Versatile sole
for B.C. supe

VERSATILE Pacific Ship-
yards Inc. (VPSI)_ boss
Peter Quinn says the North
Vancouver-based shipyard

was ‘‘bidding on behalf of -

B.C. and Canada against
the world’’ when it submit-
ted a bid for one of two
superferries put out to
public tender by the B.C.
Ferry Corp. (BCFC).

By Surj Rattan
News Reporter

The bids were made public Fri-
day, and VPSI was the lone Ca-
nadian shipyard to make a bid.

Quinn said his company only
bid on the second of the two iden-
tical 470-vehicle, 2,000-passenger
ferries because of the differences
in delivery dates.

The first ferry is expected to be
completed in May 1992, while the
second vessel has a delivery date

THREE SPRITELY

‘silhouettes’

44 The best shipyard drydock has
been filled up with fill by the
Mulroney government.

— Bill Scott, secretary-treasurer of the
Marine Workers and Boilermakers’ Industrial Union

of February 1993.

Versatile’s $119,189,000 bid for
the second ferry was the second
highest submitted.

“The delivery date for the first
ferry was May 1992 and we could
not meet that date,’’ Quinn told
the News. ‘‘There are only one or
two yards in the world that could
do it.”

He added that he was not sur-
prised that no other Canadian
shipyard submitted bids on the
two ferries.

‘The terms and conditions were
very tough. I think we did very
well. Our bid is very com-
petitive,"’ said Quinn. ‘‘We were
teally bidding on behalf of other

NEWS photo Cindy Goodman

shower off the

sand after a day of playing on Ambleside Beach in

West Vanrouver.

The News has a new look

NORTH SHORE News readers will notice a change in the
overall design of the newspaper today.

The changes have been made to
improve the newspaper’s
readability, modernize its look
and develop a better and brighter
vehicle for the readers and adver-
tisers of the North Shore News.

They are also part of the conti-
nuing commitment from the
newspaper’s ownership and

management to ensure that the
North Shore News remains at the
forefront of the modern com-
munity newspaper market.

Work on the newspaper's
redesign has been ongoing for the
past four months.

We hope you like the new look
of the North Shore News and
welcome your comments,

Canadian companies.”’

A total of six shipyards bid on
either one or both of the ‘'S"
class superferries, and because
VPSI was the only Canadian bid-
der and only bid on the second
ferry, the first vessel will be built
outside of Canada. Versatile’s bid
was the first one opened on Fri-
day.

The second bid opened came
from Halter Marine Inc. of Gulf
Port, Mississippi, which bid
$95,216,000 for each of the two
ferries. Halter would charge
$664,323 to deliver either vessel
from its Mississippi yard to B.C.

Other bids were received from
shipyards in Finland, Japan and

Yugoslavia.

Bill Scott, secretary-treasurer of
the Marine Workers and Boiler-
makers’ Industrial Union, said the
fact that only one Canadian ship-
yard bid for only one of the two
ferries means that the B.C. ship-
yard industry has ‘*weakened’’
itself.

And he placed the blame for
that weakened condition on the
shoulders of the federal govern-
ment and Shieldings Inc., the
Toronto-based company that
bought VPSI last year.

“We now know that the best
shipyard fscilty in Western
Canada (VPS!) has been severely
weakened by the federal govern-
ment when they put Shieldings in
charge of the assets,’’ said Scoit.
“The best shipyard drydock has
been filled up with fill by the
Mulroney government.’’

“The expansion program of the
B.C. Ferry Corp. was an excellent
opportunity for the shipbuilding
industry here to revitalize itself.
The industry now is in the weakest
position it has ever been.’’

Wednesday. August 1, 1990 - North Shore News - 3

anadian bid
erry contracts

Scott added that he was not
surprised that VPSI did not bid
on both ferries, and said, accord-
ing to an earlier statement by
Shieldings, that VPSI should con-
tinue to keep its North Vancouver
yard open even if it does not get
the contract to build the one
vessel it bid on.

“It shouldn’t mean the closure
of the yard because Shieldings
said they'd diversify and that the
assets were in good hands and
that they'd be pumping money
tack into the yard,”’ said Scott.
**We haven’t seen any of that.’’

Last week B.C.’s Shipbuilding
Action Group released its A
Strategy for Change report in
which it makes 17 recommenda-
tions aimed at shoring up the sag-
ging North Shore and West Coast
shipbuilding industry.

