Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
1
October 2017 XLIX:viii
The Icelandic Canadian Club of British Columbia
N E W S L E T T E R
On October 19, Thursday, from 4pm onward we are gathering people to meet at: Heritage Woods Secondary School, Port Moody, to make vinartertas for the Icelandic Canadian Club Bake
Sale; and on Saturday, October 21 morning, we will put the vinartertas together.
Can those who know how to make vinartertas spare us a couple of hours on either or both days?
Dailene Wood is a Home Ec teacher who has arranged a classroom where we can make as many vinartertas as possible.
It would not be necessary for you to stay the full time.
On the following Saturday morning, October 21, we will put the cookie rounds and the prune filling together.
We are looking for as many people as possible who know how to make vinartertas – no learners. Last year we made 80 vinartertas for the Bake Sale, and that was not enough.
Can you give me names of others who make vinarterta and who can be phoned to ask if they would help?
The Christmas Bake Sale is a fund raiser for the Icelandic Canadian Club of BC. Thank you for any help you can give.
Contact: Margaret Bjarnason Amirault, 604-688-9082, email: [email protected]
124th annual Icelandic Festival of Manitoba. webpage/blog by BCRobin, 2013. http://www.bcrobyn.com/2013/11/icelandic-festival-gimli/
2 October 2017
MAGNUSSON, Gunnar Leslie November 15, 1921 - January 31, 2015
It is with immense sadness we announce the death of Gunnar Leslie Magnusson. Les was a beloved husband and friend to Ginger for 70 years; an adored father to Leslie and Daryl; a cherished Poppa to Starlee, Brody, Shane, and Amber and a proud great-grandpa to Holden. He is survived by his sister Hulda, and many nieces and nephews. Les was predeceased by his parents Sigfus and Ingibjorg; brothers Bonnie, Gus and Stan and his sisters Ella, Nina, and Lena. Les was a proud Icelander who grew up in Saskatchewan. He was known to be a very hard worker on the family's farm, dawn to dusk. All eight Magnusson children were enrolled in the one room Gardar school started by the Icelandic community, which began Les's lifelong love for reading and learning. He loved a good conversation about politics or sports and he had a special affinity for labour issues since growing up during the Depression. At 19, Les joined the Army and was stationed in London. While on leave in Aberdeen he met Ginger. They married in 1944 and returned to Canada, settling in Vancouver. Les worked for the Government of Canada until he retired in 1983. Poppa was an extraordinary grandpa, who always had a joke and a compliment for his grandkids. He was proudest of their educational achievements. He was an animal lover with a special fondness for dogs and birds. Les will always be remembered by his family and friends as a gentleman, known for his great sense of humour, quick wit and generosity.
PASSINGS Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson is a western Icelander
who is making an impact on the modern cinematography world by exploring memory landscape and navigating modes of image making between e x p e r i m e n t a l documentary and a n i m a t e d documentary. Kyja was a Fullbright Scholar to Iceland in 2005 and was a 2007 Bush Artist Fellow. She has been awarded resident artist fellowships f r o m t h e Cooperation of Y a d d o ( N Y ) , Skaftafell (Iceland) and Dejerassi (CA). Kyja is currently the Chair of the School of Media Arts and Design and Professor of film at Minnesota State University, Moorhead. In her film Sveit, Kyja explores memories and stories of her grandfather's experience as a New American in North Dakota, and documents the history of her family's immigration from Hofsós which is on the north coast region of Skagafjörður in Iceland while negotiating the reality of present day Iceland. A non-fiction, avant-doc experience that combines animation and experimental technique, Sveit is a geography of memory and place. https://vimeo.com/36901951
True Nordic: How Scandinavia Influenced Design in Canada October 28, 2017 to January 28, 2018
Vancouver Art Gallery, 750 Hornby Street (at Robson) This ground-breaking exhibition examines the significant influence of Scandinavian craft and industrial design on the development of Canadian culture. Spanning more than seven decades, True Nordic reveals how Scandinavian design was introduced in Canada and how its aesthetics and material forms were adopted, revised and transformed. Featuring a wide array of furniture, textiles, ceramics, glass and metalwork, the exhibition offers a critical survey of Canadian design practices from the 1930s to the present.
On Tuesday nights at the Vancouver Art Gallery, from 5pm until 9pm, entrance is
by donation.
https://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/the_exhibitions/exhibit_truenordic.html
Brothers Dressler
Kjeld Deichmann and Erica Deichmann, Goofus
3 October 2017
The Icelandic Canadian Club of British Columbia is a member of:
The Icelandic National League of North America, http://www.inlofna.org/
There are member chapters in Canada, the USA and Iceland.
