‘SIXTY - THIRD YEAR

No 1

STAFFING REPORT

‘WASTE OF $2500’

MALCOLM

Review Reporter Told To Leave

Claiming that the matter to be
discussed concerned municipal
personnel, Mayor Stan Dear led
several members of council to a
decision Monday afternoon ex-
cluding the press from a meeting
with representatives of Woods,
Gordon & Co., management
consultants.

The meeting was scheduled,
apparently, to discuss a review
by the consultants of the Town of
Sidney’s staffing and space
needs.

Ald. elect Hugh Hollingworth
was allowed to remain in the
council chambers, and was in-
vited by Dear to vote on whether
or not members of the press
should be excluded.

Only Ald. Ross Martin, at-
tending the final meeting of his
two year term (he was defeated
in Nov. elections), spoke against
exclusion of the public from the
meeting.

Commissioned early in the
Fall, with an estimated price tag
of $2500, the report concluded
that an accounting clerk should
be added to the town staff and
that additional space is required
for municipal functions.

Ald. Petar Malcolm didn’t
attend the Monday meeting, but
expressed his view of the report
during a Review

‘Tuesday.

‘“‘When the report came in,” he
said, ‘‘all aldermen considered in
unsatisfactory.”

“I feel the administration we
have is totally capable of making
these decisions themselves.

“It was a total waste of $2500,
period!’’ he concluded.

In addition to the basic con-
clusions on new staff and space,

‘the thirty page report included

descriptions of the present staff
and space allocations (six pages)
and job descriptions for the
present nine staff members

interview |

by GEORGE MANNING
Special to the Sidney Review

working inside the hall, plus the
proposed new accounting clerk
(15 pages).

Describing the purpose of the
study the consulting firm said in
their report that the main pur-
pose ‘‘was to examine some
tentative conclusions the Clerk
Treasurer (Geoff Logan) had
reached and determine
whether these conclusions were
valid.”’

“With the transfer of the
assessment function to the
Provincial government,’ the
report said, ‘‘the clerk treasurer
has been left with no one to
perform the duties of deputy
clerk treasurer.”

“Until now this function has
been carried out by the
Assessor.”’ ,

At the same time, the report
goes on, Logan has been con-

Meeting

cerned about the increasing
workload on the present staff —
and believes that additional staff
are required to maintain service
to the public.

Extra staff would require extra
office space — since the offices
are already used to capacity —
and the assessor will continue to
occupy his office, despite being
employed by the province.

The study was carrlied out by
interviewing staff members and
reviewing with them their
respective job functions, the
report states.

The consultants also discussed
future space requirements with
other tenants of the town hall
including the RCMP, Sidney
Waterworks, and the Assessor.
Space needs of the health unit and
the Human Resources Depart-
ment were discussed with Mayor
Dear.

No decision was reached at the
mecting, and the matter is ex-
pected to be discussed again at
the next regular council session.

of Sidney, and the Gulf Islands

BUTLER BROTHERS

2046 KEATING X ROAD
Telephone: 652-1121

ESTABLISHED 1912

RCMP ESCORTED SANTA 10 TRIBAL DAY CARE CENTRE

Thirty-five happy, smiling
native children watched as Santa
arrived at the Saanich Tribal Day
Care Centre for their Christmas
party. With siren sounding, lights
flashing and strains of Christmas
Carols over the speaker systems,
Constables Mike Clarabut, Gerry

Guiltenane and Keith Davies did
their best to see that Santa
arrived on time bearing gifts,
oranges and candy for each child.
Mrs. Santa Claus even sent along
a box of assorted sweets to help
on this happy occasion. Also
present were members of the

Dept. of Human Resources Mrs.
Jane Guir. Mrs. Faith, Mrs.
Nilson parents and many friends.

After Santa left to carry ona
heavy work schedule, everyone
else stayed on to enjoy coffee, ice-
cream and cakes.

Pay Increase Not All-Party Decision Claims Munro

_ Local Member of Parliament
Donald Munro isn’t too pleased
with the manner in which
proposed wage increases for MPs
have been introduced in the
House of Commons, and has
issued two press releases con-
veying this dismay and _ ex-
plaining the methods followed by
the government in presenting the
salary bill.

“This is a matter that concerns
all Members, and all
Canadians,” he said, ‘‘We should
all have had an opportunity to
discuss the proposals as they
were taking shape, and to ex-
press our views on all related
issues in Committee and in the

House. After only the sketchiest,
sort of interparty consultations, a
group of Liberals have ‘made
recommendations to the
Government and we are now
being told that we must accept
these proposals as they are
without comment, or forget all
about a pay. increase. This
method of doing the country’s
business I just cannot accept. To
my way of thinking, to proceed in
this fashion is to trifle with
Parliament and the public trust
accorded to Parliamentarians at
election time.”

a a a a Te a aT a RE Sma” AONE ST SOS aT GSS A sO eS RS

Last Day In Sidney Court For Judge Ashby

aast New Year's day Judge
Denzil Ashby was just. sitting
down to a cold plate luncheon at
his Resthaven Drive home when
the telephone rang.

