_, Community: anera’ S “cr0ss- cau ale sia s hee March 28 AS” ARTS A10 * BUSINESS AQ7 CALENDAR A10 CLASSIFIEDS A29 COMMUNITY A9 GARDENING 17 OPINION ~ AT SPORTS A25 OUTDOORS Al6 COLUMNS BEYER AT CROSS A10 GRENBY A27 HAMPSON Al6 HENGEN A26 LANG A23 TOP OF THE PILE A7 GAME GOES TILT A proposal fo build an arcade in Sidney is rejected by council Page A4 HELP TIMMY’S TELETHON A lions Club car wash in aid of the disabled children is Saturday Page Aé HANGING UP THE HATCHET After 10 years on the Trail in N. Saanich, Jo Doman steps aside Page Al2 THE LAST WORD Hengen roots for the Rangers in a farewell _ | sports commentary E Page A26 SYMPHONY SIMPLY SOARS Only two Canadian symphonies are in the black. Victoria is one Page Bl Feature: Airborne ambulance serves patients across the province Al3 Serving the Peninsula for 80 Years 1912 - 3 922 | = Audited Circulation 12,762 A Victoria Weeklies Publication Wednesday, March 18,1992 50¢ Panorama survey could get fast track Immediate distribution of a survey of Central Saanich resi- dents on recreational facilities will be recommended to Central Saa- nich council’s next meeting, Ald. Gary Valiquette said Monday. Survey results will help council decide whether Central Saanich should join Sidney and North Saanich in funding the Panorama Leisure Centre with tax dollars. Central Saanich council had intended to send the survey out with 1992 tax notices but residents speaking at two public meetings last week demanded earlier action by council, Valiguette said. In response to overcrowding at the centre, the recreation commis- sion has now imposed a 30 per cent surcharge and delayed regis- tration on Central Saanich users of the facility. Two letters on Monday's coun- cil agenda urged Central Saanich tO join in supporting the recreation centre. Similar concerns were expressed at two public meetings on the issue, one held last Wednes- day and one held March 7. “The majority of people were concemed and they wanted coun- cil to expedite a solution on Pano= rama, Valiquette said. A straw vote taken at the March 7 meeting showed a majority in favor of supporting an expanded Panorama recreation centre, despite the estimated tax increase of $72 to $123 per average house- hold over the next five years. Although no informal vote was taken at last Wednesday’s meeting, Valiquette said the mood was simi- lar to the March 7 meeting. He will urge council to approve the draft survey next Monday and send it to residents aS soon as possible. “That's been the tone of both meetings. That's what people want,’ Valiquette said. saan Pen police possible RCMP says io regionalization The Saanich Peninsula is a “dis- tinct region’ and should have nothing to do with an amalgama- tion of Greater Victoria police forces, says the head of Sidney’s RCMP detachment. “There are alternatives to the problem and I would have to agree that there is some duplication of services in the four-core municipal departments and there may be a reason to look at their problems from within that four-core area,” Staff Sgt. Jim Wilson says in a letter to Sidney council. “However,” he continues, “I believe that the north part of the Saanich Peninsula is a distinct region and if any consideration be given to regionalization it should be within the three municipalities of Sidney, North Saanich and Cen- tral Saanich.” The City of Victoria has called on the provincial government to hold a referendum on amalgamat- ing Capital Region forces. Council last month voted not to support Victoria’s proposal, but aldermen also referred the ques- tion to a committee for input from the RCMP. That input returned to the coun- cil table March 9 in Wilson’s letter. Wilson recognizes Victoria police have a problem with people coming from outlying municipalit- ies causing trouble. While sympathetic with their Situation, Wilson says combining forces is not the answer. He says he’s not convinced there would be any cost savings for Sidney and North Saanich resi- dents with total regionalization. He also writes there would likely be a lower level of service to residents under regionalization. “In small communities it is important that the police depart- ment be sensitive to the needs of the community and that the police department be a part of the com- munity. “Again, I think this would be lost,” writes Wilson. Continued on Page A2 Panorama workers considering final offer Capital Regional District staff at Panorama Leisure Centre are being urged by their union to reject their employers’ final offer when a supervised vote on the contract is - held in the coming week. The union representing Pano- rama staff, CUPE local 1978, served strike notice March 6. The 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. employers, represented by the Greater Victoria Labor Relations Association, presented their final offer during mediation last Wed- nesday. The two-year contract offers a 5.5 per cent retroactive increase for 1991 and a 3.5 per cent increase for 1992. The union wants a three year contract with a seven per cent retroactive increase for 1991; a $1 per hour increase for 1992 and a $1.06 per hour increase for 1993, explained Canadian Union of Pub- lic Employees representative Jim Lamb. Lamb said the employers’ offer does not include money for employee equity although the employer has agreed to implement a gender-neutral job evaluation — between inside clerical workers — and outside workers. Lamb estimated implementing employee equity would increase wage costs by four to six per cent per year over two to three years. The proposed contract also does not give casual, part-time recrea- tion employees access to benefits or additional hours, Lamb said. In lieu of benefits, the employer has offered an 11 per cent increase to all casual employees, Lamb added. However, he felt the offer does not help those attempting to move from part-time into full-time employment or those who are working two part-time recreation jobs but still receiving no benefits. “The union is trying to make a change for those who want a better deal,” Lamb said. Continued on Page A?