Friday, September 3, 1993 ~ North Shore News - 3

to contracts

Liberal MP Axworthy hints that more work would come to North Shore shipyards

THE NORTH Shore must
change its political colors
from Tory blue to Liberal
red in the upcoming federal
‘election if the area wants
more federal shipbuilding
contracts to come ‘west,
Liberal external affairs critic
Lloyd Axworthy hinted
Monday:

By Surj Rattan
News Reporter

The Winnipeg-South Centre
MP and former federal transpor-
tation minister made the com-
ment to the News Monday after-
noon, after he toured the Van-
couver Shipyards Co. Ltd. facility
in North Vancouver, along with
North Vancouver Liberal can-
didate Mobina Jaffer.

A union official, and NDP sup-
_porter,, who represents shipyard
workers and toured the Vancouver
Shipyards site with Axworthy and
Jaffer, said he was pleased to hear
what the two had to say about
shipbuilding.

_ “With the enormous fleet that’s
out here and the ‘necessity to
“upgrade (aging fleets), it’s clear
there. has “to. be some new
blueprints: on ré-capitalization,

and that means you’re. (North .

Shore) going to have to have some
* players here,”’ said Axworthy.
“You'll have to.have some
Members of. :Parliament from this
‘grea who will be able to make that
- case and be part of the negctia-
’ tions.”*

Jean Chretien. has promised ®:.to
re-examine. the’ issues: that ,led to:

“the Progressive, Conservative, /BOv-

West Vi ‘Vancouver resident to head br idge committee |

‘WEST: VANCOUVER resident:‘and Vancouver Canucks:
“vice-chairman Arthur. Griffiths has been appointed chair-

He - added that. Liberal . leader. .

ernment's decision to cancel the
Polar 8 icebreaker in February
1990. .

The fong-promised $500 million
Polar 8 contract had been
awarded to the former Versatile
Pacific Shipyard Inc. in) North
Vancouver and would have
created approximately 1,000 jobs.

Ottawa's decision to torpedo the
federal contract led to the closure
of Versatile’s North Vancouver
yard.

Axworthy said a Liberal gov-
ernment would examine the issue
of Arctic sovereignty which could
bring federal icebreaker contracts
to B.C. shipyards.

“There's been a vacuum there
(Arctic sovereignty) since the
Conservatives cancelled the
icebreaker contract several years
ago.

“We think the north is still
what helps define us as a country.
With the opportunity now for in-
creased cooperation with other
polar countries like the Russians,
there’s going to be increased ac-
tivity.

“We're going to have to have a
much stronger presence there and
we'll need the ships to do it,’’ said
Axworthy,

He added that he was impressed
with the operations of Vancouver
Shipyards, even though the local
shipyard has cut its workforce
from about 800 to approximately
300 because cf dwindling ship-
building contracts,

Axworthy said the Liberals’ top
priority is finding new jobs for
Canadians.

“If there is one clear issue that

is going to define this election, it
wil be the interest we have as a

“party, in. finding wok for.Cana-
‘dians.. Ms. (Prime Minister Kim)
Campbell is not interested in that.

NEWS pholo Paul MeGrath

LIBERAL EXTERNAL Affairs critic Lloyd Axworthy, right, talks to Vancouver Shipyards general
manager Tom Ward, left, as union official! Bob Docherty, Vancouver Shipyards marketing manager

Bill Armstrong and North ‘Vancouver Liberal candidate Mobina Jatter look on.

“She washes her hands of the
responsibility fur creating work.
Clearly, here (North Shore) it’s
shipbuilding and servicing the
maritime fleet on the West Coast.

“That's a priosity,’’ said Ax-
worthy.

daffer added that the North

‘Vancouver shipyards are the ideal

place to start a federal appren-
ticeship program.

“There are a lot of. young peo-
ple here. Today, at Capilano Col-
lege, there are a lot of young peo-

S €Xal

man of.a new Lions Gate crossing community group.

Nineteen ‘Lower’ Mainland. resi-

. dents, including. West ° Vancouver |

-community..worker Meria Becker-
‘man. and: West’ Vancouver. lawyer
. John Laxton, have been appointed
to. the ‘group’. by, Transportation
_and-Highways’ Minister. Art (Char-
.bonneau.. |.

'. Griffiths ‘said he was thrilled to
:be.. appointed » to-lead. the ‘ néw
. group.

“Pm honored. It’s a great. op-
portunity for me.

“ “Pve lived on the North Shore

-all my life .... It’s interesting to

“WEST VANCOUVER resident and Vancouver Canucks vice-chair- .

