N3.., April 14, 1985 a:__Castlégar WEATHER SYNOPSIS: A southwesterly tlow at higher levels will bring a feo po of mild air to the a jonday. Or II be light and widely sca! Temperatures will continue to be seasonally warm, but cittle cooler than the post few days. The ‘and 2200 through M freezing level will range between 1800 Layoff lled cant BURNABY (CP) — A labor contract ratified by the staff society at the B.C. Institute of Technology has spared the jobs of 72 instructors who had received layoff notices earlier this year, says staff society president Gregory Layton. The layoff notices were cancelled in exchange for an agreement from the 600- member staff society to do without wage increases for 27 months of the three-year contract. Members voted 85 per cent in favor of the con- tract. “It's hard to jump in the air about taking zero, but I think DIRECTORY there's a great deal of relief that we've been able to pre- serve the quality of educa- tion,” said Layton. BCIT president Gordon Thom said the agreement will mean the school, which had been considering some class cuts, will be able to take most of the students who want to enrol. lla, enphatry belsony ics BEI, expaten AUTO BODY & REPAIR WANETA PLAZA TOYOTA Complete Car and Truck Repairs AUTO BODY & PAINTING Bear Creek Road, Trail Automotive Parts & Service (364-2588 Castlegar Import Center “Specializing in Hondas & All Imports" 2701 Columbia Ave., 365-5111 AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIES MITCHELL AUTO PARTS (my For All Your Auto Needs @) 707 - 13th St., Castlegar 365-7248 COLUMBIA AUTO WRECKERS & SERVICE Wide selection - GM, Ford, Mopar & AMC Parts As well es many import Parts. OPEN MONDAY TO SATURDAY Columbie Rivervale sone 364-2591 (§=2) BUMPER To BUMPER. Fighting Inflation For Motoring Needs Now Under New management 1507 Columbia Ave. 365-7787 USED AUTO PARTS ERNIE'S TOWING Ph. 365-5690 — 24 Hours DEALERSHIPS WANETA PLAZA TOYOTA Bear Creek Road, Trail and CASTLEGAR CHEVRON 425 Columbia, Castlegar 365-2912 Kootenay Honda (across from Waneta Plaza) Dealer No. 7724 368-3377 Mobile Mechanical Repair GORDON'S MOBILE MECHANICAL REPAIR Automotive and Heavy Duty Equipment Mobile Truck — Consulting — Welding Repairs & Rebuilds — Overhauls — Any Size, Any Make ‘WE GO ANYWHERE Gordon G. Humphrey Call 365-2643 MAIN ST. MUFFLER Located at Castlegar Turbo 1335 Columbia Ave. Ph. 365-5411 CAR & TRUCK RENTALS CASTLEGAR CHEVRON WANETA PLAZA TOYOTA 365-2912 364-2588 CASTLE TIRE (1977) LTD. MOBILE CRANE CAT LOADER DUMP TRUCKS, ETC. For Sate by Bids As-ls Where-lIs No. 97101 - 1974 Lima 75 Ton Truck Crane. Cummins Diesel Engines. 180 ft. of Boom, 50 ft. Jib. Overall condition good. Due for 5 year certification. No. 97552 - 1975 Cat Front End Loader. Model 930 4 cyl. cat diesel engine. Frame needs welding. Overall condition fair to good. No. 99108 - 1973 Waldon Loader. Model 5000 4 cyl. gas engine c/w bucket. Overall condition poor to fair. No. 98708 - 1973 Waldon Pusher. Model 5000 4 cyl. gas engine. No bucket. Overall condition poor to fair. No. 96803 - 1979 International Dump Truck. Model 1600 V-8 engine fair. Box and lift fair. Body and brakes poor. No. 96813 - 1979 International Dump Truck. Model 1600 V-8 engine fair. Box and lift fair. Body and brakes poor. No. 96809 - 1979 International Dump Truck. Model 1600. V-8 engine fair. Box good. Hydraulics fair. Body and brakes poor. No. 96204 - 1978 Chev. 4x4 pick-up. V-8 engine 350. General condition fair. Body poor. No. 96301 - 1979 Ford F100 Pick-up. 6 cyl. engine 300. Engine fair. Body poor. No. 96508 - 1978 Ford Flat Deck Truck F350. 6 cyl. engine 300. General con- dition very poor. . No. 96759 - 1979 Ford Crew Cab F250. V- 8, engine 351. General condition fair. jody poor. No. 96403 - 1980 Chev Van %-Ton. V-8 engine 350. General condition fair. Body poor. All units are located behind the Equip- ment Depot at Cominco Ltd., Trail, B.C. Inspection between 12:00 noon and 3:00 p.m. on April 17, 18, and 19th, 1985. Contact for inspection is John Ganzert, Equipment Depot. Cominco reserves the right to refuse any or all bids. Bids will close Monday, April 22, 1985 at 3:00 p.m. Bids in writing, stating name, address arid phone number can be left at inspec- tion site or mailed to Jim Veysey, Pur- chasing Department, Cominco Ltd., Trail, B.C. VIR 4L8. For further information phone Jim Veysey at 364-4116 before 3:00 p.m. weekdays. WANTS SOLUTIONS Support group for poor By RICHARD BELL With Castlegar having some of the highest unem- ployment and welfare statis- ties in the country, a new group has sprung up to deal with the impoverishment of large sections of the popu- lation. Lin Helfer, a member. of the newly-formed Low In- come Support Group, says the group is “looking at our area and the problems low income people are having and looking at how ‘to solve them.” The group is looking for “simple, practical solutions” to problems the group iden- tifies, Helfer