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“part of a target group will be hired.

In other cases, the hetter:qualified appli-.

; cant. will get priority for the job, she said.
The corporation usaally. hires 300 to
500 employees for summer positions,
although some shori-term employees have
worked ‘during previous. summers.
Applications for this Sune closed March
10
.«', A BCFC Census showed the corporation
employed a lower. percentage of members
ofthe four target groups than the B.C, labor

“Market as a whole.

-Bardos added BC Ferries is simply fol-

: lowing the NDP goverument policy on

“employment equity.

: North Vancouver-1 ainsdale NDP MLA
; David. ‘Schreck said the. ‘vovernment’s
“employ ment equity program encourages
‘people to: overcome siereoiypes to. enter

“non-traditional occupations and receive the
training needed to compete for better jobs.
wo? BCFC notes the marine industry has tra-

ditionally attracted males. which is one rea-
son the four target groups are under-repre-
sented in that company.

Many students get summer jobs through
“contacts, but groups such as natives lack
those contacts, Schreck said.

He stressed the government's program
isnot based on quotas, which he said create
a backlash,

-.- {But.White said if target groups are not

“applying for positions, “why are we trying

to force them to do so?”

-. He agreed everyone should have an

“equal chance at a job: But to start trying to

put people in little boxes and issuing jobs

‘on that basis is wrong, White said.

He said minorities and women are not
under. represented in the economy: as a
while. ‘ ‘

NEWS phote Srad Ledwidge

THE. FOUNTAIN at North Vancouver City Hall recently
received a thorough cleaning from worker John Braithwaite.

Sexual assault

A NORTH Vancouver mun
convicted of three crimes in
February. while awaiting trial
on drug charges has just been
charged with sexual assault.

By Anna Marie D'Angelo
News Reporter

Abbas Rajabi Ghodrat. 42. was
charged with the sexual assault of a
North Shore woman.

Federal Crown lawyer Jay
Straith attempted to keep Ghodrat in
jail on) Wednesday in North
Vancouver provincial court,

“LE suggest he will continue on in
his (alleged) criminal black market
activities.” said Straith.

“Quite simply. Mr. Ghodrat
should be retained on-the premise
that he is likely to re-offend...

“He has re-offended.” argued
Straith.

Judge Doug Moss
Ghodrat on $10,000 bail.

“Not just on one. but two and
now three times you have gotten
into trouble (since December)” said
Moss sternly.

“This is your last opportunity in
front of this court.” he added.

>» Ghodrat- with a Farsi interpreter
by his side. stood in the prisoner's
box and heard that the $70.000 bail
paid to stay out of jail while facing
the December drug charges would

released

Friday, April 14, 1995 — North Shore News ~ 3

alleged in N. Vancouver court

not be returned.

Ghodrat spent about a month in
jail in March before pleading guilty
to two government tax infractions
involving 28,235 cigarettes.

He also pleaded guilty to a
reduced charge of hashish posses-
sion.

He was fined $17,117.58) on
Marel 23.

Ghodrat was out on bail after a
December raid of his home in the
200 block of East 8th St. in North
Vancouver City.

The raid resulted in two counts

rafticking opium, one count of

trafficking marijuana, one count of

possessing marijuana for wafficking

purposes and three counts of pos-
sing the proceeds of crime.

Ghodrat was charged for those
alleged crimes after a RCMP under-
cover investigation on the North
Shore.

Meanwhile Ghodrat’s lawyer on
Wednesday. David Forsyth, aid his
client “adamantly denies” the
alleged sexual assault of the married
Muslim woman,

“The charge is horrifie to the
accused,” said Forsyth adding
Ghodrat's Muslim faith condemns
such incidents.

Straith later replied. "in my
experience. the Muslim religion
condemns the trafficking of nar-
colics too.

“From

what § understand, in

Iran. people have been known to
Jeave this world (for drug use)” said
Straith,

Forsyth argued that the woman
alleging the sexual assault: was in
financial problems and borrowed
$800 from Ghodrat,

Court information indicated that
Ghodrat offered to sell cigarettes
and fish at the woman's business
which sells clothes.

The woman claimed she was
sexually assaulted at Ghodrat’s
house after the two had gone out to
dinner.

Forsyth pointed out that Ghodrat
was not allegedly re-offending in
connection with drugs,

Forsyth said the sexual assault
case is weak, noting the woman had
changed her story a number of
limes.

“Mrs, ----- is an older woman.”
added Forsyth,

Snapped Moss. *
chicken cither...

“Is it Cage) of any relevance
whatsoever?”

According to a March*"News
story, Ghodrat came to Canada from
Iran as a refugee in 1987 and is now
a landed immigrant.

_ Forsyth said he was convicted of
committing theft under ‘$1.000_ in’:
{991 and was granted a conditional
discharge.

A conditional discharge does not
Surry at criminal record.

‘He is no spring

that: employment ‘equity. ‘
policy has fncreased employment rates
for. F people, with disabilities, she said.

~ White, in his call for employment equi-
ty’s elimination in Ottawa, said no statisti-

eal evidence exists to support the con-

tention that there is discrimination on the
basis of race or gender in the workplace.

He said Statistics Canada figures show
unemployment figures for young males
range between 20% and 23%, while the
same statistics for young females range
from 14% to 15%.

He also cites statistics showing 72.1%
of visible minorities over 15 are in the

ance

: White suid i does not mean to say
the; government. “not; help’ the
disabled gain access to the workforce.

“However, it < does: inean’’ ‘that: we: |
should not insult their. intelligence and:
their.’ to the: Pe. artificially . ‘pushing -

work force, while 66.5% of the general
population for the same age group is in the
work force.

Visible minorities also earn more than
the general population, he said.

White called for other methods to level
the playing field.

“The best way to handle individual
cases where there is improper treatment of
employees is for. those cases to be dealt
with in the courts and.employers properly
punished, ” White told the House.

Funding cut in
WV District 45

‘95-96 budget

ALTHOUGH THE B.C. Ministry of
Education is late in providing funding alloca-
tions, the West Vancouver District 45 school

board presented a preliminary 1995-96 oper-
ating budget on Tuesday night similar to one
finalized in 1994-95,

fl

WEST VANCOUVER
SCHOOL BOARD

! ~ By Glen Anwick

District 45°s budget for the coming school year is
actually slightly less in terms of block funding per
pupil than it was five years ago. In 1990-91, the dis-
trict was able to spend $5,481 per student. It now has
only $5.465 to allocate per pupil.

Overall, the 1995-96 budget calls for an expendi-
ture. with balancing revenues, of just under. $34.5
million, virtually the same as the 1994-95 budget.

Board chairman Ken Haycock pointed out ‘that
West Vancouver is now receiving less than 94% of
the provincial block funding average in its current
budget, compared with nearly 103% five years ago.

He admitted the board is “frustrated” because the
ministry is in effect “penalizing" the school district
for its past efficiencies in such areas as maintenance
and operations by withholding about $250,000 in
potential operating grants.

Trustee Clive Bird said the district would have ta

. “look sériously” at cutting some programs to provide .

new and expanded services in other areas. District 45
will draft its final budget at its May 16 meeting. .

' Cost per pupil in the two North Shore schoo! dis-
tricts is about $5,600. Some private schools receive
partial funding from the government, and annual pri-
vate schoo! tuition can be as high as $6,000. ‘