FEDS TO DISCUSS POLAR 8 LOSS Versatile lays off estinsaated 100 workers THE COMBINED loss of the half billion dollar Polar Class 8 icebreaker contract and a generally depressed shipbuilding industry resulted Friday in the layoffs of an estimated 100 workers at the North Vancouver operation of Versatile Pacific Shipya ds Inc. Versatile personnel manager Bill Evers said he didn’t know the ex- act number of workers who were laid off, but said ‘‘there'’s quite a number.”* When asked if the layoffs were a direct result of the federal gov- emmment'’s recent cancellation of the Polar 8 contract, which had been awarded to Versatile, Evers said ‘‘No, not really. There’s some impact from that. But basically Students By SURJ RAT! News Reporter there's no work available."” He added that the North Van- couver shipyards’ work-force hits now dropped to 220. North Vancouver District’ Ald. Ernie Crist, a Versatile employee, said about 100 workers were laid off, and he blamed the loss of the reassess consequences of drinking, driving THREE YEARS after a Toyota Tercel driven by Robert Dale Ternes jumped a sidewalk on Montroyal Boulevard and plowed into two 14-year-olds walking home from Handsworth Secondary School, 1,100 Handsworth stu- dents gethered to reassess the sobering consequences of drinking and driving. A recent school assembly, or- ganized by the Handsworth CounterAttack committee, in- cluded a doctor, a nurse and an ambulance attendant as guest speakers, The anti-drinking and driving message was graphicaily delivered by the medical team, causing some students to faint. But three years ago, Steven Oakley lost his life as a result of the accident. His friend Craig Potter struggles to cope with disabling injuries. Two and a half years ago Ternes was handed a 22-year jail sentence on one count of criminal negligence causing death and a concurrent two-year term on one count of criminal negligence causing bodily harm. Ternes was found not guilty on charges of impaired driving causing death and impaired driving causing bodily harm. A shared tragic loss galvanized the school’s students to speak out as a group against drinking and driving, and the school CounterAttack committee cunse- quently grew. Had the accident not occurred, Oakley and Potter might have WV cooler clash By MICHAEL BECKER News Reporter been among this year’s graduating class at Handsworth. And now their graduating peers are worried that once they leave the school, a heightened awareness of the deadly dangers of drinking and driving will leave with them. Said Nousha Behbahanian, in, “T think it was more the Steven Oakley thing — what happened. It's going to die out now. Because we were the ones who witnessed it. The only thing that will stay is the impression we have left on the Grade 8s. It’s ‘their first assembly. They see ali of us really into it and they see that this is important.’* Said Handsworth CounterAt- tack committee head Haleh Keshavarz, 16, ‘‘It seems like everyone has forgotten about it, but it’s affecting our grad class this year.”” Keshavarz fears the results of a CounterAttack survey conducted by the Handsworth committee confirms that Handsworth stu- A VANCOUVER man wantcd in the United States on fraud charges was arrested March 9 in West Vancouver along with his son after a business dispute over repairs to a refriger- ation unit at a West Vancouver pizza parlor turned nasty. Charges of obstructing a police officer are being considered against Hugo Hector Rousseau, 46, and his 22-year-old son. Charlo Hector Rousseau, after the two allegedly pulled up in a Rolls Royce to the Pizza 222 in the 2200-block of Marine Drive and attempted to remove portions of the restaurant's refrigeration unit. According to a police report, Charlo Rousseau damaged the piz- za parlor by kicking in one of its doors. The door had been locked by the restaurant's owner. A wall of the pizza parlor was also alleged to have been damaged. Total damage to the West Van- couver Pizza 222 shop is estimated at $2,000. A charge of mischief is also pending against Charlo Rousseau. After a disagreement over pay- ment of a $1.450 repair bill, the Managing Editor Rousseaus allegedly attempted to temove the repaired parts from the pizza partor’s cooler unit. The pizza parlor’s owner said he tried to pay the Rousseaus’ refrig- eration repair cornpany with a cheque, but it was not accepted. C.R. Ice Machines Inc. (also do- ing business as Ice Machines Inc.), whose registered principal is Charlo Rousseau, is listed in the 1989 North Shore Yellow Pages with a North Shore telephone number, It occupies approximately 1% pages of display advertising in the Yellow Page listings, but the company has no North Shore business licences. After the police arrived on the scene, the Rousseaus were taken to the West Vancouver Police station, Polar 8 project for the faya: fs, “They're (laid eff workers) all going to hold their pink siips up in the air as they come out so Chuck Cook (North Vancouver-Burnaby MP) can see them,”* said Crist. ht doesn’t look pood when your federal politicians don’t support you.” Earlier this week Regional and Economic Development Minister Stan Hagen Ied a West