News TheReview Wednesday, May8,1991 — A12 sewage improvemenis before The Town of Sidney has little choice but to consider putting a halt to development until improve- ments are made to its overbur- dened sewage treatment plant, Ald. Dave Goulet told town coun- cil recently. Aldermen April 22 debated a development application permit for a three-storey retail/condomin- ium project for Fifth Street. The Town’s advisory planning commission recommended coun- cil approve the permit subject to certain conditions. However, during debate, Goulet said council “has to address the sewage treatment plant, and until we discuss that and (an audit on the plant) is made public,” devel- opment should not be allowed. Ald. Don Amos was quick to ask if Goulet was advocating a moratorium on development in the town. Goulet said it would be inappro- priate to discuss the matter further and in detail because the audit report is confidential. Aldermen approved the devel- opment permit, with Goulet opposed. The audit, which was ordered in the fall and completed in March, provides an in-depth study of Sid- ney’s sewage plant operations, Goulet said Monday. He said it indicates there are problems at the plant, including an overburdened use. He said a meeting between CRD and Town representatives has been scheduled for Monday afternoon to discuss the report. As a possible solution to its sewage woes, town council has given its approval for a study on the merits of a unified sewage treatment plant for the Peninsula. The proposal was put forward by Central Saanich Ald. Bruce Tobin. It is expected the three Penin- sula municipalities will ask the Capital Regional District for a cost estimate of a study on the advan- tages and disadvantages of a uni- fied treatment system. ' Sidney aldermen also want the federal government and the four Indian bands on the Peninsula to be invited for their input on the issue. Goulet said himself, Tobin and North Saanich Ald. Dee Bailin will meet informally on May 14 to begin discussions on a unified plant. development Theft of $10,400 from local business leads to probation * According to Tobin’s recom- mendation: “In addition to the recognized need to recycle our sewage sludge through dewatenng and the application to land area, all three Saanich Peninsula munic- ipalities are currently anticipating a need to increase the capacity of their respective treatment plants.” A study is overdue because a unified system may be economi- cally feasible, Tobin says. Paycheques reduced by protest Local teachers who staged a one-hour walk-out last month to protest the provincial government’s compensation fairness act will lose one hour’s salary, District 63 trustees agreed April 29. The move comes after the provincial government announced it will cut funding to school boards by the equivalent of one hour’s salary per teacher for the April 17 demonstration. Assuming an annual salary of $40,000, district superintendent Hank Stefaniak said a teacher will lose about $40. Teacher salaries in the district range from $25,000 to $50,000 annually. The board also decided to write compensation commissioner Ed Lien protesting his review of negotiated settlements between local boards and teachers. Assuming the negotiated agreement is not changed, the district faces a $2.7 million budget deficit for 1991. At the May 13 meeting, trustees will consider cutbacks in staff and services to eliminate the deficit, Stefaniak said. Trustees are requesting a meeting with the Minister of Education to discuss how current provincial funding for education is affecting the implementation of the second year of the Year 2000 education initiatives. s . 7) TO