-- Sultan says shipbuilders here are skilled
Jane Seyd
North Shore News
September 15, 2004
WEST Vancouver-Capilano MLA Ralph Sultan has criticized the president of B.C. Ferry Services for unfairly smearing the local shipbuilding industry while explaining why two new C-class ferries will be built in another country.
In a letter to a North Vancouver resident, Sultan said Liberal MLAs representing North Shore ridings don't appreciate remarks made by
David Hahn, president of B.C. Ferries, blaming local shipyards for cost overruns on the fast ferries and stating local shipbuilders aren't capable of doing the job.
"What Mr. Hahn, a newcomer to B.C., has probably not had time to learn is that the fast ferries debacle must be laid at the feet of the politicians in charge, not at the feet of the workers and the companies who built these vessels," Sultan wrote in a Sept. 3 letter.
Earlier this summer, Hahn told the North Shore News that the last two homegrown ferry projects were late and over-budget, and said the corporation can't take that risk again.
He also said he is not convinced the ships can be built in British Columbia, even though local shipyards built the two larger Spirit-class vessels under B.C. Ferries management a decade ago.
Washington Marine Group has shipbuilding facilities in both North Vancouver and Victoria. Washington Marine Group managers have maintained their operation is fully capable of building the new ferries in sections, the same way the Spirit-class ferries were built.
In his letter, Sultan described the decision to drop Washington Marine Group from the list of contenders as "inexplicable."
Sultan wrote that while the ferry corporation is now operating as a private company, "that management structure does not remove from the management of B.C. Ferries the obligation to consider their shareholders' interests extra carefully - and all British Columbians are shareholders. . . .
We shall never know whether or not our local Washington Marine Group could save the taxpayers a little bit of money, a lot of money, or no money at all," Sultan wrote.
In an interview, Sultan said he stands behind his letter. "I thought he was out of line," he said of Hahn's earlier remarks about the shipyard industry.
"He doesn't seem to appreciate that we have a very skilled work force," said Sultan. He joins other North Shore Liberal caucus colleagues in questioning the decision to cut local shipyards out of the final bidding process. Earlier, Daniel Jarvis, Liberal MLA for North Vancouver-Seymour, described that decision as "blatantly stupid."
Sultan's comments were released Monday by George MacPherson, president of the Shipyard General Workers Federation of B.C., who said his members are still hoping there's a chance to reverse the decision to build the ships offshore.
MacPherson said he's been told the board of directors for B.C. Ferries could decide as early as Friday to endorse a tentative deal to build two ferries in Germany at a price of $500 million.
"It's not too late until the end of the week," he said.
The federation representing shipyard workers plans to be in Victoria Friday to protest, said MacPherson.
"To exclude the B.C. bidder is just wrong," said MacPherson. "It shouldn't be happening."
B.C. Ferries has asked the federal government to excuse the corporation from a 25 per cent duty on foreign- built vessels, on the grounds no Canadian shipyards are large enough to build the new ferries.