says. The group is particularly concerned about the effects of poverty upon children. “If you want to keep thé children off the streets we are going to have to figure a way to do it ourselves,” Hel- fer, an unemployed teacher, says. One of the ways to do that, she says, is to make com- munity services accessible to low income people. “We've approached the li- brary to suspend out-of-city user fees for low income peo- ple,” she said. “I had a membership for years and years and years and now that I am on welfare I can't afford it,” she claimed. To help the library out the group has written the Cen- tral Kootenay Regional Dis- trict directors for Areas I and J asking them to have re- gional district funding for the library re-instated. RDCK funding was withdrawn sev eral years ago and the library instituted user fees to re place the income. Helfer notes the Selkirk College library “has nothing appropriate for anyone be fore junior high level.” Recreation fees are too high, adds Helfer and “school field trips are too expensive” for children from low income families. The Low Income Support Group wants Castlegar chil dren from low income fami. lies “to have the same oppor tuni that other children have to become responsible members of society,” accord ing to Helfer. One of the first objectives of the support group is to continued from front page subdivisions proceeding brisk pace. refused. March 9. Birch admitted it took September. request to the APC Area J to hold a public meeting to allow community input and report back to the board.” Birch said the planning department wanted to alert the board to possible conflicts in the future. He said the area is becoming a residential area with He said a public meeting was never held and the APC submitted a second recommendation of Feb. 20 and their isitors, advice was the rezoning application be The board refused the application on before the application was rejected. He ‘ recalled that the planning department tion. wrote a letter to the APC on Dec. 4, 1984 reminding it that it hadn't carried out the request of the board to hold a said. public hearing. The APC had originally been asked to hold a public meeting in APPLICATION did address Birch said. at a fairly a long time the publie, I idea,” Popoff said. “Come December they hadn't done it and we reminded them of that. They recommendation to turn it down,” Popoff said that even though they can't establish a zoo, there will still be visitors to the farm — the site of the original Robson zoo which shut down about 20 years ago. Popoff said i friends who have brought ors from as far away as the Yukon. The only thing feed for the animals and they can't charge anything for admission. Popoff added that the zoo wasn’t really going to be a large-scale opera “We didn't expect hundreds of peple here at once,” she “Unless we have more response from this issue with a second she has had many it costs money to buy hundreds and think we'll just drop the Scholarship established By CasNews Staff The City of Castlegar has agreed to establish a $300 annual scholarship at Selkirk College — but just who will be eligible for the scholarship isn’t clear. The city already provides two $300 scholarships for Stanley Humphries Second- ary School graduates, and Ald. Bob Mac! chairman of the administration and fi- nance committee, said the new Selkirk College scholar. ship will be “similar.” He noted that the scholar. ship could go to a Castlegar student entering Selkirk Col- lege who exhibits scholastic excellence. However, Ald. Albert Cal: derbank challenged the crit- eria, saying the top scholastic students already receive a number of scholarships from Stanley Humphries and would simply receive more from the college. Ald. Marilyn Mathieson agreed, adding, “To me it should be somebody who did not get a (high school) scholarship.” We represent all the peo- ple, not just the brain trust,” she said. However, MacBain fired back, “If you do it that way, you're saying excellence is not the criteria.” Mayor Audrey Moore threw oil on the troubled waters when she suggested council let Selkirk College determine the criteria and that the only stipulation be that the scholarship be for $300 and go to a Castlegar student. The scholarship is part of the Selkirk College Founda. tion's drive to raise $75,000 for student aid. Introducing: Drop by and Say Hello @a Waneta plaza There’s Always Something New For You Our Welcome Additions We proudly invite you to help ““’ s celebrate the arrival of a new and exciting 10,000 pound baby store. Nota store for or about babies, but a happy addition to our growing family. When we say There's Always Something New For You, we mean it! THE WOOL WAGON (KNIT AND SEW) Highway 3, Trail, B.C. and See What's New for You! “share information and ideas . .. Our first aim is self- education,” says Helfer. The group is “trying to find out what people's rights actually are vis-a-vis