30 - Sunday, Suly 29, 1990 - North Shore News DEPENDING ON which industry you look at, business along the North Shore’s waterfront is either healthy or anemic. By SURJ RATTAN News Reporter While bulk-lcading facilities and railway operations on the North Shore show they are, for the most part, on solid financial footing and are operating to ca- pacity, the local shipyard industry continues to struggle for survival, Last year, it appeared that the North Shore shipyards would be reduced to becoming repair facili- ties only. And, in the case of one North Vancouver shipyard, that prediction became a reality this year. But there is also a lot of good news along the North Shore waterfront. Vancouver Wharves, for exam- ple, is in the midst of a major ex- pansion program, and the Lynn- term forest products terminal also just recently completed a signifi- cant expansion of one of its warehouses. And as these industries and fa- cilities continue to grow, so does the Port of Vancouver, which now houses over half of its facilities on the Nozth Shore, including a coal terminal, three major shipyards, two of its five grain terminals and one of the West Coast’s iargest forest products terminals. . **Port activity generates thou- sands of jobs and millions in eco- nomic benefits,’’ says Barbara Duggan, Vancouver Port Corp.’s director of corporate communica- tions. “There is a huge presence of H 2 MAAS CaS ak Good news, NEWS photo Terry Peters THE INDUSTRIAL waterfront of North Vancouver dominates this view of the North Shore. the port on the North Shore doorstep. Terminals and support- ing industries located on the North Shore constitute more than half of the total port operations,” added Duggan. The Vancouver Port, which takes up about 10 kilometres of North Shore waterfront property, is now listed among the 20 largest ports in the world. © Shipyards: If there one North Shore industry that is suffering SIMPLE CREMATIONS THE ONLY CANADIAN FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED CREMATORIUM ON THE LOWER MAINLAND The McKenzie Family We are very proud of our 55 years of serving the beautiful North Shore. Our phone is answered by a family member 24 hours. 985-3454 IRIE OG BS aaa aa Sak 922-122] from economic pains, it is the shipbuilding sector. Last year North Shore shipyards began feel- ing a slowdown coming on and, this year, the depressed world shipbuilding market has had a severe impact on some North Shore shipyards. In a bid to shore up the sagging West Coast shipbuilding industry, the provincial government earlier this year formed the Shipbuilding Action Group made up of ship- Serving the North Shore Since 1937 HOLLYBURN FUNERAL HOME LTD. 1807 MARINE DRIVE «WEST VANCOUVER, B.C. @ TELEPHONE 922-1221 24 Hours building management and union representatives aimed at lobbying the federal government to provide much-needed assistance to ship- builders. © Versafile Pacific Shipyards Inc.: The North Shore's largest yard, and the mainstay of the North Shore shipbuilding industry for decades, is today probably in its worst shape ever. Versatile had been relying on a promised federal government contract to build the $350 milion Polar Class 8 icebreaker, which would have created approximately 1,000 jobs over four years at Versatile’s North Vancouver and Victoria shipyards. But in February, the federal government cancelled the Polar 8 project, saying its cost had almost doubled to $680 million and was just too expensive. The effects of the cancelled Polar 8 contract soon followed when Versatile downgraded its North Vancouver yard from a major shipbuilder to a repair facility. Soon afterwards it closed its North Vancouver drafting divi- sion, throwing 15 drafismen out of work. More shipyard layoffs followed and Versatile today has a skeleton ctew of about 100 workers at its North Vancouver yard. But while Versatile president and chief executive officer Peter Quinn admits the company is hur- ting, he is confident of new pro- jects on the horizon. *Vancouver Shipyards Co. Ltd.: Out of the three major North Shore shipyards, Vancouver Shipyards is probably the healthiest. It designs, builds and Tepairs vessels ranging from pleasure craft to ferries to large Ocean-going carriers. The shipyard recently won two Separate $17.6 million contracts from the B.C. Ferry Corporation to build two 85-vehicle ferries. In addition, it is also in the final stages of building a 40-car cable ferry for the transportation and highways ministry to be used in the West Kootenays. Vancouver Shipyards, which has been located on the North Shore Since 1968, also plans to bid on the contract to build two super ferries faz the B.C. Ferry Corp. Located on 40 acres of North Shore waterfront property, Wan- couver Shipyards is equipped with a Syncrolitt masine elevator which handles vessels up to 90 metres in length, 21.34 metres in breadth and weighing up to 1,200 tonnes. See N. Shore Page 31