ak Dein Audited Circulation 12,933 An Island Publishers Newspaper Wednesday March 14,1990 40¢ “A star-gazer’s delight BUSINESS B9 CALENDAR B7 CLASSIFIEDS Bi2 COMMUNITY Bl ENVIRONMENT Ai6 HBALTH Al5 LIVING Al8 OPINION AG OUTDOORS A20 SPORTS B3 LANG NASH AZ TOP OF THE PILE A7 Hi Building brings budget boon: hway pl fax hike unlikely in North Saanich Municipal taxes will not be increased in North Saanich to cover the 1990 budget, predicted Mayor Linda Michaluk after an initial budget review Monday. A surplus created by increased assessment in North Saanich last year gives the municipality enough money to pay off the remaining $120,000 debt for the new municipal hall four years early. Some of the surplus will go into the operating fund reserve, to replace funds taken out two years ago for the hall construction. “Tt appears we're going to be able to balance our budget without increasing taxes at the municipal level,” Michaluk said. “We're going to balance the budget, pay off the debt, replenish the general operating fund surplus and not raise taxes.” The municipality had a surplus of $1.77 million as of Dec. 31, 1989, as increased development brought in more taxes. Michaluk credited municipal staff with preparing a reasonable budget for 1990. “Staff brought forward a budget that was a bare-bones budget, a needs-only budget.” The provincial government decision to upgrade the Pat Bay Highway to expressway standard instead of freeway cut $126,500 from North Saanich’s envisioned $8-million-plus budget. Given the change in highway plans, council members agreed a Littlewood Road right-of-way is no longer needed. “Tt’s not usually this easy to take $126,500 out of the budget,’ Michaluk said. Airport cabbies upset with increase by George Lee The Review Cabbies say a 185-per-cent leap in their annual fee to serve Vic- toria International Airport reflects - an anti-taxi bias. A group of about 15 drivers, waiting in their regular airport queue Monday, said Transport > Canada hasn’t justified an increase that will make it more difficult for them to eam a living. But airport management told The Review the increase and a limit on the number of licences issued will actually allow drivers to eam more. Commercial development man- ager Des Easthom also said the “fee reflects the market rate for fees at airports across the country. A limit on the number of cabs and projections of more airport passengers in 1990 will combine to give cabbies more business, Easthom said. But John Mertes, vice-president of the Greater Victoria Taxi Continued on Page A5 ans downgraded Freeway Cesignation dropped from Pat Bay scheme by Glenn Werkman The Review Four major interchanges will be built on the Pat Bay Highway before 1994 and its former desig- nation for freeway status was downgraded by Transportation Minister Rita Johnston Thursday. She announced a $75-million highway upgrade to achieve com- plete expressway standard from McKenzie Avenue north up the Peninsula to Swartz Bay. Some parts of the highway are at expressway Standard now, Johnston said. “The only access is at intersec- tions controlled by traffic lights just like the one beside us at Mt Newton Crossroad,” Johnston said, while making the announce- ment at the outdoor press confer- ence. “As far aS you can see in either direction is a four-lane road div- ided by a concrete median: bar- rier.” : The interchange presented as Alternative 3 at Central Saanich public meetings last November will be built at Island View Road, to swing up Saanich Crossroad and link with Keating Crossroad, after passing under Central Saa- nich Road, project manager Gregg Singer said. Beacon Avenue’s “heavy vol- umes of left-turns heading south on the highway” will be solved with installation of a loop inter- Continued on Page A2 awh