To read the INLNA newsletter check out the link on our website at
http://www.icelandicclubbc.ca/newsletters.html
We need two Men with Muscles as Volunteers to help with the cooking of Rúllupylsa.
Rúllupylsa is cooked in huge pots filled with water.
It takes one hour to cook in boiling water and then the rúllupylsa are
removed with a dipper. When reasonable, the water is poured out, the pots
and area are cleaned, and the rúllupylsa are cooled in fridges.
Ási Bjornson will be in charge.
The same or different crew can be used for the next operation the following day for which we also
need volunteers. The rúllupylsa will be cry-vac’d, and frozen.
This will take place in November on one weekday morning at the Scandinavian Centre, 6540 Thomas
Street, Burnaby. This, of course, is for our Bake Sale to be held on December 3rd, Sunday.
Contact: Margaret, 604-688-9082, email: [email protected]
Tuesday Boys
Every Tuesday morning at the Scandinavian Community
Centre located at 6540 Thomas Street, Burnaby, B.C., a
group of men from the five owner Houses meet between
9:30 a.m. and noon to do small repairs to the building, to
set up and take down for events, to cut the grass and to
do general seasonal upkeep around the Centre. At noon,
lunch is served to all who attend. At Christmas there is a
special lunch.
There is no obligation to come every week but many
attend regularly because of the private outdoor setting,
the fellowship of working together and a sense of
contributing to the overall success of the Centre. If this interests you, all you have to do is show up
one Tuesday and give it a try. For additional information, call Norman Eyford at 604-588-1893.
Children’s Icelandic Camp, for one summer week For over 40 years Icelandic Camp has been bringing youth of Icelandic descent together to celebrate their shared heritage. Over eight days the campers are immersed in all things Icelandic, from language lessons to Viking crafts to writing their own saga and the campers start to develop a love of their Icelandic ancestry. Located just two miles north of Gimli, Manitoba, along the banks of beautiful Lake Winnipeg, Icelandic Camp provides a safe place for campers to make new friends, visit with old ones and create memories that will last a life time. Day Camper, 5-8 years; regular camper 8-14 years, counsellor 15-17. Check www.icelandiccamp.com for information and Facebook as well. Call to book an experience of a lifetime: 1-204-485-5455. The kids all seem to love it.
4
COMING EVENTS Oct 14 (Sat) 9 am-1pm Vinarterta Class Scandinavian Centre Oct 19 (Thurs) 4 pm on Vinarterta Baking Bee Heritage Woods Secondary School, Port Moody Oct 21 (Sat) 10 am Vinarterta Baking Bee Heritage Woods Secondary School, Port Moody Dec 3 (Sun) 9 &10 am-12:30 Bake Sale, Hard Fisk Café & Craft Sale Scandinavian Centre Dec 3 (Sun), 2-4 pm Children’s Xmas Party Scandinavian Centre
October 2017
In the Flow Did you ever sit On a rock in the middle of a stream? Find some little island Just big enough to keep you dry Where the water rushes past On all sides? Looking upstream The water bubbles towards you Relentlessly Endlessly Like the days of your life Still to come. And looking downstream It's all water under the bridge The hours and days gone past. Beside you Like moments you can never own The water gurgles past Runs thru your fingers. If you try to hold it You can't. And there you are Living in the midst Of an ever-changing Ever-flowing Gift of life. Lyrics by Lowry Olafson Lowry Olafson is a performing songwriter, professional speaker, and workshop leader whose live appearances are an entertaining mix of humour and heart. Lowry is also a seasoned children’s performer. He has performed for over 80,000 school kids across western Canada as part of his school songwriting program From the Page to the Stage in One Day!
Download his CDs on iTunes and CD Baby. [email protected]
Höfn Commemorative Album By Norman Eyford
At the 70
th Anniversary Annual General Meeting of The
Icelandic Care Home Höfn Society on September 19, 2017, Robert Asgeirsson through the Icelandic Archives of B.C. presented Höfn with a Commemorative Album showing all of
the residents in the first care home on Osler Street in Vancouver. The time period is 1947 to 1961.
