Volume 76 Issue No.35 Back to school: Time To be more alert It’s hard to believe next week will be September again, with autumn just around the comer The last long weekend before school resumes is always a busy one, and this year is no exception. On the Peninsula alone are enough activities to keep the average family healthily occupied. The Saanich Fair, in its 122nd year, can again boast of being the longest running continuous agricultural fair west of the Great Lakes. Its agricultural product entry program feels as thick as a good-size novel and promises the best locally-produced flowers, vegetables and fruit. The whole show starts Saturday at the fairgrounds in Saanichton. Also this weekend is the first event to be held on new ball diamonds built at Blue Heron Park. It’s the two-year-old project of the Memorial Park Society, built as a replacement for the fields at Sanscha Park. It received loads of help in the past two years, easily evident by a visit. More help will be needed over the winter as further plans develop. The Labor Day weekend will be over soon enough, though, and it’s time for a message that doesn’t get said enough. With the start of another school year, Tuesday, every kid on the block is back on the streets several times a day. Some walk, others run and many ride. Police in Sidney went through a period of complaints about cyclists riding on Beacon Avenue sidewalks. Now the same reckless youngsters will be popping wheelies off residential curbs on the way to school. In some areas that’s fine, with damage to tires and fatigue to legs the only result. But near roads carrying moming commuter traffic, we’ve seen it spell disaster. It’s time to be more aware than ever. School zone 30-kph speed limits go back into effect as school buses join the tourist-laden diesel jobs on our roadways. Of particular concer is Keating Crossroad, west of the Mt. Newton Middle School — which should be in its last year at that location. Linking the entire Brentwood community to the Pat Bay Highway, Keating can become a real zoo in the momings and late aftemmoon. buts Also, Resthaven Drive in Sidney, East Saanich Road below Dean Park in North Saanich and further up Keating near Central Saanich Road, where Keating Elementary School is, are other areas to be particularly mindful of children on the way to school. Peninsula police forces are co-operating with a Walk Alert, Drive Alert safety campaign sponsored by the Capital : Regional District. They remind motorists to yield to all pedestrians at crosswalks, not pass vehicles stopped at crosswalks and obey directions of all school traffic guards. Police forces will closely monitor school zones and crosswalks during the campaign period, Aug. 31-Oct. 14. Their diligence, combined with alert motorists, could keep this school year accident free. Letters fo the editor must be signed and coniain the writer's address and telephone number. Letters should not exceed 500 words in lengih and may be edil- ed for clarity, legality or taste. TheReview Serving The Saanich Peninsula Since 1912 9781 2nd Street Sidney, B.C. V8L 4P8 or PO. Box 2070 Sidney, B.C V8L 3S5 Second Class Mail Registration #0128 Published every Wednesday 656-1151 Publisher: Vic Swan Editor: Glenn Werkman AN ISLAND PUBLISHERS NEWSPAPER TheReview Wednesday, August 29,1990 — THANKS foe! IT'S JUST ABOUT WORN OUT, BUT J THINK Growth maybe, but what kind? Editor: The Town of Sidney, along with other South Island municipalities, have been experiencing a tremen- dous growth in the last few years. While growth is inevitable and for the most part is desirable, perhaps the current downturn in the building boom is a time for the Town of Sidney’s elected represen- tatives to take a long, hard sober look at the type of growth that is occurring and is impacting on this area. I am not alone in my concem about the uncontrolled growth that is occurring helter-skelter. Other nearby municipalities are seri- ously thinking of addressing the necessity and desirability of capp- ing growth. If curtailing growth is not possi- ble, then council must reexamine, replace and upgrade the current building codes and regulations with more stringent and strongly enforced regulations that reflect and protect neighborhood ambi- ance and aesthetics to ensure that existing property owners can con- tinue to enjoy their established homes and views. If it is a requirement to conduct public opinion polls to have a commercial establishment start up in a neighborhood, then the same democratic majority opinion should be sought from the affected residents when building permits are issued for major home renova- tions Or new construction in an established neighborhood are con- templated. I have very real concerns that the Port of Sidney development will prove to be a catalyst for further high density development along the waterfront properties in Sidney. The net result will be a further influx of developers catering to the upscale retirees who will simply expropriate our waterviews with over-tall structures to the detri- ment of the rest of us who didn’t have the sense to “wake up and smell the coffee” to protect this pleasant little community: Good taste and consideration for one’s neighbors is a casualty of increasing~urbanization. However, the concept of respecting a neigh- bor’s right to sun, light and’ views has been protected in Britain for centuries with the law of “ancient lights.” The Town of Sidney has a duty to put in place regulations that Support the area’s continued liva- bility for the majority of the citi- zens who pay the majority of the property taxes. Perhaps as part of the upcoming election, the official Community Plan for Sidney needs to be re- examined. The growth of Sidney since 1985 has been nothing short of phenomenal. B.R. Harfield _ Sidney What about ’94? Editor: I notice that the Mayor and Council of North Saanich have agreed that there shall be no commitment from North Saanich to contribute to the Common- wealth Games. _ Therefore I assume that any of the present council who are still in office in the summer of ’94 will want to prove his/her integrity and decline any freebies extended in connection with the Games — dinners, receptions and so on. Wanna bet? R. MacLean North Saanich Mudslinging isn’t the coverage we want Editor: When former North Saanich mayor Lloyd Harrop calls on The Review to report “the source of mud slinging, false accusations and unprincipled personal attacks” in local politics he advo- cates a form of journalism that we can do without (Forgot the press, The Review, Aug. 22). During a particularly shameful period in North Saanich politics, The Review was well aware of who was saying what about whom. To its credit, the newspaper didn’t stoop to the level of the partici- pants, and by so doing avoided the legal actions for defamation that would surely have resulted. With three councils to cover, The Review generally does an adequate job of reporting the news, as distinct from the scuttlebutt. My only criticism is that it doesn’t always make it immediately clear which council deliberations it’s reporting, especially in its head- lines. Ald. Maurice Chazottes North Saanich Use 1793 value Editor: Our Indian compatriots have to give their Canadian brothers if other racial origins credit for fight- ing (and dying) in two World Wars to save this country from domina- ~ 5 & tion by tyrants who would gras them no rights whatever. ~ My ancestors came to Canada in 1816 and to B.C in 1905. In 1935 my wife and I owned a lot in Marpole which was worth $50. We built again when I returned from overseas, in 1946, and bought our lot on 15th Ave- nue, in West Point Grey, for $300, We moved to Tsawassen in 1966 and built a new home on a half- acre lot which cost $5,000. My point is that the value of land held by the Indians must be assessed at its value prior to 1793 (circa). The land then had no market value as there was little demand and no infrastructure. Compared with other immi- grants, the Siberians and their descendants have contributed little to the settlement and development of this country. Keith Jackson Sidney The right time fo protest is now Editor: For years, highway construction & in B.C. with ensuing land develop- ment was a reliable vote-getter. An fm enlightened populace now, sees ff this as the encroachment of blight quickly displacing a decent man- | ner of living. Politicians, planners and engineers are incredibly unaw- (aime are that they are ages behind § community thinking that growth is rarely a blessing. Peninsula residents are astute enough to see that their near perfect ambience will be degraded, like other beautiful areas have been, by the onslaught of unending automobiles, freeways and development. Only the short- 4 Continued on Page A9’