Historical Archives McPhi1 lips Ave INSIDE! t Spring Island, BC Islands Real Estate 2Tfi 01/01/«7 F Magazine iulf Islands Wednesday, April 24, 1996 Vol. 38, No. 17 Your Community Newspaper Salt Spring Island, B.C. S1 (incl. GST) School board seeks approval for $300,000 deficit By TONY RICHARDS But the bad news does not stop June, which is the fiscal year end, which teachers and the district tion, functions which have been Driftwood Staff there. left him confident il would. He contribute jointly but whose con­ deprived of funding lo meet other It's going to be another diffi­ Although the Ministry of cited spending in six areas as the tribution for this year the board obligations to the point where cult year for school trustees as Education has announced funding contributing factors in the had overlooked: $61,500; spending has been deemed neces­ financial woes continue to plague levels for 1996-97, further reduc­ $284,000 deficit projection: * restructuring, incurred by the sary for reasons of student safety: public education in the Gulf tions are anticipated. Figures • class size arbitration, in which board in an examination of $50,000. Islands. being bandied about include a fiat the board and local teachers restructuring options following Meanwhile, the ministry's pre­ For the third year in a row the $70,000 cut to all school districts negotiated a settlement with the amalgamation plan liminary funding allocation for school board will seek education and an additional one per cent regard to oversize classes in vio­ announced last November by the the district's operating budget is ministry approval to run an oper­ funding cut each year for four lation of the teachers' contract: minister of education: $20,721; up 1.8 per cent over last year, or ating deficit. As of last years. $92,854; * sick leave, a budget line from $234,182, for a total of Wednesday, district secretary- Starling advised trustees last • the arbitration process, which which money was optimistically $12,973,553. treasurer Ken Starling was pro­ week that the district had not yet the board estimates cost it $5,000 removed in December to boost Enrolment is projected to drop jecting a budget shortfall of near­ incurred a deficit, but a review of a day: $33,950; instruction spending: $25,000; marginally to 1,756 full-time ly S300,000. spending projections to the end of • professional growth fund, to * maintenance and transporta­ equivalent students. Islanders scrutinize draft OCP By GAIL SJUBERG Driftwood Staff No one could accuse Salt Spring residents of being apathetic about the Official Community Plan (OCP) draft. The first run of 300 copies was quickly snapped up. prompting printing of another 160. It's the talk of the island everywhere peo­ ple meet and in the letters section of the Driftwood. A huge crowd attended the Salt Spring Trust Committee's second information meeting Thursday night to hear a lengthy presenta­ tion by Trust planner Linda Adams. She gave an overview of the draft with explanatory com­ ments on many components, and described the origin of ideas from OCP focus groups or the 1995 sur­ vey of island residents and proper­ ty owners. Some time was left at the end of her presentation for questions from the public. Of most concern was the process and time frame by which the OCP will be approved. (See separate story). It took only two weeks for one group to form in opposition to the draft plan. The Salt Spring Preservation Committee has pur­ Mmmm ... cookie time! chased a full-page advertisement in this week's Driftwood. South­ Shannon Stewart, left, Mollie Hosie, centre, and Cassandra graph, and pronounced them delicious when they were done. end resident Brian Brett is one Storey of Fernwood Sparks sample their wares in preparation Cookies will be sold door to door but can be ordered by calling member of the group comprised of for Girl Guides cookie week April 29-May 13. They sampled a GailTemmel at 653-4613. nwotvi^inciH^ couple of cookies apiece for the benefit of a good photo- UNDER SCRUTINY 13 Williams awaits fate of Mill Farm Islanders fondly recall By SUSAN LUNDY land, which is found buried on the they wouldn't have it any other Driftwood Staff slopes of Mount Bruce after a twist­ way. popular Howard Byron First of two parts ing, bumpy drive along Musgrave A magical, spiritual quality hangs By VALOR1E LENNOX Howard wasn't up yet. The 69- "There is no anger. We've let it Road. in the air around the Williams' Driftwood Staff year-old fanner — described as all go. All that matters now are the Williams describes himself as a home. Perhaps it is the deep and Dogs were harrying the a Salt Spring institution in a trees." mountain man. If he loses his home rich silence; perhaps it is the power­ sheep. CBC interview earlier this year So says Bruce Williams, one of during the pending court sale of the ful stance of the thick, Douglas fir Salt Spring farmer Howard — had died in the night. 