Audited Circulation 12,968

A Victoria Weeklies Publication

Wednesday January 9,1991 40¢

C

_BUSINESS

CALENDAR C7
‘CLASSIFIEDS —A23
COMMUNITY C7
GARDENING  A22
OPINION AT
| SPORTS Ci

oP OFTHE PILE A7 |

for Gulf

FL 143 SH fom
; Pat Bay leaving

All

explosion

(Victoria
WEEKLIES

Section B examines
the cellular
communication

B1

The Review's office, at 9726

First Street in Sidney, is

number 0128.

open from 9:00 a.m. until
5:00 p.m. Monday through
Friday. Mailo to Box 2070,
Sidney, B.C. V8L 3S5 — Se-
cond class mail registration

Downtown revitalization gets initial green light

_ MARKING AROUND a aronsrission that
fell out of an easibound 1977 Poniiac |

_ Acadian are RCMP officers at fhe

scene of a two-venhicile head-on acce
dent in the 1100-block of icy McTavish
Road shortly after 11 a.m. uy
ine Acadian: 5 Oriver, Gloria: Eliott, 44,

of Pauquachin Lane, was rushed fo
hospital but Gied in surgery about 12
hours later, Sidney RCMP said. A 37-
year-old woman and a 10-yea;-old
boy travelling in a 1987 Honda Civic
_ received injuries that were Gescrbed
_ Qs fairly MINOT by POliCE. GLENN WERKMAN photo

Ferry grant coming in lieu of fax

by Valorie Lennox
The Review

A six-year battle ended Thurs-
day with North Saanich the winner
by an estimated $65,000 as B.C.
Ferries agreed to pay a grant in lieu
of taxes to the municipality.

Then mayor Harrold Parrott
started negotiations with the ferry
corporation in 1985, municipal
administrator Ron ©’Genski said
Monday.

©’Genski served on the negoti-
ating committee with mayors
Lloyd Harrop, Linda Michaluk and
Maurice Chazottes over the next
six years as North Saanich and
other municipalities hosting ferry
terminals tried to change ministry

policy.

The ferry corporation was the
only crown corporation in the
province not paying taxes or
grants-in-lieu to cover the costs of
services received from the munici-
pality, O’Genski said.

In 1986 O’Genski estimated the
Swartz Bay terminal cost North
Saanich $78,000 a year in policing
and fire protection costs.

Calls to the terminal and control
of ferry traffic took the equivalent
time of one full-time
officer, O’Genski noted.

Although North Saanich was
paid for water service, the ferry
corporation paid no taxes or grants
in lieu of taxes. For years the
highways ministry argued the ter-
minals were part of the trans-
Canada highway and should be

One dead after icy head-on

A 44-year-old Sidney woman
died in hospital Thursday night, 12
hours after receiving serious injur-
ies in a two-vehicle head-on acci-
dent on a slick portion of McTav-
ish Road, just east of Glen Mea-
dows.

Sidney RCMP and paramedics,
along with volunteer firemen from
North and Central Saanich,
worked to free the woman from a
ted 1977 Pontiac Acadian that
landed on its roof after the mishap,
about 11 a.m. Thursday.

A Central Saanich crew brought
in the Jaws of Life to pry open the
doors of a 1987 Honda Civic
stationwagon, then removed its
occupants, a 37-year-old woman
and a 10-year-old boy. Both were

taken to hospital with injuries.

The accident apparently hap-
pened when the eastbound Acadi-
an lost control on frost and black
ice, spinning into the westbound
Honda’s path. Shaded sections of
the 1100-block McTavish Road
remained icy in the late morning.

The Acadian’s driver, Gloria
Elliott of Pauquachin Lane, died at
about 11:35 p.m. Thursday during
surgery at Royal Jubilee Hospital
in Victoria. RCMP said Monday
that an autopsy is being per-
formed.

Police said fairly minor injuries
were sustained by the Honda’s
occupants. Both were taken to
hospital by ambulance.

exempt from taxation.

In response, the negotiating
municipalities proved that grants-
in-lieu were paid on highway
structures in municipalities.

“We just kept hammering
away,” O’Genski said.

O’Genski said a three-hour
meeting in 1988 between Micha-
luk, Saanich and the Islands
MLAs Mel Couvelier and Terry
Huberts and highways minister
Rita Johnston ended with Johnston
admitting the municipalities had
justification for wanting to tax
ferry terminals.

“Mayor Michaluk did a super
job on the ministry. We just kept
the pot boiling,’ O’Genski
explained.

The affected municipalities met
together on the issue at the Union
of B.C. Municipalities’ conven-

tion.
Continued on Page A2

The latest downtown revitaliza-
tion program for Beacon Avenue
received approval in principle by
Sidney council’s committee of the
whole, Monday.

But because the design and plan
for the downtown rebuilding
scheme is different than what was
shown to the public previously,
there are some more hoops for the
plan to swing through before final
approval is given.

Ald. Don Amos recommended
that the matter be referred to the
advisory planning commission,
that the downtown revitalization
committee be asked to hold a
public meeting and that the minis-
try of highways be asked to trans-
fer about $90,000 in shared fund-
ing for capital costs to the next
fiscal year.

Dow:itown revitalization com-
mittee chairman Frank Malerby.
reported that, within the specified
area, 72 per cent of owners repre-
senting 71 per cent of the property
value signed a petition supporting
the $1 million project.

The plan calls for new pavers to
be installed in the sidewalk and in
crosswalks along Beacon Avenue
from First.to Seventh streets and
along Fifth Street from Beacon to
Bevan avenues.

As well, the sidewalk will be
widened, it will be bumped out at
the corners to make a shorter
crossing distance, and trees in tree
planters will be installed.

“The design of this concept is
unique, it is Made in Sidney,”
Malerby said.

“Ongoing projects to add color
and interest will maintain the
attraction of downtown by projects
like the decoration of street fur-
nishings, the provision of flower
baskets, lamp: post banners, infor-
mation kiosks and the like.”

Malerby said the downtown core
must prepare itself to withstand
the negative effect of the goods
and services tax, the recession and
the Beacon-Pat Bay highway inter-
change and urged the council to
act quickly.

Amos told committee that the
downtown revitalization commit-
tee be advised to hold a public
information meeting regarding the
proposal, preferably after the APC
looks at it, and the meeting should
be prominently and adequately
advertised.

Continued on Page A2