MHR, UIC, OAP and CPP,” she said. As an example of the type of investigative work in which the group engages, Helfer points to the Ministry of Human Resources’ dental policy. The group is at- tempting to find out who is eligible for dental work, what dental work the ministry will pay for and which dentists will accept MHR patients. Anyone wishing to contact the Low Income Support Group can phone Lin Helfer at 365-2534. CKQR to increase power A power increase from 1,000 to 20,000 watts at Castlegar's CKQR radio sta- tion will take effect this August, says general man- ager Gordon Brady. The 20,000 watt signal will be one of the strongest in the Interior, with only CHNL in Kamloops using as much power, according to a press release from CKQR. The power increase will provide “a couple” of full and part-time jobs in the Castle- gar area, it says. Renovations at the Castle- gar radio station are already in progress, and excavation for construction of the new antenna tower will start in May. Approval for the station's power increase came from “he Canadian Radio-televi- >ion and Telecommunications Commission in December. The broadcast range of CKQR will be “dramatically increased,” giving improved reception to the Central Kootenay and Kootenay Boundary regions, says the release. However, due to moun- tainous terrain, the exact area coverage won't be known until the news trans- mitter is installed, and test signals are made. CKQR has been operating since 1969 with 1,000 watts at frequency 1230. With the increase, the frequency will change to 760. Another improvement at the radio station is a world news service which will be delivered via satellite with “the latest technology” says the release. —-— ——— Court new Jack Doubinin was given a 30-day jail term and put on 12 months’ probation , after pleading guilty to theft under $200 this week in Castlegar provincial court. * 2 «6 A 30-day jail term was given to Brian Symons after he pleaded guilty to posses- sion of a narcotic for the pur- pose of trafficking. Symons will also serve a 14-day con ¢urrent sentence after plead. ing guilty to breach of pro- bation. * « Ernest Efanoff was fined $50 after pleading guilty to being intoxicated in a public place Police file A Slocan Park man's 1982 Chevrolet pick-up truck was demolished after he lost con- trol and went over an em bankment six kilometres north of Crescent Valley Wednesday. WOODLAND PARK ESSO ae oe shyla 5:30 BRIEFLY Coming home VIENNA (AP) — Bernard Lamport, an American who fought for five years to leave the Soviet Union with his family, intends to settle in New York, one of his daughters said Saturday. Lamport, 55, who went to the Soviet Union with his parents in 1934, arrived in Vienna on Friday with his wife, three daughters and his mother-in-law. “We have been invited by our relatives in the United States,” said daughter Olga, 18. “We will live in New York.” American dies MANAGUA (AP) — An American was killed in fighting between Nicaraguan rebels and Sandinista government forces late last month in the northeastern part of the country, a Sandinista Defence Ministry announcement said Saturday. The ministry identified the man as Roger Paterson. It did not give his age or home town. The announcement said Paterson and 10 Nicar- aguan guerrillas were killed March 25 while fighting with rebel forces at Bocana de Paiwas in North Zelaya province. The site is 280 kilometres northeast of Managua and 120 kilometres from the Honduran border. Leader chosen BELGRADE (REUTER) — President Ramiz Alia was chosen Saturday to succeed Enver Hoxha as the new leader of Albania. Alia was elected first secretary of the Albanian workers’ party in succession to Hoxha, 76, who died Thursday, Radio Tirana reported. The broadcast, monitored by the Albanian Embassy in Belgrade, the Yugoslav capital, said Alia's election was announced after the 11th plenum of the Communist party's Central Committee. Priest killed MAINILA (AP) — Local militiamen killed an Italian Roman Catholic priest in the southern P' ippines by mistake, thinking he was another priest who had criticized alleged militia abuses, a witness said. A foreign Sones Catholic missionary priest, who spoke on iti ymity, told The A Press on Saturday Pist Rev. Tullio Favali, 38, was shot two days earlier in Esperanza, Cotabato province, 950 kilometres southeast of Manila. Earlier reports identified the victim as Tullio Fabili. The source said that Favali had gone to mediate a family problem and was probably mistaken for another Italian priest he worked with, who championed the cause of ethnic minorities against purported abuses by militiamen. Funeral for singer TORONTO (CP) — A funeral was held Saturday for Sophia Mutzak, one of Canada’s foremost sopranos of a past era when she was known to radio audiences as Sophia Romanko, her maiden name. The Ukrainian-born graduate of the Royal Conservatory of Music died in Toronto on Wednesday at the