Scrap the Stern

says the North Van council after a 5-2 vote although Ivan Leonard who helped lead the charge of the "Save the Stern" movement, that it was 6-1 but I thought I saw Don Bell join with Voices caucus leader Pam Bookham in opposing the scrapping of the stern.

The stern boondoggle will end up costing the City over a million dollars and won't even stand as a symbol and expensive warning to future Councils to take better care when a special interest group comes in front of you trying to sell you an expensive concept.

Councillor Heywood told a story about his Uncle Jimmy which was almost exactly like what I had written while at Council last night about Grandpa MacKinnon.  It seems like most families have an Uncle Jimmy or Grandpa MacKinnon.

My maternal grandfather served in the merchant marine in the Second World War, probably on a Victory Ship, maybe even made in North Van. He was from Cape Breton in New Scotland as he liked to called Nova Scotia although his part of the clan had come to Canada in the 1790's from the Isle of Barra.  MacKinnons being sept to the MacNeils of Eilean Bharraigh. The MacKinnons, being Catholic had moved north to escape the English burnings until they settled in the Outer Hebrides.

Cape Bretoners and Newfoundlanders have a long maritime history so it was his obvious choice for his contribution towards the fight against the Nazis. Afterwards, his favorite topic was his time on the Atlantic, followed closely by "stupid politicians wasting his money." I think he would have little problem with the decision to scrap the stern.  It was only a symbol and people can make a symbol from anything. Hopefully, it will be something that doesn't cost us millions of dollars.

We should be naming the new museum the Maritime Museum, it won't be the expensive National Maritime Museum rejected by the Provincial Government after they read their unworkable business plan but obviously it can't get to far away from a maritime theme anyway.  The City is tossing a few million dollars into this feature of the new waterfront.

We're also tossing in a few million into the Presentation House Gallery, surely they could establish an area set aside for permanent exhibit space for photos of the old shipyards and Victory ships it produced.  After all, a picture is worth a thousand words and far better than spending huge stacks of taxpayer's cash on a rusting, asbestos laced stern. And more every year for upkeep.

Maybe we should take a shiny silver dollar to represent the money shipyard workers spent having a beer in one of the Shipyard pubs.  Perhaps displayed in a public art feature outside one the pubs that will spring up in the new waterfront plaza.

As Roger Brooks might say, "Wouldn't that be cool?"