Peninsula News Review, January 30, 2015

Page 1

PENINSULA

NEWS REVIEW

Tour of Industry series

Finding a Perfect Balance

Sixth annual Tour series starts with the 443 Maritime Helicopter Squadron, page 3 Black Press C O M M U N I T Y

N E W S

M E D I A

Special section inside today’s Peninsula News Review

Friday, January 30, 2015

SAVE THE DATE!

More details to come in next Friday’s paper and in the February issue of Seaside Times.

Watch for breaking news at www.peninsulanewsreview.com

Park plan returns to protest Opponents of CRD’s plans for Island View Beach still suspicious Tim Collins Contributor

One might be forgiven if the whole story sounds all too familiar. On the one side stands the Capital Regional District (CRD), trying to develop a new management plan for the Island View Beach Regional Park. The existing plan dates back to 1989 and the CRD maintains that substantial changes in the park boundaries and use patterns have necessitated the update. The new plan, according to the CRD, will present “the vision, goals, direction statements and management objectives and actions for environmental conservation, cultural heritage management, visitor experience and parks operations and development.” On the other side there is a small but dedicated and highly persistent group of area residents and other park users dubbed The Friends of Island View Beach (FOIVB). Their stated goal is to ensure any new park plan takes into account the actual needs and wishes of park users. The Friends are suspicious of the CRD, citing past failures to adequately maintain ditches (which at various times led to mosquito infestations) and pointing to what they call deliberate misstatements and serious flaws in the CRD’s consultation processes. It’s a battle that last came to a head in 2013 when the CRD responded to critics and was moved to withdraw a draft management plan for the park and return for further study and public consultation. Now the CRD is back with a new approach in 2015. Please see: Park neighbours vow, page 7

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Contributed photo by Jayn Tyson

39th Elders Gathering King and Queen, Doug and Kathy LaFortune, look out over Saanichton Bay. Close to 2,000 aboriginal elders from B.C., Washington State and beyond, plus their families and care givers, are expected at the event in July.

A gathering of elders

Saanich Peninsula First Nations preparing for thousands at Elders Gathering Steven Heywood News staff

Saanich Peninsula’s First Nations communities are getting ready to welcome thousands of elders from across B.C., Washington State and Alberta in the 39th annual Elders Gathering.

They expect around 2,000 elders to come to the Peninsula, together with many members of their families and caregivers. It’s estimated that there could be as many as 5,000 people coming to the area for the July 7-9 Elders Gathering. Preparing the way for them is a huge undertaking — a challenge happily

accepted by the Tsawout First Nation and a committee of volunteers and leaders from all four aboriginal communities on the Saanich Peninsula. It’s mainly a social gathering, says Mavis Underwood, but there’s more to it. Please see: Elders Gathering is a seriously, page 4

2015-01-27 3:38 PM


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