834 10 13233 https://digitalcollections.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/16/2788/1985_Vol_9_No_2.pdf fdf2903b67efe3c9ff80ef2f8aa60234 PDF Text Text Northern W $1.00 Journal AUGUST 1985 VO QP i .1,y, 1 4 k -,, 7777'.!- ";11 - - -- -:__ - -7:-- j---- __ __ :;:-----"---- PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �WELCOME HOME JOAN EDITOR' AL Our readers will be as delighted as we are to know that Joan Baril is back in Thunder Bay. Joan's significant contribution to The Northern Woman is so welcome. We wish to thank those readers who promptly renewed their subscriptions recruited new subscribers and sent donations. The monies thus received have replenished our coffers sufficiently to publish this current issue. Our long-term finances, howgver, are still precarious, so we must re-iterate our appeal. If each of you who read this issue found five new subscribers-the Northern Woman would be financially secure. Please help us keep our journal healthy. . NORTHERN VOICE Seven years later, here I am, a feminist, still living in this small northern, one-industry town. It is called Iroquois Falls and is located north of North Bay, about 300 miles. According to the tourist pamphlets, Iroquois Falls is known as the "garden town of the north". I can't help but grin every time I come across the description. Certainly there are a few gardens around, but they can hardly justify the picturesque description Iroquois Falls was given. So what does a feminist do in a male-dominated town? She tries hard to hold onto her sanity. Mind you, I wasn't always a feminist.. When I first arrived, I was your typical, loving wife, who cooked wonderful dishes and anxiously awaited her husband's return from a far off bush camp. Those were lonely days when I was too shy to meet people and rathered the safety of our small apartment. The love of my life was home rarely and long distance phone calls to my family were frequent. Those calls made me feel I wasn't reaching out and touching someone, rather, I felt more depressed because I realized how far out of reach they actually were. Nothing was familiar to me, not the french I heard around me, nor the constant talking about others which was so much a part of the small town atmosphere. I remember taking my first taxi ride and the driver telling me how much I was going to enjoy living in a small town. He cautioned me. Everybody knew everybody else's business. Coming from Toronto,'it fascinated and alienated me to see so much interest in other people's lives. Back home, you were just another face in the crowd. But in Iroquois Falls, people talked about you, though it may not always be good, but at least they knew you existed. That was my first impression several years ago and the town hasn't changed much. But I have. Due to some very important people in my life, I grew and changed, though I still feel lonely. But it's a different kind of loneliness that has taken over. I feel I am amongst the few feminists who are a minority that share the feminist perspective. To simply acknowledge yourself as such is similar to having the bubonic plague. People fear the word as if being a feminist means being a radical, man-hating woman. How can we make them understand that we are not out to expel them, but to add the word "equality" to their vocabulary. Iroquois Falls is isolated from the rest of Ontario in the sense that new ideas and views are slow in being accepted. The graduating teenager in the town tends to hold onto their grandparents views that are stereotyped sexual roles. If you're lucky enough to be hired at the paper mill and protected by a union, you are often subjected to rude sexual comr ments and sexism at its best. I feel like a closet feminist sometimes, as I realize how gently I must introduce feminist views in order to reach a greater scope of women and not frighten them away. It can be so frustrating and tiresome because often I feel like shouting out at the inequality and sexism being practiced here. I remain optomistic as I realize change is possible. The wheels of progress have started to turn in the form of consciousness raising and support group which is slowly becoming a reality. Eventually, we hope to reach the women who need a place to go for support and information for whatever the cause. Alcohol and wife beating are just a few of the more popular problems. They're real and large in number, unlike the facilities for the women. Only recently has a home for battered women been established in our area. For three to six weeks the home offers ten women and their children the opportunity to re-examine their lives with the help of trained staff. This is just a bandaid solution though. Still, what is needed is a place where women can go to share and have access to new ideas, and views which will enable them to realize their self worth. So while other feminists across Canada are struggling over issues to agree on and fight for, those of us in small communities are plowing ahead to educate women to just feel comfortable with the word "feminist" W e have a long way to go. Even if the rest of Canada takes on the feminist perspective, it's isolated towns like Iroquois Falls that will stagnate if we let them. So, we go on. Kim Gareau Dear NWJ: Thank you for the complimentary copy of your journal and a small donation as well as subscription funding is enclosed. Keep up the great work, please: Jeanne Edwards Dear NWJ: Please renew my subscription and also find enclosed a donation, I hope this helps, as $5.00 seems such a small amount to kay for all the talent and information contained in the Journal. Linda Salamon ALERT, INDIAN WOMEN WHO LOST STATUS. The amendments to the Indian Act allowing reinstatement have passed. To apply for reinstatement for yourselves and your children contact Indian Affairs or the Legal Clinic in your area. We're always good people. NORTHERN WOMAN page 2 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �appointment (phone (807) 548-4325). Northern women travelling through Kenora should call the day before. UPDATE Joan Baril Holdings include books, periodicals, clipping collections, pamphlets, memorabilia from lesbian The official opening is an exciting first for Thunder Bay --- Immigrant Women's August 23 from 3-6 pm and it's organizations and events etc. Donations of items for the expenses are vey welcome. Mailing address: LARC c/o collection or money for Employment Place is a centre run by immigrant women to help women find jobs. It's a Isabel Andrews, RR #2 Kenora, seems every feminist periodical has a list. There is the Canadian Women's Festival '85 August 30, 31 and September 1 self-help centre where women can share their experiences about work issues, discuss what the barriers to employment are P9N 3W8. .. Conferences - it and consider strategies. The centre is in downtown Port at Kildonan Park Winnipeg. In November Charlottetown will Arthur ward across from Eaton's, upstairs at 12A South Court Street. The coordinator is Thuy Ly. **Mary Rakowski and Fiona Karlstedt have prepared a handbook to assist host the Farm Women's Conference with the theme "Networking for Action". held June 6,7 at the Avila The Northwestern Ontario Centre was so successful that Women's Health Education women who are considering Northwestern Ontario Decade Project is holding its annual running for political office. Council is attempting to meeting with workshop October The booklet, a project of the arrange a repeat. Moderator 18, 19, 20 at Avila Centre Economic Development Committee Susan McPhail from London, Bay. They'll be working of the Northwestern Ontario Ontario guided the group into Thunder on strategies for the future in Decade Council, is a guide for an understanding of women's health issues in women seeking office at the peer/feminist counselling as Northwestern Ontario. municipal level. It sets out apposed tothe traditional Interested local women should the pitfalls, and also gives social ,worker/client model with phone 345-1410 Monday practical information. The its innate imbalance of power. Wednesday.. Anna McColl of guide, which has been published Approximately half of the this Journal attended the locally, is available to Feminist Counselling Workshop eighteen participants were from the region outside Thunder Bay. Once, what we read about women came to us filtered through the Feminist Periodical Conference in June which was held outside as if a Centre will start up axiomatic among feminists that this Septembre. The 268 women women learn when we speak the polled -want a centre to lobby truth of our own lives. for women's issues (seen as a women of Project Mayday, priority by 77.6%), to provide on The the North Shore, have just information on women's completed action research activities in Thunder Bay and study, thetheir result of in-depth Canada (73%), and arrange interviews and so, for the self-defence and assertiveness journal of writing by teens published in Calgary, and interested women...... According to a survey done by a group of Lakehead University women, the women students want a Women's Centre on campus and it looks portfolio bulging with tpatriarcal reatment plant of the publications including Teen mind. But now, it is Herizons, a newspaper-style time, we have in written training (56%). The women also first form the lives and experiences indicated they want information of women in Ontario on scholarships (72.8%), job single-industry towns --- in creation (70.5%), and health this case Schrieber, Marathon, topics such as birth control Manitowadge and Terrace Bay. (61.6%). The women learned interview Some university women's techniques from Diana Ellis centres concentrate on helping (Women's Research Centre, B.C.) women thread their way through who also helped them to draw up the enormous amount of material interview guides. The issues connected with the new which come out of the report disciplines of women's studies. will be used as the basis for An example is the Women s t he Northshore Women's at the Conference October 26, 27. Resource Centre University of Guelph. Not Ear Falls surprisingly 71.9% of Lakehead Congratulations, Mothers' Action Committee. When to the women who responded the local council cancelled the questionaire priorized women's swim program and supervised studies as a need. Other centres focus on health. One such was the Birth Control and Counselling Centre which operated at Lakehead for five years (1969-1974) and which also served as a women's lobby and drop-in centre.*.. University women often have to battle hard for a place on campus. University of Toronto women have been trying to get a women's building for sixty years. Chief opposition comes from male students and **The Breaking the Silence a feminist magazine on social issues from Ottawa. is A 1 so mew The Newsmagazine, a new glossy from Alberta. * The official opening of the first women's centre in Hearst was marked by two days of ceremonies. Town councillor Sheila Lamontangne, and the regional representative to National Action Committee on the Status of Women (N.A.C.) Kathryn Fournier, were the speakers the first day. There was also a wine and cheese party. There was open house the second day. Margot Blight form Thunder Bay spoke on the varying styled of women's centres. The Centre, which will offer bilingual services, is a first for Hearst, the result of beach, the women lobbied several years of work by programs available to children. Still battling, the Women's Committee in Nakina against the group. The Centre defines successfully to keep the CN runthrough. They have worked hard to show how the CN phase-out will affect community life. In recent hearings, they weren't even given a place on the agenda. Bravo to the women of Vermillion Bay who spearheaded the fight against the plan to dump PCB asphalt near their community and forced -administrators who pretend g overnment officials to women's causes have no validity reconsider the scheme...***LARC in order to divert scarce funds (Lesbian Archives and Resource and resources into activities Centre) near Kenora is open by and they find less threatiening more congenial. Montreal. She returned with a France-Femmes, a local women's itself as a service organization to provide counselling, rape crisis work, information, referral and lobbying action on women's issues. It will also set up workshops and 'conferences. 4.4,4 It must be a joke, a shaggy dog joke -.you don't know whether to laugh, cry or ignore it. To Flora MacDonald and all the Tories "It 's a landmark", a "major step foreward" and they can say it with a straight face. NORTHERN WOMAN page 4 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �conferences on the Decade of Women in Nairobi received almost as much mainstream media coverage as the visit of the giant pandas. The Globe and Mail sent their expert on re000 LIM *-/ Oil v in:10 1:100 EILICIOCIODD "squeal bills" which require women considering abortion. "attractive" and "a most recently passed by the Illinois in the language of men" He would allow a husband to get an of Greece who he described as feminine woman who could argue thrilled at her looks, "Handsome, patrician looking...superbly dressed," but she "gave women hard It seems to occur to nobody shuffle toward equity. Regan, women would be What it is really about is Mauree interested in hearing from statistics --reporting women like. Papandreou, who is, statistics. Starting in in fact, a tireless grass roots 1988,companies have to hand in organizer of womin in Greece. reports telling governments who So much is going on at Nairobi they employ, detailing how many --- two major conferences, 7000 are women, disabled people, visible minorities and so on; not all companies, mind you, but Crown Corporations and parents. (A similar measure is being considered in Saskatchewan). Then there are doctors and others to inform on instead of colour and it is only the tiniest that storiesabout big names like not much to do with employment else ie husband, father, both women, Michael Valpy who was struck by Margarita Papandreou While other women It 's "Employment Equity" a lectures". "gave flowery speeches", hers term so meaningless it would were "closely reasoned". make George Orwell blush. It's written permission from someone participants, hundreds of meetings and panels. For example under the heading "Media" we find listed fifty "federally regulated" employers workshops at the NGO conference Another type is the bill legislature this spring. It injunction to prevent the wife from having an abortion. (It will likely be vetoed by the state governor.) A new ploy is to require the woman to dispose of the fetal tissue°. In New Jersey proposed legislation would require women considering abortion or who have had a spontaneous miscarriage to choose "burial, cremation, entombment" at their expense. It would mean, for example, that a woman who miscarried at home, wuld have to arrange "proper" disposal of fetal tissue or face a fine of $7500 or 18 months in jail. All this bizarre legal activity is taking place in a country which has a higher teen-age pregnancy rate and with more than 100 workers - -- (Non-government forum). Here banks, airlines, the CN. are some samples: Media, Power "Very well," I hear you say, Uses, Political Tool; more teen abortions than any other industrialized nation. A report by the Alan Guttmacher Institute concludes that other industrialized countries have more liberal attitudes toward Peacemaking --- and on and on, access to contraception without parental notification and more "what happens then eh? The Production and Broadcasting; purpose of the statistics of Colour as Writers; is...?" This is where the Women Hands-on Computer Centre; shaggy dog "comes in --- no Information Sharing on punch line, no point. According to the act, after the figures each panel as intriguing as the are handed in, o l interested last. ic, can pay a International women fee and see them. On the other organizations will network at hand, consolidation of the Nairobe. So many of our various numbers may be made --- concerns can only be dealt with f p sex than the U.S., easier cAlrcitttlirl.rf7=4411471e114keen pregnancy rates. and it will be various --- internationally. For example because there are varying the International Feminist methods of reporting --- and Network Against Sexual Slavery may be presented to Parliament. will meet there. Kathleen Well, that's it. This should Barry, author of Female Sexual make the employers of the Slavery will be present. The nation tremble, don't you group works to combat the think? There's no teeth in the forces which make forced act, no penalties for companies prostitution and pornography who hand in bad reports, no invisible, profitable and definition as to what a bad thriving. *****The good news is report is, no enforcement and the follow-up conference to be no remedy. It's like sending held at the University of David out against Goliath Guelph September 26-29. without his sling. Registration is open to anyone. Michael Sabia, the relevant This will be a major conference government official, thought which will bring messages from perhaps the Canadian Human Rilghts might do something, Nairobi and cover many topics. he's pretty sure, and maybe The theme is "the significance they could lay a complaint if of women's contribution and they didn't like what was in status in domestic and the reports even though, he international developement". allowed, they don't usually Nothern women will have their initiate complaints on their air fare subsidized. Phone Lisa own. This is the same Human Bengtsson, Secretary of State Rights Commission which was office, 345-2316.