age of 71. Between 1937 and 1946 she was a regular per. former on such radio shows as Along Gypsy Trails, with Ivan Romanoff, and Songs of the Volga. She also appeared with such stars as Jack Benny and Kate Smith on Westinghouse Radiotron More fighting BEIRUT (AP) — The 11th year of Lebanon's civil war began Saturday with artillery killing three people in Sidon, eight people dying in an attack on a south Lebanese village and militias battling in the streets of Beirut. The government's Beirut radio said Israeli troops killed eight people in a “massacre” at Yohmor, a Shiite Moslem village 50 kilometres southeast of Beirut. But the Israeli military command in Tel Aviv denied involvement and said its troops went into the village later only “to find out what happened.” Neves sick SAO PAULO, BRAZIL (AP) — President-elect Tancredo Neves remained in very serious condition Saturday, with machines doing the work of his kidneys and lungs, a government spdékesman said. The 75-year-old Neves underwent his seventh operation in four weeks on Friday. Spokesman Antonio Britto said X-rays showed a “serious deterioration” of Neves's lung and kidney functions. Britto said Neves underwent his second straight day of dialysis Saturday. A machine was used to filter Neves’s blood because his kidneys could not do it alone. Another machine pumped oxygen into Neves's lungs. Heart patient will STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden's artificial heart patient took his first steps today since the American made Jarvik device was implanted six days ago. “Our patient is doing fine,” said Dr. Kim Book of Stockholm's Karolinska Hospital. But Book said the world’s fourth permanent artificial heart patient and the first outside the United States still did not feel up to having his identity dis closed by the hospital. Edmontonians support Fonyo — EDMONTON (CP). (CP) — estimated ieaier ians panied Si yofora run on Saturday from the Univer- sity of Alberta to the Edmon- ton Convention Centre where he was greeted by a for a civic At the university aphaet Lt.-Gov. Helen Hunley told Fonyo that Albertans admire his courage and dedication. “We admire your deter- mination and we want to wish you a continuing safe journey and a happy and suc- cessful time in our province.” Hunley told the one-legged runner from Vernon and more than 3,000 people jam- med into the football stands and on adjacent sidewalks that “people care about you and what you are doing.” There was an illustration of the Fonyo ability to attract youngsters earlier in the day at the nearby Cross Cancer Institute where he was pre- sented with money raised by present and former patients. A cheque for $10,100 was young peo- ple who had Fonyo's atten- tion at the institute. During a ceremony prior to visiting with patients for a few min- utes, he was presented with several envelopes containing “money and cheques. Eleven-year-old Debbie Nicholson of St. Albert of- fered $50. A former cancer patient, now cured, she said $10 was from her allowance and the rest was raised over two weeks from family and friends. Gary Larsen, 21, of Ed- monton, was on to present $312 he raised Fri day night by canvassing his’ neighborhood. A victim of a rare bone cancer, _Ewing’s sarcoma, Larsen has been raising money for cancer research for three years. Michelle Parie, a 14-year- old from Devon, Alta., had $5,545 collected during a two- offered by the president of the University of Alberta week campaign in co-opera- tion with businesses. OUT FOR A SWIM Duck goes for a cool dip near the Popoff residence in Robson to escape the warm " weather wave which recently swept over the West Cashews Phote by Chery! Cotdertenh Kootenay. Unemployment: facts and figures By ADRIAN CHAMBERLAIN Staff Writer He plucks one of the 135 jobs cards filed on the wall and glances at it. One the card is the name of a local carpenter who last worked in 1983. Len Embree, business representative for the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America Local 2300 (Castlegar), shoves the card back into its slot. He walks around his Castlegar office, continuing to paint a grim picture of the job situation for West Kootenay carpenters — 90 per cent of whom have been unemployed for the past three years. Embree says 10 carpenters in the 135-man local are working full-time, but the jobs aren't permanent. Six others who worked this year got jobs lasting a few weeks. “Six months work in a year would be really a big year for construction workers here,” he said. The unemployment rate for carpenters in the West Kootenay is the highest in B.C., with only Campbell River on Vancouver Island coming close, said Embree. The lack of work is especially tough on young people wanting to become carpenters through the apprentice- ship program. “I haven't started an apprentice for two years, and two years ago we only started two,” Embree said. ‘hat compares when we started with 15 or 20 