Yellowknife (Sep 01/06) - When Novlet Arzumanyan arrived in Canada from his native Armenia in 2000, he could barely speak English.

Not speaking English prevented him from doing everything from shopping to seeing the doctor.

"It was quite an ordeal to even buy shoes," he said last week in Yellowknife.

"I vowed to myself to learn two English words every day for six months. I did that and spoke English as much as I could to practice all the time."

Now, a new program from the non-profit Centre for Northern Families is making it easier for non-English speaking immigrants to make the transition in Yellowknife.

The program, hosted in a space above the Taste of Saigon, a downtown restaurant, now offers more English as a second language classes.

"It is so important to know English," said Ana Perdomo, a immigrant support worker at the Centre for Northern Families.

"They need it to do everything, from working, going to the doctor, shopping at the store, everything."

One of the biggest difficulties for new immigrants is knowing where to go for English training, according to Perdomo.

Arzumanyan found out about the class when he was trying to buy a pair of shoes at Wal-mart.

"I couldn't speak English," Arzumanyan said. "It was quite difficult to do even that." Perdomo, who was then working there, helped him out.

According to Perdomo, the year-long classes have been running for about one year.

There are 38 to 40 students who come in the fall, winter and spring.

The class has been running three times a week, on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

"This fall we are now offering them five days a week, morning, noon, and evening," Perdomo said.

They are also opening an employment centre for immigrants, from Monday to Thursday, and on Saturday.

Perdomo said the centre can can host computer classes.

Organizers also want to make sure immigrants can travel to and from the programs safely.

"We will pay for the cab or pick them up in our van," Perdomo said. "We don't want them walking in the cold. We will also provide immigrant daycare for them for free while they attend class."

Perdomo also said that she expects enrolment to grow this year, as people bring their families and friends to the program.