***** Studio D told, some time later, by the (National Film Board) went to Federal Court of Appeal that it Nairobi and intends to put out could not impose affirmative a film. It will be available for women's community groups. action programs. Chavira Hoseh, president of The American Scene. Over the NAC commented, "It seens the past several years each government thinks the Human American state has seen Rights Commission is to be the repeated attempts by antito bring in laws enf orcement agency f or abortionists "employment equity". If they to provent women from getting can't impose restitution, it's abortions. Many states have useless f or impos ing passed "permission" bills to it wonderful that the considering abortion get "employment equity". .. Isn't make it mandatory that women NORTHERN' WOMAN' page PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �VISIT 13ooKs DOMESTIC ABUSE INTERVENTION PROGRAM In NO IMMEDIATE DANGER? Prognosis for a Radioactive Earth ($12.95) Dr. Rosalie Bertell adds new insights to the crisis of nuclear energy and nuclear weapons. For herstory buffs the reprinting of NOT IN GOD'S IMAGE: Women in HIstory from the Greeks to the Victorians ($9.95) is welcome. Edited by Julia O'Faolian and Lauro Mart- As part of our continuing Family Dispute Unit study, three members of the Thunder Bay Physical and Sexual Assault Crisis Centre, recentStock up for your fall reading ly visited the Duluth Domestic Abuse with some of the fine new titles Intervention Program (DAIP). available at Northern Woman's BookSince 1980 the DAIP has coorstore. dinated services to families experTwo recent books by Jane Rule: iencing violence. INLAND PASSAGE ($10.95) is a collecWhen police attend a family disines. tion of short stories "..soul-deep, turbance, if probable cause exists Heleieth I. B. Saffioti "... a gentle tales (that) explore theconan assault charge must be laid, and ventional and unconventional relacontemporary pioneer in the theory the assailant is detained at the and research of women's status and tionships in all our lives", while jail until court the following mornroles.." gives us WOMEN IN CLASS A HOT EYED MODERATE ($10.95) is a ing. An advocate from the Women's SOCIETY ($12.75) collection of essays. Coalition is notified by the jailer Highly recommended for all PMS A most exciting writer that and goes to see the victim immediatesufferers Katharina Dalton's ONCE many of us are just discovering is ly. She offers support and shares A MONTH ($9.95) "is a clear, easily Jamaica Kincaid. AT THE BOTTOM OF information with the victim about THE RIVER is a collection of Kincaid': understood account of premenstrual Orders for Protection, and financial short stories. syndrome, its effects, diagnosis, and legal assistance. If the victim and complete treatment". FLIGHT OF THE SEVENTH MOON is wishes to leave her home the advoa companion piece to Lynn V. Andrews Periodicals available at the cate will assist her in getting to Bookstore include Broadside, Voices, earlier work MEDICINE WOMAN. "This the shelter. Whether or not the vicHERizons, Hysteria, Kinesis, Women beautiful book weaves rare and protim leaves she is encouraged to partand Environments, Healthsharing, found teachings of the Medicine Path icipate in weekly groups for batterFireweed, Room of One's Own. with the remarkable story of a wared women offered by the Coalition. rior woman's gateway of initiation". Place your order now for the The advocate keeps in contact with 19 86 Everywoman's Almanac. Both books are available at $10.50. the victim offering continued support and assistance. A male advocate from the DAIP visits the assailant at the jail and informs him of the Domestic Abuse Program which involves 12 weeks of group counselling and 12 weeks of an educational group. If he pleads guiltrrnr-ls-niand guilty the mandated by the court as a condition The Northwestern Ontario Women's of probation. Repeat offences involve Health EduCation Project (NWO W.H.E.P. a jail term as well as mandated counselling. a three year demonstration project Ellen Pence, Director of the DAIP scheduled to conclude August 31/85, feels that the police policy of manhas been granted a ten month extendatory arrest and the clear court sion by its funder Health Promotion guidelines for sentencing are the backDirectorate of Health and Welfare bone of the program. It emphasizes to Canada, until June 30,1986. the batter that violence is a crime. Judi Vinni has been hired for We were extremely impressed with the half-time co-ordinator's position the level of cooperation achieved by for the project and will spend the the DAIP, Police Department, courts, ten month period working with local and regional women who are attempting probation and the Women's Coalition and the commitment each shows to the to form an organization to represent program. Those we spoke with were their interests in women's health in very pleased with the outcome of the Northwestern Over the Ontario. past three years of CARRIE GERENDASY project and feel the number of repeat operation, W.H.E.P., a health promocalls to the police has gone down, tion project, developed workshop kits fewer women are withdrawing charges, on a range of health topics chosen by and both victims and batterers are women in fourteen N.W.O. communities. getting assistance through the groups. Carrie Gerendasy will be perThe seventeen workshops have been Videotapes and discussion in forming at a concert sponsored by presented in a total of twenty comboth the men's and women's groups foProject Ploughshares. The performance munities by the co- ordinators of the cus on the use of power and control will take place on October 5 at 8p.m. project and late by community women in abusive relationships. The emphasis in the sanctuary of St. Paul's United who attended training sessions in of the men's groups is to get the batChurch. Thunder Bay this past year to prepare terer to take responsibility for his Carrie is an American folk them. behaviour, while the women's groups singer who has earned the reputation The health workshops provide indiscourage the victims from blaming of being one of Minneapolis' most formation b.ut emphasize group partithemselves, and encourage assertiveimpressive solo acts. Her high energy cipation so that women can share their presentation, moving interpretations, ness. knowledge, identify their needs and The DAIP is offering a "Communand genuine concern for using music formulate their own solutions. ity Interventions in Domestic Assault as a statement, all make for an unforCurrently a core group of seven Cases" Conference from Oct.31 to Nov. gettable experience. The Mothers' Day women, representing thirty regional 1/85 to share their success and faiMarch for Peace, Take Back the Night women involved with W.H.E.P. are planlures with other groups or individuals Marches, Anti-Pornography rallies, ning a conference to be held in Thunworking in the area of family violence. and ERA rallies are various events der Bay, October 18-20/85. If anyone is interested in further inat which Carrie has performed.. "The purpose of the ten month formation on the conference please Tickets are $5.00 for adults extensions" say W.H.E.P. co-ordinacontact us at 345-1871. and $3.00 for seniors, youth, and tors "is to ensure that workshops are unemployed. Tickets are available at in Northwestern Ontario communities Submitted by Brenda Persson & Pam Dunk the local Peace Coaliton Office (345. and being used as a resource." 0372) or at the Women's Centre. HEALTH CONCERT , NORTHERN -WOMAN page 6 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �QUALITY DAY CARE A CHILD'S With growing frequency the situation of day care in Canada is described as "crisis". It could also be called a tragedy. As a society we must seriously question why we tolerate a situation that prevents hundreds of thousands of our youngest children from receiving quality care. This deplorable situation is not new. (As a social planner I have been expounding the same day care concerns, the same recommendations for some fifteen years.) What is so frightening is that, despite conscientious attempts by many day care advocates, the day care situation not only has failed to improve, but is actually deteriorating. The reality is that nowhere in Canada do we have a comprehensive child care system. Rather, we have a faulty welfare system that will never appropriately serve child care needs. How long can we tolerate a situation where less than 12% of Canadian children under 6yrs. of age in need of day care have access to licensed, supervised programs? What possible rationale can be given for excluding low and middle income families from day care services because of prohibitive user fees of $4000 - 5000 per year, per child? (Only very low income families qualify for subsidy, only very high income families can afford the exhorbitant fees.) What justification is there for exploiting ay care workers through grossly inadequate wages -- on average barely 30% of beginning elementary school teachers salaries? Why do we tolerate a system that inflicts tremendous emotional stress on so many mothers who have no choice but to place their children with unqualified, inappropriate caregivers? If we value children, if we value families, significant, systemic societal changes must occur ... and must occur soon. ISSUES The major day care issues are easily identifiable. They are quality, cost, accessibility. A further, yet inter-related issue is the status and wages of day care workers. Quality It should be self-evident that quality care is essential for infants and children in their formative years. The principles of quality day care have been succinctly outlined by the Ontario Coalition for Better Day Care when they state: "Daycare programs must focus on the education, the rearing and the physical care of the child. The education function involves developmental programs concerned with the intellectual, emotional, physical and social growth of the child. The rearing function involves liasion with the home to complement family life and provide the kind of guidance children would receive at home. The caring function integrates health and social services as required. It should include proper nutrition and preventative medical care, by MARGARET PHILLIPS R IGH T requires adequate provisions for physical facilities and space. In a responsive childcare system, there should be flexibility to allow working parents to select the type and location of childcare that meets the needs of both parents and child. Programs in all locations, should be monitored according to a set of standards and regulations established by the provincial government which embody these principles." Most day care consumers agree that the preferable choice of a day care program is a non-profit group day care centre. Concern arises with for-profit centres (which comprise 40% of Ontario licensed spaces) as quality may suffer in the cost-saving measures that ensure profit for these commercial centres. While quality care will vary between centres, at least parents have the assurance that these centres are licensed and monitored. The majority of families, however, must rely on the "informal system" .. i.e. baby-sitters, neighbours, relatives, where no licensing or supervision exists. The care received in these situations is generally unknown and of uncertain quality. The growing use of the term "informal system" is most unfortunate, because it means nothing more than unsupervised care, and the government trend to include these situations within a day care "system" is distressing. (I will return to this topic under the discussion of funding.) To date research on quality and developmental aspects of day care has been largely confined to day care centre programs (the "formal system"). The one major study of unlicensed, unsupervised care conducted by Metro 'Toronto Social Planning Council confirmed our fears about the inadequacy of "informal" care. The study reports that "... the children in these types of arrangements generally received only custodial-type care which ignored their development needs. While their basic physical needs may have been met, the children were more likely to spend their time watching television than engaging in creative developmental activities. Regular outdoor play and excursions, active physical play, creative activites, and nutrious meals and snacks were not found to be part of the program in most private, unsupervised day care arrangements. The providers, who typically lacked training in how to work with young children and had no long-,t.erm commitment to the provision of child care, tended to see their work as a stop-gap to tide them over until personal and family circumstances allowed them to work outside the home." (Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women, Day Care in Canada: A Background Paper, 1984) Numerous day care need studies and inquiries repeatedly set forth the serious problems that parents experience in using unsupervised careparticularly baby-sitters. In addressing the Ontario Federation of Labour Day Care hearings in 1981, one Thunder Bay mother, expressing her concern about being forced into making inadequate private arrangements, stated "In my son's short life he was fed starches and sugar because they keep children quiet, and were cheaper than fruits and vegetables, and plunked in front of a TV instead of being provided with stimulating play". A recent study of Thunder Bay child care arrangements (N.W.O. Women's Centre, Project Child Care 1984) found that instability of care arrangements - particularly baby-sitting care was a serious problem for many Thunder Bay families. It was found that of those parents using babysitters 44% had had to change sitters one or more times during the previous twelve months. One mother changed sitters 8 times in the twelve month period. This study also found that "large proportions of those using either care by relatives or sitter care would, if they had their choice, use formal care as their preferred childcare arrangement." This finding substantiates the conclusion of many other studies as summarized by the CACSW report which states "A review of the findings reveals some common trends and patterns in parental views on the form of care considered most suitable for their children .... they want licensed, supervised care, preferably in a day care centre. How stressful it is for families who because of accessibility problems and cost factors are unable to exercise this choice. a r graphics by ANN-IDA BECK continued next page NORTHERN WOMAN page 7 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Accessibility The CACSW report points out that jn 1982 the ratio of spaces to children had actually declined (see table below). While a modest increase in day care spaces has occurred in the intervening period it has in no way kept pace with the increase into the labour force of women with young children. For example, in Ontario the percentage of women in the labour force with children aged 3-5 yrs. increased from 58.3% in 1981 to 61.5% in 1983. The increase in the labour force of women with children under 3 yrs. is even greater - from 49.5% in 1981 to 53.2% in 1983. This trend continues. Analysts predict that by 1990 75% of women with children under 6 yrs. will be in the paid labour force. Recognizing the implication of this trend -- the increasing numbers of children who will require day care -- and considering that in 1982, of the children who needed care only 11.6% were served by licensed, supervised programs, the issue of accessibility of day care spaces becomes paramount. The need for infant/toddler supervised care is even more dramatic, as the 1982 figures show that only 5% of under 2 yr. olds were served. (National Day Care Information Centre) The availability of day care varies considerably. While few areas are adequately served, and virtually no where can one find an appropriate continuum of infant, pre-school and 'latch-key' services - there are many areas that are totally without service. /The situation in rural areas is particularly critical. For farm women .. whether they are full-time farmers, or working off the farm, or a combination of both (in addition to their household work - which is frequently the sole responsibility of women), the need for day care is acute. As a study by the National Farmers Union of their female membership points out "... many parents have no alternative but to take their children into the barn or field with them while they work. This is not only a dangerous environment for a child but is a source of distraction for the parents who are then more susceptible to having an accident". No longer can day care be considered an urban phenonenum. Rural children also need day care and policies must be flexible enough to provide the appropriate services. Table 1. Year How accessible is day care in Northwestern Ontario? It varies. During the past fifteen years a number of municipal Councils/Indian Band Councils have initiated day care programs. At present day care centres providing pre-school, and in some cases latch key services, are operated by Geraldton, Longlac, Long Lake Indian Band, Heron Bay, Balmertown, Dryden, Ear Falls, Fort Frances, Grassy Narrows, Kenora, Islington, (Whitedog), Onegaming, Red Lake, Shoal Lake, Sioux Lookout, Whitefish Bay. A community non-profit corporation has recently opened a day care centre in Marathon. Thunder Bay has four municipal centres, the Confederation College Children and Family Centre, and a commercial centre. A workplace day care will open this fall (St. James School) for Board of Education employees. Whitefish Bay has the only infant care centre in the district. Thunder Bay and Fort Frances operate licensed private home day care programs that accommodate infants and toddlers. As can be seen by the omissions from the foregoing list there are a number of communities in our district that are totally lacking in child care services. Concerned parents and community members in Atikokan and Ignace have been advocating for day care for years. Recently a strong Terrace Bay committee has formed to promote a day care centre in that community. Farm women in Northwestern Ontario are also stressing the need for rural day care. In a brief to the Ontario Advisory Council on the Status of Women (Dryden, 1984) Janet Owen and Jacquelyn Hunsperger of the Farm Women of the Rainy River Distriat stated that "In rural areas affordable good quality childcare is non-existent" and discussed the need for childcare when mothers work on or off the farm. They pointed out that "women are often restricted from attending farm meetings because of inadequate childcare and/or lack of finances to pay baby-sitters". They recommended that "day care centres be set up in small hamlets in rural areas so women can leave their children there one or two days a week while they catch up on the essential parts of the farm operation that cannot'be accomplished with children in tow. A very important spin-off of this option would be the opportunity for the children to interact with other children, giving them the chance to develop social skills". Numbers of children under 6 requiring day care and licensed spaces available, Canada, 1975-1982 Estimated number of children under 6 with mothers in the labour force Number of children under 6 occupying licensed family and day care centre spaces Percentage of children under 6 with access to licensed day care Number of children under 6 not accomodated within the formal system 1975 562,000 64,589 11.49% 497,411 1976 620,000 75,330 12.15% 544,670 1977 656,000 73,865 11.26% 582,135 1978 695,000 73,475 10.57% 621,525 1979 721,000 86,780 12.03% 634,220 