apprentices in this loca! Joe Irving, co-ordinator for Castlegar’s Unemployed Action Centre, says the number of unemployed in Castlegar may be growing. He says the centre is now providing referral information, education and recreation services to about 130 people — up from 30-50 people every two or three months in 1984. Unemployment statistics solely for Castlegar aren't available, but Statistics Canada figures for the Nelson, Castlegar and Slocan Valley area indicate that 21.7 per cent of the labor force is now out of a job. The figure for Trail, Grand Forks and the lower Okanagan is 19.1 per Sanada Manpower in This compares with 24.5 per cent out of work in Nelson, Castlegar and the Slocan Valley in 1984, and 15.9 in 1983. Statistics about people living on welfare payments aren't given out by the Castlegar Ministry of Human Resources office. However, those now living on unemployment insurance payments in the Castlegar/ Trail area receive on the average about $200 a week for JOBLESS FRUSTRATED continued from front page The welfare cheque barely covers the basic necessities: groceries, phone bill, lights, heat and taxes. There's nothing left over for extras, says Kavaloff. Sometimes, there’s not even enough for essentials. “We buy what groceries we can. Sometimes we're short,” says Kavaloff, who explains that occasionally he receives credit at the grocery store. “It'll all be paid back, of course. There's no reason why they should carry people like us, but they're good enough to do it.” However, Kavaloff does own his house, which he admits puts him in a better position than “a lot of people I know who have to walk away from $35,000 mortgages.” Filling free time — a luxury for the employed — now poses a problem for Kavaloff. He says he reads a lot, and goes for a long walk every day 7 “It kills a couple of hours,” explained Kavaloff. “A little work around the garden. Whatever it doesn’t cost money to do.” Kavaloff is frustrated. He says he wants to work. He says the provincial government appears either oblivious to or unable to do anything for the thousands of unemployed in B.C. And, he says, the future doesn’t look good. “My personal opinion is, I think it's going to get worse this year and next year.” Lin Helfer, 34, of Robson, is also out of work, and frustrated. Helfer, like Kavaloff, has skills — she has a B.C. teaching certificate which qualifies her to teach males, and $150 a week for females, according to Canada Manpower. Tupholme said lately there had been a few jobs available in the service industry and sales. But pretty slim — there are not an awful lot of jobs around,” he added. “There really aren't.” ~ He said Cominco recently took on a few workers, but these were laid off employees on a recall list. West Kootenay Power and Light Co. has recently only had a few openings for secretaries. And Westar Timber in Castlegar hasn't hired any ground-level employees in the past three years, said Tupholme. The hardest hit areas of employment in the Trail/ Castlegar area — based on unemployment insurance claims — are construction, processing (i.e. working with metals and chemicals at Cominco), production fabrication and assembly, transportation and equi operators, move on to stages of feeling angry and then guilty, Cameron said. A possible outcome of this is the “externatlization of anger and guilt upon another person.” For example, said Cameron, an unemployed man might try to pick fights and find fault with his wife. Others might handle their anger and guilt with an “internalization” of feelings leading to depression. “We've seen people that have become depressed to where they feel life’s not worth living,” said Cameron, who added that he was unaware of any unemployed person being treated at the centre actually committing suicide. (Embree said there were six suicides in his 10,000 member B.C. carpentry union last year. “And I would say probably four of those six are directly attributable to and clerical and service occupations. The Nelson Canada Manpower office says the areas of high unemployment in the Nelson, Nakusp, Salmo and Crawford Bay area (also based on UIC claims) are con- struction, forestry, and clerical and service occupations. Judy McCandlish of the Nelson Manpower office said the job situation is “not hopeless” because “there's a fair amount of money being put in this area for job creation” through government programs such as the Modified Industry and Labor Adjustment Program (MILAP) and Environment 2000. But she says these are mostly temporary positions, and employees would probably “earn a lot less” than they're used to. Long periods of unemployment can indirectly lead to psychological problems, says director Ron Cameron of the Trail Mental Health Centre — which covers the Central Kootenay including Of8tlegar and Grand Forks. According to its annual report, the centre received 736 referrals last year. Cameron says roughly one-third of these