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June 2017 XLIX:vi

The Icelandic Canadian Club of British Columbia

N E W S L E T T E R

Scandinavian Midsummer Festival, June 17 & 18, Saturday & Sunday 6540 Thomas Street, Burnaby, BC, V5B 4P9

scandinavianmidsummerfestival.com/

Thousands of people visit the Scandinavian Community Centre every year to celebrate the traditions and festivities of Scandinavian Midsummer. This will be the 22nd time a Midsummer Festival is organized, with fun-filled activities, living history and non-stop entertainment for the whole family.

Among the activities at the Midsummer Festival are two almost full days of live music with a number of individual artists, groups and choirs. There will be performances by the Scandinavian Dancers and the Vikings in the Viking Village, including songs, games and a real Viking raid – beware of the Norse! At the Midsummer Marketplace, you find over 50 vendors with shopping kiosks with lots of exciting products and crafts. There will be cultural displays, kids’ activities, a troll forest, carnival games and a vintage Volvo car show by the Volvo Club of B.C.

Friday evening, June 16 - Midsummer Night Bash – DJs , 8 p.m. for the young adult crowd, 19+. Saturday, June 17 - Paavo Nurmi Run, early Saturday morning, 9 a.m. —3K, 5K, 10K. Course follows the trails of Burnaby Lake Park. https://www.events.runningroom.com/site/?raceId=13971 Saturday, June 17 –Bonfire Dance, Family Festival, 6 p.m. to 11p.m.

For the Midsummer beginner – there are two very popular events during the festival that you may not want to miss! The raising of the Midsummer Pole with dancing around, takes place on Saturday afternoon. The popular and crazy Finnish Wife Carrying contest takes place on Sunday.

Festival Day Pass $10; Free admission for kids under 16; Free parking all weekend

Iceland’s Independence Day, June 17th

, is on the same day as the Scandinavian Midsummer Festival (noted above). So the club would like to invite all Icelanders to come early and enjoy the festivities, visit the Icelandic tent, and stay later for our private get-together. We have a cake and when it gets dark, there will be a huge bonfire.

UPDATE OPENING OF THE TIME CAPSULE Oakridge Lutheran Church, 585 West 41

st Avenue, Vancouver, BC, May 28, 2017

Demolition begins in Fall 2017 and our beautiful old church will be gone. The Icelandic community built it in 1953, much of it with their own labor and the Time Capsule was put there at that time. The present building no longer serves the needs of the congregation. It will be replaced by a six- storey building housing the church on the second floor. A model of the new building is in the foyer of the church. Everyone was welcomed at the Opening of the Time Capsule. Found was an itemized list of contents and amongst the items was one Lögberg and one Heimskringa newspaper, a Vancouver Sun (with full page Eaton’s advertisement), a photo of Pastor Brynjolfsson and the first confirmation class in the new church, a Lutheran magazine, two Service bulletins, and a list of names of the Board of Directors at the time. Contact Inga Henrikson for info: 604-594-1153.

2 June 2017

A news story, out of Seattle

This news story caught the attention of one of our readers, Jón Foster. It seems Fridrik Guðmundsson, visiting from Iceland 20 years ago, was tracing his genealogy at the Nordic Heritage Museum in Ballard (Seattle suburb), Washington. The display that drew the attention of the journalist was of Jakob Bjarnason. Later, Guðmundson was surprised to learn that Jakob Bjarnason was a great-grand uncle. Guðmundsson wrote an article in the Nordic Heritage Museum magazine that caught the eye of local historians, who found Bjarnason’s temporary grave marker at Evergreen Washelli Cemetery.

From his obituary:

Jakob Bjarnason, affectionately known as "Big Jake", was born in Iceland in 1864, he immigrated to the United States in 1890 and, by 1901, found himself in Seattle. He joined the Seattle Police Force shortly after. Standing at over seven feet tall and 264 pounds, he was a man to be reckoned with. However, he was mostly known for his good nature and friendly demeanor. Outside of his job, Jakob helped to raise the daughter of his youngest sister Grace, who, in 1904, had also immigrated to Seattle. After a life of service to the Ballard community and his continued participation in the Icelandic-American community, Jakob passed away in 1927 from heart failure at the age of 53. He was buried at Evergreen

Washelli with a large funeral attended by two-thousand people.

