Rough sailing First in a series on the future of B.C. Ferries Page A3
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SAANICHNEWS Wednesday, November 7, 2012
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Commonwealth fund survives for next generation of Olympians
Food scrap recycling across district in two years Saanich preps for curbside garbage, organic waste pickup Kyle Slavin News staff
ways to pay for pool time, which varies a lot across the country and our rates are among the best.” The $1.5 million is the latest commitment to high performance athlete facilities in Greater Victoria, with University of Victoria’s upcoming Centre for Athletics, Recreation and Special Abilities, upgrades to the Beaver-Elk Lake rowing centre, the Rugby Canada Centre for Excellence in Langford, and the Pacific Institute for Sports Excellence in Saanich. “Back (when the Commonwealth fund was set up) everyone thought interest rates would be 18 and 19 per cent, not the three per cent interest the fund has been earning, which is why it’s drying up,” Leonard said. “It would have meant an increase in property taxes, at a difficult time to do that, so I approached Murray Coell and Ida Chong.”
A food scrap bin in every kitchen in every Saanich home – that’s Mayor Frank Leonard’s dream. Council was expected to consider restructuring the municipality’s waste collection program at a meeting Monday, to allow for the separated collection of kitchen food waste. If approved, it’s the mayor’s dream come true. “I’ve been pushing at the regional level for this to happen for some time, and basically our initiative is a sign that we’ve given up on the CRD providing the service,” Leonard said. Hartland Landfill is estimated to be full by 2035, and Leonard said concrete steps are needed to give the landfill a longer lifespan. Earlier this year, Saanich ran a threemonth pilot project involving 583 homes with kitchen scrap and curbside garbage pickup, which gauged resident support and program logistics. Saanich council needs to approve regulation changes, but feedback from the pilot program indicated that people don’t mind separating food scraps or leaving garbage cans at the curb. “I’ve been very nervous about going from backyard pickup to curbside,” Leonard admits, due to expected push-back from residents, although the pilot project played out better than expected.
PLEASE SEE: Olympic history, Page A17
PLEASE SEE: Lower cost, Page A13
Sharon Tiffin/News staff
Olympic medalist and Victoria triathlete Simon Whitfield speaks at a press conference announcing a $1.5 million grant from national and provincial funding for high-performance athletics trust fund at Saanich Commonwealth Place.
Politicians come through with $1.5M for training at Commonwealth Place Travis Paterson News staff
Municipal and provincial politicians have rescued a nearly empty 1994 Commonwealth Games legacy trust dedicated to high-performance athletes in Saanich. On Monday, the provincial and federal governments granted a combined $1.5 million to rejuvenate the ailing trust, which subsidizes rent for elite athletics groups at Saanich Commonwealth Place. The original fund was nearly dry, falling seven years short of its 25 year termination date of 2019. Saanich Mayor Frank Leonard realized this and called upon two more fellow guard-
ians, MLAs Ida Chong and MLA Murray Coell, who were part of the facility’s genesis with Leonard in 1993. At that time, Chong was a Saanich councillor with Leonard and Coell was mayor. “In our 2011 and 12 budget meetings for Saanich, we saw that the fund was not going to have enough money to make 2019,” Leonard said. “It’s a problem most people weren’t aware of.” Chong and Coell went to bat for the Commonwealth trust fund, scoring $750,000 from B.C. and another $750,000 from Own the Podium to fund the trust through 2019. “It honours the agreement that was made with us, the Boardworks diving club, and our fellow user groups, the synchronized swimming, water polo and the swimming clubs, to train here with affordable rates,” said diving coach Tommy McLeod of Boardworks, the home of two-time Saanich Olympian Riley McCormick. “It means we don’t have to find other
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