20 - Sunday, November 19, (989 - North Shore News NEWS photo Neil Lucente Stephan Wasylko is new in town and eager to start bolstering business ties between Canada and the U.S. 2 PEOPLE OBL OCC SHARING SNOW- MOBILE 135° Package Includes: Taf 1 night accommodation and all taxes at Fawways [& 3°2 hour girded snowmobile tour including snowmobi'es instruction and hot iunch Other packages available from $119 Gall now, toll free 1-800-663-0644 BTR Se PRR SRR RAZ SRE RBA ESE AFFLUENCE a \NFLUENCE New U.S. trade consul is reaciy to meet the challenge nce past the metal detectors, bear-like RCMP officers and bullet-proof glass that surround the new U.S. Trade Consul in Vancouver, you wonder what all the fuss is about, because Stephan Wasylko is anything but self-important. The 41-year-old diplomat leads the way through locked doors to his plush new West Georgia Street office seemingly oblivious to the surrounding sea of security. He points out the window to a stunning view of the North Shore mountains. ‘“‘It's fantastic. It’s God's country,”’ he says in a sub- tle New York accent of his new home. Wasylko has landed a plum assignment — and the plum is Vancouver, For the past nine years he, his wife Carol and their two children, Alexandria and Nadya, have trav- elled the globe taking up postings in various U.S. Consulates, making their home in China, Poland, Czechosiovakia and Hungary. According to Wasylko, Van- couve; is one of the most sought- after postings in the U.S. foreign commercial service. “People kept asking how | managed to get Vancouver,”” he says, obviously pleased with the coup he pulled off. ‘‘First of all it wasn’t on the assignment list (it was closed for 2% years due to budgetary constraints, but re- Sensational Snowmobile Tour and Hotel Packages The Fairways and Yinistler Snowmoni'e Tours have joined to offer you exc:ting snowmobie ang accommodation packages with plenty of non-stop excitement. All- inclusive snavemabile packages feature ore night's stay at the Farways: srowmobile wth all the gear. professional safety and operating instructons. an eapen- enced, fnendly guide. tasty hot lunch inacozy lakeside cabin. and all the thnils, adventure and sensationat back country Scenery you can handle! 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The Fatrways Hotel has many inviting snowmobile and ski packages There's sometning for everyone — give usa Call and we'll lake care of everyining' Come onup io Tne Farways ~ for the tme of your sie rr S28 DERE RSA See opened with the free trade agree- ment), and then to be selected for it — | was the envy of a lot of my colleagues.”’ What did he do to land such a gem? ‘“‘When people ask me, ‘what do you do to get Van- couver?’ | tell them, ‘weil, you spend six years in Eastern Europe and you pray a lot.’” Living in Eastern Europe was very restrictive, and Wasylko’s contact with the public was limited. He and his family now en- joy a fairly ‘‘normal type of ex- istence,”” but one that has required some adjustment. “It's a phenomenal experience for someone from Eastern Europe to came to Canada and walk into a supermarket,” he says. ‘‘People have difficulty believing that there is so much — some people are waiting four to five years to buy cars in Eastern Europe. They can’t believe you can go to 15 dealers in any one day and pick any car so long as you have the money.”” Wasylko admits that he still has difficulty shopping. ‘‘It’'s having to deal with the variety of goods. You didn’t have the choice in previous postings. Basically, if you could find toilet paper you bought it — you didn’t look for different kinds or colors.” Aside from the abundance of commercial goods — “the kids see Vancouver as a giant Toys R Us’’ — he admits that the family has come to embrace Vancouver 297 Bunnrs - THE. FASHION GROUP PS Enter out draw to win our Special Gitt Silver dewellery! Mrs. Bunny Brizzi, owner Via Veneto Fashions & Bunny's Key to Fashions Ltd is celebrating her business’ Silver Anniversary Now after 25 years of your continued sup- port, Bunny would like to thank each & every one of you by offering Everything in the store 3 DAYS ONLY - Nov. 23, 24, 25 C= \ Lynn Valley Centre $199 Lynn Valley Rd.. North Van.. B.C. Tel: 986-4436 __ |BUSINESS BOOSTER as their home. He enjoys the out- door life, especially tennis and fishing. For her part, Carol has joined a local church choir. Since arriving in the promised land in August, Wasylko has been trying to get a better feel for the B.C. business climate and improve his understanding of the issues af- fecting American-Canadian trade. His success will be judged on how much American business ac- tivity increases here during the next four years, and Wasylko is confident that free trade will benefit both Canada and the U.S. Already he has targeted a number of opportunities for Amer- ican businesses, including fran- chising and tourism, and his inter- est doesn’t end there: his Boy Scout sense of justice currently finds him helping an 82-year-old woman with a mail order com- plaint, even though his office doesn’t normally get involved with consumer complaints. “She sounded so sweet | just couldn’t turn her off or refer her to somebody else,” says Wasylko. “I'm going to try to help her.” — Evelyn jacob OFF via NEncto)