His grave, however, was never memorialized with a permanent marker. Guðmundsson said Jakob’s sister was the only one around in 1927 and could not afford a headstone.

On May 10, 2017, Jakob’s birthday, relatives gathered at the cemetery to unveil a permanent marker to honor a man who spent his life giving to his community. Family and police officers were in attendance. The celebration brought distant family members together for the first time. Daniel Bell, one of Big Jake’s grand-nephews from another sibling, drove in from Beaverton, Oregon. Bell said he had no idea he was related until he got a call from the state archive, who alerted him to the memorial.

“By all accounts, Jakob was 7'3"-7'4",” said Officer Jim Ritter, who heads up the Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum, nearly 300 pounds and had a great personality. We heard he didn't carry a gun to work because he didn't need to. … The department's tallest officer patrolled the streets of Ballard in the early 20th century. Seattle Police Officer Jakob Bjarnason's life was a story about service, size, and stature within a community who loved him.”

Guðmundsson said; “That’s why we are here – Celebrating his life and putting him to rest the proper way.” With a reputation and size that preceded him, the Gentle Giant is memorialized in Ballard's Nordic Heritage Museum.

The convention was a huge success. There were between 200 & 250 who registered for the convention and between 350 & 400 people who attended the Dinner/Dance on Saturday evening.

One of the highlights was the bus trip to the area where the original 1,500 Icelanders settled. The tour group visited several churches, had an Icelandic lunch at a community hall while they were serenaded by an accordion player. They also stopped at a store run by a woman who is 85—the store sold a great many things, had a train running near the ceiling and was spotless. Very friendly people greeted them everywhere.

Those who represented our BC Club were: Marilyne Anderson, Wade Anderson, Kristjana Einarsdóttir, Peggy Friðriksdóttir. Jana and Oðinn Helgason, Gail Hnatiuk. Gail and Wade are missing from the picture.

Marilyne, Oðinn, Jana, Peggy, Kristjana

The Blaine Icelandic Picnic at Peace Arch Park takes place Sunday, July 30, 2017 1– 4 pm., U.S.

side. You can park on the Canadian side and walk through Peace Arch Park. Families find the picnic to be a great way to create an impromptu family reunion as well as spend an afternoon with other Icelandic descendants. You are invited to bring your picnic lunch (and tablecloths) and join in the fun. Cake is provided, a group photo is taken, and the weather is always beautiful at this time of year.

Icelandic National League of North America Convention May 4-7, 2017, Grand Forks, North Dakota

3 June 2017

Nina Guðrún Svavarsdóttir Tryggvason Jobin was born at Ísafjörður daughter of Sveinbjörg Guðríður Magnúsína Haraldsdóttir and Svavar Tryggvason. Nina grew up in Reykjavík and spent her summers at Hnappavellir in Öræfasveit. In 1953 Nina moved to Nova Scotia with her family. Nina’s siblings included Haraldur Gústaf, Svavar, Bjarni, Ólöf and Gunnar. All of them born in Iceland except Gunnar who was born later, in Vancouver. In 1955, Svavar got work in Kitimat, BC at the Alcan aluminum plant. The family lived there for 4 years before moving to the Vancouver area where Svavar, a ship’s master, could return to fishing which he loved. Nina took her Bachelor’s of Science in nursing at UBC and joined the registered nursing program at Victoria’s Royal Jubilee Hospital. Graduating as an RN, Nina worked as a nurse in several locations including Edmonton, Toronto and in Richmond, BC. Nina married Kenneth Jobin in 1961. They lived in Edmonton where Ken was a member of the Canadian Armed Forces. Nina and Ken have three children - Joseph, Valerie Anna and Svava Kristín. Returning to the Vancouver area as a single parent Nina brought up her three children while working full time as a nurse. Balancing work, three kids, all their diverse activities Nina managed to be involved with the Icelandic community. As a young woman, she sat on the ICCBC board which in those days was a male dominated board that only operated in Icelandic. In her years with ICCBC she has served as president, secretary, newsletter editor/publisher, and marketing director among other roles. During this time, Nina also returned to university to obtain her Master’s degree in Nursing. Nina is very interested in textiles and textile crafts. She studied Japanese doll making for many years under the tutelage of a prominent member of the Steveston BC Japanese community. She has made many delicate and intricate dolls over the years. She is also a dedicated quilter belonging to a Richmond quilting group and other textile organizations. Being an expert sewer, Nina has offered her talents in making Upphlútur Icelandic dress for our club