Although Robert could not attend the AGM, his presence was felt during the presentation as Past President Brian Bjarnason commented on the detail that had gone into the making of the book. Höfn now has two copies of the book. One is a working copy and the other is the final copy which presents as an exquisite coffee table book. Anyone interested in researching the information contained in the book should contact Norman Eyford by emailing [email protected].
The hours of work needed to complete this book were volunteer hours. The process was a labour of love by many people who were picked by Robert for their particular skills. The many individuals are credited in the book and the Höfn Society thanks them all for their dedicated work.
Curtis Halldorson, photographer
Flags of the Nordic Cross—Scandinavian Centre Countries Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Finland
5 October 2017
The Success of Icelandic Athletes By Johann Pall Ástvaldsson From Iceland Review Iceland is a country that way over performs its small stature on sporting fields all over the globe. The Icelandic sporting tradition has come a long way since the days of glíma, the traditional folk wrestling that is our national sport. Nowadays, Iceland’s sporting achievements are in a number of sporting fields, yet we have still to make a ripple in the Winter Olympics. We have athletes that have competed in the NBA, LPGA and the Champions League yet there are no professional sports leagues. We have a couple of Olympics medals to show for our sporting efforts as we outperform more populous nations. But what lies behind the sporting success of such a small country? How can a nation with a population similar to Coventry in England and Riverside, California, perform so well on the sporting stage? In years past, Iceland focused on sports which other nations often overlooked, such as team handball, which was the main sport in the country for decades. The men’s handball team even managed to get a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, a huge achievement for a relative sporting minnow, as well as a bronze medal in the European Championship in 2010. Times have changed though, as Icelanders have in increasing numbers turned their attention to the so-called ‘big’ sports, such as football and basketball. The Icelandic men’s national team qualified for the second Eurobasket in a row in 2017, the finals for European basketball nations. The focus has recently been on our football teams as the men’s team is the highest ranked Nordic team as this article is written. Iceland is the least populous nation to reach both the men’s and women’s EURO finals. The women have made it to the EUROs three times in a row while the men qualified for the championship for the first time in 2016. The men’s team now aims to claim another record by qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. With each additional success, the athletes in the country have more belief that anything is possible. One of the reasons for these recent sporting achievements is one of the most successful social programs ever in Iceland. In 1998, substance abuse amongst adolescents in Iceland was one of the highest in Europe, and seven years later a complete turnaround had taken place as Iceland was among the lowest countries in this metric. Financial support for families ensured that their children could play organized sports and incentives were put in place to encourage healthy
lifestyle activities. It worked astoundingly well, as the percentage of 15-16-year olds who had gotten drunk within a month before answering the questionnaire
dropped from 42% in 1998 to 5% in 2016. The smoking percentage rates also dropped as they went from 23% to 3% as well as cannabis usage rates dropping from 17% to 7%. The rates for adolescents who actively participated in sports increased from 23% to 42% in the time span. All those children are now the ones who are spearheading Iceland’s sporting success. Iceland has dominated the Games of the Small States of Europe since they were founded in 1985 as the nation leads the gold medal count. The main rival is Cyprus, who have a population more than three times as large as Iceland. Iceland is a country which has also performed well in the Paralympics as Icelandic athletes have dominated the swimming lanes. Kristín Rós Hákonardóttir set 60 world records and 9 Olympic records in her 22-year long career in which she won three Olympic gold medals. A new Icelandic swimming legend was born in 2012 as Jón Margeir Sverrison won a gold medal at the London 2012 Paralympics. The Olympic medal count for Iceland is decent as well, as we have more medals in the Summer Olympics than Saudi Arabia (33 million) and Iraq (38 million). The medal count, four in total, is also the same of nations such as Vietnam (92 million), Peru (31 million), and Ghana (27 million). Although we cannot exactly compare the infrastructure of Iceland to these countries, it is interesting to take a look at what is happening in the country, in sporting terms. Icelandic athletes are now starting to gain success in more niche sports as well. Currently, Icelandic women dominate in Crossfit, as they have won a number of medals in recent years. Annie Thorisdottir was, in fact, world champion for two years running in 2011 and 2012. The Icelandic women’s gymnastics team even became European Champions in both senior and junior versions in 2010 and 2012. Gunnar Nelson, an MMA fighter, has also been attracting some interest due to his fighting prowess. There are a number of factors at play as Iceland is a nation where people delve into their fields of interest. Commute times are,
(Continued on page 6)
6 October 2017
in general, not a factor and the long winters are an ample breeding ground for devoting time to a sport. It is also a blend of resources and scale, as our athletes get individual attention due the fact that coaches are not overwhelmed by the sheer number of athletes. Alongside this, the infrastructure that they need to improve body and mind is often world-class. At the same time there is an individual focus, the team sports foster a real sense of unity and teamwork as the athletes compete alongside each other year after year. There are also ample opportunities for exercise in Iceland as there is a great health infrastructure in the country. Every small town has its own sports hall where athletes can train sports in any weather. A multitude of running, hiking and cycling trails can also be found all over the country. It can also be said with some certainty that Icelanders are workaholics, as the unemployment rate in the country stands at 1% as of July 2017. This is one of the main reasons for why Icelandic athletes are considered hot commodities in a multitude of team sports. The best basketball, handball, and football players that Iceland offers have been plucked by the largest leagues in Europe for the last couple of decades. The stereotypical Icelandic athlete is a
(Continued from page 5 - The Success of Icelandic Athletes) grafter who puts his head down and does not complain. Becoming a p r o f e s s i o n a l abroad has been the dream o f t h e s e athletes, who have had to work hard to achieve their dream. Almost all athletes that are situated in Iceland are only part-time, so they have to m ain ta in a second career to be able to make a decent l i v ing . The professional athletes who have come from Iceland have given everything to reach the pinnacle of their craft.
