PENINSULA
NEWS
Established 1912
Car torching leads to dangerous bush fire North Saanich firefighters and Forestry crews battle blaze off of West Saanich Road, page 3 Friday, October 12, 2012
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Business boosting a BIA Sidney town council concerned grant won’t deliver what it wanted Steven Heywood News staff
An $18,500 grant given by the Town of Sidney to the Sidney Business Development Group will never produce a ‘super business group’ to act as an umbrella organization, says their leadership. They are leaving that role to the Saanich Peninsula Chamber of Commerce and are working towards creating a business improvement area (BIA) in Sidney’s downtown core — a fact that some town councillors said might have changed their opinion on the initial grant. “The Sidney Business Development Group is not trying to attain a super group,” said spokesperson Cliff McNeilSmith at council’s Oct. 9 regular meeting. “Our focus is a BIA and helping other organizations co-exist.” Councillor Steve Price said the SBDG’s proposal for the grant money did not say BIA specifically. “I would have liked the group to have been clear,” he said, indicating the town might not have financed their effort had that been the case. McNeil-Smith said the SBDG was clear and met with councillors individually and at public meetings, where they raised this information. “A do-nothing strategy is not an option that the business community wants. The surveys, meetings and now a brochure … is that not a good use of this money?” PLEASE SEE: Town wanted an umbrella, page A4
Devon MacKenzie/News staff
Pumpkins sit ripe for the picking in fields along Lochside Drive in Central Saanich.
Town rallies around their own Sidney councillor raising funds for two Town of Sidney employees Devon MacKenzie News staff
Two Town of Sidney Parks Department workers are the center of a fundraising initiative spearheaded by Sidney Councillor Kenny Podmore. Chris Wallace, whose three-year-old son
Coen Wallace is in desperate need of a kidney transplant and John Cunningham, who was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis last year and needs a chair lift in his home so he can remain there, are the focus of Coun. Podmore’s fundraising efforts. “Both these families are going through
very tough times and have worked for the Town of Sidney for some time, so we felt we wanted to do something for them to help them in any way possible,” explained Podmore. PLEASE SEE: Effort looks to raise $10,000, page A2