Audited Circulation 12,933 An Island Publishers Newspaper Wednesday January 3,1990 35¢ Spewing sewage wrecks basement A3 ss Lacrosse ref gets A little help BUSINESS A22 & | CLASSIFIED B2 #|/COMMUNITY A5 OPINION AG OUTDOORS Ai SPORTS Aig CALENDAR All Ai6 ,VING TOP OF THE PILE A7 NASH ee HAMPSON Al4 GRENBY A292 o BOER Ag GROSSQUOTES Aq7 +;| BRENNAN Aié Aig One charged with torching bank machine A 17-year-old Sidney male was charged with arson and attempted arson after fire caused about $25,000 damage to the Bank of Montreal, early last Wednesday moming. Sidney RCMP said that at about 12 midnight five youths appar- ently entered the Bank of Mon- treal’s Beacon Avenue branch after one of them used a pass card. A fire was started on the floor of ' the instant teller area by one youth using paper, police said. After the youths left, the fire continued and spread to walls of the instant teller machine area. Sidney volunteer firemen responded quickly and kept the fire from spreading to the entire building. One youth apparently started another fire after entering the instant teller area of the Toronto Dominion bank, a short distance away on Beacon Avenue. But that fire did not catch and no damage resulted, police said. Police investigation led to the arrest of arrest of one youth, who appeared in Victoria provincial Land commission says no to removal of ALR land in draff community plan ’ by Glenn Werkman The Review The provincial Agricultural Land Commission has told Central Saanich it won’t support removal of any agricultural land for urban expansion, as proposed in the municipality’s draft official com- munity plan. Responding to a request for comment on the draft plan, the commission said that the plan’s designation of 198 acres of ALR land for future urban expansion should be deleted. “The commission recommends that the urban designation .—-..be.__ deleted from the ALR landsin the: - Brentwood Bay area as well as the area adjacent to Centennial Park in-—- Saanichton,” a Dec. 20 letter to the district’s planning consultants said. The draft plan recommends that a maximum total of 198 acres (80 hectares) of land within the ALR be identified for residential growth in the next 15-20 years. “The noted lands have very good potential for agricultural use as indicated by the Canada Land Inventory agricultural capability ratings of Class 2 improved rat- ing,” the letter said. “The commission also notes from a review of air photographs that some ALR lands in this area have been actively used for agri- cultural purposes in the past,” acting general manager K.B. Miller said. The letter said there are non- ALR options available to the com- munity to accommodate future residential growth. “While the Mt. Newton Slopes and Tod Inlet/Partridge Hills area may have some development limi- tations when compared to the ALR lands, these limitations are not insurmountable,”’ it said. The commission also said that other than the references made recommending. removal of ALR land, the draft community plan “is outstanding in its support of the provincial agricultural land preser- The commission also supports the municipality’s proposed initia- tive to remap the agricultural capa- bilities of all agricultural land, but cautioned that “agricultural capa- bility mapping is but one of the many factors used during the com- mission’s review of applications (for exclusion).” Central Saanich Mayor Ron Cullis and planning and zoning committee chairman Ald. Arlene Box were not available for com- ment over the Christmas and New Year’s holiday. Central Saanich clerk/admini- strator Gay Wheeler said Friday he expects council ‘to react to the letter quite quickly. Boundary expansion suggested to include ail of Tod Inlet project by Glenn Werkman The Review Central Saanich should expand its boundaries by hundreds of acres to allow a commercial and residential development to be built in one municipality, a develop- ment company’s project manager said. Kelly Gesner of Fama Holdings Ltd. asked Central Saanich to consider expanding its boundaries to take in 30 acres of land now in Saanich and several hundred acres of land in the Partridge Hills area of Langford, in a letter council received Dec. 18. Fama Holdings wants to build a hotel, an 18-hole golf course and a residential development on about 1,200 acres of land, which crosses three municipal jurisdictions. About 235 acres of the property is currently within Central Saanich and about 30 acres is within Saanich municipality. Gesner said she wrote Saanich council asking about a possible Continued on Page A2 court last week, Staff Sgt. Jim Wilson said. =i The suspect cannot be named because of regulations in the Young Offenders Act. A bank spokesman said Friday INmanagement hopes the bank machine will again be operational by the end of next week. “I think a lot of our customers are hoping that too,” the assistant manager said: Meanwhile, Bank of Montreal customers can use instant teller services at another bank. The bank remained closed until about 12 noon Wednesday but has retumed to business as usual. Workers had not started major repair work last week. Moiorisis not slowing down despite change Speed limits are ignored as cars whiz down East Saanich Road, a tesident told Central Saanich council Dec. 18. “Tn my opinion, if a speed limit isn’t enforced, it’s a speed guide- line that maybe people will obey,” Kelly Knudsen said. “We have a teal problem with speeders around here.” Council’s traffic safety commit- tee recommended the police department increase enforcement in the area. Committee chairman Ald. Ed Hemblad said police have stepped up enforcement of the speed limit in the area and one day ticketed seven area residents for speeding on Veyaness Road. “Everyone has to slow down,” Hernblad said. Hernblad said a speed limit lowered to 35 km/h on Veyaness Road isn’t having a significant effect on the amount of traffic on East Saanich, but recognized East Saanich carries large volumes of traffic and is a primary north- south road. “Stop signs on East Saanich Road at Stellys Crossroad are not recommended since this is a pri- mary road and traffic flow would be impeded,” his committee’s report to council said. Posting signs to warn of children playing was rejected because it may lead to posting signs every- where. Children piay in all areas of the municipality, the report said. Knudsen said speeding drivers aren’t just a problem on East Saanich Road, but also on Veya- ness and Central Saanich roads. Council recently lowered the speed limit on a section of Veya- ness Road to 35 km/h from 50 km/h. Knudsen suggested stop signs be put up with the hope that stopping drivers once would result in slower speeds.