princesses’ (our youth ambassadors). One of her desires is to take a course in Iceland to learn to make a faldbúning dress. Using her talents as a seamstress, Nina has made two specialized tool pouches headed for the Space Station. Unfortunately, the first was destroy in the 2015 supply rocket explosion requiring a second to be made. These were made at the request of her brother Bjarni for an experiment conducted on the Space Station. For the past several years, Nina has been part of the scholarship committee and currently heads that committee. She is also working on the club library and the updating of the cataloguing. She attends to the Iceland Room every Tuesday, cleaning and doing whatever needs to be done that week. In addition, Nina sits on the board of Höfn Icelandic Harbour in Vancouver. Nina is a part of the backbone of the ICCBC. She is there for every type of event, preparing displays, selling tickets, applying for licenses, setting up for events, baking, organizing, and cleaning up. She has helped with translation and essentially anything else the club needs to do. Nina is a very supportive Amma, always there for her grandchildren. She also loves to travel. She has been back to Iceland many times, travelled throughout Europe, Asia and parts of South America. A typical Icelander, she is an avid reader. We thank Nina for her 50 years of dedication to her

heritage and to the Icelandic community.

Scandinavian Midsummer Festival Lottery 2017—Win $3,000 cash OR 5 prizes of $500 To be drawn June, 18, 2017, onstage at the Festival.

This lottery helps support the ongoing expenses of the Scandinavian Centre of which we are a part, and also

responsible. How about buying a book of 10 tickets for $20. You will help the club greatly.

Since we cannot send you a book of tickets in the hopes that you will buy one—government regulations —this is

how you do it: Go online to: http://www.icelandicclubbc.ca/midsummer_ticket_order.html

Or, send us a cheque to: Icelandic Canadian Club of BC, 6540 Thomas St., Burnaby, BC V5B 4P9 We will either scan your ticket stubs and email them to you or mail them to you. For additional information, contact Norm Eyford at: neyford@dccnet.com or 604-588-1893.

Three of our members were Recipients of the HONORARY LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP AWARD at the

Icelandic National League Convention, Grand Forks, North Dakota, May 6, 2017: Nina Jobin, Jana & Oðinn

Helgason. This honor is given to those who have provided exceptional service to the Icelandic community.

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COMING EVENTS June 17-18 (Sat\Sun) Scandinavian Midsummer Festival 6540 Thomas St., Burnaby June 17 Iceland`s Independence Day, to be celebrated at the Midsummer Festival

June 2017

Kristjana (Jana) & Oðinn Helgason, recipients of

the INL Lifetime Membership Award, arrived in Vancouver, from Iceland, in 1985 with their three children, Óðinn Freyr, Elizabet and Dagny, who was four months old at the time. The intention was for Óðinn to begin an apprenticeship as an electrician, which he did in 1986.

Óðinn is the son of Helgi Helgason and Merle Helgason and he was born in Vancouver, BC. Óðinn’s father had immigrated to Canada at 17 where he met Merle Frose, who sang in local community halls. Óðinn has two brothers and two sisters, all born in Canada. The family moved back and forth between Iceland and Canada as Óðinn grew up. When he was 16, in Iceland, he met Jana.

Jana is the daughter of Jón Björnsson and Beta Hannesdóttir, and was brought up in Reykjavík. She has four brothers and four sisters. After graduating, Jana attended commercial college in Reykjavík. Jana and Óðinn have their own business called Franklin Coatings. This is a company that provides specialized maintenance to dry kilns and roofing to saw mills throughout Western Canada. This involves a great deal of travel and long periods away from home.

Within weeks of moving to the Greater Vancouver area, Óðinn was asked to join the Board of the Icelandic Canadian Club of BC and he said ‘yes.’ After a few months, he found he was too busy studying and working so Jana took over. This was 1986 and Jana has been on the Board ever since.