By Surj Rattan

News Reporter

see how the. North Shore has de-
veloped over the years and the
traffic patterns are an  issue,’’
_ Griffiths said Thursday.

He added that the group’s first
meeting will be held on Tuesday,
Sept. 14.

Charbonneau said the new
group’s mandate will be to explore
alternative crossings for Burrard

NEWS photo Mike Wakefleld

man Arthur Griffiths will lead a group examining Burrard inlet

crossing alternatives.

Inlet.

“This group ’ will help define
and provide feedback on a range
of ‘realistic alternatives available
_ for the crossing as well as assist in
‘identifying specific community.
concerns associated with- each
alternative,’ said Charbonneau.

He added that the diversity of
community perspectives _ would
provide valuable input on _ the

most reasonable choices to show.

the public at information sessions
held in the late fall.

The public involvement process’

also includes two other compo-
nents:

® The establishment of an agency
liaison group, made up of federal,

. provincial and municipal agencies

and en-
of the

to provide. technical
vironmental assessments
various concepts.
© Direct consultation | between
Charbonneau, native groups and
the municipalities affected. .
Griffiths said the group will
meet with Charbonneau to outline
the group’s terms of reference.
Griffiths will then hold further
meetings to review proposals and
provide feedback to Charbonneau.
“We selected this team to be as
representative as possible of par-
ties directly impacted by the pro-
ject while achieving gender and
multicultural equity,’’ Charbon-

. Neau said.

“I encourage people to contact
any of the representatives or visit
our information centre to have
their ideas brought forward.”

' The Lions Gate Crossing Public
Information Centre office is open
to accept public feedback on
Burrard inlet crossing issues.

-The centre is located at 330-900
Howe St., Vancouver and is open
Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to
6 p.m.

ple who are not getting places and
there are lineups.

“We have the work right in our
neighborhood and that’s where we
have to look for it,’’ said Jaffer,

Bob Docherty, business man-
ager for. Local 506 of the Marine
and Shipbuilders’ union, which
represents Vancouver Shipyard
workers, said he hopes Jaffer and
the Liberals are elected in the
federal election.

“It -sounds quite promising,
what the Liberals are looking at.

They're looking at some kind of
an icebreaker, although it may not
be a Polar 8.

‘‘Axworthy and Mobina are
really cincerned about ‘the ine-
quities of the west coast shipyards
compared to the east coast. The
problem is trying to get them
elected.

“Although: I’m a staunch NDP.

- supporter, the. NDP :will not‘ get
-elected so we have to vote for the

Liberals,” said Docherty.

District 44 board tor review
tentative teachers’ contract

THE NORTH Van-
couver District 44
School Board (NVSB)
was scheduled to “meet
Thursday night to review
a tentative three-year
collective agreement
reached this week with
the North Vancouver
Teachers’ Association
_ (NVTA).

‘District 44 chairman Don
Bell said Thursday morning
-that he suspects the school
trustees would approve
ratification of the deal.

NVTA president Keith
Denley did not return News
telephone calls to press time

Thursday..

As reported in the Sept.
News, the two sides reached a .
tentative agreement on Tues-
day, Aug. 31, one week prior ©.
to the: start of the. 1993-94
school year. '

The NVTA had threatened
to stage a full-scale strike if
no contract settlement had
been reached by ; Tuesday,
Sept. 7, the “first day of .
classes.

The union had been
without a collective agreement
since June 30, 1992.

Both sides declined. to
release any details of the ten-
tative deal until school board
and union officials have had
a chance to vote on the
package.

L. Valley residents forced to commute

From page 1
one time at the facility.

Young said a traditional swim-
ming pool similar to the other

three in North Vancouver had
been an option when the wave

‘pool was proposed, but officials

decided to go with a wave pool
because they reasoned that it
would attract a new market of
pool users.

...23
vee 8D
seen OH
seen BB

& Automotive ...
& Classified Ads..
Crossword.....
BH Ecolnfo.......

‘Lynn Valley residents, by car,
are only five to seven minutes
away from Ron Andrews, Lons-
dale and William Griffin (recre-
ation centre pools),’’ said Young.

But Harris said Lynn Valley was
a major North Vancouver District
community and that its residents
were forced to do a lot of com-
muting to get invovled in swim-
ming programs.

W Home & Garden .
Kids’ Stuff 2...
Bi What’s Going On ....

Weather
Friday: sunny, some clouds or fog. High 21°C. Saturday, sunny.
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