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Sidewalks strike a chord with residents
During play time at Topaz Park, Saanich police dog Zeke waits patiently for Const. Jon Zielinski to give the OK to grab the rubber ball. Last year's winners, Zielinski and Zeke will compete in the national police canine championships this weekend, hosted by the Saanich police. Edward Hill/News staff
Saanich councillor seeks a public, long-term plan for sidewalk building Kyle Slavin News staff
Dean Murdock’s position as a councillor makes him prone to fielding questions from Saanich residents about a variety of hot-button issues. The one question that comes up more than all others? “When is my street getting a sidewalk?” And unless that particular sidewalk is slated to be built that fiscal year, Murdock and his fellow councillors who get similar queries can’t say when it will happen. “The way (sidewalk) prioritization is done at the moment seems to be ad hoc and conducted on an annual basis. None of that is open to the public to view,” Murdock said. “I think we need to have that exposed a little more to show our residents how those decisions are made.” The engineering department uses its pedestrian priority improvement plan (PPIP) to evaluate unsafe pedestrian routes in the municipality. But that’s only part of the equation, Murdock said. The councillor spent the better part of his summer walking sidewalk-less streets in Saanich alongside residents who want improved pedestrian infrastructure. “There’s a lot of places I found where a sidewalk would dramatically improve the walking environment. We’ve got some very busy streets where there’s little more than a gravel road edge for people to walk on – that includes kids on the way to school and seniors on their way to the bus or the store,” Murdock said. PlEAsE sEE: Murdock, Page A9
sniffing out the bad guys Top police canine teams face off in Saanich for national competition Edward Hill News staff
In May, two bicycle thieves found themselves hiding in tall grass, along the pitchblack Pat Bay Highway near Elk Lake after Saanich police descended on the area. It was a good hiding spot from flashlights, but no so much from Zeke the
police dog. The five-year-old veteran quickly sniffed out $40,000 worth of stolen gear and the suspects themselves. “Zeke located all the bikes and wetsuits stashed away and continued on the track,” said Saanich dog handler Const. Jon Zielinski. “There were speedy arrests that night.” Zielinski and Zeke are the defending general-duty champions for the Canadian Police Canine Championships, hosted by Saanich police this weekend. More than 30 police dog teams from a dozen police agencies between Victoria and Montreal will be put through the paces in a friendly competition. Seven scenarios emulate what might be
encountered on a typical police shift: general tracking, evidence search, compound search and building search, and obedience, agility and catching a “bad guy” in a bite suit. A separate arm of competition is held for drug and bomb sniffing dogs. Competition Friday and Saturday is closed to the pubic, as the searches are in private buildings and fenced compounds. The event is open to the public Sunday at the University of Victoria’s Centennial Stadium for the obedience, agility and dramatic dog suit take-downs. PlEAsE sEE: Tracking, Page A10
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