A CAREFUL BIKE RIDE along Hovey Road in Central Saanich

was the order of the day for Sean Weaver, 7, is accompan-
ied by his mom, Meloaie, near Centennial Park, Friday. The
youngster held Mom’‘s hand, until the camera showed up.

Street lures Saanich teen

Efforts to protect a 15-year-old
Saanich girl from life on the street
brought the girl and her foster
parents to Sidney provincial court
Thursday.

The girl pleaded guilty to one
charge of theft from her foster
home and two charges of breach-
ing undertakings by leaving her
foster home, despite a court-
ordered curfew and residency
requirement.

Defence lawyer Richard
Schwartz said the girl had been
enticed into using injected narco-
tics with the expectation that she
would work as a prostitute to pay
for the drugs.

Crown council Nick Lang said
the girl and another teenager from
the foster home had run away from
the home, called to see if they
could return and, when told the
back door would be left open for
them, entered the home April 17
and took food along with clothing
and personal care items.

Schwartz said the girl has com-
pleted Grade 8 and lived with her
adoptive family until she was 14,
at which time she left home.

She was made a ward of the
superintendent of child welfare
about eight months ago and was
placed in a highly-regarded, spe-
cial care foster home, Schwartz
said.

The girl’s actions are influenced
by another teenage girl, also a
foster child, who is in the home,
Schwartz said.

“They lead each other into
unfortunate choices.”

There is no other placement for
the girls, so they cannot be separ-
ated. At the time of the court
appearance, the girl was in cus-
tody.

Schwartz said the girl is begin-
ning to recognize that she cannot
continue to associate with the
people who are offering her drugs
and a life on the street.

The girl is now ready to follow
court orders, Schwartz said.

“This is a social problem, not
one of continuing criminal behav-
ior. The courts have imposed strict
conditions to protect (her), not to
protect the community.”

The girl’s foster mother said she
welcomed the controls imposed by
the court.

Judge Alan Filmer placed the
girl on probation for a year,
imposed a 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew
on weekdays and an 11 p.m. to 7
a.m. curfew on weekends and
directed the girl to stay away from
a downtown Victoria apartment
associated with drug-dealing.

He also ordered her to attend the
Coastline Challenges program.

Public moorage
being kepi afloat

Sidney council is looking into
going it alone in installing floats
for public moorage off the Beacon
Avenue wharf.

Aldermen took this move after
the federal government said in a
letter to council it had no inten-
tions of reinstalling floats itself.

Aldermen voted Monday to ask
staff for a report on liability risks,
insurance costs and the costs of
obtaining and placing the floats.

The Town is in the process of
taking over jurisdiction for the
Beacon Avenue wharf from the
federal Small Crafts Harbours
Branch.

In a letter dated May 14, Gary
Lacey, of Small Crafts Harbours,
said the floats provided summer
moorage for transient vessels, and
were removed annually for winter
storage, ““at considerable cost,”
because they were exposed to the
elements.

The breakwater was built to
provide year-round protected
moorage.

“With the Beacon Avenue
wharf laying outside the breakwa-
ter, and the extensive new facilities
in place, it would not be prudent to
have the summer floats re-installed
at the more exposed wharf loca-
tion,” Lacey writes.

“This would result in higher
maintenance costs, annual moving
costs and a higher liability expo-
sure to Small Crafts Harbours
Branch.”

However, Ald. John Calder said
aldermen have had numerous
requests from the public asking
that the floats be reinstalled, and
the Town has decided to investi-
gate its feasibility.

* * *

A complete ban on burning was
discussed by Sidney council, but
aldermen agreed to a compromise
by allowing burning only on

Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. _

Ald. Ted Daly said the council
committee which made the recom-
mendation felt three days of burn-
ing was a good compromise.

He said the main intent of
amendments to the buming bylaw
approved Monday was to ban
beach fires altogether.

This was done, as were the new
restrictions. Council also agreed
an adult must be in attendance
during burning.

Landiill petition to save Heal is ‘tainted’

A counter-petition against
expansion of the Hartland landfill
into the Heal Lake area gained no
support at North Saanich council
May 21, despite a presentation by
Bob McMinn of the Save Heal
Lake Committee.

At the Capital Regional District
meeting the following day, the
counter-petition was rejected by
the board, Mayor Maurice Cha-
zoltes reported June 3.

On May 21 Langford resident
McMinn had asked North Saa-
nich’s representatives on the Capi-
tal Regional District to support the
petitioners’ bid for a referendum
on the landfill expansion.

The counter-petitions, signed by
over 10,000 area residents, have
not been accepted by the regional
district because the signatures
were not collected on the counter-
petition form provided by the
regional district, McMinn said.

“T am sure that you will agree
with me that the issue is not the
particular kind of paper signed by
the petitioners,” McMinn said.

“The essential issue is the fact

ous of democratic procedures by
its failure to recognize that a
significant number of electors have
signified that they wish these
bylaws to go to referendum.”

Ald. Bill Turner said the resi-
dents’ petition might have carned
more weight if the group had
proposed a cost-effective alterna-
tive to the Hartland landfill expan-
sion.

The expansion is the least con-
tentious of all the possible solu-
tions 10 garbage disposal consid-
ered by the CRD, Turner said.

He remarked that taking all
regional district decisions to refer-
endum would bankrupt the CRD.

Chazottes said he saw signatures
of juveniles being collected on a
petition, which would nullify the
counter-petition.