On December 1, 1918, the Danish–Icelandic Act of Union, was signed by Iceland and Denmark, recognizing Iceland as a fully sovereign state, and established its own flag.
The centennial of this seminal event in Icelandic’s progress towards full independence will be celebrated throughout 2018, in Iceland and in the Icelandic community in North America. Matthew Patton, composer and Curator of the annual Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra New Music Festival has organized an eight day Festival from January 27 – February 3, 2018 which will almost certainly be the greatest homage to Icelandic culture in North America in this centennial year. The Festival will open with the world premiere of a new version for orchestra by Bjork of her piece “Family” from Vulnicura. Violinist Una Sveinbjarnardottir (concertmaster of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra) who has worked with Bjork on many occasions, in her North American premiere with orchestra, will be the featured soloist for this performance. Icelandic piano virtuoso, Jonas Sen, who is also a close collaborator and pianist with Bjork, will perform an intimate concert with composer Philip Glass of Glass' “Complete Piano Etudes”. Philip Glass, widely regarded as the most influential composer of the late 20th and early 21st century will be in Winnipeg to take part in the festival. This is a rare coup as Glass takes part in only a few Festivals each year. Glass' participation will help raise the profile of every artist involved with the Festival and the whole Icelandic element. In addition, Matthew has been working with Carnegie Hall in New York on a new commission where Philip Glass will be presenting a major new world premiere at the Festival which will then be presented at Carnegie Hall. The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra with support from the Icelandic Department at the University of Manitoba,
Arni Thorsteinson and J. Peter Johnson have commissioned Icelandic composer Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson, who is the
Godi of the Pagan movement in Iceland, and an amazing composer, to create a major new forty five minute piece for orchestra and choir, based on the creation of the universe. Within the piece, Hilmar is planning to use actual sounds from deep space which will slowly morph into a type of pre-language with the choir. There will also be a world premiere for choir by two-time Academy Award nominee composer Johann Johannsson. Another world premiere will feature American/Icelandic composer Alex Somers` (and his partner Jonsi of Sigur Ros) project with film director Bill Morrison entitled Dawson City: Frozen Time. The project is based on the incredible story of a cache of 512 reels of forgotten nitrate silent films that were recently discovered after being buried for eighty years in the Canadian North. J. Peter Johnson, of Lögberg-Heimskringla says: “I believe this will be the most important Icelandic event in North America in 2018 and it will be extremely important in raising the profile of our community in Manitoba and North America especially so with the involvement of the international media.”
7
Footballer Gylfi Sold for Record 45 Million Everton have reached an agreement with Swansea to sign Icelandic football player Gylfi Þór Sigurðsson for a club-record fee of GBP 45 million (USD 58 million), The Guardian reports. Negotiations between the two Premier League teams over the player have taken over a month, with Swansea originally valuing the player at GBP 50 million and rejecting several offers from Everton. Gylfi is a midfielder and plays for the Iceland national team. His sale to Everton is subject to a medical check.
Elections Confirmed October 28 Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson made an official visit to President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson on September 18, to formally dissolve the government coalition, RÚV reports. The president confirmed in a press conference following the meeting that elections will be held October 28.