1980 760,000 92,423 12.16% 667,577 1982 950,000 110,573 11.63% 839,427 Source: Health and Welfare Canada, National Day Care Information Centre, Status of Day Care in Canada, 1975-1980; Day Care Spaces in Canada - 1982. (Figures for 1981 are not available). NORTHERN WOMAN page 8 The number of day care spaces in Thunder Bay must also be questioned. For example, there are no municipal day care centres (the only centres where parents may apply for subsidy) in Northwood, Neebing, McIntyre or Current River wards. Accessibility is a Northwestern Ontario problem. For some it means lack of preferred space. For others it means no choice at all. But even in those centres that have day care spaces available the cost prohibits many families from utilizing these quality services. Cost The issue of cost is, without question, the most disturbing problem we face in Northwestern Ontario. It is the primary concern of most parents presently using "formal" day care, and it impinges on the hopes of others who are working to initiate day care in their communities. The funding dilemma has quickly become a crisis and without immediate attention will only worsen. The crux of the problem is, of course, that governments de f care as a welfare service, providing day care subsidies only to those they judge "needy" and requiring "user fees" from all other day care consumers. The problem will only be resolved when day care becomes a universal, publicly funded (yet non-compulsory) service, as health and education are universal services. A system that rationalizes societal support to parents for their 6 yr. olds, yet denies such support to 3 yr. olds needs to be questioned. Mind you, many arguments against universal day care sound suspiciously like the arguments that were advanced against universal education 100 years ago. So, at the present time, day care functions under the welfare system and through the Canada Assistance Plan 'provinces may set up day care subsidy programs based on CAP guidelines which set the social and financial framework for provincial participation. In Ontario, day care is provided under the Day Nurseries Act. The province will pay 30% of the net cost of subsidized day care, the federal contribution is 50% while themunicipality pays the remaining 20%. To meet the financial ability criteria re day care subsidization Ontario employs a "needs" test, as is required for general welfare assistance. (All other provinces use an "income" test criteria which is felt to be less intrusive and more equitable). The "needs" test method determines the amount of family income available for the purchase of day care services after all its approved expenses have been met. People subjected to a "needs" test find this a demeaning experience, as well as a serious PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �invasion of privacy. Another argument against the needs test approach (reported by the CACSW study) is "That it forces a family to contribute its entire residual income up to the full unit cost of day care services, whereas the income test approach establishes a'sliding scale usually based on an expenditure of 50% of the amount by which family income exceeds the turning point". Under CAP, provincial subsidies are only cost sharable with the federal government for families who qualify for subsidy. Provinces are free to provide subsidies to families with larger incomes, but cannot recover the federal 50% of these costs. Many municipalities have established "user fees" for unsubsidized families that in fact do not cover the full per diem costs of operating the day care program. This practice has come to be called "the indirect subsidy". In 1983 the Ontario government informed municipalities that "the practice of indirect subsidization must be eliminated by January 1, 1986". (It is understood that this date has been extended to September 1986) The elimination of indirect subsidies will have drastic consequences for day care. Already some Ontario centres have been forced to close, as unsubsidized families are forced to seek less expensive care through relatives or baby-sitters. The N.W.O. Women's Centre study (1984) found a significant use of relative care, which was uncWrstandable as, of the respondents using relative care, 59% paid nothing for this child care. There are a lot of generous grandmothers in-tThunder Bay! But in our mobile society most young parents do not have extended family available to provide this free service. (And this situation ignores the economic security needs of older women who are thus working without pay.) As the majority of day care. in Northwestern Ontario is municipally operated the future of day care in our region is indeed bleak. A survey of N.W.O. centres, conducted by Margie Bettiol-Young of Sioux Lookout, concluded that "the policy will ultimately cause the closure of centres due to a drastic drop in enrolment." This study found that the anticipated per diem rates for 1986 averaged $25 ($18-30 range) however current fees ranged from $9-14 (average $12). Without indirect subsidization middle and low-income families cannot afford day care. This essentially is the situation already in Thunder Bay where day care fees have increased dramatically ... a 350% increase in the past eleven years, making it more and more impossible for middle income families to afford. The current fees of $17.50 per child per day are reported to be increasing to $21 in 1986, thus even further denying quality day care to the average family. Why are the children of middle income families denied supervised day care? If we believe that all children have the right to quality care it certainly makes no sense. Has this outcome occurred accidently? Or is it a deliberate policy of the former Conservative government to force married mothers out of the labour force? The statistics previously cited demonstrate that wo- men's participation, in the paid labour force continues to increase despite day care inadequacy. The only result of Ontario's day care policy is that more and more children are denied quality care. Another very disturbing factor is the Ontario government's trend the past few years to provide funding of support services to the "informal system", thus legitimizing unregulated, unsupervised arrangements as day care, as well as using the scarce financial resources that should be going to the "formal system". The CACSW report insists that with this approach "the goal of developing a comprehensive system of day care services is subverted". The report states that "there is no basis on which to conclude that the provision of such so-called support services in a community actually has any impact on the quality of care delivered to children in informal arrangements". There is urgent need not only to infuse new financial resources into child care but also to ensure funding priorities recognize the right of children to quality care. Exploitation of Day Care Workers The commitment of people working in the day care field has kept day care alive in Ontario. In effect day care workers subsidize parent fees through their low wages. As the Coalition for Better Day Care states "Because of underfunding, day care programs in this province are faced with the cynical choice of either exploiting parents or exploiting staff to avoid exploiting children". Because of low wages, poor benefits, low status and few chances for improvement, staff turnover in child care programs is high. Staff turnover disrupts the caregiverchild relationship to the detriment of the children. While the wages of day care centre staff is abysmal on average $267 per week in Ontario the income provided to supervised private home caregivers is even more horrendous. For an average of $12 per day per child home care providers are expected to provide toys, nutrious meals and snacks, equipment and a stimulating program. When the 'hidden' costs of depreciation, insurance and home maintenance are considered the net gain for the provider may be nil. Day Care: A Women's Issue Ideally, day care should be seen as a societal issue, of equal concern to men and women. The reality is that day care remains primarily a women's issue. It is women who experience the stress of balancing job and child care responsibilities. It is mothers who forego job opportunities because of inadequate day care and parental leave policies. By and large, it is mothers who make child care arrangements and who worry about the inadequacy of these arrangements. It is women who provide care - at exploitative (or no) wages. The vast majority of day care centre staff are women, and it will be these women who lose jobs if day care centres are forced to close. As the Abella Report, Equality in Employment states "For women who are mothers, a major barrier to equality in the workplace is the absence of affordable child care of adequate quality". So when we talk about day care we are talking about equality for women. But, we are also talking about the right of children to quality care. And so, the issue of day care is not only an issue for parents and day care workers. It is an issue for everyone concerned with equality and justice in our society. What Next In official discussions of day care policy these essential issues tend to be ignored, but rather are superceded by budget considerations and jurisdictional debates. With a new government installed in Ontario, whose election platform included day care reform, day care parents and advocates have had their hopes raised. However, no action has as yet been forthcoming. The concerted effort of community people is required to ensure adequate day care programs and policies are developed by all levels of government. A number of groups have formed for this purpose. The Canadian Day Care Advocacy Association is a voluntary organization that addresses day care issues at the national level. In Ontario the provincial advocate is the Coalition for Better Day Care (see article by Joan Baril). Action is also occurring in Northwestern Ontario. The most notable example is the important work that has been done by the Sioux Lookout Parents Committee who have made presentations to municipal and provincial authorities, and have encouraged media attention to the issues of indirect subsidization and quality care. Dryden also has an active Parents Committee, and recently concerned Thunder Bay citizens have organized the Thunder Bay Advocates for Quality Child Care. (See article this issue) con 't next page NORTHERN SW OMAN page 9 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �QUALITY DAY CARE (con't) The Northwestern Ontario Regional Day Care Committee has also been formed to help 'network' and share information amongst all community day care groups. The Committee will provide support to any community organizing advocacy associations, as well as developing links with provincial and national bodies to ensure N.W.O. input. Committee representatives will travel throughout N.W.O. this fall to meet with all interested groups. The Committee would welcome your suggestions - please write: N.W.O. Regional Day Care Committee, Box 144, Thunder Bay, P7C 4V5. THE DAYCARE Developing a quality day care system will not be easy ... but it is vital that we organize now to achieve this goal. "Childcare is a social investment in the future. It is not, therefore, the exclusive financial responsibility of an employer, or a union, or a worker, or a parent. It is a public expense that should ultimately be borne by all taxpayers, much as education is. Childcare should be seen as a public service to which every child has a right. Childcare is not a luxury, it is a necessity. Unless government policy responds to this urgency, we put women, children, and the economy of the future at risk. Considering that more than half of all Canadian children spend much of their time in the care of people other than their parents, and that more than half of all parents need childcare services for their children, social policy should not be permitted to remain so greatly behind (Judge Rosalie Silberman the times." Abella, Commissioner, Equality in Employment, October 1984) CRISIS by JOAN BARIL A coalition - "a temporary combination for special ends" says the Concise Oxford, "Between parties that remain distinctive." It's a short term thing - everyone dances together until the music ends and in this case the music doesn't end until we have a better system in Ontario. There are some strong partners in the Coalition for Better Daycare - Ontario Federation of Labour, Ontario Teachers' Federation, Action Daycare, The,Ontario Social'Development Council, for starters, as well as local chapters of the Coalition throughout Ontario. Janet Davis, who has been travelling across the province on behalf of the Coalition, recently spoke at Ogden Street Community School. She has been a worker in daycare for ten years, as a volunteer and as an employee. As well, she has a resident user in son Keith, age 5. For years, she said, she was "on the borderline", that situation where a woman knows that a slight change in her financial position may mean she will be cut off from her daycare subsidy. "The whole daycare system is a mess, " she says, The Coalition uses the word "crisis". It has always been expensive for those who have to pay full fee - $350 a month per child is the provincial average and climbing. In Thunder Bay, it could go as high as $500.00 a month. In some municipalities such as Peterborough the fee payers dropped out one by one, and the only users are fully subsidized. It's the ghettoization of the system - no social mix for the kids - and daycare, no longer accessible to the general population, becomes a "welfare service." Those who are eligible for subsidy are treated accordingly endless forms, monthly reporting. Some cities hire "snoops" to make sure the mother of little Kevin doesn't have a man to stay, or isn't the future of day care in NWO. doing typing in the evening after work and not reporting the earnings to the daycare officials. How does Thunder Bay stack-up against the rest of the province? Janet gave us the gold ribbon for our daycare centres, "some of the best in the province"; but we got bad marks for excessive paper work. Women have to hand in monthly reports here, whereas other places require reports only every six months. It's not only a "petty harassment" for the mothers, but the administrative excess, the checking, printing, phoning, tracking down, -reminding, compiling, etc. and etc., add unnecessarily to our costs. Thunder Bay is not the only municipality which tangles the parent in expensive red-tape. Women who want to know if they are eligible for subsidy (or partial subsidy) have to go through a needs test. In some places the completion of this requires long forms, sometimes taking two hours, and perhaps a visit to the home by a social worker - sometimes a visit to the applicant's workplace is done as well. The good news is that Thunder Bay has changed its needs test. It now allows applicants to claim more realistic living expenses. This means that persons who have been turned down in the past may be eli- the fault lies with the feminists and working mothers (absurd and frigten.ing.) Nevertheless, broad support for quality daycare is widespread. The purpose of the Coalition is to mobilize that support. Local coalitions lobby their local governments. In Thunder Bay, affordability is an issue, as it is everywhere. We also need to allow "purchase of service agreements" to be given to community groups. This means that parents who are Board of Education employees, and who want to send their children to the new St. James School daycare may be eligible for a subsidy. It could mean, for example, that student parents at Confederation College could use the daycare facilities on campus. gible. The system of funding and subsidies is Byzantine, and like the ancient empire, it is crumbling. The Liberal government has made pledges; it is also written in the famous accord between the NDP and the Liberals. But, political promises sometimes get, lost, and daycare is becomr ing something of a political hot tt****************************************, potato again. The mood from the Amer- ; PREPARE NOW ican right, which is drifting across The federal Parliamentary Task the border, is anti-daycare and anti-women. For example, a Dr. Clarke, t Force on Child Care is expected to of Windsor Family and Children's hold hearing this fall. The results ; Services, of has publically blamed the Task Force deliberations-will; working mothers for divorce, alcoholbe very important. Plan now to pre- ; ism, and sent family violence. Various a brief to the Task Force, exarticles and books recently published pressing your recommendations for have the same theme. Another ploy to argue that women who want to stay home with their young children get little help from society (true), and PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �DAY CARE ADVOCATES JAS Concern for the future of day are locally and provincially has rompted the development of a new oranization - Thuder Bay Advocates for uality Child Care. At the organizaion's founding meeting held recently he following goals were adopted. ong Term Goal To advocate for a universal, ublicly-funded, non-compulsory day are system which will provide high uality child care services to all hildren/families who need/desire uch services. Short Term Goals 1) To advocate for the improvement of provincial/federal day care policy and the expansion of programs, including: a) direct subsidies to non-profit day care organizations/agencies to permit (1) lower user fees, and (2) increased day care staff wages b) capital funding to non-profit organizations/agencies for the construction/renovation of new day care facilities c) maintaining high standards of health, safety and programming of day care services, and of training of day care staff d) an increase in subsidized day care spaces 2) To monitor the provision of day care services within Thunder Bay, and make representation, as appropriate, to the City for the improvement of municipal day care policy and the expansions of programs 3) To provide support for the improvement of the status, wages and working conditions of (licensed) day care staff/providers 4) To encourage public awareness of the present day care crisis in Ontario/Canada and the solutions to the crisis; and to promote public support for the provision of high quality day care as the right of every child. (i.e. day care as a right not a welfare service) To develop links with non5) profit day care groups regionally, provincially and nationally to share information and support; and where appropriate, to work collectively with such