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Audited Circulation 12,933

An Island Publishers Newspaper

Wednesday June 6,1990 40¢

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in Panorama
for Fit Week / 90

NS council backs 299 per cent wage hike

ay pitches a fent i in Tulista Park

Holding out
for subsidized
housing project

by Glenn Werkman
The Review

A 73-year-old Sidney woman
moved out of Henry Avenue apart-
ment and into a tent in Tulista Park
Friday afternoon, determined to
stay until subsidized housing is
made available to her.

“T feel at my age I want to get a
subsidized place while I’m able to
fight for it,” said Bernice Niblett.

She was the last person to move
out of an apartment building, slat-
ed for demolition at 2294-Henry
Ave., where she paid $310 per
month rent.

“I wanted city hall to delay
demolishing the place for six
months, until the place on Third
Street is ready in September,”
Niblett said.

She turned down offers to move
into an apartment at 2296-Henry
Ave., saying the rent would proba-
bly be increased over time and fire
protection isn’t any better than the
building being torn down. Rent for
a one-bedroom apartment next
door is $400 per month, owner
Ron Tidman said.

Niblett said she’s frustrated by a
lack of affordable housing for
seniors on old age pension and the
apparent lack of action in getting a
complex for seniors built in Sid-
ney.

“I don’t know why Sidney
couldn't help, out to get it up
faster,” Niblett said. “One thing

that really burns me up is someone
was working to build an apartment
block in Oak Bay for seniors and
the people in Oak Bay were up in
arms about it.”

After getting notice to move in
March, Niblett said searching for a
new place to live was nearly
impossible.

“There are so many people
looking that, if anything sounded
good, when I phoned there would
-be no answer,” she said.

Life in a tent in Tulista Park has
not been without incident.

Sometime between 12 midnight
and 5 a.m. Sunday, while Niblett
was sleeping, someone entered her
tent and took a rain cape, a mirror
with wood trim, three 2-litre Pepsi
bottles, two cans of Libby’s beans
and a plastic cosmetic case.

The feisty woman withstood
some bad weather Sunday morn-
ing, when the weather office said
about 13 mm of rain fell steadily
between 12 midnight and 9 a.m.

Niblett said the contents of her
tent were soaked and she had to
wait from 5 until 8 a.m., for the
laundromat to open so she could
dry her things.

Despite the hardships, Niblett
said she’s not scared of living in
the park.

“TY wouldn’t say I’m scared, not
for myself, but after that stuff
being stolen the other night it’s
given me a funny feeling, not a
comfortable feeling,” she said.

Niblett said she wants subsid-
ized housing because rental rates
aren't increased in subsidized
complexes.

Her old age pension will allow
rental rates up to $450 per month

for a single person. The allowable
limit is reviewed for a cost of
living increase quarterly.

Town administrator Geoff Logan
said Monday that Niblett was sent
a letter Friday afternoon stating it
is illegal to pitch a tent in a
municipal park.

The matter was referred to the
Town’s solicitor and voluntary
efforts were made Friday to alert
police and ambulance crews, with
a hope they could check on Niblett
periodically, Logan said.

Continued on page A3.

by Valorie Lennox
The Review

An increase of about 59 per cent
in the mayor’s indemnity and 47
per cent in aldermen’s indemnities
was recommended by North Saa-
nich council-in-committee, May
22.

The increases will raise the
mayor’s annual stipend to $12,500
from $7,830 annually and alder-
manic stipends to $6,000 from
$3,550 annually, the Review has
leamed. The annual 4.4 per cent
cost of living increase remains
unchanged.

Although the recommendation
was made during an in-camera
meeting, Mayor Linda Michaluk,
Ald. Dee Bailin and Ald. Rebecca
Vermeer said the increases will be
publicly discussed at an upcoming
council meeting.

Vermeer doubted the original
discussion had been in-camera,
saying the matter had arisen late
after an earlier in-camera meeting.

“We don’t deal with council
wages in camera at all,’ Vermeer
said.

She said the reasons for the
increase will have to be debated
when a bylaw 1s introduced.

“I don*t feel it is a public issue

yet, Ald. Dee Bailin said. Philo-
sophically, she said she favored a
cost-of-living increase but did not
support a large increase in council
indemnities.

“I don’t see this as a salaried
job.”

She noted North Saanich coun-
cil members receive the lowest
indemnities of all municipalities in
the area, despite governing an
active municipality.

She also said the increase will
be discussed publicly before being
approved.

“There’s no intention of keep-
ing it secret,” she said.

Michaluk said the bylaw estab-
lishing the indemnity increases

Continued on Page A3

minister.”

“works: asa radio talk show host but has no plans fo relinguish her
_mayoralty duties. She sees no conflict between the two positions |
and, if North Saanich was inyolved in an appeal, she would -
remove herself from hearing procedures, she said.
Michaluk is registered professional biologist in B.C. ond
Alberta. She was elected a North Saanich alderman in November
1986, was first elected mayor in November 1987, resigned because
of a possible conflict of interest in July 1988 and was returned to
office in a byelection in September 1988. :
Michaluk said she’s has yet to decide on whether to run in the
next municipal election, this November.
Although Michaluk declined to release her per diem salary as
chairman of the Environmental Appeal Board, she said: “It
apparently bears the civil service rating of an assistant deputy