One of those recommendations
is that all B.C. Ferry Corp. pro-
curements be offered for com-
petitive bids with preferential con-
sideration given to industrial
employment benefits available
from sources in B.C.

L. Gate Bridge to be site
of second native protest

Squamish
band

hands out
brochures

to commuters

NORTH SHORE rush-hour
commuters using the Lions
Gate Bridge will again be
greeted by the Squamisi
Nation on Aug. 13.

By Surj Rattan
News Reporter

Squamish Nation Chief Joe
Mathias said Tuesday band
members will, for the second time,
hand out information brochures at
the north end of the bridge in a
bid to inform motorists about the
history of the band and its strug-
gle for aboriginal title recognition
from both the provincial and fed-
eral governments.

On Monday morning the band
handed out information brochures
to rush-hour commuters at the
north end of the bridge while the
Burrard Indian Band staged a
similar information event along
the Dollarton Highway and at the
corner of Main Street and Moun-
tain Highway. ;

Mathias said the Aug. 13
demonstration will be significant
because it will be held during the
same week that Premier Bill
Vander Zalm and his cabinet are
expected to mect to discuss
whether they will recognize the ex-
istence of aboriginal title, some-
thing both tevels of government
have thus far refused to do.

The Socred cabinet will discuss
the provincially-commissioned
report on land-claims policy at the
same meeting.

“That,"’ Mathias said, ‘‘will
probably be the most important
cabinet meeting ever. Either the
province will continue to toe the
same hard line and not recognize
aboriginal land claims or it will
begin to open up to negatiations.

“They have within their means
to make a decision one way or the

SQUAMISH Nation Chief Joe

Mathias ...campaign ‘‘went

pretty well.””

other. We just want the people to
be aware of that."

He added that Monday’s in-
formation campaign ‘‘went pretty
well’ and that most motorists
supported band concerns over
land claims and aboriginal title.

Mathias said Monday’s event
was also held to show support for
Mohawk Indians in Oka, Quebec,
who are in the third wee! of an
armed standoff with Quebec pro-
vincial police over the issue of
land claims.

Mathias added that in order to
raise awareness of the band’s his-
tory, the Squamish Nation has in-
vited the public to its Capilano

reserve Jonghouse on Thursday
night.
A band invitation brochure

stated that ‘‘in our tradition mat-
ters Of great importance to our
people are discussed in the
longhouse, a place of culture and
learning. Therefore, we are in-
viting you and all residents of the
North Shore to attend our
longhouse gatherings on the de-
velopments at Oka, Quebec. and
the present situation in British
Columbia relating to native land
claims."

Chief Philip) Joe said both
natives and non-natives must live
together on the North Shore.

“That co-existence is much ecas-
ier if we understand each other
and can talk in a civilized way.”
said Joe.

Commenting on Monday's in-

formation campaign, West Van-
couver Mayor Don Lanskail said
he was ‘“‘sorry the circumstances
resulted in some inconvenience to
the citizenry of West Vancouver
and North Vancouver.”’

“Pm sure you can understand
the frustrations of the natives and
their land claims. It's a situation
where there’s enough blame for
everyone,’ said Lanskail. ‘‘l
don’t want to pick and choose,
but [ think it’s a situation where
all parties have to sit down and
discuss it.”

Acting North Vancouver
District Mayor Craig Clark said
that while the issue of aboriginal
title and native land claims is
beyond the jurisdiction of the
district council, there ‘‘definitely
is a concern that we wouldn't
want that (potential road
blockade) to occur.’”

““We have never really had the
opportunity to sit down face to
face with the (Burrard) band and
have a frank discussion,’’ said
Clark. ‘‘Maybe the overture of
this information picket line will
lead to discussions Eetween the
Indian band and the municipal
council.”

Spokesmen for both the West
Vancouver Police Department and
the North Vancouver RCMP said
there were no major problems

with the two information cam-
paigns on Monday.
index

@ Budget Beaters ..... 36
M@ Business .......... 34
M Classified Ads...... 40
@ Doug Collins ...... 9
@ Editorial Page...... 6
HM Bob Hunter ....... 4
® Lifestyles.......... 37
M@ North Shore Now ..17
@ Or. Ruth.......... 38
Mi Sports ........-.45 13
@ TV Listings........ 28
& What's Going On... .39

Weather

Wednesday and Thursday,
sunny. Highs near 22°C. Air
quality: good.

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