Sidney &
Saanich
Peninsula

Audited Circulation 12,933

An Island Publishers Newspaper

Wednesday August 22,1990 40¢

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B.C., V8. 385 — Second class mail
registration number 0128.

Island View interchange gets final approval

Offers still being reviewed
for poultry plant purchase

by Glenn Werkman
The Review

Government officials, receivers
and bankers are reviewing offers to
purchase the Island Poultry Plant
on Kirkpatrick Crescent in the
Keating industrial area of Central
Saanich.

The plant, which processed
chicken under the name Fatt’s, was
closed after being placed in receiv-
ership. The receiver, Emst and
Young, offered the $3.5 million
plant for sale and set Aug. 15 as
the closing date for offers, vice-
president Jim Stuart said.

Offers were received but a target
date to achieve a sale of the plant
has not been set, Stuart said.

Island Poultry’s plant manager
Ali Hemani said Monday that
officials from the province’s Agri-
culture Ministry, which authorized
government-guaranteed loans,
Honk Kong Bank of Canada offi-
cials and the receivers “are not
saying much right now.”

“We tried to get support from
people we know to work out a
positive scenario,” Hemani said.
He hopes the plant will go back
into operation so 65 employees
can be put back to work.

Hemani estimated some kind of
decision could be reached by Fri-
day but said it would likely take
two or three months for a buyer to
put the plant back into operation.

“You have to take the normal
(chicken’s) growing cycle from
hatching to broiler, which is a

minimum of nine weeks,” Hemani
said. Chicken farmers would have
to be set up to grow chickens to
supply the plant.

“Trll be a two or three month
process before whoever it is starts
up and gets going,” Hemani said.

The plant cost close to $4.5
million to build and was losing
close to $30,000 a month during
winter months, he said. It initially
went into production in April 1988
after receiving a $1.6 million gov-
emment guaranteed loan.

Early last year the company
received another government-
backed loan, for $500,000.

Stuart said a shortage of product
“certainly contributed 6 (ts fail-
ure).””

Finance Minister Mel Couvelier,
MLA for Saanich and the Islands,
was careful in commenting.

“There may be further legal
actions so I’ve got to be careful
how I respond,” Couvelier said.

“The government is looking at
some of the history to determine
who is responsible for what,” he
said.

Couvelier said the provincial
government in 1986 made a com-
mitment to provide the $1.6 mil-
lion guaranteed loan.

When the request came for the
$500,000 additional assistance “it
was given providing there was
sufficient birds guaranteed.

“The guarantee of the birds
didn’t materialize,” Couvelier
said. “It seems to be primarily a

Continued on Page A2

The impact construction of an
interchange at island View Road
and the Pat Bay Highway will have
on neighboring farms should be
studied, a report by the Central
Saanich municipal engineer said.

Al Mackey said in his Aug. 8
report that the ability of farms to
maintain an adequate water supply
for imigation was a concern that
should be “thoroughly reviewed.”

Highways Minister Rita Johnson
announced Friday that: “Final
detailed design drawings for
(Island View) will commence
immediately.

“During this phase of the pro-
ject, we ll be addressing issues
such aS noise impact and visual
aesthetics. In addition, property
acquisition can now start,” John-
son said.

Mackey’s report proposed a
subcommittee be formed to meet
with the Ministry of Highways
during the planning and design
stages of the highway upgrading
project.

Members of Save Saanich
Peninsula Communities have
requested a liaison committee be
formed to work with the Highways
Ministry on interchange design.

Mackey suggested to council
Aug. 13 that the subcommittee
should include the municipal engi-
neer and a couple of aldermen.

Mackey’s report endorsed Alter-
native 3A, the approved blueprint
for the interchange.

Further, the report said face-to-
face meetings should be arranged
between the Ministry of Highways

and area residents who will be
directly impacted by the inter-
change.

Council agreed to Mackey’s
recommendations without detiber-
ation, :

He added the number of resi-
dents whose properties will be
“severed or provided with new
accesses’ will be numerous.

The report also said the Minis-
try of Highways should review the
access to the Saanich Historical
Artifacts Society from the upgrad-
ed highway since.no access has yet
been proposed.

Mackey added he was unable to
comment on plans for the access
to the south portion of Keating
Ridge and the future status of
Tanner Road as the ministry is still
reviewing those matters.

The report also said, in response
to concerns of the Central Saanich
Fire Department, that Lochside
Drive should be extended as part
of the highways project to provide
access to the area for emergencies.

Central Saanich council did not
meet Aug. 20 due to a lack of
quorum.

Johnson said the majority of
questionnaire respondents favored
the option which was finally
adopted.

“This option has the least
impact on the surrounding corn-
munity and separates traffic from
children walking to Keating Ele-
mentary School,” Johnson said.

Mel Couvelier, MLA for Saa-

Continued on Page AZ

Author stunned with letter
saying ‘cordon bleu’ illegal

A Sidney cookbook author is
“absolutely stunned” by a letter
she received last week ordering
her to destroy all remaining copies
of her book, Appetite for Living,
Favorite Foods of B.C Parks.

Gerry Smith’s book includes a
recipe for Turkey Roulades Cor-
don Bleu, “‘an inexpensive,
impressive meal” made with tur-
key, cheese, ham and mustard.

The self-published 300-page
book hit the bookstores just before
Christmas 1988 and includes reci-
pes from numerous people, includ-
ing Premier Bill Vander Zalm.

But use of the word “cordon

AUTHOR GERRY SMITH

bleu’’ is what concerns Cordon
Bleu International Ltd. Montreal
lawyer, Jacques Leger, wrote
Smith ordering her to destroy all
remaining copies of the book, and
“cease and desist in the future to
print, have printed, edit, promote,
circulate or publish cookbooks
giving the recipe” for dishes with

Continued on Page A2

Town supporis
bigger marina

The Town of Sidney is applying
for a permit of occupation as the
first step in allowing expansion of
the marina at the Port of Sidney.

The Town has an investigative
permit on the area immediately
north of existing moorage at the
Port. Aug. 13 council approved a
request from Granville West’s
marina manager Gary Langstaff to
apply for a licence of occupation.

Simultaneously, council put the
wheels in motion to rezone the
area to marina.

Once a licence of occupation is
granted by the provincial Ministry
of Crown Lands, the Town plans to
rezone the area, then lease it to
Granville West, who plan to install
varying-size moorage spaces. The
investigative permit expires Sept.

Continued on Page A2