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COMMUNITY: Victoria photographer wins top award /A3 NEWS: Hospital nurses protest new patient care plan /A5 BUSINESS: Construction firm giving through building /A12 SPORTS: Bays trump UVic for Barnard Cup /A14
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Voted
Best City
1
of the
VICTO RIA
20 11
! Y A D I R F K BL AC e Taxes Save th
LD HE
GREEK RESTAURANT & SNACK BAR SINCE 1979
NEWS
YEAR
VICTORIANEWS
17th
Voted Best in victoria! Celebrating 34 years!
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74 250-871-60 Kilpatrick Ave 69 37 52 29 238 ay 0en ad 25 Court 01 Saanich Ro 6-4114 Victoria 35 North Island Hwy 250-75 00 Nanaimo 32
Waterfront Wonderland Victoria resident Morley Eldridge and his sixyear-old grandson Oliver Mamon, visiting from Utah, explore the rocks and water at Clover Point as the sun begins to set on a late afternoon. While we experience shorter days as winter approaches, the waterfront remains a constant joy and entertainment for residents and visitors alike. Don Denton/News staff
Mayor pushes for regional 911 system “The current system just seems inadequate. Public safety, immediate response needs to be one of our top priorities.” – Mayor Dean Fortin
Daniel Palmer News staff
As Victoria’s mayor promotes the need for a regional 911 call centre, a state-of-the-art facility in Saanich with room for expansion is being left out of the conversation. Last week, Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin presented data to a Capital Regional District committee that shows the region suffers from a patchwork 911 system, where some
residents wait minutes before reaching local emergency services. “The current system just seems inadequate,” Fortin said. “Public safety, immediate response needs to be one of our top priorities.” Costs aren’t yet clear, but VicPD and West Shore RCMP are exploring the benefits of moving Victoria’s 911 dispatch to a facility in Langford. Not included in that discussion is Saanich, which spent $600,000 in 2008 for a purpose-built, three-storey 911 dis-
patch centre that meets provincial earthquake standards and is backed up by Lower Mainland services. The facility already dispatches police calls for Saanich and Oak Bay, and fire calls for Saanich, Oak Bay, Esquimalt, Sidney, Central Saanich and North Saanich. View Royal and Colwood fire departments joined Saanich dispatch in May 2012 after cutting ties with Langford, citing better communication system redundancies and
security of the purpose-built building.” “Our door’s open,” said Saanich Mayor Frank Leonard. “The ground floor is used as an emergency operation centre, but we could convert it to a third floor of dispatch if we needed to. The technology is very, very easy and the space to co-locate people is easy, too.” PLEASE SEE: Victoria’s 911 system, Page A8
New Year Approaching. New Programs. Check out our NEW program guide at 527 Fraser Street or www.esquimalt.ca Register early to avoid disappointment. Call 250-412-8500 5:30am-10:30pm 7 days a week to register.