Unemployed workers
feeling useful again

~ Unemployment is a serious
problem in the Cowichan Valley
of Vancouver Island. One
person in three is out of a job in
this area. Sawmills are closed
and thousands of workers are
unemployed.

Glen Harris is one of the
unemployed. He worked at
MacMillan Bloedel’s sawmill in
Chemainus. When the mill
closed last May, Harris lost his
job.

Harris’s life changed
completely. He stopped working
an eight-hour shift at the mill and
started to sit at home and watch
television all day long. When he

was employed, he liked working
hard and bringing home a big
paycheque. Without a job, he
felt useless.

Harris and a group of other
unemployed workers joined
together to help each other.
They meet every day in the

basement of a union hall and talk .

about their problems. They
started a food co-operative to
keep food costs down. The men
are also trying to help the
families of unemployed workers.
It’s all volunteer work, but Harris
says it’s what he needs. “Like
the other guys here, I’m getting
out and feeling useful again.”
Vancouver Sun

New Year on February 13 for some

~The Chinese, Korean and
Vietnamese communities in B.C.
celebrate the new year
according to the lunar calendar.
The date can be anytime
between January 20 = and
February 19.

In 1983, Chinese New Year is
on February 13. The celebration
lasts about one week. Before
the arrival of the new year,
houses must be cleaned and all
debts paid. It is a time for visiting

friends and family and eating
good food. Children receive
lishee (lucky money) in red
envelopes.

The New Year's celebrations
end with a lantern festival and a

street dance. In Vancouver's

Chinatown, the lion dance
parade is usually the first week-
end after New Year’s Day.
Everyone throws firecrackers
and sometimes a dragon, nearly
30 metres long, joins the
parade.

- unknown.

Excerpts from the Westcoast Reader,

a newspaper

for people learning to read English, January 1983.

LETTERS

LETTERS

Reader learns sign language

Dear Editor:

First | will tell you that if a
house is for sale in Germany,
there is no sign. Signs with the
name of the real estate company
and its phone number are
There are only
advertisements in the
newspaper.

In May 1981, my family decid-
ed to buy a house in Victoria.
We saw many houses. One of
these houses pleased us very
much, but it was not for sale.
The design of this house was

modern, fascinating and
unusual. We bought another
house  in_- the same
neighborhood, and some

months later we moved into it.

Every morning | go for a walk
with my dog. One morning when
| passed my “dream house”, |
saw a sign with a name and
phone number on the front lawn.

Later, | saw the same sign in
front of other houses. My wife
and | talked about this fact and
came to the conclusion that
people need to sell their houses
because of the bad economic
situation.

| had memorized the name and
phone number on the sign. |
asked my wife to make an ap-
pointment with Mr. Douglas to
show my dream house. My wife
dialed the number and spoke to
Mr. Douglas. After some time,
Mr. Dogulas answered politely,
“| think you are mistaken. | dort't
sell houses. |'m not a real estate ©
man. I'm a candidate for the
municipal election. Please vote
for me.”

So this is how we learned the
difference between a for sale
sign and an election sign.

An English language student
Camosun College
Victoria

/

f

/