groups to promote improved government day care policy and the expansion of programs. The group plans to sufvey candidates in the upcoming municipal elections concerning their commitment to day care, and will prepare a brief to the federal Parliamentary Task Force on Child Care which is expected to hold hearings this fall. Membership (fee $3.00) is open to all Thunder Bay-individuals who subscribe to the aforementioned goals. It is hoped that large numbers of parents, day care workers/providers and interested citizens will join Advocates for Quality Child Care and strengthen the voice of day care in Thunder Bay. FEM INIST PRESS Anna McColl Issues raised in workshops covThis_qummer I had the opportunity ered advertising, the collective proces f meeting with 50 women representing cess, design on a shoestring, funding, 5 women's publications from across maintaining an editorial policy, power anada. The occasion was the Feminist and skill sharing, subscription proeriodicals Conference held in the motion, recruiting and training voliny village of St. Marc-Sur-Richlieu IN CELEBRATION OF unteers and working with writers. CANADIAN WOMEN a forty minute drive from Montreal. Poetry and Short Stories by and about In a resolution at the closing The conference got off to a good Canadian Women will be edited by session we voted to act as a group to tart with a relaxed wine and cheese Greta Hofmann Nemiroff and support any feminist periodicals that et-together at tbe women's centre published by Fitzhenry and Whiteside come under similar attack to that of on Rue Urbain. This was followed by early in 1986. Deadline for this Winnipeg's HERizons. HERizons was atn amusing bus ride to St. Mares thematically organized anthology is October 1, 1985. For further tacked for its editorial stand on ith Susan de Rosa of she planning co information, please contact Greta choice on abortion and on lesbianism ommittee giving a more than credible Hofmann Nemiroff, The New School, by some local religious and anti-choic performance as tour guide - with adDawson College, 485 McGill St., choice groups led by their clown ittedly some good-natured prompting Montreal H2Y 2H4. prince Joe Borowski. rom the bus driver. It was also resolved to underThe comfortable atmosphere estabtake a joint promotion and marketished earlier by the warmth of our ing campaign to improve our base of reeting upon arrival at the offices 50,000 subscribers and our combined f Communiqu'elles (the organisers of annual budget of one and aha he conference) 'wasn't hurt by the annual budget of I-5 million dollars hoice of location, a lovely old inn Other resolutions were to broaden our he 160 year old Auberge Hadfield base among women of visible minorities ituated on the Richelieu river. The and to research the possibility of ccommodation consisted of private having a staff person for a national ooms in small houses scattered organization. hroughout the grounds of the Inn. The energy and enthusiasim generated his arrangement lent itself to late by the women at the conference along ight visiting and partying. with Eleanor Wochtel's quote that " The keynote speaker Greta Publishing feminist periodicals is ofmann Nemiroff, addressed the iman act of defiance against the dis-. ortance of women's writing. missal of the women's movement" surely Saturday's opening address was strengthened the determination of many iven by Eleanor Wachtel, editor of to carry on in the face of adversity OOM of ONE'S OWN (a literary journal and to be that act of defiance. ut of Vancouver) and author of FEMINT PRINT MEDIA. 1s. Wachtel stressed e need that we be more radical; rended us that we live in dangerous mes, that feminist publications are PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor e backbone,of the woman's movement, - �INTERVIEW 749,000 Canadian women purchased tranquillizers in 1979. A poor Third World woman sells her only chicken to get money to buy tonics and "growth hormones" (anabolic steroids) for her children. Unrelated statements? Not at all In fact, when you consider the underlying issues, there is much commonality of experience between Canadian and Third World women. Persuaded by elaborate promotion campaigns mounted by the drug industry that "there is a pill for every ill", people will spend their last rupee, or peso or dollar to buy the vitamin, the hormone, or the pain killer that will restore themselves or their children to health. Whether it is the "medicalization" of social problems (an increasing Canadian phenomena) or the "dumping" of drugs (banned in Canada) in developing countries, the role of the pharmaceutical industry and the role of the (male) medical system in women's lives and health requires careful scrutiny. SIDE EFFECTS, produced by the Great Canadian Theatre Company of Ottawa, and Women's Health Interaction uses popular theatre to examine these issues. Sponsored by Northern Women's Centre and Kam Theatre, SIDE EFFECTS played to a "packed house" in Thunder Bay earlier this summer. The appreciative audience not only were impressed by the important information provided by the play, but were delighted by the outstanding quality of the performance. It was impossible not to be touched by this exceptional play. The origins of SIDE EFFECTS are rooted in Inter Pares philosophical premise that "links" must be made between development issues in Canada and overseas. In 1982 Inter Pares (a Canadian non-governmental development organization) sponsored the visit of two Bangladesh women to Canada. As the Bangladesh visitors, Khushi Kabir and Shireen Hug, met with women's groups across Canada, including Thunder Bay, the concern about women's health and the issue of pharmaceuticals were frequently discussed. Thus, as a followup to Khushi and Shireen's visit, Inter Pares sponsored a workshop on Women and Pharmaceuticals, From this workshop the idea of the play was born, and Women's Health Interaction was initiated. (see WHI article). The "linking" process continued in 1984 when Margaret Phillips (Inter Pares Board Member and NWJ) and Mary Ann Haywood (Women's Health Interaction) travelled to Bangladesh to visit health and women's projects there. With the enthusiastic response that has greeted the cross-Canada tour of SIDE EFFECTS, we anticipate the growing "links" between Canadian women concerned with health issues, and the strengthening of "links" with women in developing countries. Kim Erickson spoke with SIDE EFFECTS actors Mary Burns and Mitzi Hauser about the evolution and the impact of the play. by KIM ERICKSON KIM: Thz project hca quite a tong hatoty to Lt and hay been shaped by zeveAat gtoups - Intet Panes, Women'4 Heath Interaction, GAeat Canadian Theatke Company. At what ztage did you both come in? MARY: Great Canadian Theatre Company (G.C.T.C.) got involved two years ago at a Conference in Aylmer, Que. about Women and Pharmaceuticals. Barbara (Lysnes) went to the conference, and it was there that they said it would be really good if we could have a play that went across the country, and taught people about the issues. So she came back from the conference and talked to G.C.T.C., and it was decided that they would take it on and do this play. She got Janet Irwin, who is the director of the play, and ultimately the writer as well, and they started doing research. I started joining them, and one day a week we'd meet and read, talk about ideas, and then meet once a month with the women from Women's Health Interaction (WHI) and Inter Pares, who were putting out this 'For Health or For Profit' kit at the same time. The first actual thing that happened in terms of putting the play up was a three week writing workshop last May. Mitzi came on for that. MITZI: Yes, and then they asked Cynthia Grant to co-direct the workshop with Janet, and basically what happened was that Janet took over the research. She'd come in every day with things- a various books, and Cynthia was the one who tried to put it all on its feet. She works with Nightwood Theatre in Toronto, and she'd done a lot of collaboration like this with women, so it was quite amazing how she got 21/2 hours of material in 3 weeks. She works very ecclectically, which is really good. I felt very willing to try anything new, to experiment, and to look into my background. I think everyone did. Besides being an actor, you are something else as well. Some people had music, some people had dance, some had various other things which they brought in. There were many, many different styles. But it was also a method of getting away from text, and making it a little more symbolic, instead of heavy, heavy dialogue all the time, teaching, teaching to death. You read these things, and then you want to get up and do a monologue about somebody's story, which doesn't make very good theatre. MARY: It was also an experiment to see what kind of a play it would be, because at this point no one really knew. KIM: So did you have to hone down ate that matetiat aliten the woldnhop? MARY: Janet did. She took it all and condensed it, and basically turned it into the play we're doing now. MITZI: We did another one in Novem ber. That was the conference of the Canadian Health Coalition. So for that November date, Janet had taken all the information that we had brought together and made a script of it. Basically it was four women's stories, interspersed with the drug company scenes. There were Third World scenes in that as well. KIM: Have there been changes since Novembee MARY: The structure is still the same. Most of the characters - all e women, thet,- -"TaPFIftfitit+Oter Granny, and the drug company people - are all the same. There are a couple of scenes that have been added, and there may have been something taken away. There's more music. Cathy (Miller) wrote one song for the November show, and then she wrote 3 or 4 more for this one. MITZI: Different people were used for the November workshop. Oh, the slides were added as well. KIM: The text mateulat that way used COMM di/tee-ay 6Aom women's expeAiences. MITZI: Yes, we had two taped testimonials from women, two drug addicts, Mary Ann and Giselle. The other -(character) is a composite of ,_the DES. There are two books written about DES, an American one and a Canadian one, so it's put together based on the books. MARY: The fourth character is Margaret, and she's a fictional character. She came up really in the first May workshop, and then she got developed a little. She is representative of the early 50's premenopausal or menopausal women whose children have left home and they don't know what to do -- that whole syndrome. KIM: So it's been quite an evotution. Thiz hca been an ate women's puject, even the technical peopte. I cmume that wca a covacioca decizion on the pant o6 the people pAoducing it. MARY AND MITZI: Yes. KIM: What's that Lae for you az actoAs to be .involved in something like that? NORTHERN WOMAN...page 12 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �MITZI: I was really amazed. I've been involved in these type of things before, but never all women. I was amazed to realize how much censorship I apply to myself when I'm in a group of male and female. And I couldn't believe it I thought, then I do, I tensor everything, every idea before I bring it up if there's a mixed group. With all women the censorship was just gone. And it was like, no matter what you say, it's fine, we'll accept it, you know, because we're all women. So even (if) you give stupid ideas or things that aren't really well thought out, somebody else will build on it and you'll just keep going. KIM: Fat me, that's Zike the pnocess you were taking about, the way that the ptay RVA constAucted, bAinging in all individual inputs, and what you don't use isn't useless. MARY AND MITZI: No, not at all MITZI: Because it's probably triggered somebody else. MARY: That's right. I think it's really neat that we're all women going across the country. And it's fun because a lot of people are surprised by that. We've come into some town where there'll be technicians at the theatre waiting to help us, and you can see their eyes widen when they see eight women jumping out of the truck, and putting our work gloves on. They sort of think that's funny, and then by the end of the night, they're impressed with how quickly we got the work done. And so that's very satisfying. But I really think that there's a sense, an attitude, just a relaxed quality about the tour that I can't lily give any concrete - but I'm-sure-that it's because we are all women. KIM: I'm tki.nkAAg just now of a pAoject .the 'The Ctub', which we both wothed on. There was a 4eeting oi rapport there, but because o4 other kinds of conttots, the kind o4 stAuctune you're wotking Ln, and just taking a paAt ... I think that's pAobab ty a teatty di44enent kind oi ptoject than thi4 one whete you've got input on all tevets. You may not be doing ate the jobs but you'te in touch with all the things that are going on. MITZI: The whole thing of having a KIM: The putpose of the play, inimmdirector is very hierarchical. He ing an audience, could be cat tied out has the final decision and that's in a couple .04 di44enent ways. Somethe way theatre's built up. Now to one could go on a speaking tout, on have a cooperative theatre company, .a video could be done. There ate all even though we all have our input, kinds o4 di44etent apptoaches that Jan was still the one that had to simitat content cowed be dealt with. have the final say. You can't have MITZI: The thing is, this is entera piece of work that doesn't have tainment as well. It's very funny, so somebody finally saying, this is the in fact, you're using a vehicle that way it's gonna be. is probably your best access to the MARY: You can, but it takes forever. audience. I mean, would you rather Sometimes it's just easier, you know, see a play, or go to a lecture? It's to have someone finally say, OK, obvious. I'd rather see a play, esthis is it. pecially if it's going to make me MITZI: The whole structure of thealaugh. And so we coat all the informtre is hierarchical. ation in humour, which is one of the bestways to reach people. KIM: Sometimes people's de4ense4 go they aren't allowed to up mote laugh at on with the situation. MITZI": Yes, it's true. The waiting room scene is one of the scenes that is the least didactic, and yet, people identify with it because everybody has sat in a waiting room and gone through the same things these women are going through waiting for the doctor, and trying to make conversation, and telling their whole story to strangers. I think people really enjoy that scene, and yet it' doesn't come up with a lot of new information, but it does bring you into (the scenario). MARY: A video would reach more people. That's an advantage it would have, and a lot of people have said, why don't you make a video? Maybe at some point that would be good, but I'm glad it's a play instead of a video because it is neat that we are going to communKIM: It must be intenesting to do ities that don't get to see that much th,bs kind o4 theatAe that's using the medium- to infroitm people about a ceAtain issue. It's really di44eAent 4Aom theatre that has sotety aAtistic at enteAtaining aims. MITZI: Well, it is more or less documentary, in that you follow several people through their lives. It's a build-up and adding, and adding, and adding, so you get a picture in the end of all the issues, as opposed to having a scenario played out in front of you that has a beggining, a middle, and an end. I think we give them the beginning and maybe the middle, but we don't give them the end. The audience has to make the end. MITZI: Yes. I mean, we have a technician and we defer the technical things to the technician. But there KIM: I6 the/Le a di44etence az OA is always things that happen, such as your peAsonae commitment to the as, map-reading. It seems to me that pAoject i4 you know that these ate whenever I'm in a mixed group it's issues that a44ect you peAsonatty, always the men that take over and and ate women, in some way? read the map. Now all of a sudden MARY: I think so. Because of the way you get a chance to actually read a the whole thing was set up, some of map and figure out where you are. us have been involved since the very You have a flat tire.. you get a beginning, so our input is there as chance to do the flat tire. It's in writers and directors, at least at our culture that the women will get some stage. I know I'm more involved the food and the men will look after in this show than in some other shows the car .. that type of stuff. And where I would be given just a script, it doesn't happen anymore because and this is the kind of theatre I pereverybody will do everything. sonally like to do the most. I find MARY: And it was a conscious effort, it really exciting because I think and there was a little bit of flak that it really does affect people. associated with that - you know, why are you going out of your way to look The difference I find is after the show when you talk to people, almost for women for this particular job? everyone will come up to you with a It's a difficult thing in a sense to story to tell - either about themjustify, but I think that theatre is selves or someone they know. It's so a funny thing. It's deceiving. You obvious that it affects everyone's tend to think that theatre is a very daily lives. So you feel that you've egalitarian place. But it isn't. It really connected with the audience. is male-dominated like almost any other field. theatre. MITZI: A smaller community has a difficult time making a video, because of the equipment, the expense. But if they see people making a play, if they see.... oh, these people got together and made a play.... ok, we've got an issue we want dealt with.... they could put a play together for themselves. Basically all you have to know is how to talk. With conviction. They could do the same for their own community. KIM: You've been seeing a 4aiA numbers o4 di44etent communities. You went out to the east coast and now you're heading to the west coast. 