6 — North Shore Mews — Sunday, January 30, 2000

VIEW POINT:

jorkers

construction workers on the Board demanding (rightly) costly

PacifiCat project have a good worker safeguards. Add Canada’s two-

point and a legitimate beef. tax structure to most levels of the job

The design of the boats may be and there is little wonder that the pro-

unpopular with the public because ject is not going to generate competi-

there is no room to, well, swing a cat. tively priced product in the world mar-
The wake from the boats may have ket place. —

been unpopular with shoreline resi- The learning curve has been steep

dents and marine environmentalists. for all involved. What right-minded

But neither criticism can be based on CEO would demand a start to con-

the quality of work completed here in struction before the blueprints were
North Vancouver. complete? But that’s the situation

. Problems with log ingestion, toilet Catamaran Ferries International had
back-ups and engine failures that have to dea} with in the face of former pre-
led to interruption of scheduled sail- mier Glen Clark’s pig-headed deter-
ings can likewise be placed squarely on mination to make political capital out
design problems, not worker compe- Of the project before it was ready.

tenicy. The workers are rightly proud of the

Sure, labour costs have been stratos- effort they have put into the fast ferries :
pheric, but then what else would you - and the skills they have learned on the FUTURE HEADQUARTERS
expect in Union B.C. with a newly- job. Too bad their new-found expertise | OF CANADA'S POLITICAL RIGHT

_invigorated Workers Compensation has been wasted. ;
OURILECC

you sald ft Will natives kif

". “We have been in discussions with everybody. We've dis-

cussed the world with the world.” IMAGINE North Van’s for the remaining 60%. So take ail these cases the individual perpetrator may no:
- Park Royal Shopping Centre director Rick Amantea, on  [Tighiands United Church or St. 3,000 claims, assume only half of them longer be able to be found, even if still ”
negotiations to fill the mall’s vacancy left by the departure of Stephen’s Anglican turn out to be valid and multiply the alive. Sometimes the only “evidence” of
: Eaton’s. (From a Jan, 23 News story.) in West Van bull- resultant 1,500 by an specific abuse is the complainant's own
‘ oad I est Van Du : average settlement of oral testimony many years after the: :
“oo. “We thou Fa that was a bit ridiculous. There's no way dozed down — to $100,000 fora rotaf of alleged misconduct.
. the B B.C. Human Rights Tribunal is going to find against be replaced, respec- - $150 million, Then again, once a tide of highly pub
tively, by a shop- That translates into - licized mass litigation like this begins, the_
: eR rced News columnist Doug Collins, on a judge’s orig- ping mall and a nearly $23 million for lure of monetary gain — as in buying a
inal decision to send his appeal of a human rights tribunal rul- do t the 25% of Anglican- lottery ticket — is a strong temptation to
ing back to that tribunal to determine its own constitutional- CONGO tower. involved cases and $9 join it, regardless of the merits of your.
ity. A B.C. Court of Appeal judge has since agreed with Thanks to some million for the 10% of case.
* Collins and ruled that the ex-columnist’s appeal should be 5,500 of our native fel- those affecting the A parallel with the 1 now utterly dis-
‘heard by the Court of Appeal. {From a Jan. 26 News stivy.) low citizens — whose United Church — in credited “recovered memory syndrome”
o29 total 600,000 or so i i cach case after deduct- of the 1980s to early 1990s, when psy-
We feel like pins at the end of a bowling alley.” comprise all of 2% of ——_—_ ing Orrawa’s 40% share cho-quacks persuaded scores of discon: *.
Klahanie Court resident June Somers, in a letter to West Canada’s population —- of the liability. tented middle-aged women they’d been
“Vanicouver District council outlining her concerns abour the that picture could be closer than you On the same reckoning the Catholics, raped as.infants by their uncles, fathers, °.
: increasing use of an area bicycle path since the advent ofa think. We're talking about the lawyer-dri- co-defendants in some 60% of the claims, —_ grade teachers (pick one!) i ishatd'to ~ =»
| bicycle shuttle service over the Lions Gate Bridge. (From a@ ven claims now pouring in from alleged could be confronting a total $54 million —_ avoid.
; Jan 26 News story.) ; victims of abuse in the former residential bill. Meanwhile, the Anglican Church : Nor can one ignore the encourage:
a OOO - schools for Indian and Inuit children,a reportedly has only $10 million in assets, ment of this Indian stampede.to the
Pe ople would like a Cadiliac. But obviously, providing a flawed Ortawa experiment to assimilate while the United Church’s national courts by hungry contingency-Fee.. ‘
lac isn’t’ always the best response for taxpayer future generations of natives into the reserve is said to be about $7 million. lawyers. - :
ener ‘Sometimes it’s better to have a nice Buick.” Canadian mainstream, using the churches Even so, the above claim figures —- All of which means that, under the
Jan, Druce,-of.the Lions Gate Bridge Project, on fiscal up to 1969 to actually run the schools. only a very rough guide to the crisis process now unfolding, your cherished
calities andthe’ need to make compromises’ on the Canada’s principal Protestant church- looming for the churches — are almost jocal church could all too soon disa
-bike/pedestrian pathway complained about by June Somers es, the United and the Anglican, are on certainly well on the lowside. . in a bankruptcy sale — to be replace by:
and ‘other Klahanie Court residents. (From the same Jan. 26. the hook, respectively, for about 10% and «Up to 2,000 more suits are anticipat- something most un-churchlike
Yew story, ). eg 25% of the current cleims. The Roman ed. Assuming as many as half fait may he More in an upcoming columr: about’,
“Qa Q Catholic church faces some 60% of the overly optimistic. So may an average lia- . - this quite rea! threat —- and some poss bl
*L wonder if- he: (Williams) talks to his wife like chat? claitas — but unlike the urber two it has bility limited to $100,000. : solutions. | :
‘Does he say, ‘I. demand you cook for me tonight?’ or ‘I _no national assets, its dioceses being inde- The final bill, in fact, has been esti- ;
demand you do ‘my laundry?’ ” pendent entities. $0 if one “atholic dio- _- mated at half a billion dollzfs. And none . a
“Vancouver Park Board commissioner Allan De Genova, —_cese were to be bankrupted, the others of these totals include legal costs. Set, BO vs
on West Vancouver Coun. Allan Williams and his approach to —_ could survive. Basic to the crisis, of course; are two MANY. HAPPY RETURNS of today,
demanding: that the Stanfey Park causeway be widened. In the case of the Protestant churches gut questions: (1} How many of the _ Jan. 30, te News birthday boy and veter-
(From a Jan. 28 News story.) just what kind of money are we looking claims are truly. genuine — as opposed to | an lensman Mike Wakefield.
ee O00 . a ; those that may be found acceptable by
“There's so much’ beauty here. I feel there’s almost an. -- About 3,000 suits have already been “politically activist” courts? (2) When : ale )s ee
obligation i in part to retain it in my paintings.” __ launched: and the number is rising allthe — they ARE genuine, where should the WRIGHT OR WRONG: When argii-
West. Vancouver painter’Brian Romer, on capturing the time.-So far only a handful have been set- _ responsibility for compensation lie? ing, the one who's wrong does niost of 3,
= West Coast landscape on canvas. (From a Jan. 28 News This ded, mostly with Ortawa meeting 40% of The first question raises numerous the talking.

ts Week rs) . the Clim and the involved church liable others. In alleged sexual or physical abuse

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