SIXTY-EIGHTH YEAR, No. 4

blooming
paradise!

ee . a

2 It started out as a piece of fun —
¢ this idea of asking people to. count
the flowers. blooming in their gar-

we are.
The result of the ~ Saanich
Peninsula’ Flower Count. went far
beyond our expectations and left ‘us
weak at the knees - there’s millions of
flowers blooming in this paradisical
- corner of Vancouver Island. °

ER

SS

ee so

the real total. There’s an estimated
22,500 population on the peninsula
alone . excluding - fringe. areas of
Cordova’ Bay and Royal Oak, so with”
our vast. gardening population there
must be millions of flowers blooming
out there...

it
oo

santas

& submitting’ long lists of flowers each ~
; -with an exact number: and | many. lists”

~ Many thanks to all the people who
_ carried ouit such. a meticulous count, -

Serving Central Saanich, North Saanich, the Town of Sidney, Cordova Bay, Royal Oak and the Gulf Islands
| PHONE 656-1151

Wednesday, January 28, 1981

SS

ESTABLISHED 1912

Central Saanich zoning committee
chairman Ald. George MacFarlane
Monday called for a halt to any more
development proposals for this year.

MacFarlane told committee ‘‘it is
quite possible’ more than 400 new
homes will be built in Central
Saanich in 1981 -- more than double
the 190 new homes built last year.

cope with the workload involved with
more development. ‘‘To develop any

staff,’’ he said.

Staff is only capable of handling
between 100 and.130 new homes a
-year, and was ‘‘stretched’’ last year
when some 190 homes were built,
MacFarlane said.

-He added the only way to handle

more than. we can handle’’ and to
return: with their proposals in 1982,
MacFarlane said.

a matter of policy a motion to freeze.

;..: rest of the year.

Mayor Dave Hill said he is concerned
“about individuals — ‘‘some citizen

may wish to subdivide his property.

- Hill stressed.

~ reason”. to receive approval this year.:
“Hill also. said council could average

He said municipal staff just cannot .

Jand puts a tremendous strain on our -

' Committee later agreed to adopt as:

any’ property currently within the®
five-acre. minimum zoning for. ‘the

who has financial problems’? — who ~
“They have their Tight to apply,” /

ee MacFarlane - agreed, noting: the:

~motion does not. say residents and” .
is developers. cannot apply, but added, -—
~ “It. would. have to ‘be some ‘extreme ah

| VICTORIA AIRPORT

LIVE-ENTERTAINMENT NIGHTLY
In The Bear's Den

656-1176

25 CENTS

more development is to add more
dens. It was also.a way of telling the staff, ‘“‘and we all agree very much Ald, George MacF arlane
test of Canada what we have going against’ hiring more. people.” oe staff can t cope
for us out here and of acknowledging Instead, tell developers ‘‘we have
that we know just how darned lucky

“from Mike Townsend, 1816 Cultra,

and David Eyckermans, 1834 Cultra.:
But municipal. planner

here is two. houses. .:: “they’re‘ not.

large developers like Transtide.’’ He

committee turned them down...”

- He. added the lots are within the. -
sewer area and the community plan" _
“calls for, .‘infilling” in “Brentwood: :.
“and Saanichton before undertaking ~~

further development i in other areas.
>: But: MacFarlane said,

any more until: 1982.’ ,

Gay.
Wheeler: recommended ‘the removal, .:

" pointing out all other land in the area
.except . four’ parcels..on:.Cultra.. is °.
already excluded from the five-acre _

minimum zoning. ~ | vee

The survey ran Jan.-15 - 23 and — “However, «that does : not stop -Hill, agreed, adding: the approval a
more than 60 people responded with "developers ... and residents from | will mean only two. more homes rt
acount of close td 100,000 blooms — making . application . to: council, ~ not 30 or 40. .‘‘What we’re looking at:
enough to enable us to take a guess at

“said it would be unfair to owners if” “

ats & would . s
i. ike | to® ‘think’ we -wouldn’ t entertain

: ‘the 400. new homes over a couple of 5 Meanwhile, committee. rejected a

ch Road, «(total
“lauras’ “pinus”
owered. ‘earlier than it. had: sin’ 33:°°
years. ‘Violet Kean, 9671 - 6th Street,
winner of Sidney’s best cheated award vs
Jin 1979, was another entry..