14 there a di44eAence in audienceteactionz in di44etent peaces? MITZI: I think in the larger centres you get.more people who already know the issues. Probably we're doing it in the university setting and there are groups that have already been organized around these issues. When we go into a smaller centre, often it's the first time these people have come across the issues. Also, what's more important than the play is the discussion that follows the play. I think there's a lot of information exchanged that informs people of what's going on in their area. con't. p 14 NORTHERN WOMAN page 1: PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �I Auppozefact, in playing you're di46etent the only person in your kindA o4 hats, too, youtte not jutst own best interest. What you put into ptaying in a theatte building of a know as much your body you'd better peace when .tome o4 as thepossible. people who about "Side Effects" shoutd be being teached that's the maybe theme.wouldn't When does the side think to go. effect become worse than the disease MITZI: That's itself? the problem with that playNot much you can put ining in the universities, The effect, as to your bodyyou hassee. no side people you want go to fartoasreach drugsdon't are concerned. Then auniversity halls. go into to the gain,They we're thecom-' whole business munity centres. of That's making where money.the Is init better to put formation is exchanged, and that's something on the market and make mowhere their friends ney, orare. do we test it for longer? MARY: It is a What's bit of the a problem, un-of dangerous percentage fortunately. Almost we go, can we allow cases -everywhere what percentage you do have the tothis be playandtendency still let drug go on the ing to the people who are aware of market? 5%, 1%, 2%? Profit and loss, the issues already. And I think that that's basically what it is. We're is a hard thing to avoid. But I think caught in the middle. And the whole it's good to business reinforceofthe whovs the brand thepeople generic 'preaching are - I mean,name the drugs, saying which is so topical now, to the converted' well, I think all these things has suddenly brought the convertedup. need the reinforcement - they need the push. MARY: It's really a new concept to a Ls a timely lot of people, too. When you first uAe it seems -to get hit with it, it's almost shocking tot mote questionto suddenly realize (that the) phart now - otdinaty maceutical industry is an industry t - o4 authotity, just like anything else. It's a multipeople in paw. national corporation. Of course they n the KeB spit are thinking of money first: , 4ot exampte, peoKIM: You think that thete'A a ttuAt t. Atzo, with the with the peopte cleating with your , peopte atequeAtheatth, and i4 the huust gets btoken, e doing. Ate them well, what does that mean? Who's godemand 4ot bet-et ing to take cate o4 me? KIM: s because they have first with Thaliith DES, that everyy the pharmaceutiit's going to be. t safe. They say d, they say they're results, looking-. , these things come at you've got to f. You think that pharmacists are nterest, but in MARY: Yeah, it's a scary thing. And the Third World scenes that we depict in the play and the issues that we bring up about drug dumping and that kind of thing - there've been people who have made comments like 'Well, if that's true...' and you say, 'No, no it is.' And they say, 'Well, if that's really true...' - they just can't quite believe it KIM: Welt, 'some o- the Atoitie4 ate ptetty shocking. MITZI: They are. That is the word when I first read about those things. We saw a few videos on the pharmaceutical industry, especially as it relates to the Third World. It was amazing: We have evaluations that go out with (the play) to ask, did you know about this information before? was there anything that was new to you? and basically what people don't know about is the Third World information. Sd if all we're doing is educating them as far as what happens there, then that's good if they know everything else that we have to give them and we're just reminding them of those facts. MARY: That's one of the major aims of Women's Health Interaction, too. They are very concerned about linking the Third World women with North American women - even in terms of just recognizing what's going on with them, just recognizing what we have in common. KIM: And then people can decide what action to take ,6ADM theme once they ate aware. MITZI: Yeah, we don't give any answers because we don't know the answers. Nobody really knows the answers except the fact that you've got to start working at getting some answers. Sa, it's up to each community what they- can do. It's up to the person that's watching work - where can I actually stand u and be counted? V' CV V oNc, HEALTH INTERACTION Interaction (WHI) work of women's, ment groups in Canprovide a platform out on health conms to link local health issues pment of educationanges, and network- f a Workshop on uticals held in onsored by Inter agency which supvelopment projects seas. ating network, ties to any one ather encourages wide range of inps. At present, around which partis women and phare across the counformation and acheme, including rs, consumers and olved in the net- work are community and international development groups, addiction centres, women's organizations, educators and students. WHI examines why women reach out for drugs, why they are prescribed certain drugs, what their real health concerns are, and how their needs could be better met. WHI looks at the social, cultural, economic and political factors which affect women's health. We study the role of pharmaceutical companies and the medical system and their impact on women's lives, both at home and abroad (drug dumping in the Third World eg). The overall objective of WHI is to contribute to the creation of a national women's health network which would raise the profile of women's health issues in Canada and provide women with a platform to voice their concerns. WHI cooperates on the international level with Health Action International, which is working towards the adoption of a code of con_ duct on pharmaceutical marketing practices by the World Health Organization. WHI exchanges information and resources as well as people with Third World women's health and development groups. In 1984, WHI produced an information kit on the pharmaceutical industry in Canada and the Third World entitled "For Health or For Profit". Recently, WHI has produced an Organizers Manual on women and pharmaceuticals which will be useful to women's and international develop ment groups addressing health issues. WHI is also beginning to take up the issue of population control/ family planning, with a view to establishing feminist guidelines appropriate to industrialised and Third World countries. For more information about Women's Health Interaction contact them in care of Inter Pares, 58 ArthuT St., Ottawa, Ontario. In Thunder Bay, contact Northern Women's Centre, phone 345-7802. e 14 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �?-0 SOLVICg IN THE SCHOOLS Books 00,2 Feminist Aleiert6 flpuivadha. !!!Lb NORTHERN WOMAN'S BOOKSTORE 69 N. COURT ST. THUNDER BAY, P7A 4T7 BitartaFzgyam, lit LW 344-7979 W444tha/ cg:ance4 ir-%04. , a/ /4 Mata 011°. J4fe;d4-teiern aidei ./11 - /30 f7, Fiction Poetry Theory Health gptrituality Peace Sci- Fiction Third World fk 00Sieali/J on Thursday, Fri day 11.30 Saturday ********* WOMANSPACE * 6..0" 11.30 - 4.30 #41.4141-**11* ADVOCATE S I am interested in Thunder Bay Advocates for Quality Child Care Ake., FIRST NEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH 4,- ma ion Name Address 69N. COURT STREET \\ PH. 345-7802 Clip and mail to: Thunder Bay Advocates for Quality Child Care Box 144, Thunder Bay P7C 4V5 **********11*******####******** JUST RELEASED PREEDOM OP CHOICE THE RESISTING 4' new poems CANADIAN ABORTION maws ACTION Lwow (CABAL) actla %eC NINIOCIATION CANADIII3INIS POOH LX MOTT A L'AVOATIMANT I awsiAl The Purpose of CARAL Is to ensure that no woman In Canada is denied access to safe, legal abortion. Our aim is the repeal of all sections of the Criminal Codce dealing with abortion -and the establishment of comprehensive contraceptive and abortion services, including appropriate counselling across the country. "We regard the right to safe, legal abortion as a fundamental human right." I support the statement of purpose of CARAL and wish to become a Rarnw Address: to1 Postal Cods: OccupationName of Federal Riding- Available @ $6.50 each flout NORTHERN WOMAN'S BOOKSTORE., 69 N. Court St. Individual Member Limited income .43.00 Family Sustaining Donation $10.00 $15.00 $25.00 5- RETURN TO: CARAL, Box 3134, Thunder Bay,Ont. P7B 5G6 NORTHERN WOMAN page PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Thunder Bay District The Confederation College of Applied Arts & Technology '85 EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PROGRAMS FALL "NEW**BUSINESS DIVISION-EQUAL OPPORTUNITY MANAGEMENT CERTIFICATE PROGRAM (Post-Basic) at present offered part-time (evenings) through the Continuing Education Division. This one-year certificate program to begin full-time September 1985 is divided into two parts. One semester-September to December-in the College; second semester-January to April-in a field Field placements and job opportunities will not necessarily be in the placement environment. Thunder Bay region. Subjects in EOM program may be taken during the day or as offered during the evening. For further information, contact the Director of Equal Opportunity Programs (807) 475-6278. GENERAL ARTS AND SCIENCE DIPLOMA PROGRAM emphasizing Women's Programs Curriculae may be taken full-time during the day or part-time (evenings) through Continuing Education Division. For further information, contact the Program Co-ordinator (807) 475-6390. CAREER PLANNING FOR WOMEN is an 8-week program to assist women entering or re-entering the labour force to understand present employment conditions, to select realistic career goals and to enter appropriate employment or begin suitable training. Start date -- September 9th, 1985. INTRODUCTION TO NON-TRADITIONAL OCCUPATIONS (1.N.T.o.) is an 8-week program that helps women to explore opportunities for employment in non-traditional jobs. Students study job search Work placement gives women real job experience. skills, goal setting and plot a career path. Tentative start date -- February 3rd, 1986. to all aspects of practical trades training and the world of Hi-Tech. WOMEN INTO TRADES & TECHNOLOGY (w.I.T.T.) is an 18-week program designed to expose women Start Date -- September 16th, 1985. E. I .0 . For further information on CAREER PLANNING FOR WOMEN, I.N.T.O. or W.I.T.T., contact the Chair of Industrial & Motive Power (807) 475-6215, or a Counsellor, C BASIC TRAINING IN SKILLS DEVELOPMENT (B.T.s.D.) Academic Upgrading Grades 8-12; English as a Second Language. For further information contact the Chair of Communication Arts (807) 475-6210; or your local Canada Employment & Immigration office; or the Women's Employment Centre, 130 S. Syndicate Avenue, Thunder Bay, ON P7E 1C7 (807) 623-2731. PROGRAMS PROGRAM REGISTRATION INFORMATION: Registration for ALL subjects begins August 6th (5-7:30pm) and commencing August 7th from 9am-7:30pm every weekday except Fridays from 9am-4pm, in the Registrar's Office, Shuniah Bldg. FEE: : the community. Assertion is not to be confused with aggression. Assertion takes into account the rights and feelings of others. DATE/TIME Thursdays 7:00-10:00 p.m. START DATE: September 12, 1985 COMPLETION: November 14, 1985 INSTRUCTOR: Ivy Cook ROOM: $30.00 260, Shuniah Bldg. GS 026 99 ASSERTIVENESS TRAINING (FOR WOMEN) This elective post-secondary credit subject will provide the student with the skills necessary to negotiate honestly for the things she wants--on the job, at home, in HYMERS' Fall Fair: September 1st and 2nd at the College Booth. *NEW*MAIL-IN Registrations: deadline August 30th. To receive a registration form, call the Community Programs Office (Continuing Education Division) (807) 475-6116. Northwestern Ontario Residents may call Toll Free: 1-800-465-6961. : GS 010 99 PERSONAL FINANCIAL PLANNING (FOR WOMEN) This elective post-secondary credit subject will give women practical instruction in personal economics, handling money and managing one's financial affairs. Topics covered include budgeting, banking, investing, credit, housing, car ownership, insurance, and other topics which students may be interested in. Tuesdays 7:00-10:00 p.m. September 10, 1985 December 17, 1985 Lauretta Johnson ROOM: 344, Shuniah Bldg $45.00 DATE/TIME START DATE: COMPLETION: INSTRUCTOR: FEE: WOMEN IN MANAGEMENT This elective post-secondary credit subject will deal primarily with the roles of women in management and the particular skills needed by women to effectively fulfill managerial functions under the constraints which are from themselves, as well as those imposed by the : organizations. DATE/TIME Mondays 7:00-10:00 p.m. START DATE: September 9, 1985 COMPLETION: December 23, 1985 INSTRUCTOR: Betty Chalmers ROOM: $45.00 265, Shuniah Bldg. FEE: GS 143 99 : WOMEN & STRESS MANAGEMENT This elective post-secondary credit subject is intended to examine situational stress in our lives, family, job, social relationships, in conflict, change, developmental crises, etc and the potential sources of stress they bring to every situation because of their personality, their own belief system, their life rhythms and their problem-solving. A lifestyle and attitude approach to changing their stress response will be developed by each individual. Wednesdays 7:00-10:00 p.m. October 2, 1985 December 4, 1985 Bert Hopkins ROOM: 260, Shuniah Bldg. $30.00 DATE/TIME START DATE: COMPLETION: INSTRUCTOR: FEE: GS 144 99 WOMEN & INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT - I This elective post-secondary credit subject will expand awareness of the role of women in development (economic, social, cultural and political) by: --exploring activities, concerns and issues regarding WOMEN AND DEVELOPMENT in the Third World, and --examining links between development issues affecting Third World and : Canadian women DATE/TIME Wednesdays 7:00-10:00 p.m. START DATE: September 11, 1985 COMPLETION: November 13, 1985 INSTRUCTOR: Margaret Phillips ROOM: $30.00 258, Shuniah Bldg. FEE: : WT 843 99 Motor Vehicle (WOMEN KNOW YOUR CAR) In this elective post-secondary credit subject women will learn the basic procedures of car maintenance and general operations. DATE/TIME Mondays 7:00-10:00 p.m . START DATE: September 23, 1985 COMPLETION: November 4, 1985 INSTRUCTOR: Al Bonazzo $18.00 ROOM: 149, Auto Shop, Dorion Bldg. FEE: : ZB 293 99 FIRST STEP--COMPUTER PROGRAMMING FOR WOMEN An introductory course in computer fundamentals designed to give women an understanding of the capabilities and terminology associated with comUpon completion, students will be capable puters. of designing some of their own "BASIC" programs such as budget or mortgage payment calculations. Students will have hands-on computer experience. Tuesdays 7:00-10:00 p.m. September 24, 1985 November 26, 1985 Anna Melville ROOM: 379, Shuniah Bldg. DATE/TIME START DATE: COMPLETION: INSTRUCTOR: $30.00 FEE: : PORNOGRAPHY AS A SOCIAL PROBLEM This subject will critically analyze the subject of pornography as a social problem from a feminist perspective, which takes into account the power structures of this This controversial topic will look society. at issues such as: Does pornography promote violence toward women? Should there be censorship and if so should the state be a vehicle to promote it? Does the present laws on censorship protect women from the effects of pornography? Will the changes in the Constitution better protect women against the effects of pornography under the 'Human Rights Option'? These and many more questions will be examined and discussed. DATE/TIME Wednesdays 7:00-10:00 p.m. START DATE: September 25, 1985 COMPLETION: November 27, 1985 INSTRUCTOR: Janis Aylwood ROOM: $45.00 327, Shuniah Bldg. FEE: : ZW 046 99 TIME MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR THE DUAL CAREER WOMAN The purpose of this subject is to assist women in applying the management principles of assessment, decision-making, planning, organizing, implementing and evaluation to their life situations in order to achieve a rewarding balance between personal activities and professional responsibilities. DATE/TIME Tuesdays 7:00-10:00 p.m. START DATE: September 24, 1985 COMPLETION: November 26, 1985 INSTRUCTOR: Ivy Cook ROOM: $45.00 260, Shuniah Bldg. FEE: : ZW 047 99 THE TRAVELLING WOMAN This subject is designed to help today's woman plan her business or pleasure trip effectively. Topics include passport, visa and health requirements, the "do's" and "don'ts" of travelling alone, planning and packing a business/pleasure wardrobe, travel insurance, coping with customs, popular travel destinations, best buys, tips on better travel photography and travelling with special needs. Consideration will also be given to individual needs and interests. DATE/TIME Thursdays 7:30-9:30 p.m. START DATE: September 26, 1985 COMPLETION: November 28, 1985 INSTRUCTOR: Iva Wright ROOM: $30.00 327, Shuniah Bldg. FEE: ZW 048 99 HOW TO WRITE THE PROPOSAL TO GET THE GRANT : The preparation of proposals to obtain grants for needed community services is a skill. This subject will assist you to understand the expectations of funders and will give you practice in preparing proposals to your greatest advantage. This subject will be of interest to representatives of community organizations, women's groups and voluntary associations. DATE/TIME Mondays 7:00-10:30 p.m. START DATE: September 23, 1985 COMPLETION: October 7, 1985 INSTRUCTOR: Margaret Phillips ROOM: $20.00 327, Shuniah Bldg. FEE: EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PROGRAMS WELCOMES YOUR SUGGESTIONS, CALL (807) 475-6232. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Second Class Mil Registration No. INSIDE THIS ISSUE: p2 YOUR VOICE p3 KRESGE'S STRIKE p4 UPDATE p6 BOOKS p7 DAY CARE pll FEMINIST PRESS p12 INTERVIEW p.15 CHECK THESE ADS 5697 Don't forget to renew your1 subscription! Here's my sub: Name Address (postal code) individual $ 5institutional $10 ************************************* IS THERE AN ASTERISK ON YOUR LABEL?? PLEASE RENEW YOUR SUBSCRIPTION ************************************* WORKERS THIS ISSUE: RETURN 'ID: THE NORTHERN WOMAN 69 N. COURT ST. THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO P7A 4T7 Elaine Goodwin, Noreen Lavoie, Anna McColl, Karen Maki, Margaret Phillips,' Donna Phoenix, Sara Williamson, Kathryn Brule Return.Postage Guaranteed Northern ligoman Journal 69 N. Court St., Thunder Bay, Ontario P7A 4T7 (Six Issues) -$5.00 $10.00 Businese or Institution PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal Description An account of the resource Northern Woman Journal Published in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Northern Woman Journal (originally called Northern Woman) started in 1973 following the first annual Northern Women’s Conference in order to keep the conference attendees connected. Initially serving as a newsletter of events, local issues, and women’s resources, the Northern Woman Journal quickly became a diverse publication reaching national and international readers. Not only did it serve as a newsletter to keep local women up to date on feminist issues in Northwestern Ontario, but also as a safe space to discuss women’s resources, law, politics, economics, health, racism, sexism, homophobia, feminist organizing and activism, transnational feminist issues, poetry, feminist reading, feminist art, and women’s diverse lived experiences.One of the longest-running feminist perodicals in North America, the Northern Woman Journal reached its end in 1995. Throughout its 22 years, the Northern Woman Journal was produced by its many collective members, with membership evolving year to year. For many years, the journal worked closely alongside and shared space with the Northern Women’s Centre and the Northern Women’s Bookstore. With the exception of a year-long government grant in the 1970s, the journal relied entirely on subscription fees and donations in order to maintain publishing, which presented challenges throughout its entire existence. As stated in an early version of the editorial policy, “only by a free and open exchange of views and opinions will we develop a basis for unity which can be used as a basis for action.