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12 — Sunday, November 2, 1997 - North Shore News

Horseshoe

Lift overhaul
part of $5m
ferry project

By lan Noble

News Reporter
ian@nsnews.com

FOR B.C. Ferries,
every Little bit helps.

So the Crown corporation
is installing sn active lift
designed to speed up loading
and unloading at Horseshoe
Bay’s Berth I by four to six
minutes. .

The project is part of
more than $5 million being

spent on-current upgrades to

e ferry terminal and_ its
three berths.

The active lift is being
installed in anticipation of the
- introduction of three $74-

million catamarans, which
will cut the 95-minute jour-
ney to Nanaimo to little more
_ than an hour.
. , Said BC Ferries
‘ spokesman. Clay Suddaby:
he less time you spend in
the. jerminal | the better.
ything you do to speed up
loading and unloading will

ey Currently, BC Ferties

workers must interrupt foad-
ing and unloading to manual-
ly raise and lower the ramp to
compensate for the changing
level of the ferries due to the
changing weight the ferry
carries. ,

The first fast-ferry is sup-
posed to be in operation by
the spring.

I three fast ferries will be
operational — by 1999,
although so far B.C. Ferries
has had trouble hitting self-
imposed completion targets.
The first ferry was initally
ex ected to be! finished by fall

of 199

It ie now under construc:
tion in North Vancouver.

In addition to the active
lift, B.C. Ferries will build a
new foot passenger gangway
and a new building between

Berth 1 and 2. The bottonr

floor will house the mainte-
nance crew and the top floor
will house foot passengers
waiting to board ferries:

An $800,000 upgrade to
the electrical system will be
performed by Alexander
Construction of West
Vancouver, said Suddaby.

Berth 1 has been closed

. since Oct. 14 for the work,

which is expected to be fin-

ished by the end of January.
When all three fast ferries

are in service, they will each

_ Humphreys hits
Native no-show

a FORMER West

’ Vancouver mayor. |
“Derrick Humphreys
: spoke before West

a -Vancouver Council last‘

; “-Monday on the issue
.. Of proposed develop-
_Ment at Park Royal -

S -malt.For the record,

-here’s what he had to

. 2S SE have. ai brief. matter

oS Which -I hope’ will’ deserve

‘your attention...
“This is in addition t to the
largest- ourponl ing of public
concern I

-.s¢en in the last

40 years. ' .
2 ay feel sure
that council is

electors. _

“This . is
- about absen-
tecism. Where
are the
Squamish Band representa-
__ tives?

“This proposed develop-
ment is within the Squamish
Band reserve and is being
aired publicly and properly
by our governing council.
This is because the area
comes within West
Vancouver and impacts very
striously upon our society.

“Why are the Squamish

Band officials not here to
show and tell their attitude
on this large and vital sub-
ject?
* “It scems that the band
takes large financial aid and
assistance from the federal
government, from the
provincial government and
from the municipal and
school district governance
but makes its own rules
when it so chooses.

“This is the band that
takes its share of some $10

“Are they a
¢ part of Canada
listening to its Or are they ona
separate nation
course?” we here for?

billion per year of “federal

money. This ; the band that _
takes. $% million or more ©

annuaily for the vacant land
thar was for the Jack Davis
Environment Centre, this is
the band that pays no taxes
but enjoys every social pro-
gran to the fullest at our
cost. This is the band that
never. has its finances
checked and published by
the auditor general as do all
other Canadians.

“Yer in this Larco pro-
posed development they

write to West Vancouver -

Council quoting her Majesty
the Queen in right of
Canada that
this develop-
ment has the
tight to pro-
ceed as they
decree in any
event.

“Well what are

What is our

council for?
The band says that they will
go elsewhere for plan check
and inspections etc. if neces-
sary. Well, are they part of
West Vancouver or not?

“Are they part of Canada
or are they on a separate
nation course as per the
heading on their notepaper?

“Indian reserves are to

rotect them from inroads

yy our society. The reserves
are not to provide a freedom
for them to impact negative-
ly on our society.

“TI believe you should call
the Squamish Band represen-
tatives to this chamber to
discuss the services of West
Vancouver of which they
wish to be a part.

“Thev enjoy the ameni-
ties of our West Vancouver at
no cost, surely they should
not wantonly wish to
demean this place of excel-
lence.”

make 12 runs per day across
Georgia Strait.

Meanwhile, a September
progress report by Tom
Ward, the president of B.C.
Ferries subsidiary Catamaran
Ferries International, states
that lead fast-ferry contractor
Vancouver Shipyards contin-
ues to leave large amounts of
inspections to the end of cach
module, causing huge bottle-
necks for CFI.

“Much more inspection is
required at earlier stages to

7 Over the last several months,
more that 2,000 people who live

. on the North Shore

told us what makes them healthy.

van find out what people said,

hursday, November 13¢he:

minimize rework costs and
remove the schedule impacts.
This ‘in-progress inspections
system’ has been requested
for over a year with no appar-
ent effect.”

Ward, however, told the
News the quality of con-
struction on the ship is
superb, with more than 99%
of the welds on the alu-
minum craft passing on first
inspection.

The ship is arriving in
modules ar North Vancouver

from yards in the Lower
Mainland and on Vancouver
Island. Some modules have
been delayed, Ward said, bu
at the same time, work is pro-
gressing on the rest of the
ship.

B.C. Liberal _ party
Transportation and
Highways depury critic Doug
Symons said he recently
toured the CFI assembly site
on the North Vancouver

waterfront. At the time, he -

said he was told everything

CS Voy

Bes

. Healthy

was dandy.

“Bur at the time I hap-
pened to have this progress
report and it doesn’t indicate

things are dandy. Things are S

behind schedule. Parts that
are supposed to come haven’t
come and they are having:
problems with the welding.”
Although the ferry won't
be launched in the fall as‘
anticipated, B.C. Ferries said _

it will stick to its most recent’

date of getting the ship in
service: spring 1998.

ay terminal gets upgrade i

2