Yes, as long as you have been an employee for over a year or more to date.

Call the issuing party and ask if they have been cashed. If not you can

The best Canadian saving bonds to purchase would the Canada Premium Bonds. They are only cashable during a period of 30 days, starting at the anniversary of the issue date.

The Bank of England advises -

All Bank of England notes from which legal tender status has been withdrawn remain payable at face value forever at the Bank of England in London. Any such notes may be presented for payment either in person during business hours, or sent to us by post.

In the UK dole was a term used for social security payments for the unemployed.
The recipients had to physically visit the social security office and "sign on" weekly or fortnightly.
This was intended to show the recipient was not working, available for work and actively searching.
In those days many people did not have a bank account so a post office cashable cheque, called a Giro, was posted to the appropriate address.