News

Crops okay aft
recent cold snap

The recent cold snap may have
devastated crops in California but
most Peninsula farmers suffered
very little crop loss,

Much of the seasonal produce
has been dormant since November
and hasn't suffered any damage,
said Ian Vantreight, the general
manager of the G. A. Vantreight
and Sons farm.

However, about $8,000 worth of
cabbages were lost from the Van-
treight family’s 700-acre Central
Saanich farm,

With one of the largest cabbage
crops on the Peninsula Vantreight
was one of the hardest hit but said
he’s relieved that his daffodil and
tulip buds seem to have weathered
the storm,

Kiwi fruit vines have also
proved to be resilient to the snow
that first fell between Dec. 18 and
Dee, 30, he said,

Quick-thinking led to the sal-
vaging of about 30 tons of cab-
bages on the 200-acre Michell
Brothers farm on Island View
Road.

Vern Michell said a three-day
weather forecast warning gave his
family time to harvest all but
several tons of cabbages before the
first blizzard hit on Dec, 18,

“With produce prices increasing
the way they are right now, that
harvest turned out to be quite
valuable,” he said.

Fortunately, strawberry and
raspberry vines on the Peninsula
appear to have survived, though
any potential damage won’t be
known until the spring, Michell
said.

The timing on the cold snap
prevented large-scale losses as
most seasonal crops on the Penin-
sula are now dormant, he said.

And the storm palled in compar-
ison to one that hit the area in
January, 1988, when he suffered
over $10,000 worth of damage to
strawberry vines and cabbage and
turnip crops, Michell added.

TheReview Wednesday, January 9, 1991 =A

Peninsula municipalities unite over highway upgrade

A joint meeting Saturday
between the mayors and councils
of all three Peninsula municipalit-
ies promised a joint stand on the
upgrade of the Pat Bay Highway
and future cooperation between
Sidney, Central Saanich and North
Saanich.

Following presentations to coun-
cil members by retired Ontario
highways engineer William Zon-
nenberg and urban planner Rod
Clack, Sidney Mayor Marie Rosko
said any highway upgrade should

‘be based on an origin and destina-

tion survey of existing traffic.

North Saanich Mayor Maurice
Chazottes noted the composition
of traffic on the highway changes.
Current figures suggest that at
Royal Oak only 10 per cent of the
traffic is headed for the ferry
terminal: by Wain Road, 90 per
cent is going to the ferry terminal.

Without an origin and destina-
tion survey, the highway cannot be
designed to accommodate the
users, Chazottes said,

Monday, North Saanich council
agreed to back Sidney’s request to
the Ministry of Transportation and
Highways for such a survey,

Rosko said members of all three
councils will join in a bus tour of
the highway with Zonnenberg to
identify low-cost ways of improy-
ing highway safety.

Examples cited by Zonnenberg
include curbs at intersections,
placement of utility poles and
intersection design.

Ministry of Highways represen-
tatives will be invited to join in the
tour, Chazottes said.

“We've had a crash course in
the basics of highway design and
planning which our own Ministry
doesn’t seem to be following,” he
added.

Sidney Ald, Bon Amos said the
Pat Bay Highway was built in
sections and was not designed as a
unit,

All three councils will back a
resolution to the Union of B.C,
Municipalities calling for a review

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of the Ministry of ‘Transportation
and Highways’ mandate, Rosko

' Said, citing no long-term transpor-
tation system planning by the min-
istry,

North Saanich Ald, Bill Tumer
said the transportation aspect of
the ministry appears oversha-
dowed by highways.

“Its the Gaglardi legacy,’’ Cha-
zoltes said, “It’s been highways,
highways, highways for 30 years,”

Following Saturday’s meeting,
the three municipalities will estab-
lish an ongoing liaison committee
with three members from each
municipality, North Saanich Ald.
Dee Bailin said.

The next joint meeting of the
mayors and councils will be held
in three months, Rosko said,

Other issues discussed Saturday
were the gas pipeline coming to

(=) SINCE 1949

the Saanich Peninsula and overall
land planning,

Central Saanich Mayor Ted
Jones said the joint meeting was
going well,

January Sale
NOW ON

“We're taking the opportunity
to meet everybody and see how it
is going for the various municipal-
ities,” he added.

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