In 1990, the Icelandic club decided to purchase a large older home in New Westminster as its headquarters. The older home required extensive upgrading including re-wiring, plumbing and much more. Jana and Óðinn were heavily involved with the upgrade; Óðinn re-wired a large portion of the house.

Iceland House worked well for some time but it became a very heavy work load for a few so the decision was made to sell Iceland House after 20 years as the club’s headquarters. Jana was president at this time, 2009-2013, and was highly involved in the sale and the negotiating committee when the decision was made to buy into the Scandinavian Cultural Centre. The room we received for our Club in the Centre had been a sports locker room and was in disastrous condition. Óðinn brought in his whole crew, re-wired the ceiling (and more), installed pot lights, and their son Óðinn Freyr painted.

In 1996, Jana began her involvement with the Children’s Christmas Party by buying and wrapping the presents. Now, the family basically runs the event. Their kids operate the kitchen; Jana continues to buy

the gifts and wrap them and Óðinn is our outstanding Santa. In addition, Jana, for years, has worked at the Christmas Bake Sale, and Óðinn helps in the kitchen plus the set-up. Jana and Óðinn plus their children regularly bake 2,400 kleinur for sale and Jana, of course, bakes for every event the club has.

Jana & Óðinn have participated in so many club cultural activities and the following are a few:

Scandinavian Midsummer Festival – a two day event which includes displays, food, games, etc.;

June 17th, Independence Day celebrations - for

many years were held in their back yard;

Thorrablot – participating in many aspects;

Oðinn has helped with MC duties at various events for the club;

They have hosted many dignitaries, receiving people from Iceland and providing accommodation;

Jana has frequently been a tour guide for Icelandic tour groups;

Jana has been one of our representatives at the Icelandic National League convention;

Jana has been a teacher at Cooking classes and Knitting classes;

She was an Icelandic translator for Scandinavian radio broadcasts in the 1990s in Vancouver;

An Icelandic choir, led by Óðinn, was in existence for about four years and both were members;

Óðinn taught Language Classes for four years; Jana was the Principal;

Both their girls have been Icelandic princesses.

We would like to thank Jana and Óðinn and family for their enthusiasm and commitment to our Icelandic culture and to the Icelandic Canadian Club of BC.

5 June 2017

Is this the end of the Icelandic tongue? Daily Mail & Associated Press, 23 April 2017

Experts believe the language only spoken by 400,000 people may be at risk because computers and robots can't understand it Linguistic experts believe the Icelandic language spoken by 400,000 may be at risk: The language is being undermined by widespread use of English for tourism; Experts also say many new computer devices are designed to recognize English but they do not understand Icelandic; Icelandic ranks among the weakest and least-supported language in terms of digital technology - along with Irish Gaelic, Latvian, Maltese and Lithuanian.

It would cost an estimated 1 billion Icelandic krona, or $8.8 million, for seed funding toward helping tech developers adapt Icelandic as a language option.

Linguistics experts, studying the future of the Icelandic language, which is spoken by fewer than 400,000 people in an increasingly globalized world, wonder if this is the beginning of the end for the Icelandic tongue.

When an Icelander arrives at an office building and sees 'Solarfri' posted, they need no further explanation for the empty premises: The word means 'when staff get an unexpected afternoon off to enjoy good weather.' ‘Hundslappadrifa’, for example, means 'heavy snowfall with large flakes occurring in calm wind'.

But the revered Icelandic language, seen by many as a source of identity and pride, is being undermined by the widespread use of English, both for mass tourism and in the voice-controlled artificial intelligence devices coming into vogue.

Former President Vigdis Finnbogadottir told the Associated Press that Iceland must take steps to protect its language. She is particularly concerned that programs be developed so the language can be easily used in digital technology. 'Otherwise, Icelandic will end in the Latin bin,' she warned.

The problem is compounded because many new computer devices are designed to recognize English but they do not understand Icelandic.

'Not being able to speak Icelandic to voice-activated fridges, interactive robots and similar devices would be yet another lost field,' said Asgeir Jonsson, an economics professor at the University of Iceland.

The people of the rugged North Atlantic island settled by Norsemen some 1,100 years ago have a unique dialect of Old Norse that has adapted to life at the edge of the Arctic. Jonsson said without a unique language Iceland could experience a brain drain, particularly among certain professions.

