pulse
Dave Bidini Home and Away Page 13
Friday, October 15, 2010
West Van: 156 pages North Van: 136 pages
look
rev
Fab for fall Page 19
Say hello to Scion Page 46
Voted Canada’s Best Community Newspaper
your source for local sports, news, weather and entertainment! www.nsnews.com
0¢
Full speed ahead for NV shipyards Refit powers hope for major federal contract
Benjamin Alldritt balldritt@nsnews.com
WEDNESDAY was an upbeat day at North Vancouver’s shipyards, with one builder celebrating an ongoing refit project and another edging closer to winning a lucrative federal contract. Andrew Saxton, MP for North Vancouver, was at Allied Shipbuilders to tout the $5.9million worth of work being done to the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Tanu. The work, which began in July and is about half done, includes repairs to the hull and engine, an overhaul of the ship’s electrical and ventilation systems, a new bow thruster and a range of other upgrades. “These repairs are expected to keep the Tanu in service for years to come,” Saxton said. According to Allied president Malcolm McLaren, the refit has kept 130 people in work, about a third of whom are North Shore residents. “You could almost call it an old friend,” McLaren said. NEWS photo Mike Wakefield “In 1986, we did the midlife refit, which was a big job. MALCOLM McLaren (left), president of Allied Shipbuilders, and technical manager Chuck Ko show MP Andrew Saxton and Canadian Coast It’s interesting that, 24 years Guard Capt. Victor Gronmyr the progress on a $5.9 million refit of the coast guard vessel Tanu. later, we’re doing the vessel life extension. So we have a 43-year-old ship, but we’re hopeful that we’ll get a chance to build its replacement. We’re keeping the skills up repairing these things, but we’d sure like a crack at the new ones.” Elsewhere on the North Vancouver waterfront, Washington Jane Seyd occurred between December 2008 and July 2009. Marine Group announced that it had cleared the first hurdle in jseyd@nsnews.com Wiens was first suspected of having an “inappropriate the process to win a long-term, multi-billion-dollar shipbuilding relationship” with a female student sometime between December A former social studies teacher who taught at contract. of 2008 and February 2009, when a school district employee The federal government’s national shipbuilding procurement Sutherland secondary has been charged with — possibly another teacher — saw what they thought was strategy will eventually hand out $35 billion in orders. The bulk of sexual offences against a female student. inappropriate touching between Wiens and the girl. the money will go into two large contracts, one for combat vessels That is alleged to have happened at the school after regular and another for support vessels. The goal is to allow two yards to Victor Wiens, 63, was charged this week with sexual assault, school hours, said Corp. Peter DeVries, spokesman for the North maintain their facilities and workforce for decades, in contrast to the invitation to sexual touching and sexual exploitation against a Vancouver RCMP. teenaged girl. The incidents leading to the charges are alleged to have See Washington page 3 See Wiens page 3
er ov
LL FA
he a h d
ee ls
NV teacher charged with sexual assault
IN LOVE WITH FASHION
shopparkroyal.com