“Tt was a lady whose son had
recently been killed in a traffic
aecident,"’ said Ashby, ‘‘We
talked for some time, perhaps an
hour... J suppose it made her fee]
better."

As one of the few judges on
Southern Vancouver Island
whose telephone is listed, Ashby
by dint of his warm personality
often receives both calls and
visitors to his home which are in
some way related to his work asa
Judge on the peninsula,

Monday morning this came to

ett hehe tetehelatetatateatetetatetetetetetetetete state’
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"

sstotefetatatet tot
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an end. The provincial govern-
ment has decreed that all Sidney
cases will be heard in Victoria
Central Court. No longer will
defendants stand before the 72
year old former RCMP Staff
' Sergeant and hear him dictate, in
A sonorous well-spoken English
voice what his judgement on their
case is,

T prefer to address people by
their first name,"’ he told The
Review in an interview Monday,
"Tlike them to understand that 1
do not enjoy handing down
punishment and anytime 1 bore
down on anyone in that cour-
troom it was only because 1 felt
they deserved It."

Ashby, who first assumed

duties as a Justice of the Peace
in Sidney under Judge Fred
Baker in 1955, was appointed to
the position of Magistrate in 1957.
“Judge Baker set n_ terrific
reputation to follow,” said Ashby.
When Ashby was asked how he
felt about The Review's detailed
coverage of court sessions in this
town he said he was all for it.

“Papers ino small towns in
England did the same thing,” he
said. “They put in everything, |
think it does more good than
anything.”

Ashby will still be hearing
cases in Ganges until he is of-
ficially notified of his retirement
date,

Balance To Charity

Mr. Munro added that, in his
view, an increase was merited,
was needed and could therefore
be justified. He cited the figure of
30 per cent ‘‘or thereabouts,” as
representing the rise in the cost
of living index since an increase
was last legislated 41% years ago.
He admits to falling behind on
present rates, and has been
drawing on his savings; he
recognizes, however,
Members with growing families
must be in even more serious
trouble and may not all have
Savings on which to draw.

“I don’t believe Members
should necessarily be required to
live off their savings; still less
incur indebtedness.” he con-
tinued.

What he would have liked to do,
he said, was develop a set of tax
exemptions - covering the
maintenance of two homes, for
example, and providing for
travel for the family - that would
relieve Members of some of their
current tax burdens. He would
also have proposed extensive
relicfs for pensioners and those
living on fixed incomes as a
means of ‘lessening their tax
burdens, too - such things as
increasing the exemption for
such citizens, to $8,000 or even
$10,000, thus acknowledging that
these persons may have ad-
ditional income and still be en-
titled to full Guaranteeed Income
Supplement.

He also thinks Parliamen-
tarians’ salaries should be tied to
the cost of living by some formula
or other.

When asked if he intended to
return what he felt-he didn't need
to the consolidated revenue fund,
he scoffed: ‘‘And let the
Government fritter it away in
other unacceptable ways?
Never! There are enough good
works projects in my riding in
need of additional funds. For the
present, my wife and I have

PARK VANDALISM
Wilfull damage was discovered
Monday morning in the con-
cession stand at Central Saanich
Centennial Park, Central Saanich
police said Monday,

that j

30 PER CENT JUSTIFIED.

decided that anything over and
above the 30 per cent increase
which I would fee! justified in
accepting will be going in regular
monthly payments to Arbutus
Crafts and the George Pearkes
Clinic.”

“There is some reason, I
think,”’ he added, ‘‘for wanting to
set the record straight on a
couple of aspects of the present
controversy.”

“I wish to offer these com-
ments not by way of a defense,
Munro said, since | feel it hardly
necessary for me to defend
proposals for which I have no
responsibility; I do so, however,
as a means of getting some of the
ground rules laid out clearly for
all to see, in order that we may all
be talking with full knowledge of
the background and the facts.”

“First of all, something has to

be said about the paternity of the
Bill, and the so-called ‘inter-
party negotiations’ to which
allusion has so frequently been

made. Even the Prime Minister, .

during his press conference of
Friday, Dec. 20, complained that.
the Bill was being interpreted as
a government measure and in-
dicated that the public outcry
ought to be focused on the MPs
from all parties, who drafted the
pay proposals.

