Island voice
Real estate Review
Soprano Sarah Vardy sings at St. Andrew’s church.
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Bad intersection has to wait for fix I CITY COUNCIL opts to consider other sources of funding.
BY TaMaRa CUNNINgHaM The News BulleTiN
Raise a glass
Upgrades for a high-crash intersection are on hold as the city searches for ways to cover a funding shortfall. Safety improvements for the three-way intersection at the old Island Highway, Boundary Avenue and Northfield Road were slated to start this year, but are now on pause while the city seeks approximately $800,000 in additional funding. The site was ranked as the third-highest crash intersection on Vancouver Island by ICBC in 2013 and saw 340 collisions between 2007 and 2011. Poul Rosen, the city’s manager of engineering projects, said upgrading the intersection to make it safer is a priority, but it’s also a complex undertaking. Several jurisdictions are involved, including the Island Corridor Foundation and the Ministry of Transportation. The city originally estimated the project would cost $2 million and had agreed to split the bill with the province. Designs now peg the bill at $2.9 million due to costs tied in with the railroad crossing, scope of the storm system and earth
CHRIS BUSH/THe NewS BUlleTIN
Trish Newton-Segal, event organizer, checks how the quality control stacks up on a shipment of 600 commemorative wine glasses for the 22nd annual Nanaimo Wine Festival. The event happens at the Beban Park social centre this Friday (Oct. 24) and features more than 200 different wines from around the world, as well as cheese and other finger food, music and prizes. For more information, please see page 31.
Nanaimo MPs not harmed in Parliament Hill shooting BY KaRL YU The News BulleTiN
Nanaimo-area members of Parliament weren’t harmed in a shooting in Ottawa on Wednesday morning. According to reports, a soldier standing at Ottawa’s National War Memorial was shot and killed. A gunman was said to have made it into Parliament Hill’s Centre Block and was said
to have been killed. Jean Crowder, NDP MP for Nanaimo-Cowichan, told the News Bulletin she wasn’t on the hill but was at the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal a few blocks away from the memorial. She said she was OK, but was rattled by the incident. “I saw it on Twitter and within a couple of minutes, there was an announcement made in the tribunal hearing that there was a situ-
ation, but it wasn’t clear yet what was going to happen and shortly after that they put the building into lockdown,” Crowder said, adding people were asked to stay away from windows. James Lunney, Conservative Nanaimo-Alberni MP, couldn’t immediately comment but was said to be OK, according to Bobby Wollock, a spokesman from Lunney’s Ottawa office. See CANADA /3
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works and paving. ICBC has indicated it can chip in $95,000 and the city has asked for time to investigate potential rail crossing grants and discuss an increased share from the Ministry of Transportation. Preparation for the project has cost the city about $361,700 to date “We would like to see it completed sooner rather than later, but you know we still have these funding challenges we have to work through,” Rosen said. City staff members will look at a rail grant, but would have to apply the August of the year before the money would be used. If the city waits, it would induce a significant delay in completing the project, Rosen said. The intersection includes three major roadways. In 2013 the city logged 9,500 people travelling daily on Northfield and 6,600 on Boundary in 2011. Kathy Ridgway, manager for National Car and Truck Sales on Northfield, said the intersection is very busy and is surprised there are not more accidents. She believes Boundary should become a one-way street. Proposed upgrades would see changes like dedicated eastbound left and right turn lanes on Northfield, a leftturn only traffic signal, and a new rail crossing for pedestrians and cyclists. news@nanaimobulletin.com