Coast shipbuilding delegation to Ottawa to discuss the loss of the Polar 8 with federal Transportation Minister Benoit Bouchard, federal Justice Minister Kim Campbell, Capilano-Howe Sound MP Mary 3 ~ Sunday, March 18, 1990 - North Shore News Collins and other tederal cabinet ministers, Hagen said Fridas that while no commitment was given to refloat the Polar & project. the federal government said it would arrange more mectings with Hagen's group, which also includes Ver- satile boss Peter Quinn. “The politicians were not aware of the cost reductions Versatile had come up with,’ Hagen said. refer- Ting 10 Versatile’s offer to build the ship for close to the original $350 million Polar 8 price-tag, down from the $689 million estimated by federal Finance Minister Michael Wilson. “While we're focusing on the Polar 8, the purpose of the action team (struck by Hagen earlier this month) is to deal with the issues that we think are having an effect on the West Coast shipbuilding industry,”* said Hagen. The Polar & project, which would have created 1,000 jobs at Versatile’s North Vancouver and Victoria shipyards, was axed in federal Finance Minister Michael Wilson's budget last month, when he said Ottawa could not afford the vessel's $689-million price tag. Hagen said his committee will have a second meeting on the issue with Campbell this week. NEWS photo Mike Wakefiet¢c HANDSWORTH SECONDARY School CounterAttack committee head Hateh Keshavarz, 16, addressed an assembly of the school’s students gathered to leecn about the effects of drinking and driving. dent attitudes about drinking and driving are becoming increasingly tolerant three years after the Oakley tragedy. A survey conducted last year by students asked the question: Have you ever driven after drink- ing any amount of alcohol? Of the Grade 12s who drive and took the time to fill out the questionnaire, 24 pei cent an- swered yes. Wien the same ques- tion was asked this year, 47 per cent said yes. Keshavarz, joined the high schoo! CounterAttack program for self-evident reasons. “I’ve been affected by drink- ing drivers. I’ve had to drive people home,’* she said, adding, **} was really good friends with Steven Oakley. It was really sad to see him die. | was walking home with him that day too.”’ Behbahanian joined because she didn't like what she was see- ing around her. *'I joined mostly because of that (drinking and driving). | saw a lor of that going on. People didn’t cure. ‘It's only once. It won’t happen to me.’ Added CounterAttack com- mittee member Claire Stones, 16: “| don’t think we should have to ends in arrests but released after they signed a courr document promising to ap- pear April 23 in West Vancouver provincial court. The District of West Vancouver is also considering charging Rousseau with operating a business in the municipality without a valid business licence. Hugo Hector Rousseau was charged earlier this year with operating a business in North Vancouver City without a valid business licence. But the charge was dismissed after Judge G.R. Sutherland found that the person who did the work outlined in the charge was an in- dependent. self-employed techni- cian who subcontracted the work from Rousseau, not an employce of any Rousseau company. The judge said the contractor, not Rousseau, was the person legally required to have a city business licence. The North Vancouver City charge was originally laid followng an Oct. 16, 1988 News story chronicling the alleged unethical business practices of Rowsseau’s various refrigerator and appliance repair companies. In that year, Rousseau, who has claimed that he runs a referral ser- vice from outside the North Shore through Yellow Page advertising, had a stable of companies adver- tised with North Shore phone numbers in the 1988 North and West Vancouver Yellow Pages. None of the companies had business licences in any of the three North Shore municipalities. Late fast veat Rousseau declared personal bankruptey. declaring debts of $3.> million and assets of $4,500. Rousseau is being sought by U.S. officials in connection with a series of alleged bank frauds in California in 1981 and 1982. While the U.S. District At torney's office in San Francisco has stated that the fraud case against. Rousseau remains open, Rousseau has told the News he will never be extradited to the U.S. to face the charges against: him in California, ‘because [| would em- barrass a lot of important people ** wait until something tragic hap- pens.”’ . Committee member Randy Kennett, 16, believes education is the key to changing teen percep- tions of drinking and driving. “It’s something that can be stopped if we're made aware of it. If it’s going to stop it’s going to stop with kids. Three Handsworth CounterAt- tack committee members will be among high schoo! students trom across the country attending uw national conference March 28 in Regina, Saskatchewan on drink- ing and driving. | | Gary Bannerman Business Cocktails & Caviar. Editoriaf Page Fashion Bob Hunter Lifestyles | Mailbox... ... ; Roadblocks i Travel WEATHER Sunday thraugh Tuesday, mostly cloudy with showers. Highs near 12°C. Second Class Registration Number 3885