PENINSULA Partnership for seniors
Sidney SeniorCare and Panorama Recreation have teamed up, page 6
INSIDE Black Press C O M M U N I T Y
N E W S
Getting ready for graduation
Grade 12 students at Parkland Secondary are learning about school plans for grad, page 3
Watch for breaking news at www.vicnews.com
Friday, December 27, 2013
M E D I A
NEWS REVIEW
Role reversal over permits North Saanich delays bylaw that would speed up development application process Steven Heywood News staff
Another attempt at streamlining the process for development permit applications in North Saanich has been delayed — but this time by the councillors who are seen as more favourable to growth than others. At the Dec. 16 District council meeting, Coun. Dunstan Browne asked that a new policy that would allow staff to directly approve or reject development permit applications — thereby making the process a lot faster — be postponed. The reason, he said, was to allow councillors to further question language used in the draft bylaw, review a landscaping contingency fee and clarify the appeal process should a permit be turned down. Browne and councillors Conny McBride, Craig Mearns and Ted Daly — generally considered a majority who support added development in the community — all voted to postpone the bylaw after it had already been advanced at the Dec. 9 committee of the whole meeting. In an apparent reversal of roles, it Dunstan Browne was Mayor Alice Finall and councillor Elsie McMurphy and Celia Stock who wanted to get the bylaw in place to allow staff to advance development permits based on current council policy. “This has been going on for a long time,” said Finall, noting the drafting of the bylaw started around June of 2012. “It’s to delegate the approval process for development permits to staff. As long as an application adheres to the District’s guidelines, council wouldn’t have a lot of say.” It’s a common practice in other municipalities. In neighbouring Sidney, for instance, staff have the authority to consider such applications, only advancing their final recommendations to council for review. Finall said this is allowed under the Local Government Act and said she’s at a loss to explain why councillors wanted it postponed this time. Please see: Councillors concerns with loss, page 2
Devon MacKenzie/News staff
Sidney Peace Lutheran Church Pastor Erik Trovall. Trovall and his family were recently part of an exchange to Australia.
An exchange to remember Local family returns from six month exchange Down Under Devon MacKenzie News staff
A
part from living through three back-to-back winters, Pastor Erik Trovall from Sidney’s Peace Lutheran Church said his family’s exchange with an Australian family was the experience of a lifetime.
FIRST NIGHT
The Sidney family, Erik, his wife Jennifer and their son Nathanael, 13, returned to the Saanich Peninsula from a six month exchange in Australia at the end of October. The Trovall’s made the exchange with pastor David Wear from the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Hamilton, Australia, his wife Kate, daughters Misha, 4, and Eve, 2,
and son Henry, 1. “We left B.C. in mid-April and I met David in Adelaide where we spent 10 days at a pastors conference. At the end of April we went to Hamilton and David and his family left for Sidney,” Erik explained.
New Year’s Eve Family Celebration
Please see: Exchange families learned, page 5
Join us at our 8th annual First Night New Year’s Eve celebration! Enjoy musical entertainment as well as numerous activities, including swimming, skating, arts & crafts, inflatable obstacle course, bouncy castle and XBOX Kinect on our giant inflatable movie screen. We’ll end off the night with a Fireworks Finale at 9pm! Refreshments available for an additional cost. See website for details.
Tickets Now On Sale By Dec 30th Adult (19yrs+) Child/Student (6 - 18yrs) Child (0 - 5yrs)
$11 $7 Free
On Dec 31st Adult (19yrs+) Child/Student (6 - 18yrs) Child (0 - 5yrs)
$15 $11 Free
www.panoramarecreation.ca 250.656.7271
Purchase your tickets at Panorama Recreation Centre.