AB - Wednesday, May 25, 1983 - North Shore News

FROM PAGE A1

employment office show a 62
per cent increase in the
number of people collecting
unemployment insurance
benefits.

Nearly 4,400 people were
added to official unemploy-
ment insurance commission
stauistics in this six-month
period.

Unmentioned in. official
jobless figures, however, are
the hundreds of people who
for various reasons do not
qualify for benefit payments.

These people manage
their jobless situation either
through personal resources,
relatives, instinct or welfare
aid.

Fortunately for all af-
fected by unemployment,
North Van's Canada employ-
ment office Manager An-
drew Lane, cautiously
predicts a turnaround in the
unemployment scene.

“] honestly don't know
(when things will improve)
since it depends on a lot of
factors.

“] can't say the future
looks better but 1 am en-
couraged by the number of
people we're finding work

for through Canada Man-
power.”
During April. Canada

Manpower placed 265 job
seekers back into the work
force. While for the same
period last year, the govern-
ment job referral service
managed to find work for
176 individuals.

Although job placement
figures for Canada man-
power indicate a 49 per cent
increase above the previous
April's total, the rise could
be attributed to more people
looking for work.

Lane admitted there are
“all kinds of factors, a varie-
ty of things” which could ac-
count for the mse in Canada
manpower placements.

He pointed to the recent
announcement and News
story concerning layoffs of
about 80 per cent of North
Shore’s shipbuilders.

Figures released by ship-
builders’ union officials
estimate that about 2,500
workers will be queueing for
UI benefits by July if more
work is not awarded by the
federa] government to the
North Shore yards.

Meanwhile, though,
unemployment insurance
payouts continue to escalate
as the monthly total dollar
value of benefits paid to
North Shore's jobless reach-
eda stunning $6.4 million for
April.

Included in this figure are
payments reaching active
unemployment claimants in
the Squamish-Whistler area
and the Sunshine Coast.

Even so, between April
and last November. when
benefit payments climaxed
at $5.7 million, the dollars
paid out to jobless increased
about 12 per cent.

Programs initiated by the
federal government to help
ease unemployment appear
to have made little dif-
ference to actual jobless

Tennis draining
to seniors

THE BASEMENT at Silver
Harbour Centre is damaged
by water because of dramape
from North Vancouver
Recreation Commission
tenms courts located near
the centre for seniors, North
Vancouver City council has
been told

Council voted to approve
spending of funds to install a
catch basin and drain Ole for
the tennis courts, and funds
to construct a Chlorine room
and chemical storage room
atthe recreabon centre, as
well as funds for a metal
storage cabinet) for com
busuble matenals at the
Karen Magnussen Arcna

The two latter funding
requests were approved
quickly, but the tennis
Courts caused some

discussion the

among
council members

+

PET CORNER

Alderman Elko Kroon,
who sits on the board of the
Silver Harbour Society,
wanted council to approve
the funding request. despite
a recommendauvon from the
City’s treasurer that the
request be referred to the
City engineer for report

Acting Mayor Gary Payne
agreed with the treasurer
that the matter should be
held up pending comment
from the engineer. but the
other council members sided
with Kroon

The treasurer wanted a
report from the engineer
becausc, he said. ft appeared
the problem of the run-of!
water trom the tennis courts
maght have been caused by
action taken by the City in
closing a lanc
between the
Silver Harbour

allowance
courts and

and he needs a home. Please phone Dorts Orr, 987
9015.

figures.

Despite such endeavours
as New Employment Expan-
sion and Development
designed to put people back
on payrolls, few North Shore
workless have really manag-
ed to bring home the bacon
under NEED.

As outlined by the federal
government, NEED was sup-
posed to create jobs through
sponsorship by civic govern-
ments or the private job sec-
tor.

Most of the work under
NEED involved community
enhancement projects, but
snags in the program

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developed when all three
North Shore municipalities
failed to get their local
bargaining units (CUPE) to
endorse the scheme.

Even though local civic
union support for NEED fell

. short, Lane said there are

sull 18 projects currently
underway employing 192
people.

People who qualify tor
NEED must first’ exhaust
their UI benefits.

However, according to
Lane. there are more than
b00 “exhaustees” on the

North Shore and the number
employed through NEED

Cautious optimism at employment centre

amounts to about 31 per
cent.
Just how effecuve the

federal goverment program
is in putting a dent in easing
unemployment 1s a difficult
question.

“And I’m not going to
answer that,” said Lane, “but
] personally believe it is tef-
feclive).”

He also added the pro-
grams was “very well receiv-
ed in the Sechelt area.”
although he did not have
figures for the number of
people it put to work in that
region.

Lane did express optimism

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North Van

133 West 16th St

988 014)

(- =
(GENERAL PAINT

and hinted that
figures show
numbers have peaked
province-wide and _ this
hopefully means a decline in
North Shore's benefit ex-
haustee rate.

Yet despite predictions of
economic booms and _ tur-
narounds, one thing remains
certain - unemployment
stubbornly continues to rise.

If the jobless thought the
winter bitter and difficult
and eagerly eyed the spring
for greater job markets,
their hopes could meit in
what could prove a long. hot
summer.

official
exhaustee

SS aitee

VISA

Park Royal
South Mall, West

(Opposite Super Value)
922-7389