10 original shareholders in the Mill Mill Farm, he will make himself trees that buttress the property. The Byron spent several hours out in "At least I'm not in an institu­ Farm, who awaits the fate of his another mountain home, he says. air is fresh, the sun bright and the the fields Tuesday. That night tion," Howard had quipped hand-built home, which sits He and Kimi live in a funky, gardens alive. he told his younger brother back to the interviewer, display­ perched on the edge of an old- three-level home without Hydro, Williams says he has kept out of Mike that he planned to be up ing the humour thai endeared growth forest and overlooks a quiet telephone or flushing toilets. Kimi, the controversy swelling around the early Wednesday and out in the him to his many friends. vista of trees and distant ocean. who works at Lady Minto Hospital, current, court-ordered sale of the fields again. Hundreds of those friends, Williams and his wife Kimi are has left her car many a snowy night Mill Farm, which has placed the But a friend who dropped by many standing outside after the the only Mill Farm owners living and trekked the rest of the way early Wednesday for a custom­ on the 160-acre, communally-held home on foot, Williams says. And MILL FARM 4 ary cup of coffee discovered HOWARD BYRON 29 2 * WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24,1996 N E W S B EAT GULF ISLANDS DRIFTWOOD Politics is funny business: astute, clever Clark will win s there anything standing in the way of a New sprung to mind. Misspent tax dollars was the Premier Clark's claim that welfare reforms I Democratic Party win in the next provincial second. The obscene tax levy on my income are working is the kind of news British election, likely to be called within a couple of was the third. All three thoughts left me slightly Columbians want to hear. And when Gordon weeks? TONY incensed Yes, this was Sundance Farm, 1 con­ Campbell or Gary Farrell-Cotlins or Jack How about a comeback by the shadowy and firmed to the person on the phone. But it's a Weisgerber or anyone else from the opposition vague Liberal leader, Gordon Campbell? Or a RICHARDS small farm, and farm work is done entirely by benches of the legislature weighs in with a sudden surge in sane and rational pronounce­ the owners, I continued, my anger growing. response, it sounds like (he same old bullshit, the ments by B.C. Reform? doesn't quite come close to producing the Apart from the fact that no one had ever applied empty and meaningless drivel that saves only to Neither seems likely at this point, and a required income for a favoured tax status in the to work on Sundance Farm, we had never hired, reinforce a recurring conclusion: the politicians major screwup by Premier Glen Clark isn't eyes of provincial taxation authorities. It's sim­ were not hiring, and had no plans to hire, I stat­ take us for a bunch of idiots.1 have no political something to be counted on by the NDP's ply that my day job gets in the way. ed, all the while conveying one simple, sublimi­ idols. I shall vote for the party that offends me opponents. However, that didn't stop a representative of nal message: this is welfare fraud the least, a tough choice in any election. My conclusions are supported by personal the Ministry of Social Services calling the other The caller got the message, and quickly But Glen Clark is one of the most clever and experience. day, not to buy chicken but to confirm we were ended her inquiry. astute politicians British Columbians have seen I got an interesting phone call at home the hiring. On Tuesday morning, I read in the daily in a long time. He spoke to a group of newspa­ other morning, where some of my activities Hiring? As in farm hands? newspaper that B.C. welfare rolls would be per publishers recently in Victoria, leaving me come under the broad heading of farming. Yes, she replied. She was reviewing an appli­ reduced by up to 84,000 cases in 1996-97 as a convinced that the election is his to win by Those activities include everything from shov­ cation for assistance fmm a woman who had put result of reforms. Making the requirements remaining at the forefront of the campaign.