'A British town with a population the size of Iceland has far fewer scientists and artists, for example,' Jonsson said. 'They've simply moved to the metropolis.'

Iceland's Ministry of Education estimates about 1 billion Icelandic krona, or $8.8 million, is needed for seed funding for an open-access database to help tech developers adapt Icelandic as a language option.

Teachers are already sensing a change among students in the scope of their Icelandic vocabulary and reading comprehension.

Anna Jonsdottir, a teaching consultant, said she often hears teenagers speak English among themselves when she visits schools in Reykjavik, the capital.

She said 15-year-old students are no longer assigned a volume from the Sagas of Icelanders, the medieval literature chronicling the early settlers of Iceland. Icelanders have long prided themselves of being able to fluently read the epic tales originally penned on calfskin.

Most high schools are also waiting until senior year to read author Halldor Laxness, the 1955 winner of the Nobel Prize in literature, who rests in a small cemetery near his farm in West Iceland.

A number of factors combine to make the future of the Icelandic language uncertain.

Tourism has exploded in recent years, becoming the country's single biggest employer, and analysts at Arion Bank say one in two new jobs is being filled by foreign labor.

That is increasing the use of English as a universal communicator and diminishing the role of Icelandic, experts say.

'The less useful Icelandic becomes in people's daily life, the closer we as a nation get to the threshold of giving up its use,' said Eirikur Rognvaldsson, a language professor at the University of Iceland.

He has embarked on a three-year study of 5,000 people that will be the largest inquiry ever into the use of the language.

'Preliminary studies suggest children at their first-language acquisition are increasingly not exposed to enough Icelandic to foster a strong base for later years,' he said.

Concerns for the Icelandic language are by no means new. In the 19th century, when its vocabulary and syntax were heavily influenced by Danish, independence movements fought to revive Icelandic as the common tongue, central to the claim that Icelanders were a nation.

Since Iceland became fully independent from Denmark in 1944, its presidents have long championed the need to protect the language.

Svandis Svavarsdottir, a member of Iceland's parliament for the Left-Green Movement, said the government should not be weighing costs when the nation's cultural heritage is at stake.

'If we wait, it may already be too late,' she said.

6 June 2017

Maple Leaf Forever Ellinor Thun Ueland—White Rock, Canada Day, 1992.

Dark and dreary November days in 1944. There we were, huddled together on the dock in Liverpool, England, bound for Halifax: 300 war brides and as many children, born to Canadian servicemen overseas. There were also many sick and disabled troops returning home, for whom the war was over; as well as some VIPs on different war missions, doctors, nurses and the unfailing Red Cross; as well as tireless seamen, who daily took their chances with the sea and the enemy. We feared what lay ahead, as much as the horrors left behind.

The boarding was fast and efficient. We were all told not to ask any questions and to do as we were asked. After six years of war service, we all knew how to follow orders. Not until we were all on board and tucked away each in our allotted place did we learn the name of our ship: the luxury liner “Andes”. As if it mattered, we just hoped Lady Luck sailed with us through the mine belts and far away from U-Boats.

Our ship was fast and we did not go in convoy. Once past Ireland we ran into heavy seas which was, after all, usual for that time of year. We were all dead beat, but with the best care from the Red Cross; the little ones settled down with a good supply of baby food and diapers. “Ages ago when the war started,” we would say, “Oh it can’t last long,”— but it did.

The ocean now seemed as endless as the war. One night we were all ordered on deck. There were U-Boats about. We never undressed at night and had our life-belts with our red signal lights close at hand. This was a terrifying experience. The ship was like a nutshell in the vast sea; babies screaming and the poor mothers at their wits end. Someone started singing a hymn and praying was heard. Those of us who had no children helped with the troops, many of whom were blind. By a miracle we made it.

This was the only night we were on deck, and there was plenty of time for many of us to think back on “the meat pots of Egypt.” Then one evening we heard the cry: “I see Halifax!” In no time we were gathered 'round the railings, and there it was — Halifax, all lit up. After all the years of black-out it was like a gateway to Heaven; we

had reached our promised land.

