| Opinion | | | Rita’s annoucement: The covenant and definition within Transportation Minister Rita Johnston may have jumped the gun in announcing that B.C. Ferries “would be seeking exclusion from the ALR of a small amount of Crown land to the west of the existing terminal to accommodate planned expansion.”’ Sure, it is Crown land. But it carries a restrictive covenant and is within North Saanich and the ALR — two hurdles yet to be crossed. : Concems being raised by Lands End residents about noise and visual pollution must be addressed before the land is completely turned over to the provincial corporation, The land’s former owner and pioneer resident agrees. and measures are being taken to ensure thé residents’ way of life is preserved. The terminal expansion wasn’t the only red herring Johnston threw our way. Clearly, the majority of the Pat Bay Highway is already at expressway standard and four interchanges will only bring it closer to freeway standard. Punching the completion date back a couple of years (in time for the °94 Commonwealth Games) and changing the project’s name doesn’t mean much. : But it leaves the door open to an announcement in 1995 — of an upgrade to freeway status by 1996, as originally planned. Johnston has promised to seek alternative methods of moving people and we hope she’s sincere. The face of the Peninsula continues to change but one step toward preserving its scenic beauty, clean air and rural atmosphere is by offering an alternative to the one car-one person syndrome. The provincial government must take the initiative. Drop that sticky bun:. It’s Nutrition Month, after all Pity the poor nutritionist. Trying to promote healthy eating and moderation against an avalanche of advertising for snacks and sweets and fast foods. To counter the bouncing, batter-dipped nuggets, triple decker burgers, thunder-crunching chips, streams of fudge, double-stuffed cookies, slow-dripping caramel, butter-basted just-about-everything and swirls of chocolate that march daily across the average television screen, the nutritionist pushes vegetables, fruits, less meat and more complex carbohydrates — all the stuff all people know is good for them. - Still, more people are becoming concerned about the impact of too much sugar and fat in their diets. And the food manufacturers are right behind them, creating artificial sweeteners and now, artificial fats, so the ice cream and french fries need never disappear from their plates. Society, it seems, is willing to do everything possible for improved health — except eat properly. Pity the poor nutritionist. TheReview Serving The Saanich Peninsula Since 1912 9781 2nd Street Sidney, B.C. V8L 4P8 or PO. Box 2070 : Sidney, B.C. V8L 385 | Second Class Mail Registration #0128 656-1151 Publisher: Vic Swan Editor: George Lee AN ISLAND PUBLISHERS NEWSPAPER A089 @RIZE WINN EGS : 2 ROIAM COM, 2h Onsy = ws : ne : _ VERIFIED CIRCULATION CONTROLLED Volume 76 Issue No.11 TReview Wednesday, March 14,1990 — Ae WHAT D'YOU THINK OF THE NEWEST THING HARTLAND AVE, DUMP To IKCREASE TIPPING ‘FEES. Best year ever Editor: Christmas card sales raised $140,000 in B.C. this past season, marking our best year ever. The Saanich area accounted for $4,950 of that total. Loyal customers, hard-working volunteers and par- ticipating retailers helped us reach this goal. Money raised is matched by the Canadian International Develop- ment Agency. It works overseas to give children in the Third World a brighter future. Currently, Save the Children funds 72 projects in 18 countries. . Among our projects you will find an eye care clinic in southern India which treats patients, espe- cially women who damage their eyes cooking family meals over open fires from early childhood. In Zimbabwe, we distribute seeds and information so families can grow their own protein thus lessening their dependence on imported food. Save the Children uses a B.C product to work overseas: our cards are all the work of local artists, printed here and packaged by the mentally handicapped. This year the line included two student designs chosen after a province- wide search. . Patsy McAvity Sidney Leslie Howard Vancouver Save the Children Fund of Brit- ish Columbia Armamenis’ real costs Editor: Ald. Bob Jones’ labelling of the upcoming peace walk as “some- what redundant (“Alderman ver- bally nukes group,” The Review, Feb. 28) reveals a common, and faulty, interpretation of the contin- uing calls for demilitarization. His reference to the “climate of the world’ presumably regards the political adjustments now going on in the Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. But it is also ironic comment on the real threat to Canadian, and global, security — our waning environment. The theme of this year’s peace walk is “Arms cost the Earth,” suggesting that the threat lies not in an adversaries’ perceived mili- tary aspirations, but in our neglig- ence as stewards of the earth. Canada currently spends $10 on the military for every dollar spent on environmental programs. In 1990 our armed forces will receive some $300 million. Will this huge expenditure pro- tect us when our lakes are too acidic for life, when our agricul- tural base is blown away: with its top soil, when our overtaxed hos- pitals are unindated with people stricken by the poisons in our air, our water, our food? We have no time left to play the fruitless games of militarism. This planet needs all our resources focused now on slowing and maybe reversing the incalcula- ble damage we, as a species, have inflicted. : Yes, the crumbling of the Berlin Wall is certainly cause for relief, but only because together we can more effectively confront the com- ing environmental challenges. However, given “the climate of the world,”’ the peace walk, and its call to redirect our ruinous and futile military spending towards saving our home, is more pertinent than ever. Alec Scoones Victoria Plea to preserve Editor: This is the nature of a call, perhaps a plea, to the people of Saanich Peninsula, perhaps com- mittees from the Saanich Artifacts Society, the Saanichton Fair, or others, to round up and preserve the Peninsula’s pioneer history. A number of years ago the Alberta government helped its tural communities preserve their old histories. My wife and I and family came to live here over 40 years ago from Alberta, where we had lived for many years before that. We each have a history book. In my case a large volume of records and names of the old municipality, the rural schools, churches, etc. : In my wife’s case her district has a two-volume record. The government’s help consisted of financing of these volumes. I believe the Saanich Peninsula J a is in dire need of a strong commit- tee, dedicated to resurrecting and co-ordinating the names of pion- eers of Saanich back before the turn of the century, the history of the electric railway and the steam railroads, the early farming and other enterprises. . If I were younger, I would be glad to get into this effort, as it is I can only make my voice heard in a call to this work. : In the comparatively short time we have lived here we have seen many pioneers go on their way. Their names should be preserved in a history of Saanich. John Squance Victoria Litter in paradise Editor: The lovely spring weather that has delighted us all, has brought out the strollers to enjoy the coun- tryside. : Normally, I take great joy in a walk through our streets, but this spring,.I am annoyed, and wonder if there are others who share my concem over the distribution of paper garbage invading our ditches and streets. A stroll up Clayton, along West Saanich, in front of and on Deep Cove School property, past the Deep Cove Store and down Birch, will find you two gasbage bags full of candy wrappers, milk cartons and plastic bags and ties from daily newspaper delivery pack- ages. I can confirm this as I have picked up garbage along this route and twice cleaned the area of West Saanich and Birch, where a news- paper drop box is situated. I have discussed this with the store owner, the Saanich School District 63 and the principal of Deep Cove School. I have also written the publisher of the Times-Colonist on a number of occasions. The district assures me that children are made aware of their community responsibilities, and the principal telephoned to say his staff were reminding children of their commitment. As all this took place in early January, I was very saddened to see the area much the same asit - has been, on this morning’s walk. Perhaps residents of Deep Cove Continued on Page A10