The Westcoast Reader is a newspaper for adults who are improving their English reading skills. The newspaper is published from September to June by Capilano University with assistance from the B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education and Pacific Newspaper Group, publishers of The Province and The Vancouver Sun. Material is copyrighted.
For inquiries about student submissions or subscriptions to our print edition: wcreader@capilanou.ca
Mailing address: The Westcoast Reader, Capilano University, 2055 Purcell Way, North Vancouver, BC V7J 3H5
Phone: (604) 984-1756
History
The Westcoast Reader (The WCR) is an award-winning newspaper, born over 30 years ago to serve the needs of adults who are not fluent in English. The Ministry of Advanced Education considers the newspaper to be an introduction to Canadian daily newspapers, as well as an orientation for immigrants to aspects of Canadian life and culture.
Today
Each month the editor adapts local, national and international news stories from The Vancouver Sun and The Province for inclusion in The WCR. The editor, Nila Gopaul, also writes her own content for special feature articles.
Click here and read about us in The Vancouver Courier.
Click here and read about us in the ELSA Newsletter (series on “Teaching with Technology”).
Click here and read the Exemplary Literacy Materials Online (ELMO) review of The WCR.
Click here and read about us in The Capilano Newsroom
Click here and read about us in The Squamish Chief.
Our friends
The Vancouver Sun, The Province, The North Shore News, The Vancouver Courier,
The Georgia Straight, and The Westender
The WCR also has contributing writers who are developing content each week for The WCR’s new online community, which includes a blog and social media such as Twitter and Facebook.
The publication serves over 300 communities in British Columbia, and it has a growing readership of 125,000 and counting. Readers (instructors and learners) of all ages and backgrounds recently surveyed include, but are not limited to, the following categories: ESL and Literacy groups; First Nations learners; elementary and secondary school students; multicultural senior groups; inmates in prison; adults with disabilities such as autism; and patients with strokes and brain injuries.
Here’s what some other people are saying:
“I just received the April issue of The Westcoast Reader and I felt compelled to congratulate you on the great job. The range of topics is terrific – there is something of interest to everyone. The articles are so nicely presented and the topics are great springboards for classroom discussion or projects. As well as being useful in the classroom, the presentation and information makes the paper appealing to the individual learner. People who come into my office like to pick them up and they often ask specifically if I will copy the Teacher’s Notes for them as they like to do the tasks!
Thanks for the great work. This should be available to a wider audience of learners – like those in other provinces who don’t have a resource like this.”
Outreach Settlement Worker
“Just wanted to drop you a note to say what a great job you are doing with The Westcoast Reader….I think you have made the paper more useful and more relevant. Great job, just wanted to let you know I’ve noticed….I can see the dedication you apply to The Westcoast Reader and it shows in every issue. You’re doing wonderfully at that role.” Managing Editor of The North Shore News
“It would be great if teachers could direct students to your site to download a full PDF of the publication for at-home reading. Sometimes teachers are unwilling to part with their class copies for fear that they might not come back! (The extras on your site are a nice bonus – videos, audio and related links.)” Coordinator of Library & Information Services, Richmond School District
“….I was curious as to how the new Westcoast Reader would measure up to past issues and their content. Indeed, these new issues are full of a variety of content that appeal to a broad and varied audience. The graphic art and photographic content is part of the visual hook that would draw readers in quickly and with great curiosity. I found these first three issues (September, October and November) refreshing, bold and reflective of the interests that surround young people in their regular lives today.
The choice of articles captured my own interest easily and translates well to the interests of adults and students who have not always found that print engages them. These are students whose own language may differ greatly from the expected norm and/or whose school experiences with literacy may have carried negative overtones. The Westcoast Reader offers an opportunity to capture these students’ imagination and could well be the connection to a broader interest for increased literacy….”
Peg Klesner, Past Consultant for the Native Education Branch, B.C. Ministry of Education and Author of Language Arts for Native Students
“This newspaper for adult learners is awesome. It is visually appealing: colour photos, traditional newspaper format, unintimidating short articles in large print, lots of white space, and attractive graphics. As a librarian, I recommend it to adult learners (especially ESL) and tutors all the time and I see many customers picking up copies to take home. (The Westcoast Reader is distributed freely to libraries.)
It’s wonderful to have a resource that is relevant to people in BC with articles about current events, entertainment, and items of general interest (safety, feature stories, and helpful hints for everyday life).
I always look forward to a new issue because I read it from front to back myself!”
ELMO Review, Literacy B.C.