The next day was very hectic. A band was playing on the pier where fresh troops were waiting to board the ship for England. To the music of “Oh Canada”, our new national anthem, we were welcomed to our new land. It was with strange feelings that “terra firma” was felt under our feet! This was one voyage, many took place. By the end of December 1946, 47,783 war brides and 21,950 children had arrived in Canada. Those children, those new Canadians — each of them replacing someone lost in the war. They would grow up in their new land and be proud of it. In due time they would take up their duties as citizens. Maybe sometimes they would say: “I am a Canadian because my Dad went to war.”

As for the many war brides, most of us had a good and safe life under “the blue Canadian sky.” At that time in history, the words in the Old Testament meant something very special to us: “You shall lie down to sleep with no one to terrify you.” For me, it was never a question of going back. Truly it has been the “Maple Leaf Forever.”

——— Ellinor`s story is relevant to our Canada Day Celebrations and is an early example of a WWII emigrant coming to Canada as a War Bride, who grew to love Canada as her new homeland.

She was born and raised in Norway, spent WWII in Britain and worked at painting Spitfires and installing their flight instruments. Ellinor married a Canadian soldier while in Britain and then migrated to Canada when the war ended. She wrote the poetry in the award winning book: The ‘White Strand’ with Warren Oddsson, Artist, and Robert Asgeirsson, Editor and Publisher.

Ellinor was a member of the Icelandic group Sólskin and had many Icelandic friends.

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 experimental documentary and animated documentary.

Kyja was a full Bright Scholar to Iceland in 2005 and was a 2007 Bush Artist Fellow. She has been awarded resident artist fellowships from the Cooperation of Yaddo (NY), 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

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Iceland to Set Up Rainy Day Fund Iceland’s Minister of Finance, Benedikt Jóhannesson has decided the State wil l not sell the Landsvirk jun nat ional energy company, as his predecessor had arranged. Instead, future dividends from shares in the national power company will be put into an emergency back-up fund, which will be set up to help Iceland get over future unexpected setbacks. Other examples of such private/public companies include the Icelandic postal service and Isavia, which runs the country’s airports. Benedikt said that the current Government places emphasis on treating Iceland’s natural resources with respect. “The Government is retracting from the tactic that the country’s energy resources should be used first-and-foremost to attract heavy industry and should instead increase diversity in the economy, foster positive conditions for green business activities and development o f en v i r onm en ta l l y f r i end l y technologies, production and green transportation.”

New Icelandic Thriller Premieres A new Icelandic film, Ég man þig (I Remember You), based on the chilling thriller of the same name by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, will premiere in Icelandic movie theaters in May. The book first came out in Iceland in 2010, and an English translation by Philip Roughton was published in the UK two years later, under the title I Remember You: A Ghost Story. According to RÚV, few books are likely to have kept as many Icelanders awake at night as this novel, which sold close to 30,000 copies in Iceland. The film is in Icelandic without subtitles.

Record Number of Cruise Ships A record number of cruise ships are expected in Reykjavík this summer, according to Túristi. On the 14th of May, the Celebrity Eclipse will arrive in Sundahöfn harbor with close to 3,000 passengers onboard. This marks the beginning of a five-month

long cruise ship season. No less than 155 of them are expected this summer, exceeding last year’s record number of 113. That year, the ships brought 99,000 passengers to Iceland, while this year, the passengers are expected to be 129,000. By comparison, roughly 2.2 million passengers are expected to travel to Iceland by air this year.

Home-Ownership on Decline in Iceland A new poll conducted by the H o u s i n g F i n an c i ng F u n d (Íbúðalánasjóður) suggests that the number of homeowners in Iceland is rapidly decreasing. Since December of 2008, their number appears to be down by more than 10%. At that time, 77.6% of respondents stated they owned the home they lived in. That ratio was 73.2%in October of 2013, and down to 70.1% this year. People appear to stress the importance of buying their own housing despite price increases. Still, it’s hard to see how a large part of that group will be able to. A large increase in purchasing power and the increasing savings rate of Icelandic households is not sufficient for people who wish to purchase a home. Despite a record increase of those two factors, it’s nowhere near as high as the increase in real estate prices.

