Vase faer-Gaew 6 - Friday, June 21, 1991 — North Shore News | VIEWPOINT AECUTDLE OOO TC ns, Ships ahoy ES, there is some good news on the local shipbuilding front. Last Sunday, North Vancouver- based Vancouver Shipyards Co. unveiled its latest project: the $18-million Queen of Capilano. The ferry is one of two 85-car vessels being built for the B.C. Ferry Corp.; it is also reassuring proof that the North Shore and that the proud waterfront tradition that helped establish the North Shore as the West Coast’s centre of shipbuilding activity is still partially in- still builds ships, tact. The fate of North Vancouver’s Versatile Pacific Shipyards Ltd. has been the subject of much discussion and many gloomy predictions. Most of that discussion has Ltd. bankruptcy, deck. depressing and most of those predictions have Versatile, together a business plan Sinking with all hands on now scrambiing to put to head off The black cloud hanging over Versatile has cast a dark shadow over the rest of the joca! skipbuilding industry and many into uncertainty as to the future of the local industry and the future of the North Shore waterfront. It is reassuring, then, to be reminded by such achievements as the consitruciion of thrown the Queen of Capilano that all is not bleak on the local shipbuilding front; that the expertise and manpower to build ships is still here; that the industrial waterfront will not soon be given over to condos and been cappuccino bars. Bill 82 should be withdrawn Open ietter to the Right Honor- able Rita Johnston: The Cleveland School Associa- tion wishes to express concern that public education in British Col- umbia is being adversely affected by the conflict between the teach- ers, the school boards and the British Columbia government over Bill 82 (the Compensation Faimess Act). By imposing a review of ail teachers’ contracts reached after Jan. 29 by the compensation commissioner, the government of British Columbia has effectively curtailed the power of many school boards to honor contrac- tual agreements with their teach- ers, causing poor morale amongst teachers and resentment from boards who find their powers restricted and their ability to plan hampered. The tension between the various groups administrating public education coincides with a time when the Ministry of Education is dependent on the good will and enthusiasm of the teaching body and local school boards to pilot and implement changes to British Columbia’s educational system with its Year 2000 initiatives. As parents, we already see the adverse effect of this conflict on the education of our children and urge the government to withdraw Bill 82 and restore autonomy to school boards to implement neeo- tiated settiements with their employces. Furthermore, we feel that this year's block funding of under 97% per student allocation from the province to the North Van- couver district, despite the fact we pay amongst the highest school taxes in the province, is most in- adequate to sustain our district’s quality of education. Such extreme financial restraint applied to education will lead to high social costs in the long term. Diane Johansen and Barbara Pediow Cleveland School Association and Parent Advisory Council North Vancouver Publisher . Peter Speck Display Advertising 980-0511 Distribution 986-1337 Norn Snore Managing Editor. Timothy Renshaw — Real Estate Advertising 985-6982 Subscriptions 986-1337 managed Associate Editor Noel Wright Classified Advertising 986-6222 Fax 985-3227 Advertising Cirector Linda Stewart Newsroom 985-2131 Administration 985-2131 Comptroiler Doug Foot INSIGHTS Battle looming over Canada’s fragile culture CANADIAN CULTURE is ‘‘not on the table’? during the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade talks now under way, says Trade Minister Michael Wilson. ‘‘You bet it is!’’ retorts his U.S. bargaining adversary Carla Hills. What Mr. Wilson means is that any retreat from protecting what's left of Canadian culture from the Yankees is non-negotiable, period. As you tune to the American shows dominating the TV ck an- nels and browse through the drugstore magazine racks, you may be tempted to wonder why he’s bothering. But things COULD be worse. The truth is that the Canadian ‘cultural’ industrics — film distribution, publishing and broadcasting, employing around 200,000 people — will have some pretty solid pratection. Its cor- nerstone is a simple law preven- ting any foreign interests from taking control of them. The 75% Canadian ownership rule is only one safeguard enjoyed by the $1 billion-a-year Canadian magazine industry. The Income Tax Act encourages advertisers to keep their business at home by making the cost of advertising in American publications non-deduc- tible. Then, there’s a customs regulation that, in effect, prevents an American publisher from claiming his magazine is ‘*Cana- dian’’ simply because he replaces its U.S. advertising with Cana- dian. Most important, however, is the $140 million postal! subsidy that gives publishers rates about one- sixth of those consumers pay. Over the past couple of decades this has enabled some 500 Cana- dian consumer magazines to penetrate right into Canadian homes, leaving American publica- tions to slug it out on the news- Stands, Similar measures protect Canada’s 215 book publishers, half of whose annual 5,000 titles MICHAEL WILSON... the tabfe!’’ “Mot on Noe! Wright Be 3 HITHER AND YON are by Canadian authors. All these shield against U.S. takeovers and chus total U.S. domination of everything we watch and read remained intact in the Canada-U.S. free trade pact two years ago — more than a lit- tle to the surprise of the Canadian culture industry itself. But tough-talking Carla Hills, the chief U.S. Trade Repre- sentative, wants no such nonsense this time around. Canadian culture, like everything else, is up for grabs, she insists. So enjoy your Maclean’s and Barbara From while you still have them. The Yanks are at the gates with their own ideas about what we should read and watch ~ ALL the time if Carla gets her way! TAILPIECES: Real estate ap- praiser and loca! resident Gordon Frampton put out no press releases but knocked on every Socred door in the riding. His reward: a 133-vote first ballot nomination victory Tuesday over John Parks (54), Jina Mercier (49) and James Hogan (16) to become Seymour Socred candidate in suc- cession to the late Jack Davis ... Joining the Strathcona Chinese Dancers in the first of Stelta Jo Dean’s three 1991 Fotkfest shows — 8 p.m. tomorrow, June 22, in the Centennial Theatre, admission free — are Nann Wilson's Highland Dancers, Kathy Wright Dancers, the Country Linc Dancers, Daphne Chitty and the Music Makers, the Ballet Folklorica Mexico and the Slove- nian Folkloric Group ... Pick up some holiday reading bargains at West Van Memorial Library’s Paperback Book Sale from 10 a.m. to 4 tomorrow, June 22, and I to 4 Sunday, June 23 ... And from now through July 17 enjoy the spontaneous, lighthearted watercolors by award-winning ar- tist Judy Bagshaw on display at North Van City Hall. MEMBER North Shore News, founded in 1969 as an Bre CS wes Sea ET acne independent suburban newspaper and quahft mnrth: charno under Schedule 111, Paragraph IH of the Excise narth:shore. Tax Act, is published each Wednesday, Friday and R « 4 . Sunday by North Shore Free Press Lid. and distributed to every door on the North Shore Second Class Mail Registration Number 3885 Subscriptions Nonh and West Vancouver, $25 per year. Mailing rates available on request! Subeussions are weicome bu! we cannot accept responsitséhty for unsohcited matena) including manuscnpts and pictures which should be accompamed by a stamped. addressed envelope. SUNDAY © WEOMESDAY « FRIDAY 1139 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver, B.C. V7M 2H4 Entire contents © +991 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved SOA DIVISION WRIGHT OR WRONG: The defeated always remember the battle longer than the winners. SS Ge 61,582 (average citculahon. Wednesday. Friday & Sunday} CARLA HILLS... ‘You bet it ist”