Continued on Page 3

SCHOOL BREAK-IN

A break-in was discovered Dec.
30 at Brentwood Elementary
School, Central Saanich police
said Monday, adding that the
school was last checked on Dec.
24,

Nothing appeared to have been
taken, police said, but bicycles
had been ridden through the
building.

15 CENTS

HISTORIC MEETING
SETS STAGE
FOR RECREATION COMPLEX

C. Saanich Will Do Accounting

N. SAANICH WILL PROVIDE OFFICE

by PAT MANNING
Special to the Sidney Review

One of the more historic
meetings on the peninsula took
place recently when the three
municipal councils and their
mayors officially met together
for the first time.

Their purpose was to discuss
the ramifications of the tri-
municipal recreation by-law and
at the same time unanimous
support was given to the building
of a recreational facility on the
peninsula.

The three

councils and

aldermen elect met at Central

Saanich municipal hall on
Tuesday, Dec. 17. The meeting
was chaired by Central Saanich
Mayor Jean Butler.

APPROVAL

In the previous two weeks three

councils had given final approval
to the tri-municipal recreation
by-law annuling each individual
municipal recreation by-law and
paving the way for joint co
operation on recreation activities
for the peninsula.
’ One of the first items on the
agenda was tc decide which
municipality would look after the
bookkeeping for the new
Peninsula Recreation com-
mission.

It was moved by Mayor Stan
Dear of Sidney, seconded by
Mayor Paul Grieve of North
Saanich and unanimously agreed
by all present that Central
Saanich municipality _ be
responsible for the books.

Municipal clerk Fred Durrand
said his staff was prepared to go
along with councils’ wishes.

The next question - that of
where an office or offices should
be established for the proposed
new recreation director - brought
a number of issues into play.

Sidney. alderman Chris An-
derson said he had heard there
would be room available at
Sanscha Hall.

BUSINESS IS BOOMING
at B.C,’s first neigh-
bourhood pub -— in the
Prairie Inn at Saanichton.
Opened on Boxing Day, the
new drinking facility was
so busy Monday evening,
patrons were being turned
away and draft beer
supplies were exhausted
by 9 p.m. Ranging in age
from 19 to well over 60,
patrons seemed tobe
enjoying the pleasant
atmosphere,

ERR ARAN RRR CAR OR

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PRA i Win

Sidney alderman Pat Merrett
explained that a live-in custodian

was no longer at Sanscha Hall ©

and the custodial rooms were

being converted into office space ©.

and could be made available fora
recreation director.

Grieve said there would be
between 800 and 900 feet of
available office space in the
basement of the older and newer
parts of North Saanich Municipal

Hall which could be used by a. :

recreation director.

Central Saanich municipality
also came through with an‘offer
of -office space but, cautioned
Mayor Butler, it would not be
available until March and it
would not be a very large area.

LOCATION QUESTIONED

- Merrett said it was hard to-

decide where a_ recreation
director should be located until
he is actually hired.

Grieve agreed saying: ‘‘We
should put the suggestions to
him. a)

Central Saanich alderman
Percy. Lazarz said the North

Saanich offer was a good one to’:

Start out with and he moved that

the Recreation Director’s office
in™North Saanich

be located
Municipal Hall.
Dear insisted:

wishes,

Central Saanich alderman Barl |

Tabor agreed saying‘‘We don’t
want to have him locked in.”
He suggested the office. ‘Space

be made available ‘on a tem-°

porary basis. -
The three councils were
unanimous in their agreement to

-use the available space at North

Saanich municipal’ hall as
temporary offices for the

proposed recreation director and - .

expressed the hope that some day

he would have offices in a central .
‘recreation complex building.

NEXT ISSUE

The procedure whereby a.

recreation director would be
chosen is the next issue to face
the three councils.

It was agreed at the outset that
the position of recreation director
be advertised across the nation.

Anderson was very emphatic in
saying that the director be chosen
from as wide as possible a
selection, ;

The thorny question of whether
the recreation commission or the
three councils were to do the
advertising, screening, and

appointing was discussed at

length.

Central Saanich Ald. Zach
Hamilton questioned ‘what's the
use of having a recreation

commission if they do not do any :

work",

He suggested that the com-
mission should do the ad-
vertising, interviewing, and then

‘bring the final selection or
selections back to the three

councils for approval,
Dear objected to this procedure

feeling that the councils should.

have a more direct say in the
selection of one as important asa
recreation director, In the end,
however, all agreed to proceed as
Hamilton suggested,

Once it was decided that ©

everyone present was very much
in favour of building a recreation
facility or facilities on the
peninsula the question of site,

Continued on 1 Page a

_656- 3032

LDR SS eras

a

“The door °
Should be left open,” for the’
director to make a change if he oa