aileearanmonhexsti dit PLASTIC MODEL CONTEST DETAILS AVAILABLa Air TANNERS HOBBIES & CRAFTS 2971 Avenue, Sidney ARTS Ald BUSINESS Alg9 CALENDAR Al4 CLASSIFIEDS A25 COMMUNITY Ai3 GARDENING Ais OPINION AZ SPORTS A22 OUTDOORS A10 BEYER AT7 CROSS Al5 GRENBY A19 HAMPSON A10 HENGEN A23 LANG A18 TOP OF THE PILE A7 WALLBERG Ai2 GIVE UP YOUR PARKS A frightening CRD budget prompts a council call for regional parks fo be given To other govemment levels Page Aé WATER INVENTORY WILL HELP C. Saanich farmers will know how much 1o imgate affer inventory is complete Page Al2 MISSED THE TEAM Cross Country runners namowly miss Out on national team tals Page A22 TOUGH TO BE A STUDENT Don’t lef us down is the message for ihe NDP | from starving students who believed election promises Page Bl BIG $3,000 WINNER After over a year, ine winner of Out of ihe Blue is drawn by ihe Chamber Page C2 Victoria WEEKLIES Review Office Hours The Review office, at 9726 First St. in Sidney, is open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Mail to Box 2070, Sidney, B:C. V8L 3S5. Audited Circulation 12,762 A Victoria Weeklies Publication Wednesday, February 5,1992 40¢ New plan will ‘fix’ Beacon for 3-5 years PEI TE PE 2 gle yt fe fae de a Wee ay ae 1 Potato plani-in threat prompts action by Valorie Lennox The Review A threat to plant potatoes in Central Saanich produced results, council members said Monday after receiving letters from the provincial Ministry of Agriculture and federal Agriculture Canada promising studies into the prob- lems of nemotodes in the area. Commercial planting of pota- toes in Central Saanich was banned 10 years ago after nemot- odes, a worm which attacks potato roots, were found in the area. The ban eliminated a viable commer- cial crop for many Central Saanich farmers. To protest the ban, last month some farmers suggested a plant-in of nemotode-resistant potatoes. The suggestion sparked letters from Agriculture Canada and the provincial Ministry of Agriculture, both warning against civil disobe- Stats show high increase in residential break-ins Recent RCMP statistics show that Sidney has experienced a 228 per cent increase in residential break-ins between 1991 and 1990 while North Saanich shows a 111 per cent increase. Sidney’s vandalism offenses are up 86 per cent, with 458 incidents recorded in 1991 compared to 379 in 1990. Sexual assaults have increased to 12 reports in 1991 from two reports in 1990 for a 500 per cent increase. Sidney RCMP Sst. Andy Rose- quist 1s most concerned about youth involved in crime and says that over 25 per cent of all crime is now committed by youths aged 12 to 17 years. “How much longer will we tolerate being held hostage by the youth in our community?” Rose- quist asked. “This is pathetic.” MS 54 28 Sas Pp ig Sah ae yd a [Op ary og fea Ye od Lu dE Pe ede ee be Pe ak sek clearance rate (cases solved) but they are dealing with a high amount of repeat offenders. The problem seems to be a lack of a deterrent within the legisla- tion, particularly the Young Offen- ders Act, Rosequist said. “How do you get young people to stop doing this,” he asked. ““We have to get people to lobby to get the law changed.” The problem is as much a breakdown in the social fiber of the community as anything: else, _ he said. “T hate to think we’re willing to allow a certain amount of crime,” Rosequist said. “I don’t know what to do. I wish I had some good suggestions.” In 1991 there were 95 residen- tial break-ins reported, up from 29 the previous year. Business break- : _ Continued on Page A2 dience. B.C. Region director general Al Oliver said steps were underway to resolve the problem. An agree- ment had been finalized Jan. 22 Sidney politicians have picked their trump card when dealing with the Ministry of Highways over the fate of the Beacon Ave- nue-Pat Bay Highway intersection. They have approved a design concept that the Town’s transpor- tation consultant says should be adequate for the next three to five years. And they hope to convince Min- istry Officials that the design is the best short-term solution to prob- lems_at the traffic hot-spot. The concept will be sent to the Ministry of Highways and the regional services committee of the Capital Regional District. The CRD referred a $35,000 government proposal, which only added an eastbound through lane on Beacon, to Sidney council in November It was roundly condemned as a “band-aid” and a “quick fix” for an intersection that needs a more drastic overhaul. Derek Wild, Sidney’s transpor- tation consultant, was asked in November to come up with an alternative, and this was presented to council Jan. 27. Council’s new operational ser- vices Committee was empowered to arm itself with this plan in future dealings with the ministry. The committee wants a meeting with new Minister Art Charbon- neau to discuss the Town’s posi- tion and resolve the problem of how to improve the intersection in with New York researcher Dr Bill _the short-term. Brodie to do a research project on the long-term survival of the gol- den nemotode cysts in the ground when there is no host crop present. Potatoes have not been grown in affected fields for 10 years. Although Mayor Ted Jones said no testing had been done since the ban was imposed, Oliver said testing of nurseries and ‘A’ potato land were done in 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1987. Of the 453 parcels of land tested in 1987, one showed signs of detectable nematodes, Oliver reported. That parcel was fumigated in the fall of 1987 and the spring of 1988 but has not been tested again, Oliver added. Continued on Page A2 Wild’s plan includes a two-lane left turn off Beacon heading south down the Pat Bay. Mayor Marie Rosko told council Highways Min- istry officials concede they were mistaken in not including this in their $35,000 plan. Wild recommends two other westbound lanes on Beacon, one going straight through the intersec- tion and one turning north. Eastbound on Beacon, he rec- ommends an extra through lane and a right-turn lane going south. Wild also advocates one of two scenarios for southbound traffic on the Pat Bay turning left onto Beacon. Either a two-lane left turn concept or a longer single turn lane than is presently at the inter- Continued on Page A2