TheReview Wednesday, January 10,1990 — A12

Communiity plan, sewage and boundary expansion".

by Glenn Werkman
The Review

Finishing the review of Central
Saanich’s official community
plan, removing sludge from the
sewage treatment plant and deal-
ing with a request to expand its
boundaries are three big issues
facing council in 1990, Mayor Ron
Cullis said.

“The community plan timetable
as drafted is not that important,”
Cullis said. “What is important is
the draft community plan did
identify . . . fairly radical change
for use of ALR land for non-ALR
use.”

He said that with the receipt of
direction from the Agricultural
Land Commission it’s probable
that the pace of the review will
pick up.

The scope of local area plans
may have to be reviewed, depend-
ing on the direction the official
community plan takes.

“If it is the decision of council,
and there has been no decision yet,
to deal strictly within parameters
based on recommendations from
the land commission, there will be
very little in this plan that will be
new or different than the previous
plan,” Cullis said.

If that is the case the scope and
depth for proposed local area
plans, for Saanichton and Bren-
twood, will have to be reviewed.

Cullis said Monday council will
meet with the planners within the
next 10 days to start work on a
second draft.

On boundary expansion, Cullis
said the idea is not Central Saa-
nich’s but was initiated originally
by the Willis Point Ratepayers’
Association, who requested and
were granted the ability to opt out
of a Langford incorporation refer-
endum.

Because of that decision, the
provincial Municipal Affairs Min-
istry is concerned Willis Point
residents won’t have elected repre-
sentation if Langford incorporates,
Cullis said.

“Municipal Affairs has taken
the position that that geographical
area should be attached to some
incorporated area,” Cullis said.

“Fama (owners of 1,200 acres in
the area) appears to believe it
would be in their best interest to
have that area part of Central
Saanich.”

Cullis said Central Saanich has
indicated to the province and to
Fama that the municipality 1s not
seeking a boundary expansion.

“Whatever happens has to be in
the interest of the existing com-
munity and would be subject to a
referendum by Central Saanich
residents,” he said. “There would
have to be an economic benefit for
the community before such a refer-
endum could be taken forward.”

There are problems to solve if a
large scale development (as pro-
posed by Fama) did happen —
including an impact on the road
system, water services and sewage
treatment, police and fire protec-
tion and geographic separation,
Cullis said.

Neither Wallace Dnve or Ben-
venuto Avenue have the capacity
to handle such traffic, he said.

Studies would have to done by
the province on services and eco-
nomic benefit before expansion
could be further considered, he
said.

But that’s in the future and there
are things already started that must
be finished, he said.

that’s the risk they take,” Cullis
said im response to the fact golf
course development has started in
two areas.

~ There is no indication that golf
courses will survive the official
community plan process so we'll
have to wait and sce.”

There is no indication that golf
courses will survive the official
community plan process so we'll
have fo waif and see’

A recreation facilities feasibility
study should be finished by mid-
March, he said.

Council will have to make a
decision on allowing golf courses
on ALR land.

“If people move in anticipation,

On sewage sludge, Cullis said:
“This year we've got to get on
with the completion of planning
for sludge removal.”

A pilot project in North Saanich
to compost sludge on land should
impact on Central Saanich, he
said.

The municipality’s problem is
the Ministry of Environment has
not responded to numerous
requests for evidence that treated
sludge is harming the environ-
ment.

Also, the CRD hasn’t provided
answers on what technology will
satisfy them in the long term.

“When theyre asking a munici-
pality and a regional district to
spend millions of dollars to satisfy
an environmental necd, the minis-
try should be able to assure the
municipality thatthe technology
they're investing money in will
Satisfy the long-term need,” Cullis
said.

Other issues of concer to Cen-
tral Saanich in the coming years
include taxation on band lands,
declining revenues derived from
the provincial government and the
coming of the federal goods and
services tax in 1991, Cullis said.

big issues in 1990 for Central Saanich, says Cullis

RON CULLIS

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