“Gracious, it it’ would take me all day: varieties of. flowers in her garden (she |

and longer to count mine — I’ve got. didn’t do any counting) and came up
‘tens of. thousands,’”. “said Sidney: '

with ‘a: splendid idea, one: she’ 's been
2 _oldtimer. _May: John," ‘Blue. Heron: bo - Continued on 1 Page 12,

of things and: conducted his: count in ;
- the school yard,

~" remove ‘their-land from the minimum a
There were many ‘records broken -

five: acre zoning: a possibility. other - landowners, in: ithe =
“MacFarlane «said ° municipal staff a

area’ would: want similar’ ‘treatment, oe
would: be further’ -burdened if:

a ee

By’ RON NORMAN. a
* (Staff Writer]
Central’ ‘Saanich zoning committee
~ Monday agreed to ask the Capital
- Regional District to change Brent-

.wood ..-bus schedule — following
complaints from Brentwood com-
muters,

In a 40-name petition commuters
‘pointed out the new bus service takes —
nearly 20 minutes longer to travel
from” Brentwood to downtown
‘Victoria in the. morning — making: it
impossible for most people to arrive |
‘at work on time.

The: new: bus : leaves at. I 27 a: m, re

each morning, but doesn’t arrive at
Douglas and Broughton” until an’
hour later - — 8: 27 am., commenter”,
was told, .

Most : ‘commuters. are: ‘government:
employees and. must: be at. work at
8330 am, = leaving just three -
~minutes.to get, from, the bus stop to
work |

The old schedule left Brentwood al

7:27. a.m. and: arrived: downtown: ©:

about 8:10. ami leaving. 20
“minutes to get ‘to work, The petition ©
explained the reason for the delay ‘is
the new. bus route, which winds
‘through Cordova Bay picking: up

A drug and alcohol awareness
“program for. youngsters is underway —
on the Saanich Peninsula, Camille —
Marlin, co-ordinator at Sidney Teen:
~ Activity Group (STAG) announced
Friday.)

A-$4,000 grant from the provincial
attorney-general’s department will |
carry. the. project through to’ March
“Moand by then Martin hopes the -
’ budget she's submitted for 1981 - 82
will ‘have. been approved and more
money forthcoming. ;

Youngsters taking advantage of

een a

“Ald, Ruth Arnaud

more commuters,” ;
As well, the. petition conmplained *

~ that Brentwood commuters must pay.
“$1 for the trip ‘into: Victoria, while >

‘Langford ‘commuters: Who live the

“same: distance away) pay ‘only $0.5:
cents, “It ds improved service for all

except Brentwood," said the

petition, ©

Council agreed to ‘ask CRD and

Continued on Page 2

the program will likely be those aged

13-18 years but Martin. said it was.

“Simpossible'’ at this stage to know,
“We might get even younger kids,"
“She stressed the — four-session

program -is ‘strictly: an awareness: »

information project, Youngsters will
be . helped cin) identifying

pattern? are the kind of questions
they'll be — encouraged - to

themselves,
Be oie ¢ wil pe (ellityg yowibgaters ,

"reaches.

~ decisions
habits:"" Martin said.
There are certain things they need.
and = -toknow, she explained: For example,
clarifying their drinking problems:

why du D.diluh, what lo ay delaking —

ask : :

- The Tseycum Indian Band’s bid to . -

reclaim ‘@ polluted: stream on- Union
Bay Reserve at: Pat Bay was given a

‘boost . Jan, 19: by North Saanich

“council, ©

~ | Council: directed its public works: 7

committee: to. investigate drainage
problems in - the. stream’s | upper

. ‘pollution.

