AFTER LENGTHY negotiations, an agreement is close to being signed for the future of the Panamax floating drydock and the Yarrows Lid. shipyard site on North Vancouver City’s industrial waterfront, ac- cording to a senior govern- ment official. By Surj Rattan News Reporter The Vancouver Port Corp, (VPC) and North Vancouver City have been interested in (he future of the {6-heetare (40-acre) Yar- rows site ever since financial prob- lems forced the closure of what vas Versatile Pacific Shipyard Inc. (VPSI) last December. Since then, VPSI has sold its huge Panamax floating drydock to a shipyard consortium, The drydock is now being operated by the Vancouver Drydock Co. But the future of the industrial site, which includes both Yarrows and the drydock, has been up in 64 Were very confident that an agreement will be reached very soon. 99 ~Robin Dodson the air. The VPC has said it wants to retain the land for industrial use. Robin Dodson, acting deputy minister for the B.C. region of the Department af Western Econom- ic Diversification, said on Friday that the federal government ministry has been working with Industry, Science and Technology Canada in trying to reach an agreement on the North Van- couver site with Yarrows and the port corporation, “They've been in discussions for a number of years for the ra- tionalization of the shipbuilding industry on the West Coast, but Yarrows has not yet developed a rationalization plan. “We're very confident that an agreement will be reached very soon. What that agreement will be, J can't say, but it will have to clearly inelude the drydock and the status of the VPSI iands, “That would be part of any agreement,’ said Dodson. But) Yarrows president’ Don Nicholson said the ball is now in the VPC's court. He added that Capilano-Howe Sound MP Mary Collins, the Minister of Western) Economic Diversification, is ‘acting to break the log-jam‘’ between Yar- rows and the port corporation. “By the end of the month there should be a resolution for the site. The port corporation has been slow to come to the bargaining (able. [t's that (an agreement by the end of the month) or war,"' said Nicholson, He added that Collins has been involved with the negotiations for the last six weeks, “Mary Collins said there's go- ing to be action. We've (Yarrows) certainly come to the table, We're just waiting for the port corpora. tion to come back to us with their proposals,’’ Nicholson added. y 16, 1893 - North Shore News — rn DRE ROT NEWS photo Paul McGrath EDMONTON-SOUTHWEST MP Jim Edwards, left, who. is looking after the federal North Yancouver riding of the late Chuck Cook, Is seeking the Tory party leadership aiong with five others, ‘Including Vancouver-Centre MP Kim Campbelt, centre, and Tory backbencher Garth Turner, right. Search for wrecks aided by Canadian technology From page 4 logical breakthroughs by Cana- dian: companies specializing in undersea equipment have made possible the renewed search for the Franklin wrecks. Nuytten will join scientists and Erebus aud Terror on the Arctic sea bed near King William Island. The Franklin crew were starving to death and atiempted to reach the Great Fish River near Hudson Bay, where Franklin had explored years before. the ships places them off King William Island, where both vessels were stuck in the ice. The record of the location was found in a grave on a beach. “No one knows what happened to the ships after that. The Free Commons votes urged by local Tory leadership hopeful POLITICIANS SHOULD be allowed to have free votes in the House of Commons and should not be criticized if they vote against their party colleagues, one of six federal Progressive Conservative Party ieadership candidates said Thursday night. Eskimos claim that one of the wrecks sank in deep water. “The other one was frozen in the ice, and at spring thaw it drifted south, cefroze and several years later sank. '“The explorers starved archeologists to search for the The fast recorded position for to SECTOR-SCANNING SONAR Search area is Arctic sea bed off ~” King William Island. Looking for Erebus and Terror that went down in 1249 or 1856 in an expedition ied by British explorer Sir John Franklin. MB Business ..............24 BM Boating ...............28 4) Cocktails & Caviar .....29 ‘MA Bob Hunter ........... 4 Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement Number 0087238 NEWS graphic Joan Pedersen death,’’ Nuytten said. The Canadian technology used in the two-week search includes sector-scanning color. sonars by Simrad Mesotech and Imagenex of B.C., an underwater video system by Amphibico of Quebec, a Marine magnetometer built by Barringer Labs in Ontario and ice-boring equipment developed by Jessco of Alberta. Can-Dive has _ integrated various components for search. “It’s a search-and-detect mis- sion,’”’ said Nuytten. “If we find the vessels, then all hell will break loose, and we'll bring up the Newtsuits and the whole business. We're trying to demonstrate this incredible Canadian package,’’ he added. The technology will eventually be used to examine and clean up toxic waste dump sites in Arctic waters, such as Russian nuclear waste dumps in the Arctic Ocean, The search for the Franklin ships is funded by the MacInnis Foundation, a non-profit group in Toronto headed by Joseph MacInnis. the the The diving physiologist has Spent most of his life exploring in the Arctic. The foundation pro- motes undersea research. index i Inquiring Reporter......12 Hi Mailbox.........0000.6..7 2 Municipal Affairs ........9 Hi Travel ................34 Weather “Monday, cloudy with sunny : periods. Chance of showers, 40%. Highs, 20°C. Lows, 9°C. 5 Edmonton-Southwest MP Jim Edwards, who is also look- ing after the federal North Vancouver riding of the late Chuck Cook, made the com- ment after taking part in a televised. leadership debate in Vancouver. Cook was criticized by fellow Tory MPs, including Capilano-Howe Sound MP Mary Collins, after he cast the sole majority party ‘‘no’’ vote when the House of Commons voted to support the federal government’s Charlottetown constitutional referendum in- ititative last September. “T think it’s important the rules of Parliament be changed so independent people like the late Chuck Cook can speak their mind,’’ said Edwards. He added that he has receiv- ‘ed some letters from people in the North Vancouver _ riding since he declared his intention to seek the Tory leadership, but Edwards said that there was na common ground on what North Vancouver constit- uents are looking for in a new party leader and prime minister. : During Thursday night’s leadership debate, all can- didates were asked if they would support. the concept of inititatives (referendums) and recall (firing MPs)... . Edwards said he would sup.’ port the idea of holding refer- endums only as’ a last resort but that he would not support ‘the concept of recall. “1 think. recall is blackmail. Delegates to this convention do not want to‘ be held captive,’’- By Surj Rattan News Reporter said Edwards. f On the issue of. expanding trade with Pacific Rim nations, Edwards said Canadians must first learn how to become. bet- ter marketers and that Canada needs to “‘leap. ahead of our American competitors and leap ahead of our European .com- petitors to become the. best marketers in the world.” ; On the question of how the federal government should set- tle aboriginal land claims, Ed- wards. said that ‘‘economic peace” has resulted where there have been comprehensive land-claim settlements. “The problem is that it is not resulting in a better life for natives. i Vancouver-Centre MP and Minister of National ‘Defence Kim Campbell, considered to be the front runner in the lead- ership campaign, said third- party interests must be pro- tected when settling. aboriginal land claims. ce Federal Environment Minister Jean Charest, another, leading candidate, said if. he were elected prime minister he would abolish the ‘Department of Indian and Northern Affairs and place a special priority on helping native youth. . Tory backbencher - Garth: Turner added: ; “I’m not an expert. on aboriginal land claims, but 1 think if there’s. any’ more of them, we’re going to have to move out (of Canada).”’ .