holiday season.” Man arrested after possible hate crime on women By JESSE LAM ncouver police have arrested V: 45-year-old man who alleg- edly assaulted a lesbian cou- ple on Sept. 18. Charges have not yet been laid, police said. VPD typically withhold sus- pects’ names until charges are laid. “This is an allegation that the Vancouver Police Department takes very seriously,” said VPD spokesman Randy Fincham. “It is being thoroughly reviewed by our hate crimes unit within the Vancouver Police Department.” Fincham said a man followed the two women off the bus at East Hastings Street and Commercial Drive. The confrontation that followed reportedly resulted in one of the women being punched multiple times in the head. The assailant fled on foot when bystanders came to help the two women. Fincher said the couple kissed on the bus, which may have trig- gered the man. “There are allegations that these women were assaulted due to [their] sexual orientation,” said Fincham. Owning a home distances itself from students: expectations RBC report shows gap within Vancouver housing market highest in Canada By TAMMY ENGLISH across Canada, but nowhere in the country will owning a home cost as much of your income as it will in Vancouver. In Vancouver, it now requires a whopping 84.2 per cent of pre-tax household income to pay for on a bungalow, and 87.4 per cent for a two- storey home, according to a recent report by RBC. RBC’s latest Housing Trends and Affordability report measures the portion of an income needed to cover the mortgage, property taxes, and utilities for an average bungalow, two-storey house, or condo. A condo is a veritable bargain at just 41.9 per cent of pre-tax income, not including monthly condo mainte- nance fees. As the divide between the single- family home and condo markets grows, RBC suggests there is a two- tiered affordability environment in Vancouver, something students are acutely aware of. Harpreet Cheema, 19, said that as a future social worker her chances of owning a home or condo in Vancou- ver are slim. Al- though she was born and raised in the Lower Main- land, she _— said she’s likely move to a more afford- able location like Hees: affordability has eroded Kamloops after _ graduation. JENNIFER LIANG Leaa Both, 21, hird-year gen- agreed home own- eral arts student ership just doesn’t seem possible. “T really doubt it. I think maybe owning an apartment, but a house?” Like Cheema, mobility is in the back of Both’s mind. The second-year student aims to become a teacher, and while she would be disappointed to leave home, she will as a last resort. “Even now I’m trying to aim my education so I'll be able to go some- where else if I need to,” she said. “It’s ridiculous how prices have skyrocketed. It doesn’t seem like it’s ever going to stop,” said Jennifer Li- ang, a third-year general arts stu- dent. B.C. FINANCE MINISTRY photo Finance Minister Mike de Jong outlines budget findings. B I, | 2013) Projected surplus increased bf since the first Quarterly By TRICIA LO e B.C. government is on track to end the 2013-14 fiscal year with a small budget surplus despite slow growth. In the province’s second quarterly re- port, released yesterday, Finance Minis- ter Mike de Jong forecasted a year-end surplus of $165 million, up $29 million from September. According to de Jong’s report, B.C.’s economic performance has been relative- ly slow in the first 10 months of 2013. Jobs, retail sales, and inflation have been flat compared to previous years. “We've had to make some tough choic- es to get B.C. back on track with balanced budgets,” de Jong said in a press release. The province’s projected surplus of $165 million is less than the $197 million de Jong predicted in February, before the provincial election. The surplus claim comes as the govern- ment trims revenue expectations from its first quarterly report. Revenue drops are expected in natural resources and personal income taxes, but are balanced out by projected revenue in- creases from corporate income tax and forestry. The additional surplus hinges on a $91 million increase in commercial Crown corporation net income and a $50 million reduction in a safety buffer known as the forecast allowance. The plan is based on an economic growth rate of 1.4 per cent this year. Forecasted cuts in expenses amount to Quarterly B.C. budget reports small surplus BC Liberals released their second quarterly budget yesterday, reporting little growth $137 million in healthcare, $59 million in education, and $7 million in transit. A $31 million increase is expected in expenses for social services, including social assis- tance, child welfare and low income tax credits. Overall, provincial debt is expected to increase to $62 billion from $56 billion by the end of the fiscal year, which is $927 million lower than forecasted in the first quarterly report. The quarterly report showed B.C. lost 2,600 jobs over the same period last year, Canadian Press reported. Opposition New Democrat finance crit- ic Mike Farnworth called the Liberals’ jobs plan a failure and said thousands of British Columbians are leaving B.C. to find work.