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal, Vol 9 No 2 Description An account of the resource Vol. 9, No. 2 (August 1985) Title: Northern Woman Journal Topics include: Northern women Immigrant Women’s Employment Place opening in Thunder Bay Women’s Centre opening on Lakehead campus Feminist counselling workshop Ear Falls Mother’s Action Committee Lesbian Archives and Resource Centre, Kenora Canadian Women’s Festival Farm Women’s Conference Women’s health in Northwestern Ontario Employment equity Decade of Women in Nairobi International Feminist Network Against Sexual Slavery Abortion access & legislation Feminist book list Domestic Abuse Intervention Program Northwestern Ontario Women’s Health Education Project Daycare access Daycare crisis Coalition for Better Daycare Daycare funding Daycare advocacy Feminist Periodicals Conference, Marc-Sur-Richlieu Women & pharmaceuticals Women's Health Interaction network Confederation College programs for women Authors/Contributors: Joan Baril Margaret Phillips Ann-Ida Beck Anna McColl Kim Erickson Elaine Goodwin Noreen Lavoie Karen Maki Donna Phoenix Sara Williamson Kathryn Brule Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Northern Woman Journal Collective Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1985-08 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Published on this site with permission. Language A language of the resource English https://digitalcollections.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/16/2789/1985_Vol_9_No_3.pdf 835da6316a966745742f85ff98a4e449 PDF Text Text PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �itoria ./.1" / /' Earlier this year many of us had the privilege of seeing the play SIDE EFFECTS. This exceptional play moved each of us, raising our awareness of the health issues we as Canadian wom en face, and linking us with the health concerns of our sisters throughout the world. SIDE EFFECTS shocked, angered and frustrated us about the lack of control we have over our own health, and our past inability to change this. But SIDE EFFECTS motivated us as well - many of us left with the feeling that we can and must take control of our destiny. Right now we have the opportunity to put this feeling into action! A crisis for Canadian women's health must be avoided. The issue is DEPO PROVERA. Until now we have only had a somewhat abstract concern as we have deplored the dumping of this injectible contraceptive on to Third World women. Now the problem affects us intimately. DEPO PROVERA is being considered as a contraceptive for use in Canada. An 'expert' committee has recommended the approval of DEPO PROVERA. The Committee, officially known as the Advisory Committee on Female Reproductive Physiology (and. chaired by Dr. Jack Walter) states that the drug is 'la highly effective contraceptive ... with fewer known risks of adverse side effects than other highly effective methods of contraception". Wv. agree the dr-dg is an effective contraceptive. What is at issue is the safety of the drug..Known side effects of Depo ProVera include nausea, headaches, depression, weight gain, excessive bleeding, continuous bleeding or total cessation of menstruation. Tests have linked the use of this drug to cancer. The safety of Deno Provera has not beep proven. /4! tAwmoseAvaiwahsavzo./..a.:,, ,///// // / . / / / / /0/ , , " / //////1// I/ ..111110 / ,/.///////,///.//, /-//////,'' /, / /4/./ /1/, / / // .1/. /./////o /,.// K, 4 / , / //// /. ./ safety has not been proven. You c Two factors seem to be in play in also circulate a petition (availa this recent push to approve Depo (1) the drug manufacturers lobby,and at Women's Centre). If you want m (2) the insensitivity of male medical information write Canadian Coalit on Depo Provera c/o Healthsharing authorities to women's health needs. In a recent Globe and Mail article 101 Niagara St. Ste 200A, Toronto Ont. M5V 1C3 or Women's Health In Dr. Ian Henderson (director of the human prescription drug branch of action, 58 Arthur St. Ottawa. Health and Welfare Canada) made some Canadian women cannot afford a 'interesting' comments. Declaring other DES story: Now is the time that the drug is both "safe and efact to stop the approval of DEPO Canada. fective" Henderson suggested that the drugs ability to prevent menstruation is beneficial and said "Our job at Health and Welfare after Depo is approved will be to educate women that the fact they have stopped menstruating is a natural side effect of this drug and that it is not unhealthy for their genitals to be in a dormant state. Their genitals will be just You may be getting weary of re, like they were when they were 9 or ing of the Northern Woman's finani 10 years old". plight. However, it is a problem we need to reports) solve. Right now Meanwhile (thehelp Globe a spokesmanthe forfirst the drug time manufacturer, in many years the I Upjohn, is is optomistic in a deficit theposition. drug willWe have be approved in Canada standing debts. The quicklycore and group of without the opposition workers have maintained the energy that occured in the United "Down there" write,States. type, paste-up, design, di he said "as soon bute - essentially get about the damn pz as complaints out. But we don't have the energy approval started coming in to senators and congressmen, they Does fund raise. anyone had to openout up there haveHere, solutions solution: the process. it is(concrete really just that is us - not forand us to imp] a matter between and ideas Health Welfare". ment). Effective issue must the cost c The approval of Depothis Provera thea Journal is increased not be just matter between Upjohnto $1.50 and Healthper andsingle Welfare. copy. Subscriptions wil It is an isnow be $5 for 4 issues_ , -$110 sue of the most vital importance to inE to tut ionsIn resnonSe'to this Canadian women. increased to $125 crisis thealso CANADIAN COALITION ON full page, $75 has halfbeen page, $45 quarter DEPO PROVERA formed to en- page. (Poverty mayheard negotiate.) Cc sure women's voicesgroups will be on these prices are low this issueparatively that affects our health andour children. value is good: and that of we've stressed before, the n Each of usAscan help. Write/teleeffective way to ensure of financial gram the Hon. Jake Epp, Minister is to triple our subs. A st Health.andbility Welfare, House of Commons, Ottawa, K1A 0A6 (copy scription to to theyour Northern Woman we MP) be aapproval great gift to give. Please cc opposing the of.Depo Provera as a contraceptive sider it. in Canada as its rwi CRISIS your OICE Dear Northern Women: I can't think of a better forum for a sentimental farewell to my struggling sisters in the north, than the pages of this journal. There is no question of the part it has played in my life and the knowledge I have gained from those who have given time and energy beyond what they could afford to expend to keep it alive. There is a time for every thing and I feel the timing is right for the move to a kinder climate in my own interests. I do it with mixed feelings, knowing I leave a support system that has never failed me... However change is a part of my nature and the feminist ideology is everywhere so I have no fears that I shall be recognized as a fellow traveller. I leave the Resisting Spirit as a token of my love and concern for those struggling We wantwith morepersonal than menrelahave settle tionships. for, Thereheare few of usa who is as much slave to the have been able to as sayweall they system are, he wanted has already to on the subject so I have tried to sold out to it for his privleged say it for position you, dependance is the as a male to abuse his issue for everywoman power. Fromand hiseverything closest relationthat interferes with an opportunity ships to the pinnacle of his ambi to exercisetions an independant choice, power is both his. goal and made in good not accephisconscience undoing . is Nowhere is this MO] table. Theapparent im portance of the than in thesupport pervasive id women have been able to give each logy of militarism, superceding a other as the forces of fundamental other ideologies on the planet to dominance religion and patriarchal day, a direct consenuence of his pressure us back into the fold that ingrained desire to dominate not further supports a role we find does only his fellowmen but thought ii not appeal to our intelligence or self. He cannot do this without t nourish our spirit is crucial. Each support of women, caught up in hi of us in our own way fight this perdogma divided against each other, sonal battle changing the circumdenying her own intelligence, sel stances that deny the respect that out her own person for his approi is our right as a person. But, toOne has only to listen to a city gether we struggle against the outcil meeting to realize the level side forces that gives our oppreshis competence to handle power wi sion legitamcy. We are not lacking any degree of human intelligence. in courage here in the north. Our we have something to bring to the voices are more clear than strident, cess is undeniable. That it will we are learning the language of polhappen without a more enlightened itical reality, but we must never forget that language is alien to us. on pg. cont'd PDF compression, web2 optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor NORTHERN OCR, WOMAN page �1UPdate by JOAN BARIL o On November 30, francophone women from Geraldton, Longlac, and Nakina met to found a new organization "Les "Elles" du Nord". The chair is Raymonde Mercier and the executive is made up of women from the three Stand by for announcement communities. They have completed an soon from the Decade Council about action research, hiring a woman to Heather Bishop appearing here in March meet with local women in their homes in connection with International Womto outline the priorities of francoen's Day and the end of their decade. phone women in their communities. They are also looking at a spring conoleo Kam Theatre's play "Stars in the Sky Morning" returned to Thunder ference for francophone women in the Bay this fall. It is a moving theatri- north goo cal experience, a braid of women's voow, At last Kenora is to have a ices weaving together stories of womrefuge for battered women. This is en's lives in Newfoundland. An allthe culmination of ten long years of women production, the play was writpersistent and at times discouraging ten by lhonda Payne, Jan Henderson work by Women's Place, Kenora. Organand Jane Dingle; directed by Maureen izations and individuals around the McKeon; designed by Deborah Ratelle; province who have kept in touch with the Kenora situation know that if theacted by Suzanne Turnbull and Lennie re ever should be an Academy Award for Albanese. The production was held together by the wonderful original music courage and perseverance, it should go to Kenora's Women's Place. Unforwritten and played by local musician tunately the shelter will be called a Joyce Michalchuk. This winter Kam is "amily Resource Centre", a name so also offering "The Fighting Days" bamemingless it could only have been sed on Canadian suffragist experience and "Checking Out", the story of a wo- cor-Aled by a computer picking words man in small town Alberta who tries to at random from an old William Davis speech. It is going to take a lot of make a break for the big city (Deo P.R. to convince local women and Naoe Lakehead University Women's Centre is planning a series of activi- tive women from nearby communities, ties including speakers on Treminism that when they are in distress, they and His*ory of Women's Movement in can find refuge at a "Resource CenNorthwestern Ontario, a-newsletter for tre". This is the sort of language students both on and off campus and a that renders women and women's needs workshop to encourage more women to invisible. get involved in campus elections oo Moreover, Kenora Town Council Heartiest congratulations to Dusty Miller for her election win to Thunder Bay's new Council and to Betty Kennedy for retaining her chair by acclamation foe ** 11" 14KSais. or was it yellow as a preview to the recent municipal elections. The Women's Information Group there researched local social issues and put out a "shocking pink paper" (on yellow paper) on their findings. They outlined the situations in day care, housing, affirmative action and other areas and used the information to address the candi- dates e eel, The action research done by Project Mayday, women of the North Shore (see article by Carol Quesnelle) is now available. The post-conference follow-up is now taking place with a worker who will be meeting with women's groups in Terrace Bay, Marathon, Manitouwadge, Schreiber to help them develop their follow-up plans from the North Shore conference see woo Research done by Project Mayday used the assistance of the Women's Research Centre, #301 - 2515 Burrard St., Vancouver, V6J 3J6. Their papers, including 'Women's Perspective in Research' and 'How to Study Your Own Community' both by Dr. Helga Jacobson, are available at reasonable cost. In 'Feminist Action, Institutional Reaction' Jan Barnsley descri- bes how the state grabs hold of a woman's issue, defines it, gobbles it up and spits it out as part of the sta- tus quo eo turned down tke,,apkileation_ t,___ R_ Place to run the hostel. Their submission was excellent but the Kenora councillors chose the Presbyterian Church to manage the shelter. Again, women's work negated and made invisible 'pee oo The Pro-family movement. Are They For or Against Families? This is the title of a paper by Margaret Eichler and available at OISE (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education), Bloor St. Toronto. Eichler contrasts the positions of NAC (National Action Committee on the Status of Women) and R.E.A.L. women, a selflabelled "pro-family" organization. Women should note well that if you have ever expressed support for divorce, day care, contraception, abortion, sex education in the schools or full social, economic and political equality of women, you are now labelled "anti-family" by many exceedingly wealthy and influential organizations. oo Conferences will bloom with the flowers in Northwestern Ontario this coming spring. There will be a Northern Women's Conference in Sudbury. In Thunder Bay there will be a conference for women who own businesses or women who are looking into'starting a business. The conference, called Business Ownership for Women will be held March 7,8 & 9. It's goal is to assist women to find resources and information and, organizers hope, develop an organization of women business owners. Prior to the conference a series of evening information sessions called 'Adventures in Enterprise' will be held in ten small communities throughout the region. These workshops will give interested women an insight into help available for women entrepreneurs or potential entrepreneurs. from RFR For information call conference coordinator Susan Lappacher at Confederation College, extension 400. (Out of towners call toll-free 1-800-476-6110 extension 400). The college is also hosting a conference on affirmative action which is open to trustees and senior administrators in education. oo A Young Women's Conference will be held April 25 and 26 at the Valhalla Inn, Thunder Bay for youth between the ages of 15 and 24. (These are the age criteria given for the United Nations International Youth Year.) The workshop will look at issues affecting young women and discuss the skills which would help young women deal with the issues. This is a conference for and about youth and as far as possible all the resource People and workshop people will be in the 15-24 age range. For more information call conference co-ordinator Lorri Yasenik at Decade Council 3453606. This local conference will not duplicate the format of another cono inn lei held this year ,and soun y'c of the participants were young people. oo Do your part. Send Brian Mulroney a New Year's card asking the government to support funding for organizations which work to advance the status of women. The virulent right wingers have mounted a high profile campaign to cut money to "anti -family" orgarlizations. HERizons maganine, An for one, has experienced problems. article from''Campaign Life News' (August 1985) states that the Department of Secretary of State has "spent Millions in taxpayers' money ... to set up a chain of pro-abortion, antifamily organizations" and what is more this money is given to groups which "seek change in the social institutions of our country". (t) What sort of women's activities would Campaign Life prefer to sponsor, you ask? In the final analysis none. After putting in a half-hearted plug for REAL women, the article sweeps them aside as well, by saying "The real question is whether the government should, especially in times of financial restraint, be funding any women's lobby groups.... let alone these minority of minorities". (Women as minority?) "Why should women be singled out for this largesse when then: are more important areas which could well use these funds?" The article does not state which areas are so important they receive all govern lent grants and women get none. Nevertheless these sort of articles and letters have galvanized an active anti-woman lobby o continued on page 13 NORTHERN WOMAN page 3 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �MAYDAY in the community. NORTH SHORE WOMEN'S RESEARCH Thene waz a vL -Lon. "Women activag involved in thea communities" . A