Costco Loves Iceland Steve Pappas, vice president of Costco in Europe, claimed that Costco loves Iceland in a finance summit hosted by Íslandsbanki bank, Vísir reports. "…it has been a success. There were doubters in the company but Iceland has exceeded e v e n t h e m o s t o p t i m i s t i c expectations". Costco does not normally open stores in cities with less than a million inhabitants but P a p p a s s a ys t h a t C o s t c o representatives saw an opportunity in Iceland. Costco has started exporting Icelandic goods such as Icelandic water to the United Kingdom. The regional managers of Costco in Japan have also met with lamb manufacturers in Iceland as they are looking to export high-quality lamb to Japan. Exported 131% More Lamb Consumption of lamb in Iceland in August totalled 723 tonnes, 48% higher than in August of last year,
Morgunblaðið reports. Exports totalled 225 tonnes, 131% higher than in August of last year. Since spring, 800 tonnes of lamb have been exported. Reserves of lamb at the end of August were therefore much lower than expected: 1.124 tonnes. Increased tourist demand is considered one of the reasons behind the rise in domestic consumption of lamb, which was 40% higher than in August of 2015.
Icelanders Expected To Work Longer Than Any European Nation The expected working life in Iceland is 47.4 years, according to Eurostat's latest analysis. Vísir reports. This is approximately twelve years longer than any EU nation can expect to work and five years more than Switzerland. Within the EU, Italians are expected to work the shortest, 31.2 years. That is 16.2 years shorter than Icelanders. In the report, called How many years can people in the EU expect to work?, the expected length of working life increased in nearly all EU Member States between 2006 and 2016, albeit to different extents. Malta saw the highest increase (+5.1 years), followed by Hungary (+4.5 years) and Lithuania (+4.2 years), Poland (+2.7 years), Estonia (+2.6 years) and Austria (+2.4 years). In Cyprus (-0.1 year), Ireland and Portugal (both +0.3 year), it remained nearly the same. The overall increase in the duration of working life across the Member States has generally been driven by the change in the duration of a woman's working life. The length of time a woman could be expected to work rose between 2006 and 2016 in all EU Member States, except for Romania, notably in Malta (+9.0 years), Lithuania (+4.6 years), Spain (+4.4 years), Hungary (+4.2 years), Luxembourg (+3.6 years) and Austria (+3.2 years). In contrast, the duration of working life for men dropped in five Member States: Cyprus (-2.4 years), Greece (-1.4 years), Ireland (-1.1 year),
Spain (-0.8 year), and Portugal (-0.5 year).
Thomas Møller Sentenced To 19 Years For Murdering Birna Greenlander Thomas Møller Olsen has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for the murder of Birna Brjánsdóttir, as well as the attempted smuggling of 20 kg of hashish. The judgment was rendered in the district court of Reykjanes, South Iceland. Olsen will also have to pay Birna's parents approximately 29 million krona ($271,917.49) in legal costs and settlement. It is currently unclear whether the case will be appealed to the Supreme Court. The pena l ty f ramework fo r manslaughter in Iceland is life imprisonment, although sentences almost never surpass 16 years in prison. The smuggling of drugs is punishable by up to 12 years. T h e t w e n t y - ye a r - o l d B i r n a Brjánsdóttir disappeared on Saturday morning, January 14th, after a night out. The case shook the entire Icelandic nation, prompting the most extensive search in Iceland’s history, involving over eight hundred people. Eight days after her disappearance, Birna’s body was found naked on the beach near Selvogsviti lighthouse, on the Reykjanes peninsula in South-West Iceland. The charges laid against Olsen accuse him of having attacked Birna in a red Kio Rio rental car near a pontoon at Hafnarfjörður harbor. He is accused of hitting her repeatedly in the face and head, as well as taking her by the neck and applying strong force, before tossing her into the ocean where she drowned. Foreign Workers Drive Economic Growth Over 24,000 foreigners were in the Icelandic labour market in June and their numbers have increased by 17% over the last 12 months, Fréttablaðið reports. Imported labour has prevented wage drift and driven economic growth forward.
(Continued on page 8)
From Iceland Review Online–September 2017 Compiled by Iceland Review Editorial Staff
October 2017
8
The 8-page newsletter is published at the beginning of each
month, ten months of the year. A newsletter is not printed in
July or August. Material is gratefully received by the 20th of
each month.