originate from Castlegar — and 20 per cent of the patients have problems related to being unemployed. This is up from five years ago, when only about five per cent of all referrals would be related to unemployment, said Cameron. He said people who lose their jobs are initially “fairly optimistic they are going to be re-employed at some point. That gradually turns to frustration, and depres. sion.” As the period of joblessness stretches on, people Cameron said the unemployed become de; and even suicidal partly because of society's heavy emphasis on the importance of working, and the feeling that “if you can’t find a job, it's your own fault.” Those whose self-image is closely intertwined with their work are more likely to suffer adverse psychological effects from losing their jobs, he said. These can include self-destructive behavior such as alcohol and drug abuse. An effective way to deal with depression is from unemployment — and the resulting problems, and loss of drive arid appetite — said Cameron. He suggests volunteer, phy: community recreation activities, adding that “doing is one of the major means of combatting depression.” Embree and Irving agree. About 90 members of the Castlegar local annually take specialized carpentry courses to upgrade their skills such as using laser beams and the use of steel studs, said Embree. And the Castlegar Unemployed Action Centre and its wholesale grocery store has about 50 volunteers; 20 of whom are regularly involved in the day-to-day routine at the centre. “The work at the centre has made an important difference in the lives of the people that work there,” Irving said. But Irving concedes that there's only one real solution to the problem of being unemployed — finding a job “I really can't find words to express how I feel about the circumstances these people find themselves in,” he said. “It's bloody appalling. Grades 1 to 12, as well as learning assistance classes. However, Helfer’s plight is compounded by the fact that she has relatively little experience; just filling in as a substitute teacher and tutor while helping raise her two children, ages three and six. And, since becoming separated last July, Helfer is a single mother. Helfer has been on welfare since July. Attempts to gain employment by placing advertisements for tutoring and placing her name with the Castlegar school board as a substitute teacher have come to nothing. She says she'd consider working in permanent part-time teaching position but “there's a lot of unemployed teachers right now with a lot more seniority and experience than I have.” A single mother looking for work carries the added burden of being responsible for children, says Helfer Following her separation, the psychological stress on her two sons “totally magnified” her failure to find work. Her youngest child went through a stage of crying whenever Helfer left the room “In some’ ways, I think it's worse to be a single mother than a family who's unemployed,” Helfer said. “If there's just one person, all these things that happen there's no back up.” Helfer receives $719 a month on welfare. She says it means her children miss out on things. “It's hard on the children. Thinks like swimming lessons, hockey, jittie league or whatever you call it. They become deprived children.” Clothes are purchased at second-hand markets, and garage sales. Helfer now runs a 1972 Datsun, but hopes it doesn't break down, because she can’t afford repairs. She's schooling her eldest son at home, but can't afford to pay a $20 annual fee charged by the Castlegar library for out-of-town users to borrow books for him. So Helfer makes do with books at home. Two days a week, Helfer does volunteer work in the job referral section of Castlegar's Unemployed Action Centre. She says thetime away from her house is important “If I wasn't able to come out here and do volunteer work here, if I was cooped up at home all the time, it would be much worse for (the children) and for me,” said Helfer. “And unfortunately, many single mothers are stuck at home with their kids 24 hours a day.” Helfer puts some of the time she spends at home to use writing fiction. She says she's completed a romance novel which went to New York publishers Simon and Schuster six months ago. “So I'm hopeful.” But Helfer’s not so hopeful about her chances of finding work. “I think it will be another four or five years until the baby boom gets in the elementary schools, and the government catches up to the fact that they need more teachers.” So Helfer continues to look after her children and help out at the job action centre, while Kavaloff takes long walks every day, and continues his job search. But as time goes by within a job, Kavaloff says his perception of himself is changing — for the worse. “Tm starting to lose even my self-confidence,” he said. “A person thinks, jeez, if I go back to work, will I be able to perform my job the way I used to?”