small group of women from the North Shore communities met in different towns seeking to involve women in defining the needs of their communities as they relate to women and finding ways of meeting these needs. They gathered together, showed films, had discussions. Networking with Thunder Bay brought more information and support. The issue of family violence emerged in those discussions. Lack of facilities and support for the victims became a concern. In 1982 a district board called Mayday was formed. A report on physical violence was completed in 1983 which resulted in the formation of the Intermunicipal Committee on Family Violence to lobby for, a North Shore Transition House. This is still ongoing. Plans were made in 1984 to further involve Mayday in the community through seeking funding from Secretary of State to initiate a research project involving women in an analysis of their experiences of single industry,town living. Another journey had begun when Karen Weeks- Kusins from Manitouwadge, Judy VandenEnde, Marathon, Pam McKeever, Schreiber and myself Carol Lepine-Quesnelle, Terrace Bay, were hired to conduct this research project and provide an analysis for each of our communities. On a cold night in November Diana Ellis, representing the B.C. Women's Research Centre, came to Terrace Bay to help the researchers and Board Members plan the project. At the end of the weekend we had defined our purpose, listed our goals and objectives, set up strategies and tasks to meet them. Developing a Pert Chart which listed our goals and what we hoped to accomplish in a certain period of time was an exciting venture. We were amazed at Diana's endless wisdom and energy. As I reflect on this first workshop I recall seeing how different we were - through life experiences, educational backgrounds, ages, incomes and occupations. "How are we ever going to work together?" I wondered. Diana's skills at facilitating showed us our value as women. It was this commonality that enabled us to accomplish our work. With excitement, energy and feeling a little overwhelmed with our work load we, the Project Workers, went back to our communities. An interview guide had been developed. We planned to practice on our. close friends. There was lots of reading material des cribing Participatory Research, interview techniques, confidentiality and public relations to be read. We were to develop a community profile describing our town and the services available. Reading all the information I could find about Terrace Bay gave me a better understanding of my community. "Why was the town built? ,Why are we here?" became interesting questions to ask others. My learning experience had begun. NORTHERN WOMAN page 4 Before we began our interviews we met with Cathie Smith and Margaret Buffington. They would co-facilitate the workshops where we would share, evaluate our progress and plan our next step. These get togethers became the cement and elasticity of the whole project. It was here that we were held together. It was here we were able to Change our direction completely when we recognized the need to. Our meetings began with "checking in". We shared our feelings, joys and struggles. Being homemakers with responsibilities in the home made our work out of the home difficult at times. Day care was a problem for some, as was finding time to do all the work we had done before we started this new job. Sometimes we were able to convince our families to help with child care, cooking, cleaning and shopping. Other times we did the work ourselves or let it go undone. We learned to set priorities. Sharing our frustratins seemed to make it easier. Someone listened. Someone understood. Our biggest joy was doing the work we enjoyed and being paid for it: These workshops also provided a place to learn new skills and receive new energy. Back to our communities we went to begin our interviews. Participatory Research was the method of gathering information that we decided to use, which simply means the researcher is a participant in the community she is studying. Our aim was to present for others the understanding of situations women had seen, heard or acted in. Thirty women between the ages of 18 to 70 were interviewed in each community. We involved women who were single, married, with or without children, working out of and/or in the home. Some were retired, widowed or divorced. Their incomes came from a broad spectrum of occupations, some had high family incomes, others variable or limited. Newcomers, longtimers, women of different nationalities living in different neighbourhoods were interviewed. Through January and February the researchers set up interviews and provided the women chosen with free time to participate, either through arranging child care or visiting women in their homes at convenient times. Researchers in each community followed one interview guide, by CAROL LEPINE-QUESNELLE Because interviews were confidential women felt free to honestly analyze their feelings about living in their town. Interviews were lengthy lasting one to three hours. Quickly writing down everything the respondent said about the specific topics during the interview, rewriting, clipping and filing this information the same day was time consuming but proved to be worth while when we reached the analyzing stage. Example - Employment' File: Because this file contained everything women said about employment the researcher was able to see the trends and their frequency. Therefore Karen Kusins was able to state in her report from Manitouwadge "Approximately one-third of the women interviewed work full or part time. One-third of the respondents would like to work but lack employment opportunities and/ or day care. The remaining one-third of the respondents' husbands did ot want them to work." -By the end of February we had each gathered information from 30 women on numerous topics. Our files were full. "How are we going to break this down?" I wondered. Cathie and Margaret answered my question by facilitating another workshop. We learned to work with raw data and analyze our material. It was also time to pull out our secondary research and note references. "This is hard work, take care of yourself" Margaret warned us. Having each other to call, having Cathie and Margaret to call gave us the energy and sometimes courage we needed to continue the project. We went home and analyzed each topic area. "How are we going to put this together?" was my next question. Networking with Thunder Bay brought Margaret Phillips, a consultant, to present a workshop on report writing. Some of us were overwhelmed with the work ahead of us. I was ready to give Margaret Phillips my raw data and have her` my report: But Margaret turned that around for me. She read some of our data - then told us how good our work was. We could do it Her enthusiasm was catching. She shared her writing experience and gave us many technical tips. Her facilitating skills enabled us to answer the many questions we had. By the end of the workshop we had listed our major themes and decided on guidelines for the report writing. I went home believing in my ability to write and the desire to do it. Continued next page PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �NORTH SHORE WOMEN'S RESEARCH continued As our work load increased our support systems grew. We were to write three drafts. Margaret Phillips agreed to review our work and guide us through this process. During this time the Mayday Board hired one woman from, each community to bring a few of the trends from the research back to the community through public meetings. Women responded by setting up committees to deal with specific issues. When the final drafts were completed, confidential copies were given to local Mayday groups who read the report and made recommendations. The researchers were present at these meetings as well as the Board meetings where the district recommendations were made. Then we had meetings to pull the report and recommendations together. At last the report was complete: This was the process. What makes it more difficult for the women of the north is the label of being "strong". She has a lot to live up to. She must be adaptable, adjustable, a survivor, always managing and making ends meet. She can see the good in everything, make the best of it and is grateful her husband is working and she has a roof over her head and three square meals a day. She is adaptable, happy and strong. Woe, to the woman who expresses her frustrations of living in the north, or is unable to live up to these expectations. She's labeled as being weak, selfish and a complainer. Who hasn't heard the comment "is that all You do-complain?" No one admires her for being honest and wanting to make changes. She's told to deny her thoughts and feelings and "put on a happy face". She's told to be "quiet". It's this denial that keeps the system going that harms us all Joining together, sharing our frustrations, complaining, enables us to see what we don't like and gives us the power to change it. I'm so grateful to all the women who were honest with me in the report, The vision "Women actively involved in theiA communities" has begun. What did we discover about women's lives? The work of caring for the family and community was theirs, regardless if she was working out of the hoMe or not. They shopped, cleaned, cooked, wipped noses and hugged babies. She drove the neighbours to the doctors, kids to the arena and cared for the sick and elderly. Women baked for bazaars, sat on boards and helped out at guides as well as hockey. Her comment often was "Someone has to do it". Over and over again we saw the paid and unpaid work women do in the community. We started to recognize their value. Women's skills became apparent. Pam McKeever wrote in her report "she "Women were the ones who were concerned for their families well being and their communities' safe functioning" stated Judy VandenEnde. But women were not the decision makers. They hadn't planned the home or community they lived and worked in. Their concerns had not been heard in their communities. "Past courses of action continually taken by local decision makers have not been for the good of the residents, but only what was good for profit." I believe this powerlessness over decision making is common to all women regardless of her place of residence. By continually stating the powerlessness women experience denial can be broken and the slow road of change can begin, as the women who have gone before have proven. INVITATION There were many more difficulties Women Pensions Committee. Plan TO BECOME Ain MEMBER confronted by women livingand a oneOF THE to become involved. industry town in: Northwestern Ontario. Please catt Amand at 345-3606. Karen Kusins stated Davy?, "WomenSt. when moving . to the north have to adapt to the environment that has been created b is a nutritionist,-,,counsellor,.money th st.........0. . + manager, organizer and scheduler, a The woman has to adapt to an environfirst aider, an encourager, a teacher, ment where is little room for NORTHERN WOMAN there page 5 change. Acceptance of shift work, lack a dresser, a tailor, a money maker, a Copies of the Mayday North Shore problem solver, a driver, a dynamo who of medical facilities, long cold winT1omen's Research Report may be ters, lack of job opportunties, lack has to keep going. The talents necesobtained from Project Mayday, Box 148 of variety and choice are a part of sary to run a home were not so very Schreiber, Ont. the environment in which she will different from those required to run YOUR VOICE continued from page 2 live." a town or government." itude on the part of women is the real-. I was ver ity. We owe it to ourselves to stand articles on the together on the big issues, equal pay I was brought up and personal choice, human rights incuation and many ; 4NCA iocussed on NoAthwe6tetn coupteis disc T it luding sexual lifestyles. We owe to answers to their The s yecou. 4 aissetis .to plan icon netiument The-in . ourselves to question the thought patthe articles. T Decade Council would like -to invite ; r . . membeu o4 the tissue to become terns that keep us pliant to the role Group-will be abl intetested in the ape women who ; ;. women's icle for future m of dependence. We are in the movement when we move from the posiThank-you. tion of silence CO verbal protest in defense of ourselves or each other, that is as politically correct as you s Dear Sis need to be. It will take only a little new my subscript analysis of why-you did'that to conenclosed $5 mone vince yourself it was overdue. was sorry to.hea To all those happy warriors that' is moving. Hope made my last 10 years in the North brings her joy a among the happiest and most producthe women's move tive in my 70 years, my best wishes satisfaction. Sh for future accomplishments and continAppreciation is ued resistance. Yours in spirit faithful women s whom I know and Gert Beadle ributing to N.W. inspire and give by your generous justice for wome wishes ecN), , PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �ECONOMIC The OZZowing ate excetptis Ptom the keynote addte4 o given by Diana Eeti..4 to the NoAth Shone Nomen16 Con4ekence had in Tettace Bay. Women and economic development. This issue is a national issue. It is most effectively a northern national issue because it is in smaller and especially single industry towns that the issues in women and economic development become clear - the contradictions become clear. This issue does mean something to women. Economic development is not seen to be one of our traditional issues, yet when we put our heads to it, of course we see it should be. I will clarify the perspective from which I speak right now. I am a feminist. For me, that means I advocate for women's rights - I put women first. I start with women's experience as the basis for developing analysis and strategy. I believe, and this is based on my own experience, that all of women's lives are on a continuum based in women's oppressionn. Some of us are in a more privileged ilace than others, but we are all on the same continuum. I also believe this to be life long work. And, I don't want a piece of the pie, I want to re-write the recipe. I believe women are already involved in development.... It's just that our work of reproduction, of caring, of building community, of impacting on the economy is dismissed, or is not seen, is invisible. That work needs to be recognized and understood for its real value - by ourselves as well as others. UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE ECONOMY IS According to the dictionary, economy means "the administration or condition of the concerns and resources of a community." That's not very mystifying. In fact, the word comes from the Greek word for household managemen t The term 'economic development' usually refers to the creation or expansion of the economy of a community, region or country. Who benefits from economic development? The first prioity of any economic development is to create profit. I'm not saying that this profit is necessarily a bad thing. Its where the profits go that concerns me. I believe that large and small economic development projects must be overseen and managed in a humane fashion with people's concerns in mind. How are communities affected by economic development? Industrial and resource development greatly changes the social and economic environment of a community or region. Ideally it creates jobs and develops new areas. However, this can create problems. Populations increase as new workers arrive, often with families, yet the community and regional infrastructure does not expand to meet the needs of the expanded population. Boom and bust development puts a strain on the services and social fabric of even the most stable community. Many serious problems can occur because of NORTHERN WOMAN page' 6 the rapid change in a community as new people, money and a whole new way of life engulf it. In general economic development has not been accompanied by a concern for the human needs in the area being developed - or human needs has meant only the needs of the workers, usually male. The well being of the workers is a concern of the company but usually only insofar as it affects their productivity in the workplace. The needs of the rest of the people who make up the community (that men live in too) - the women and children - are rarely seen or nrovided for. OP/ViENT seen them and does not take their needs, their work, their contribution to community into account. Existing medical, dental and counselling services are not planned to meet the needs of increased population. There are seldom medical practitioners with specific expertise in obstetrics, gynecology or pediatrics. Homes are designed by people who have no intention of living in them. Suburbs consist of endless curving streets cresenting in on one another, with no sidewalks to push the stroller and walk the toddler on, with no corner grocery store for a quick purchase of the loaf of bread that we just ran out of with three lunches to make. Community centre and recreation facilities are inadequate - or adequate only for men's recreation needs. UNDERSTANDING THE EXCLUSION OF WOMEN WOMEN AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT The traditional view of women in economic development has been, at best, to consider them as manipulable members of the paid or unpaid labour force. In some cases women's economic development concerns are assumed to focus only on affirmative action and employment. Even when this limited view is acknowledged it is not necessarily planned with women's interests in mind. A B.C. coal town planning study investigating the possibility of non-traditional work for women being made available stated: "the effect of increasing the proportion of females in the direct labour force is to reduce the projected town population.. the potential reduction in services and housing requirements may be considered important in policy analysis". These planners showed they had no understanding of women's work inside and outside the home and the needs that arise from that work not the least of which is adequate child care and family support services. The most horrifying revelation of their scenario however, is the way the living needs of women and children were to be bartered for supposedly decreased infrastructure costs. They were not seeing the labour force work as being intrinsically valuable to women - it was seen as a way to decrease the overall population and thus provide fewer services. As a result of this kind of thinking, women and families living in towns or areas created or expanded