“7 think your petition is tainted.
It was loosely organized and there
have been so many questions
unanswered, I can’t support it,”
Chazottes said.

McMinn admitted there were
some signatures on the counter-
petition which did not meet the

egg At _atetawn

residents, but said the group had
still collected more than the
required number of signatures to
force the issue to referendum.

Chazottes said the counter-
petition is not legally acceptable.
In addition, the CRD must dispose
of the region’s refuse.

“We can’t send our garbage to
Seattle,” Chazottes remarked.

At the May 22 regional district
meeting, Chazottes said the board
voted against holding a referendum
on the landfill expansion.

The board received a legal opin-
ion from Galt Wilson that the
counter petitions were not legally
valid, Chazottes added.

Directors voting against the ref-
erendum noted the decision to
drain Heal Lake was made more
than three years ago and ample
opportunity had already been
given for public input.

North Saanich council had
directed local representatives on
the regional district to vote in
accordance with the legal advice

received on the counter-petition. —

TheReyiew Wednesday, June 12, 1991 —

A18

Service hours replace jail

Two hundred hours of community work service replaced a jail
sentence for a 22-year-old Ganges man charged with theft over
$1,000 and breaching a recognizance.

Darren Steven Muir, remanded to Sidney provincial court
Thursday for sentencing, was sentenced two days earlier in Victoria
court on a drug trafficking charge, probation officer Niel Pearce
reported.

On the trafficking charge, Muir was sentenced to three years’
probation and ordered to serve 90 days intermittently, in order to
ensure he keeps his part-time job with B.C Feries. -

However Pearce recommended Muir be sent to jail, citing the
man’s previous “horrendous record” and attitude.

Defence lawyer Jim Pasuta said Muir had lived on the streets in
Vancouver as a teenager and has already served one 12-month jail
sentence. For the first time, he said his client had a chance of
regular employment. He asked Judge Alan Filmer not to
jeopardize Muir’s job by sending the man to jail.

Judge Filmer agreed Muir should probably go to jail but decided
instead to order the man to perform 200 hours community service
work in the first nine months of a year-long term of probation.

Stolen taxi ride leads to court

A Brentwood man who refused to pay a $34 taxi bill and then
threatened the taxi driver pleaded guilty in Sidney provincial court
Thursday to fraudulently obtaining transportation and assault.

Richard John French, 22, hired the taxi in Victoria at 1:35 a.m.
April 6, crown counsel Nick Lang said.

French gave no destination to the taxi driver, other than
directions, until the driver reached French’s home on Stelly’s
Crossroad in Central Saanich. By then, the fare was $34.06 but
French refused to pay more than $25, Lang said.

The driver tried to take French to the police station however
French seized the driver’s arm and threatened him, then fled. The
taxi dispatcher called police, who found French hiding in some
bushes nearby. French had $93 in his possession, Lang said,
adding that there is public concern over the safety of taxi drivers at
night.

French said he is working and is trying to curtail his drinking.

Noting that French had previous convictions for assault,
mischief and driving over .08 per cent, Judge Alan Filmer
recommended French take counselling for anger management and
possibly. for alcohol abuse.

He placed French on probation for a year, ordered him to accept
counselling as directed by the probation officer and to pay the taxi
driver $34.05 in restitution. He also fined French $200 on the
assault charge.

Recipient burned by hot gift

A hot Mustang car given as a gift, brought a 22-year-old
Nanaimo man to Sidney provincial court May 30, charged with
possession of stolen property. :

Warren Carter pleaded guilty before Judge Bran MacKenzie.

Crown counsel Stephen Fudge said the Mustang was stolen from
Westwood Honda on the Lower Mainland between 6 and 11 pm.
February 24.

On February 26 the car was stopped by Central Saanich police

and identified as a stolen vehicle, Fudge said. Carter was a

passenger in the vehicle and another man was driving, however the
driver did not realize the car had been stolen.

Carter admitted he suspected the vehicle was stolen when he
received it.

Defence lawyer Mayland McKimm said Carter is now working
in Nanaimo and hopes to join the military. The person who took
the Mustang gave the car to Carter, McKimm said.

Although Carter realized the vehicle was stolen, McKimm said
he feared returning the vehicle to the dealership would involve him
with police. Instead, Carter decided to bring the car to Vancouver
Island to dispose of it. Judge MacKenzie fined Carter $400.

Wanted man changes name

Attempting to avoid three outstanding warrants, a Victoria man
gave Sidney RCMP a false name when arrested May 29 at the
Swartz Bay ferry terminal, crown counsel Stephen Fudge
explained in Sidney provincial court May 30.

David Kidd, 31, pleaded guilty to obstructing a police officer
and was sentenced by Judge Brian MacKenzie to one day in jail.

Fudge said Kidd and three other people were arrested off the
Queen of Saanich after B.C. Ferries staff reported a disturbance on
the ferry.

Kidd gave a false name but a check of luggage produced photo
identification giving Kidd’s real name.

Defence lawyer Mayland McKimm said Kidd had just moved to
Victoria to find a job and had given the false name to avoid three
outstanding warrants from the Lower Mainland.

Two of the warrants were warrants of committal arising from
unpaid fines. At McKimm’s request, Judge MacKenzie gave Kidd
until Sept. 1 to pay one outstanding $220 fine. Kidd said he would
pay the other outstanding fine immediately.

Kidd, held in custody since his arrest, was released and
remanded to New Westminster to face the charge on the third
watrant. : 4

lle,