The stream, originally. thought 10
be> nameless, is” called Sandown,
- Brook, aecordling to the provincial
water rights branch.

‘Hists © geographic _ , _hames : in

“provi nee,

The stream was once: used: by =.
Tseycum Indians for ‘ritual bathing
and meanders through municipal and.) -.
Indian land before Howie jnto Pat oe

ay, os
Ald:

health service” to conduct a) bac:
teriglogical (analysts “of “the: Upper
Teaches of the stream.

Rangel said, he understands four

? alcoh

“drinking is bad" and ‘we won't be

lecturing but simply giving out all the
 dnfarmation, possible. so. that. these |
better |

young peaple make .

their’

V Can:

about drinking

what happens when you mix a 26.
ounce buith ofiye witli pot, pills vi
acid’? What is the effect of alcohol in
the blood-stream - how does. your
body react? What signs should ose
daub fori Wd ah pamitiial dhinkes? :

,- Agricultural: runoff from -
the municipality's farming core is.
- believed to contribute to the stream’s

However,
Sandown ‘Brook. is not listed in the..
- Gaeeteer of British Columbia, Which | ©:
the.

Jay Rungel: ‘exphalned the’
municipal engineer will carry. outa
_ Mudy to'see ifagricultural runoff can
be re-directed, As well, council voted. -
a teask the Capital Regional District. irrigate. small. parcels, of property >
from the stream, The first. of these
“Ticences® was: issued in: 1963,- about

“two ~ years before North Saanich.

‘years «i's a dream come true, "It's
“always been a problem when STAG

“answer. Up until now the teen centre -
hay been vefciilag youngaters to
‘Victoria's

_gatrics, a load”. and transportation.
itn alway bech a problem,

‘ tirjfet
\ gra

umicipai’ ‘residents: have licences: to The ‘stream, was used. for ‘ritual

when it became too contaminated, *
Rangel said: the ‘coliform -bacteria

became a municipality.

rc

y or Martin - . who! s been planning.
the alcohol program for close to two

use,

age

Referrals to the peninsula p program
will conic from corrections, police,
school counsellors, parents - ‘and

staff. Identified kids: with drinking’ own accord, Martin believes, The

probléms. Where do -you send’ <— program will operate ina similar way
Ae ea ~~ to the diversion centre in the sense.
Now: it seems Martin has the. that it. will also--be accepting

diversion centre but

related) ofences. —
Martin ‘says: the. facility ‘already

preventative uspevl, Martin sald,
The programy’ a four sessions will

po committee approved the. -Tequests

“Tseyeum band members. Gus Bill (right) and Sandy Jones beside soon-to-be-reclaimed creek, :
bathing until about 10 years. ago “

count was too high to allow. human.

young people will Wkely come of their :

“youngsters. diverted from. the-court:,
ayaten far Vatious dig apd ilcchol
Another » future”

_ become actively involved Init.
dimension to the program will be its

meaning. as many. as 20. new: “homes
‘for the area: ag hes a

al

~ He. told: councl: the brownlshé.” »
‘aolouréd, slow-moving stream seems _
“10 ‘be: polluted. from. ‘agricultural ‘
runoff because the coliform 'count at.

the stream’ $ mouth Is about me same
Continued on n Page a

tp

gram takes off

include films and guest speakers: -

we

among them lawyers and policemen.

A Jocal ‘police ‘officer will likely be .

talking to youngsters about the legal:

aspects of minors drinking and what

happens to them when they're picked »
up with Hquor.in thelr possession or’:

“arrested for drinking and driving.:

Martin hopes local police will not ©

valy. suppatt . the program “but

She stipulates that referrals mut

- Continued on Page 2