TWENTY YEARS

Sprouse Fir,
& Sate é

July 21, 1989 News 985-2131 Classified 986-6222 Distribution 986-1337 84 pages 25¢

, Department: and North Vancouver RCMP personnel were called to the Capilano River Tuesday. tv recover. the body of a man‘who :

‘slong the river near the fish hatchery. The dead man, who police say went missing Monday, tas been identified as 65-year-o

p y
Id Jok Fleming

NEW OWNER SAYS FOCUS OF NV COMPANY WILL CHANGE AFTER POLAR 8

Scheme to stop Versatile
shipbuilding alarms union

UNION REPRESENTATIVES at Versatile Pacific Ship-
yards Inc. are becoming increasingly alarmed over reported
statements by the shipyard’s new chairman that the com-
pany plans to get out of the shipbuilding business and sell
its North Vancouver yard.

Bill Scott, secretary treasurer for
the Marine Workers and Boiler-
makers Industrial Union
(MWBIU), said statements out of the shipbuilding industry
reportedly made by newly ap- after construction of the $350 mil-
pointed Versatile chairman Peter lion Polar Class 8 icebreaker are
Quinn that the shipyard will get ‘‘ilkadvised and ill-timed,"’ and

could drive away potential ship-
building contracts from both the
federal and provincial govern-
ments,

Shieldings Inc., the Torento-
based merchant banking firm that
completed purchase of Versatile’s
North Vancouver and Victoria
yards from 3B.C. Pacific Capital
Corp. in late June, has said it will
make significant changes to Ver-
satile’s operation and reduce its
dependence on shipbuilding by
moving into heavy industrial

manufacturing and ship repair.

Thirty-eight management staff
have thus far been laid off.

Quinn has recently an-
nounced that Versatile will
renegotiate the Polar 8 deal with
the federal government.

As part of Versatile’s new pro-
posal, the company will reportedly
phase out its shipbuilding compo-
nent after construction of the
vessel.

Because of the current dearth of
international shipbuilding con-

tracts and the abundance of Cana-
dian shipbuilding capacity, the
federal government wants lo ra-
tionafize, or reduce, the number of
major Canadian shipbuilding facil-
ities so that future federal con-
tracts can be shared among fewer
yards.

As part of that policy it is
prepared ‘‘to provide up to $22
million to assist Versatile Pacific

See Union
Fage 3

a