VICTORIANEWS NEWS: B.C. privacy commissioner targets VicPD /A5 N ARTS: AR Kaleidoscope Theatre brings Peter Pan to life /A14 SPORTS: SP High-flying Victoria Cougars face weekend test /A20
FREE
Market Evaluation
Andrew Holenchuk www.AndrewHolenchuk.com www.EsquimaltProperties.com
250.744.3301 Wednesday, November 21, 2012
www.vicnews.com
STILL IN THEIR HEARTS, 21 YEARS LATER
Let the rains come down: homeowner Backyard run-off measures protect home, reduce stress on city’s storm drain system Roszan Holmen News staff
Darrell Wells doesn’t have your typical cookie-cutterstyle grassed yard. His seven-year-old modern house stands at the bottom of a steep, rocky slope. And while the views are great from up top, so is the potential for rain to gush down the incline and into his basement. “The houses on both sides of us have sump pumps,” Wells says. “The water just comes flying down.” Luckily Wells’ builder foresaw the problem. “He says, ‘Darrell, we got challenges,’” Wells recalls. “‘We got to really be careful about how we prevent this house from being flooded.’” Forth Land Planning took over with a landscaping design. At the base of the hill in the backyard, Wells has built up the soil using a retention wall, and has planted the low-lying area with various shrubs. “We’ve never had a run-off issue,” he says. Recently, Wells’ property caught the attention of Victoria’s public works staff. “I looked out the window and there was a camera set up out there (by the city),” he says. Wells’ landscaping helps to manage rain water. It’s the type of thing the city is trying to encourage as it creates a new stormwater utility. The goal is to give people financial incentive for retaining more rain water on their own lot, rather than simply relying on storm drains to transport the water swiftly into the ocean. Once the new utility launches, Victoria will be the first in the region to bill and rebate property owners according to the stress they place on the storm water system. PLEASE SEE: Reducing storm drain pressure, Page A6
Don Denton/News staff
Michael Dunahee’s mother, Crystal, left, who also serves as president of both Child Find B.C. and Child Find Canada, stands with Saanich-based author Valerie Green, who wrote the story of Michael’s disappearance and how the family has coped since he went missing in 1991. See story, page A3.
• healthy foods • natural chews • quality toys • accessories • supplements •organic treats
pet planet Westside Village I 100-174 Wilson St. I 250.380.9555
Nutrition makes a difference. Healthy doesn’t mean expensive.
2 OFF
$
Dry dog or cat food
Only valid at Pet Planet Westside Village. Excludes canned food and supplements. Limit one coupon per customer. Cannot be combines with any other offers. Offer expires January 1, 2013