Wednesday, July 1, 1992 - North Shore News - 3 Yarrows hopes to keep shipyard open New NV co. sees former Versatile site as industrial fabrication operation THE PRESIDENT of Yar- tows Ltd., the former Ver- satile Pacific Shipyards Inc. (VPSI), said the new com- pany hopes to strike a deal with North Vancouver City and the Vancouver Port Corp. (VPC) to keep open the ailing shipyard facility Iocated at the foot of Lonsdale Avenue. By Surj Rattan News Reporter Several recent changes have taken place at Yarrows Ltd. Toronto-based Shieldings inc., Yarrows’ parent company, has appointed Don Nicholson as Yar- rows president. He _ replaces former VPSI president and chief executive officer Peter Quinn, who has retired. Burrard Custom Steel Fabrica- tions now owns the equipment housed on the former VPSi site, while che Bank of Nova Scotia owns all ef the land. The Vancouver Dry Dock Co., a shipbuilding consortium made ‘up of North Vancouver-based Ailied Shipbuilders and Vancouver Shipyards Co., has leased part of the old Versatile site. The lease includes the former VPSI parking lot situated on the northeast cor- ner of West Esplanade and Lons- dale Avenue. Yarrows has maintained a skel- eton work force and has leased part of the site as it completes steel-cutting work for a superferry commissioned by the B.C. Ferry Corp. “We have close to 15 million pounds of steel for the superferry, and it was essential that this workforce be maintained. It’s ab- solutely essential to keep this yard TONS OF steel await cutting at Yarrows Ltd. on the North Van- couver waterfront. The company, formerly called Versatile Pacific WHEN VERS A7ILE Pacific Shipyards Inc., now known as Yarrows Lid., ran into financial difticulty, it was forced to fay eff most of its workforce. The company also allowed old equipment to be taken from some of its buildings to be housed in a Richmond museum. open,”’ said Niciiolson. ‘He added that Shieldings chairman Gilbere Bennett is ex- pected to arrive in Vancouver in about two weeks to begin negotia- ze? NEWS opfiotos Mike Wakelield Shipyards Inc., is cutting steel for a B.C. Ferry Corp. superferry. tions with the VPC over the future of the shipyard. “If we had it our way, the Vancouver Port Corporation could do a deal with the land company (Bank of Nova Scotia) and allow this facility to continue as a heavy industrial fabricating facility to support both the ship- building repair business and other industrial customers around the Lower Mainland,’’ said Nicholson. He added that he has ‘very positive feclings’* about the future of Yarrows. Nicholson said Yar- rows wants to work with the VPC and North Vancouver City to make continued use of the ship- yard facility. But Burrard Custom Steel of- ficial Bill Evers said the future of the shipyard facility remains unclear. “Nobody truly knows what will happen here,”” said Evers. Yarrows employee Greg Tearoe said he has been working at the shipyard for 14 years, “At the moment we don't know what the future holds We're just getting the steel cut,’” said Tearoe. North Vancouver District Ald. Ernie Crist. 64, werked at the shipyard for {8 years before he was laid off in 1990. He came to the shipyard in 1972 at the age of 40 when it was called Burrard Yarrows Ltd. Crist said the shipyard had a workforce close to 6,000 when he went to work there. That workforce numbered less than 100 when he, and hundreds of others, were given pink slips by VPSI (then the shipyard operators) in 1990. Crist said the demise of the shipyard is the end of an era. “The morale was very high when I worked there. People were proud of working there. It was a tradition; everyone in North Van- couver had a relative who worked there,"’ said Crist. “They were proud that they were shipyard workers. Now I'm very sad. Now it’s all gone and [ don’t know what to say,"" he said. Crist also puts the reason for the demise of the shipyard square- fy on the shculders of the federal government and Shieldings. He claims the Toronto company only bought the shipyard for real estate purposes and wasn’t interested in building ships. “I blame the federal govern- ment for a lack of direction. The shipyard changed hands so many times and all these corporations wanted it for tax purposes and the real estate and they had no desire to build ships. “Pve seen it go from a once proud shipyard that injected mil- lions of dollars into the local economy to zilch,"’ said Crist. But Nicholson said that while Yarrows has a much smaller workforce than it did when it operated as VPSI, the company is now getting 15% more production per employee than it did when it was Versatile. “Quality is job’ cne around here,’’ said Nicholson. WV man wins negligence award RON WINTLE, a West Vancouver man who sued a New Westminster surgeon in 1988 for negligence resulting in the loss of his right leg, won his case June 24 in B.C. Supreme Court. Mr. Justice Thomas Melnick, describing the case as “highly unusual,’’ awarded Wintle $381,000 for pain and suffering and loss of wages and to cover future medical care. He stated that Dr. Michael Piper ‘‘was negligent in not giving Mr. Wintle’s limb the attention it deserved.”’ Wintle, 56, sought Dr. Piper in 1985 after a history of un- successful operations to pro- perly mend his leg. He broke it in a 1958 traffic accident. Dr. Piper, an orthopedic surgeon with i8 years’ experi- ence, fused Wintle's ankle and did a bone graft on his lower leg. But a chronic infection set in, and Wintle had to have the leg amputated below the knee in 1986. The B.C. Hydro dispatcher has been unable to work since 1990. Wintle’s lawyers accused Dr. Piper of prematurely discharg- ing Wintle from Port Co- quitlam’s Eagle Ridge Hospital 4% months after the fusion/ graft operations, and failing to prescribe antibiotics and carry out extensive tests. Justice Melnick concurred, adding that Dr. Piper ‘‘was negligent in covering the in- fected area, which was. still draining, with a cast.”’ The bulk of Wintle’s settle- ment, $281,000, is for past and future wage losses from his $72,000-a-year job. Defence counsel is currently assessing the feasibility of launching an appeal.