Seabed Geothermal Electric Would be Sold Straight to UK If geothermal power stations on the seabed become a reality in Iceland, the plan is to sell the power straight to Europe through an undersea cable. This direct sale, bypassing Iceland’s terrestrial electricity grid, would generate the best price possible for the electricity without forcing electric prices up in Iceland, it is hoped. North Tech Energy has been granted a research license to explore the seabed for suitable geothermal sites off Reykjanes and North Iceland, from which the company hopes it can generate electricity. Another way to get more money is

to use the electricity generated in the production of hydrogen—as there has already been interest from Japan to buy hydrogen produced in Iceland; so hydrogen is another avenue North Tech Energy will be looking into. Hydrogen is seeing expanded usage options around the world, not only for powering vehicles, but also for powering homes, industry and more, RÚV reports. Landsvirkjun and the authorities in the UK and Iceland are already discussing the creation of the world’s longest undersea power cable, through which Icelandic renewable energy could be sold to Britain and beyond. However, one of the arguments against the cable is the question of how much extra energy Iceland will need to produce in order to make the cable worthwhile—and how many extra geothermal stations and hydro dams will need to blot the fragile landscape. If successful, seabed geothermal could relieve that pressure and allow for extra power generation without spoiling the landscape in Iceland. But is it even realistic to drill for hot water under the sea? Crowds at Costco Opening-May 23 Crowds attended the official opening of US wholesaler Costco this morning in Garðabær, near Reykjavík. The queue at the door was several hundred people long when the doors were opened. Rescue workers were present to help with traffic control, which ran smoothly. This is the first Costco store to open in Iceland, and already some 40,000 membership cards have been sold. Journalist Bjarni Pétur Jónsson was reporting from the scene for RÚV. “It’s packed with people here. The store is very big so it’s not apparent there are so many here. I think it’s reaching close to the thousands in here now,” he reported at 9:30 this morning. Bjarni Pétur spoke to two customers. They were pleased with the prices, especially on cleaning products, and glad that the store had finally come to Iceland.

From Iceland Review Online–May 2017 Compiled by Iceland Review Editorial Staff

June 2017

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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: icc_of_bc@hotmail.com Distribution: Naomi Dyer, Gerri McDonald, Nina Jobin

Membership: Norman Eyford

Website: Icelandic Canadian Club of B.C.

www.icelandicclubbc.org

Email: icc_of_bc@hotmail.com

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

Icelandic Archives of BC at UBC Library - RB&SC

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:

gerrimcdonald@shaw.ca

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

June 2017

Oakridge Lutheran Church 585 West 41st Ave., Vancouver

10 am, Sunday Morning Services

English Joint Services Coffee served every Sunday

Everyone Welcome

SCANDINAVIAN CENTRE Website: www.scandinaviancentre.org (for more details)

E-mail: info@scandinaviancentre.org, Telephone: 604-294-2777

June 4 (Sun) 2 p.m.—Spring Golf Tournament Location: Mylora Golf Course, 9911 Sidaway Rd, Richmond (mylora.ca); Cost: $35 plus Barbecue for $20. Pull carts are free and power carts cost $28. Contact: Scansports@gmail.com

June 9 (Fri) 12 noon—Scandinavian Seniors Lunch, 55+, please call Tor 604-294-0749 or the office.

June 14 (Wed), 6 pm—Scandinavian Business Club’s Email Paul Andreassen at info@sbc-bc.ca. non- members and members are welcomed to all our events! Also visit us at www.sbc-bc

June 16 (Fri) 8 pm to 1am - Ember Skies - Outdoor Electronic Dance Music // Deep Tech House + Bass with 7 Back-to-Back DJs, Scandinavian Community Centre, Tickets $15 only available at the door, 19+ Contact/Info: 604 340‑8186.

June 17/18—Midsummer Festival, 10 a.m.

June 29 (Thurs) 9 a.m.—Partner Contract Bridge Tournament, hosted by Arden Lodge, Sons of Norway. $25 per person, Contact: Vivian or Helen 604 521‑6714.

Icelandic Online Club; email: ioc@inlofna.org

Facebook: www.facebook.com/IcelandicOnlineClub

The club does not publish a newsletter in

July or August, so, SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER

Just for fun. This is a link to find out "Which

Scandinavian country are you." Here's the link:

https://www.quotev.com/quiz/4097710/Scandinavia-

and-the-World-Personality-Test Editor: Don`t believe it though—I tested Swedish.