Tear it out
Volunteers work to remove invasives from Rithet’s Bog Page A3
COMMUNITY: Victoria’s diverse cultural history /A4 NEWS: Liquor reform pleases Rifflandia planner /A5 ARTS: The best of the best at Victoria Film Fest /A13
SAANICHNEWS Wednesday, February 5, 2014
JUS MORE THAN
T SCREENS!
We Sell & Install Vinyl Windows Solarium Screens & Replace Broken Sealed Units FREE ESTIMATES
PNR Screens Ltd. 6680 Mirah Rd. Saanichton 250-652-4612
Watch for breaking news at WWW.VICNEWS.Com
Game, set and match Saanich council’s rejection of clay courts prompts review of parks processes, long-term planning for Cedar Hill Park Kyle Slavin News staff
Row, row, row your ERG
University of Victoria rower Will O’Connell competes in the Monster ERG indoor rowing competition in McKinnon Gym at the university. The event wrapped up the Vikes rowing team’s winter training program before they hit the water this week. See the story on Page A16. Sharon Tiffin/News staff
ORAL SURGERY ❙ CROWN & BRIDGE ❙ IMPLANT PLACEMENT ❙ SINGLE VISIT ROOT CANAL ❙ ORAL & I.V. SEDATION ❙ LED WHITENING ❙ CHILD FRIENDLY ❙
ianmcmillandentistry.com
The back-and-forth rally between tennis lovers and Saanich residents is over. The contentious, two-year-long debate ended Saturday when Saanich council unanimously rejected the Cedar Hill Clay Court Tennis Society’s proposal to build eight clay courts behind the rec centre. “It’s as though a great weight has been lifted off the community’s shoulders,” said Peter Haddon, one of a handful of Saanich residents behind SaveCedarHillPark.com. Saanich council heard from 183 speakers over the course of three public meetings before voting 9-0 to reject the plan to develop two little-used baseball diamonds into a tennis club. “It never passed the first test for me, which was ‘Does the community think the park would be improved?’ And that was a resounding no from the community; they didn’t see this as a park improvement,” said Mayor Frank Leonard. John Miller, who says he is imminently ending his tenure as president of the Clay Court
Society, doesn’t believe that argument. He says it was a vocal minority that swayed council. “Most councillors voted how they believed their constituents felt about the matter. … I don’t believe that that is a majority opinion; it was just the opinion of most people who showed up and spoke at the meetings,” he said. “I believe they did what they thought was best for their political careers.” Miller says he accepts the council decision, but he’s frustrated that he had to spend so much time and money to get to this point. “I think the process for things like this has to be completely reworked, because I can’t imagine important citizens’ initiatives going forward the way things currently are,” he said. “And I don’t know why anyone would want to put the time and effort to do something like this under the current formats of how these decisions are made.” Leonard says he agrees that there’s certainly room for improvement in the way these proposals get vetted by Saanich and the community. PlEASE SEE: Users want long-term plan, Page A15
Dr. Ian McMillan Welcoming New Patients FAMILY COSMETIC DENTISTRY
Centrally Located At The Corner of Shelbourne & Feltham For Over 35 Years! 4090 Shelbourne St. Suite 100 (2nd Floor) | 250.477.2621 | FREE PARKING