Great Kids! Tennis SEE INSIDE Open tourney. SEE PAGE A28 Arts Review Michael Hames. SEE PAGE A17 GULF ISLANDS $ 2525 Wednesday, September 5, 2007 — YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1960 47TH YEAR – ISSUE 36 1(incl.(in(i( nclccl.l GST)GSGST)T) TENNIS INVESTIGATION KPMG report confirms PARC tennis misplays Recommends ways “There was a knowledge gap between what you need to avoid future to know to build a structure of this nature and what the fumbles commission knew,” said BY GAIL SJUBERG KPMG associate partner DRIFTWOOD EDITOR Gordon Gunn at a Thursday At least 20 factors con- public meeting at the Port- tributed to a failed indoor lock Park portable. tennis project that took a Regional director Gary Hol- big bite out of Salt Spring’s man, who also sits on PARC parks and recreation bud- and recommended approv- get and delivered nothing, al of a $572,150 contract to says a consultants’ report Cover-All Pacifi c to the Capi- released August 30. tal Regional District (CRD) A poorly written request Board in September 2005, for proposals, lack of con- said the point of the $20,000 sultation with experts or CRD-commissioned report investigation into the land’s was not to lay blame but to zoning restrictions were just ensure the same type of mis- a few items on the long list of takes don’t happen again. defi ciencies KPMG Advisory “The intent of the review PHOTO BY DERRICK LUNDY Services found in the Parks is to try to understand where FAREWELL TO SHELBY POOL: Alex Barnes’ eighth birthday party was one of the last celebrations to ever be held in and Recreation Commission there were flaws before in (PARC) attempt to build a the decision-making process Shelby Pool on Saturday, as the facility has been given to the Pender Island swim club. Party-goers seen here are: Laura and permanent tennis facility at — not to attribute blame.” Gina Klemm, Darby and Charlotte McIntyre and Adrienne Ashby. Portlock Park in 2005-06. TENNIS REPORT continued on A4 DRUG ENFORCEMENT SUMMER WEATHER Salt Spring RCMP gets tough on pot Say goodbye to the Operation nets legal consequences of being ducted at any one site, he Once discovered, Wil- summer that never was charged if they were found added, was 54 plants. Wil- lis said, plants are chopped half-million-dollar growing marijuana again,” lis said the seizures are part down, removed from the BY SEAN MCINTYRE crop haul according to a news release of the RCMP’s Operation scene and incinerated. DRIFTWOOD STAFF from the Salt Spring RCMP SABOT, a Vancouver Island- This is the second year With the deadline for entries into this year’s fall fair BY SEAN MCINTYRE detachment. wide initiative to identify officers from Salt Spring approaching faster than leaves on a downward spiral, DRIFTWOOD STAFF Those charged are sched- and eliminate outdoor mar- Island have taken part in the many Salt Spring gardeners have been left waiting for a Salt Spring RCMP offi cers uled to appear in Gan- ijuana sites on private and operation. late-summer heat wave to boost their sagging tomatoes located and destroyed 561 ges Provincial Court next Crown land. “We had a lot more sites into prize winners. marijuana plants as part of a month. Potential grow sites are and many more addresses “If you are a tomato grower you probably want more major drug-fi nding mission Each plant can produce located through the use this time around,” Willis said. consistent sunny days,” said Banana Joe Clemente, a conducted in August. an estimated $1,000 worth helicopter surveillance and Tips lead to north-end-based weather tracker. “The only way to get Police seized plants from of marijuana, according to satellite imagery. any tomatoes is to stick them in the greenhouse.” 25 sites across the island local Sgt. Danny Willis. A joint RCMP-Canadian fugitive’s arrest According to Clemente’s weather observations for and have charged fi ve indi- “Of course, that varies Navy exercise employing August, it wasn’t the rain that did in this year’s tomato viduals with producing mar- depending on the quality of three Sea King helicopters Acting on tips called in crop, but rather a lack of consistent heat and sun. ijuana. the grower,” Willis said dur- on Vancouver Island has dis- to the Salt Spring Island The hottest day of the summer was 32.9 degrees Other individuals involved ing Tuesday. covered more than 16,500 WEATHER continued on A2 were “warned about the The largest seizure, con- plants over the past month. FUGITIVE continued on A2 INSERTS North End INDEX Health ....................................... A27 -/24'!'%15%34)/.3 • Thrifty Foods • Fields Fitness Arts .............................................. A13 ............................ A24 • Home Hardware • ArtSpring Horoscope ASK!RLENE • Ganges Pharmasave • Rona Classifieds ............................ A31 Letters ......................................... A9 537-5217 • Ganges Village Market Editorial ..................................... A8 Sports ........................................ A28 • Uncle Alberts • Vitamin Shop Ferry Schedules .............. A28 TV Listings .......................... A15 • Mark’s Work Wearhouse ",/ • Industrial Paint & Plastic What’s On............................. A21 • Lifestyle Market *"/ email: [email protected] website: www.gulfislands.net SANDRA SMITH Remember Last Winter? Tread Safely and carry a big grip with qualityy aall-season seaso oor winter e Tires. GANGES AUTO MARINE SERVICE AND REPAIRS FOR ALL DOMESTIC & IMPORT CARS & LIGHT TRUCKS #3 - 290 Park Drive Below Dagwoods, behind car wash Mon.-Fri. 8am-5pm 537-9221 saltspringhomefi nder.com 537-5515 SALT SPRING REALTY A2 | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2007 | GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD CALL GAIL, SEAN OR CHRIS IF YOU PLUMBING NEWSBEAT SEE NEWS HAPPENING - 250-537-9933 MILLER SERVICES FUGITIVE DRIFTWOOD STAFFING 537-4850 continued from A1 RCMP detachment last New reporter at newspaper week, offi cers arrested a ATTENTION B&B OWNERS! 26-year-old fugitive Chris Stephenson joins The elnapress© who evaded police and “disappeared” in the for- editorial department is back with est south of Ganges. 2 sizes to choose from. Police arrested Erin The Driftwood welcomes a new full-time Hartley after she was reporter to its staff this week. 20”x8” and 26”x8” spotted getting off a ferry Chris Stephenson was raised in the north- (with fl ip-up sleeve board). from Tsawwassen on ern community of Whitehorse, Yukon. He 100 lbs. ironing Thursday morning. spent most of his formative years braving pressure. “We received a lot of the elements and developing a passion for $ 00 calls thanks to the article the outdoors. Priced from 359 in the newspaper,” said In his 20s, Stephenson was consumed Sgt. Willis. “Apparently with wandering and wondering around the SAWYER SEWING CENTRE she was trying to return world. 3400 Douglas • 1-888-229-2266 www.sawyersewing.com to the island after a trip He has worked as an English-language Chris Stephenson to Vancouver. That’s teacher in Mexico and Taiwan and spent six when we picked her up months volunteering as a youth worker in a magazine published by his classmates. right away.” small farming community in Indonesia. Ste- Stephenson said he is a small-town boy at Police later released phenson has travelled extensively through- heart. He adds that he “no longer wants to Hartley on a promise to out Asia and considers Sri Lanka one of his wander but still has a passion to wonder.” appear in a Summerland, favourite places. He is ready to embrace life on the island and B.C. courtroom in con- Stephenson returned to Canada in 2002 use his skills to write informed and accurate junction with an alleged to study journalism in Vancouver at Langara articles for the Salt Spring and southern Gulf break and enter charge College. Islands communities. dating to 2006. He has published articles in an outdoor Stephenson can be reached at the Drift- Willis said local offi- magazine and an urban entertainment wood offi ce, 537-9933 (extension 208) or via cers are investigating weekly in Vancouver. cstephenson@gulfi slands.net. Hartley’s possible links He was also a general reporter and edi- He replaces Stacy Cardigan Smith, who to a series of break and tor for the Langara College newspaper and returned to Winnipeg to complete her Bach- enters on Salt Spring. editor for the Langara Journalism Review, a elor of Arts degree in Communications. Summer of ‘07 notable for lack of sunshine WEATHER from calling it quits on the had 994.6 hours of sun and but when they did finally continued from A1 summer that never was. was the third brightest on arrived, they didn’t disap- And who can blame record.” point. Fruit trees were look- Celsius recorded back on them? Back on Salt Spring, things ing a little sparse, but are July 11, he said. (Fellow Salt Even Environment Cana- were much the same, though showing signs of promise, Spring weather observer da declared August of 2007 the unseasonable weather she said. Get the Robert Aston recorded a as the sixth dullest since did muster up a few fans. “The melons are barely Job Done! temperature of 34.72 C for record-taking began in “We had a lot of ho-hum the size of golf balls,” Gold- the same day.) 1969. weather,” said Clemente. berg added. While the heat wave had “It may be that any dis- “Everything looks a lot more As for those prize-winning BG 55 Gas Blower everyone flocking to the satisfaction with the August lush and all the lawns are tomatoes? Now only beach in anticipation of a 2007 can be blamed on perfectly green.” Goldberg’s usual crop long hot summer, August comparing it to August 2006, And the lawns aren’t the of more than 100 varieties $ 95 temperatures never broke which was the sunniest and only plants that took a liking dwindled to just over a dozen 19 9 the 30-degree mark.