PENINSULA
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Theatre on the rise at Stelly’s
Riding for justice
Stelly’s Secondary hosting a community arts theatre fundraiser on June 19, page 18
Father-daughter team starts cross-Canada ride to call for better police oversight, page 5
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Lighting up Beacon Ave. Proposal could see Sidney beacon burning again Steven Heywood News staff
If you’ve been to Sidney or even just lived here only a short time, you may not realize that there’s an actual beacon on Beacon Avenue. At the east end of Sidney’s main drag stands an iron grill, impaled in a cairn on concrete and rock. It’s a beacon that was erected in 1995 and designed to burn using natural gas, but it has been decidedly dormant since 2000. This week, the possibility of it being re-lit was raised at the suggestion of former municipal councillor Kenny Podmore. A member of the Monarchist League of Canada. Podmore says he was approached by someone asking if he could help convince the Town of Sidney to take part in a brief ceremony on September 9 to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s reign as the lonSteven Heywood/News staff gest monarch in modern Sidney’s gas beacon history. “Beacons will be lit all may get a boost, thanks to the Queen over Canada,” Podmore said, “and if it works right, Sidney’s beacon would be the last one lit in Canada.” He said while the Monarchists League event calls for ceremonies to be held and beacons to be lit at noon on that day, he’s suggesting Sidney light theirs between dusk and later in the evening. And once it’s lit again, Podmore added it could either stay that way or shine during special occasions. In a report by Town staff to council, which met June 8, it was noted the beacon is in disrepair with a “prohibitively expensive” repair estimate. Please see: Gas could be replaced by electric light, page 2
Steven Heywood/News staff
Sidney residents Diana Gough and Shawn Hefely enjoy the town’s current skate park and do not want to see it disappear as the municipality considers the area for a new community safety building and parking lot. Gough has a petition with more than 200 names, asking that the park be saved, and has presented it to the Town.
Petition asks: don’t pave paradise Diana Gough collects 200-plus names in support of Sidney’s skate park Steven Heywood News staff
Sounds of children using Sidney’s skate park helps make the highway traffic noise vanish, says Diana Gough. That’s only one reason why the Sidney resident is fighting as best she can to save the park from demolition in munici-
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pal plans to build a large employee parking lot south of the Mary Winspear Centre. Gough has collected more than 200 names on a petition, asking the Town of Sidney to keep the skate park. She says she has presented her petition to municipal hall, but is not holding out much hope that it will have a significant effect.
“I hear from a lot of people that they are frustrated that the Town seems to announce these plans and their minds are already made up,” she said. That said, she added she still has to try. Please see: Gough fears loss of park, page 16