Editor & Publisher:
Margrét Bjarnason Amirault, Tel: 604-688-9082
ICCBC Mail: 6540 Thomas Street
Burnaby, BC V5B 4P9 E-mail: [email protected] Distribution: Naomi Dyer, Gerri McDonald, Nina Jobin
Membership: Norman Eyford
Website: Icelandic Canadian Club of B.C.
www.icelandicclubbc.org
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: Facebook.com/icelandicclubbc
Icelandic National League Website: www.inlofna.org
Icelandic Radio (6 stations): www.xnet.is
Morgunblaðið: http://mbl.is
Ströndin Internet Radio: www.inlofna.org/SIR
Honorary Consul General of Iceland for British Columbia,
Glenn Sigurdson, www.glennsigurdson.com
LIBRARY & GENEALOGY Books written by Icelanders in English or translation
are available in the Scandinavian library upstairs.
Books in Icelandic are located in the Iceland Room.
Information regarding the Genealogy Centre can be
obtained from Gerri McDonald, email:
Icelandic Language CDs or Tapes
Get acquainted with the language or brush up on your pronunciation with lessons 1 & 2, each one hour long. Typed lessons are included so that you can learn to read Icelandic
as well. Canadian Orders: CDs, 2 lesson sets $30 CAD/ USD;
tapes are also available. Postage & handling included.
US and Foreign Orders: International money order only.
Send your cheque or money order made out to: Icelandic Canadian Club of B.C.
3776 Arbor Street, Burnaby, BC V5J 1T4 Tel: 604-433-6329
www.inlofna.org/ICCBC/Tape_Lessons.htm
October 2017
Oakridge Lutheran Church is engaging in a major redevelopment.
The new worship space is: Redeemer Lutheran Church,
1499 Laurier Avenue, Vancouver. Sunday worship time 1 pm
email: [email protected]
Pastor Dorothy Chu
SCANDINAVIAN CENTRE Website: www.scandinaviancentre.org (for more details)
E-mail: [email protected], Telephone: 604-294-2777
Oct 5 (Thurs) 9am on—Contact Bridge Tournament, $25 per person, Contact: Vivian or Helen 604 521-6714 Oct 11 (Wed) 6-9 pm—Scandinavian Business Club Presentation by Azza Robji, a peace and social justice activist in Vancouver. Email Paul Andreassen at [email protected]. Also visit us at www.sbc-bc Oct 13 (Fri) 12 noon—Scandinavian Seniors Lunch, 55
+
Tor Olufsen (604) 294-0749 or [email protected]—$3 if
you bring a plate of sandwiches, cakes, cookies to share.
Oct 15 (Sun) 1-3 pm—Kongero in Concert, Traditional Swedish music, $20, Swedish Fika at intermission. Oct 20 (Fri) 6:30 pm—Finlandia Club Singalong, Contact Karina Linder 604 728-6572. Oct 21 (Sat) 6:00 pm—Traditional Fall Dinner instead of Auction, $25, call Solvejg Nielsen 604-549-4923. Oct 22 (Sun), 12 noon-2pm—Curling, Delta Thistle Curling Club, North Delta. $10 pp (includes instruction and equipment rentals). Call Carol Mitchell 604-377-1657; email [email protected] Oct 27 (Fri) 6pm—Norwegian Sterskveld and Silent Auction, $25, children less charge, pork dinner with rommegrot. [email protected], or 604-985-3315. Oct 28 (Sat) 1pm—Genealogy Meeting, contact: Poul Erik Rasmussen, [email protected]
Icelandic Online Club; email: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/IcelandicOnlineClub
Despite the facts that unemployment in Iceland is at a historical low, employment rates have rarely been higher, and that there have never been more foreign nationals working in the country, there is a persistent shortage of labour. The stress on the labour market is peaking and 1,000 more foreign workers will be needed to meet demand.
Katrín Ólafsdóttir, associate professor at Reykjavík University and member of the Monetary Policy Committee at the Central Bank of Iceland, believes “If it had not been for foreign labour we would be in a completely different position. Wage drift and inflation would have begun and we would not have been able to attend to all of the tourists that are here,” she stated. Ingólfur Bender, economist at the Federation of Icelandic Industries, stated that slower growth is what the economy and labour market need in order to avoid overheating. “If you look at the economic indicators which can give us clues as to what the trend will be in the next six months, I expect that we will see the turning point relatively soon, in the next year or the year after, then the unemployment rate will rise again and employment rates decrease. We are reaching the peak,” he stated.
(Continued from page 7 - Iceland Review Online)