through economic development face particular hardships due to inadequate planning - planning that has not How can we understand the exclusion of women and women's concerns? This exclusion means the failure to see the sexual division of labour as significant to the process of economic development, with the result that only "men's work" is defined as relevant. Women's work is invisible or dismissed. By the sexual division of labour I mean just that - the way the work is divided between the sexes in our society. Exclusion of women means the family, household and domestic sphere are defined as marginal and the work of the domestic domain and the character of the domestic economy remains invisible, unexplored and unconsidered. And that's the work we do. Exclusion means there is a failure to raise any questions that specifically concern women in the process of development, based on the lack of recognition that these issues are of crucial concern to women. Wo- men and their work are considered irrelevant to the process of economic development. I'm going to offer an analysis of why this exclusion occurs. Dr. Dorothy Smith describes the work of administration, management, organization and government of our society as communicative work. The ways in which we think about ourselves, one another and our society are given shape and are distributed by the specialized work of people in universities, schools, television, radio, newspapers, book publishing - by all the organizations forming what she calls the ideological apparatus of society. But, and this is a big but, Smith contends women have been excluded from the work of producing the forms of thoughts, images and symbols in which thought is expressed and ordered - the books, bibles, media, etc. There is a circle effect in that men attend to and treat as significant only what men say. cont'd on next page- PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �WOMEN AND THE ECONOMY continued. Smith points out that ... "women have been deprived of the means to participate in creating forms of thought relevant or adequate to express their own experience or to define and raise social consciousness about their situations or concerns." Smith makes it clear that this exclusion of women from the making of our culture is not the product of a biological deficiency. "The forms in which women's silence and exclusion has been practiced arise differently. Some have arisen inadvertently as a side effect of where women are in the world - the private rather than the public world. Some have been a process of active repression or strong social disapproval of women's intellectual or political leadership, others result from the way society is organized through socialization, education, work and communication". The final point from Smith's analysis is that the deprivation of authority and the ways we have'been trained not to get involved in issues/ topics other than those defined by men has the additional effect of making it difficult for women to treat one another as relevant figures. "We have difficulty in asserting authority for ourselves, in grasping authority for women's voices and for what women have to say. This leads to deprivation of the essential basis for developing among ourselves the forms of thought and images which express the situations we share and make it possible to begin to work together. We take for granted that our, thinking has to be authorized by an external source of authority. This is why I see the research study just completed by Project Mayday as revoluntionary material. It is women speaking to other women in an authoratative manner about their own experience. When we as women treat one another and ourselves as people who count, then we can break out of our silence. We validate our experience. We believe from our most internal places that we have the right to speak, that there is something of value to say. In un derstanding the nature of the oppression we make decisions about how to work to alleviate it in our personal lives and move outward from there. THE INCLUSION OF WOMEN An economic framework that includes women is one which says first of all that- the sexual division of labour is integral and not marginal. An analysis of that would look at what is divided, why, how it is divided, and would look at the implications of that. An analysis would also seek to understand how it is that this sexual division of labour has always subordinated women to men. The reality is that in our society there is economic loss for women who have children. She has to make the decision to stay home part or full time, or pay for childcare if she returns to the salaried labour force. The result of the sexual division of labour around the bearing and rearing of children means women are often left economically dependent on men. Given that in our society money equals power and control, this means that many such women have no power and no control over their lives They have no economic choices except those they can arrange with his agreement. In a society supposedly committed to the equal status of women, this is an unsatisfactory situation. An economic framework that includes women would understand what this division of labour means and would do the following: pay women a decent living wage for their work; take into account the extra work of raising a child and offer paid materity and paternity leave for a child's younger years, as in Sweden; provide decent pensions for women not in the paid labour force, and provide good universal childcare. It is actually astonishingly easy to deal with some of these problems. The solutions are there. It first of all takes a belief that children are important and that women are important and that they have the right to be actively involved in making decisions about their lives. In order to include women in the economy you require a framework that begins with the household and/or family and defines this unit as an economic unit with the recognition that the work of the household'is work. WOMEN ARE WORKERSTOO! WOMEN'S WORK AND THE ECONOMY of health care that can deliver better quality and more appropriate pre and post-natal care? The point I want to make with all of this is that women must not be seen as passive recipients, but as members of the household, community and society, with interests and concerns based on active participation. This exercise of including women, families, and children is not something that policy planners should tack on to the end of their considerations. The inclusion of women must begin at the beginning and not just because we're partners of the men, but because we are people in our own right with contributions to make and needs to be considered. How much will this inclusion cost? The only real cost is the cost of changing one's attitude about women and their role. I do think it is a matter of belief. If one believes the inclusion of women is important, then it becomes a priority. Yes, it will cost money and yes, the money is there. We can't afford not to do this. There is great human and economic cost presently being paid by women. DEALING WITH THE ARGUMENTS I want to deal with problem areas others of us have encountered. As any of you who have worked on women's issues know, we often are suspect because we dare to describe ourselves as women rather than girls or ladies. In defining women's relation ---tirTnteintiiMI, we 1.Ye m 3ing 1ntu an area that many feel we don't belong in - they are more comfortable if we only talk about rape, equal pay, daycare. All of the women I have worked with have gone through a baptism of fire as they began to talk about and make recommendations on women and economic issues. Here are some of the arguments we have developed in response. The work of running a household has obvious implications for community planning. It means we understand this work involves, for example, maintaining the domestic home, transporting family members to and from their various community involvements, and linking one's own home and family with the rest of the community. When this is understood then the community should be planned with homes having reasonable access to schools, parks, and at least corner stores. Transportation is another necessity. Another aspect of the work of the household and family is the maintenance of family health. For women, this begins with pregnancy and childbirth and continues after the children are born. Women often tell us they are worried about having their baby in the town. What if there are unexpected difficulties and they have to be shipped out by air at the last minute? Others wonder about the high rate of caesarian sections they know occur at the nearest hospital and wonder if this is a factor of having a baby in an isolated area. It is not possible to have each of these communities staffed with a full time obstetrician, but why not consider models One of the things people will say is "Well, these are human concerns concerns of all people, not just women's concerns.." This statement can have a remarkably,paralyzing effect on any discussion you might be having. Why? Because it is a form of dismissal of the stand you have taken as a woman speaking to these issues and because it, yet again, takes the WOMAN out of the picture. One response might be to say "Yes, but the humans I'm talking about are women" and continue on from there. Or, "Yes, it is a human concern and women are humans with specific expertise on this issue" or just "This piece of work deals with women because they have something'to say that hasn't been heard before so I'm going to talk about it as women's concern..." "THE Hlt1ANS ISM TALKING ABOUT ARE continued on page 14 NORTHERN WOMAN page 7 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �oNs I 4ottowed he to the countny zide I watched in awe as she watked...then tan. Freedom waz het name. She tan when she sett -Eike running, walked when she wanted to and sat down sot houAz to watch the gentle breeze touch petals on zmatt 4tow,enz. She she You and paused, tooked up at me, "Come", zaid, "Take q4 youn shoes and join me. wLU see what I zee, hear what I heat sell what I 4eet." Slowly I removed my shoes. Now ztnange it sett Letting my Beet nest on the coot mo44. She taughed and we zhated the enjoyment o4 my awkwatdness "Come - Let go - tun. Now good it wa-o to tun sot no reason at all - except sot the enjoyment o4 tunning. With anmz outztnetched - 4ingenz o4 the wind 4-tu44ed my hair and touched my 4ace. Now good it was to tun sot pZeasute. MY ROOM This is my /Loom. My tandtady cabs it a zhambtez. It -2S OLE o4 beauti4ut things. On the Root, hand-hooked tugs. In a box, eatty oitz And Copper tooting. An aighan sot, my mother On4inizhed, tying In a taundty bazket. The photon on-the watt Show my divonce -.n 'turn --No huzbgnd in the pictates. When tined we stopped sett in the gnazz and Laughed at our titedness. The breeze touched out 4acez ass the sun warmed us. Out-zttetched I tay - head zotidty on the ground. A sty buzzed by - an ant ctawted oven_ me. My 4eet 4elt zone but aeive. Feet that were bound in 4hoe4 sot zo tong were ative with the pteazute 04 4eeting. -J3Aonze4-baby 4110g4,77404400444 Glued to oak bookendz I bought ,6A0,71 the Manch o4 Dimez. White glue --a bottle o4 ,it- here With bottles o4 ink and shampoo- On the dtesset,.a 4tame I'm tepaiting. Photo atbumz--baby pieta/Les, and My high zchoot diploma Earned seven ueatsptet. Sewing pataphetnalia Needtepoint on a sttetchet.. A closet 4at.l o4 clothing Some secondhand Much I seldom wean. An atatm ctock zhowing 2 a.m.: On the night table, The zteeping pia I didn't take. ovicctel-owL has put zhoez on me again. They were such nice zhiny zhoez = They said they would' protect my Beet. I wouldn't get hutt I can't tun ass steely. The 4hoe4 ate awkwand and heavy. I cannot 4eet In 4hoe4 the gnazz, the ztonez, the twigs. I watk .vet zo much. I don't notice what ,i./s under my Beet. I don't sell they can't hunt me anymore but... the /Locks. I can't reel. the sogness o4 the mo44. What shall I do? -t'eanho - - In the.city where bnoken glans Zies atound and can cut deep, I zhatt wean my shoes. But in the counttyzide My Beet shall not be bound - the pain does not hill thete. I wilt tun, watk and zit son no reason at att - except sot the pate enjoyment o4 sitting. This 4:4 my /LOOM. Susan Cote/ills In the city I wilt weat my shoes. When I want to tun and ptay I witt join a beat team. That's what you .do You can't play without in the city. a reason - You have to beat someone! When I watk I witt watk on thein hand sidewatks. I won't walk on the nice sort lawns. They ate not son walking on. They're 49n Zooking at. But don't spend an hour tooking at them. There iz not much to zee. Nothing .us allowed to _glow thete except green gtass Wean shoes in the ci:ty and you shatZ zutvive! But i4 you t4iL4h to tive come to the counttyside. Remove your shoes and iceet what is under gout Beet. Stop....see what is above your head. Canot Quesnette 1985. PDFNORTHERN,WOMAN compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor page 8 �WOMEN'S FESTIVAL by GWEN O'REILLY The second annual Canadian Women's Festival/Le Festival des Femmes Canadiennes broke loose this Labour Day weekend in Winnipeg's beautiful Kildonan Park. Three nights and two days were filled with sunshine of vatious kinds, including women's music, dance, theatre, humour, poetry, prose and hope. And women: Hundreds of us. Dressed in everything from saris to leather, all being blatantly and di-versely female. Women from across the country of every age, size, colour and political stripe attended. Last year's celebration billed as "Our Time Is Now", marked the first nation-wide women's festival in Canada, and received an overwhelming response from performers, volunteers and audiences, The members of the Canadian Women's Music and Cditural Festival Inc. are determined to make the fest ival an annual event, and this year's performance certainly puts another feather in their kerchief. The introductory message in the Festival programme book mentioned some of the magic that occurred last year during "Our Time Is Now": "For the first time, women heard their own story in music, poems, prose and theatre on stage. The intensity of this experience was best reflected in the flow of energy exchanged between the performers anethe audience. Canadian women are finding each other, creating networks to reduce the gulf that separates us in this vast nation of ours," The mast moving, remarkable thing about this year's Festival was indeed the level of energy and the ease with which it was-exchanged. The performers were at their best, encouraged by an enthusiastic audience all, ready to jump up on their feet to dance, sing clap or cry along. Workshops were staged all day Saturday and Sunday in tents and the night concerts were held at the Rainbow Stage, which is a kind of giant domed amphitheatre in the middle of Kildonan Park. Both workshops and concerts were well organized, and the scheduling made it possible to see every performer at least once, even if you played groupie and followed your favourite performers from workshop to workshop all day long (OK, I admit it) A large crew of fushia-shirted volunteers kept things running womanly, provided special services such as child care, kids activities and massages. A separate tent housed craftswomen and book. record and souvenir, sellers. Womanmade soaps, clothing,jewelry,glass and woodwork and books and information were available. Buttons and T-shirt messages abounded. "Arms are for hugging"-"T'Tomen need Women"-"No Apartheid"-"Choice"-"Immoral Minority-Member" and "Wearing buttons is not enough" were amoung the issues-women were wearing. One of the objectives of the feStival is to promote the status of women in the cultural arena by featuring perfomers who are largely unrecongnized by the general public. Some names in the programme line-up are more familiar than others, fam-. ous even. The majority of performers, however, either have not yet recorded their music or have been ignored by the mainstream music industry. Many of these women have decided to share their message by opting out of the male-dominated system and are now producing their own albums. This courage and hope for the alternatives of the future was reiterated throughout the festival performances and reflected in every face in the audience. Each artist conveyed this message in her own own unique way. Joy Kogawa and Lillian Allen both spoke, and read their poetry at several workshops. Joy Kogawa and her family were amoung the thousands of Japanese Canadians uprooted and shipped to internment camps in the 1940's. During one session, Joy Kogawa discussed her identification with Anne Frank, not as a victim, but as one who endured persecution and continued to helieve that there is enough love to change the world. She believes that there is meaning to be gained from the horror that sometimes surrounds us, and that in finding this meaning we can turn it around. Lillian Allen writes and performs dub poetry-a rhythmical,almost musical combination of simple language and social conscience. She spoke of the importance of peeling off the layers of socialization which restrict us all, in order to reach down to the human core. On the equally serious, but slightly more hysterical side was Sheila Gostick, a stand-up funny feminist from Toronto. She believes that because women menstruate more than men, they tend to be funnier. She revealed that the reason Reagan has "bum cancer" is because he's spent so many years rerouting shit to his mouth. And have you ever realized how feminine it is to be Canadian? "Oh,here, Mr. Reagan,please, take our water,help yourself to a few more natural resources, and sure,. we don't mind if you send us more acid rain." Sheila says that if tough guys have balls, then gutsy women must really have ovaries. Speaking of ovaries, it's also Sheila's opinion that fetuses now have more constitutional rights than do women° The only solution is for women to declare themselves eggs. The Seacows are two actresses involved in many kinds of contemporary theatre. One is from an Inuit background, while the other is an American Indian. Together, they dance and act to dispell the stereotypes surrounding indigenous peoples, feminists and artists. They chose the name Seacows because they both come from sea cultures and identify with the large, gentle mammals from which the legends of sirens and mermaids originate. They also point out that any creature with the power to steal men's souls should certainly be considered dangerous. Oh and of course, there were some musical messages at the festival as well. The Ruggedy .innes, a ninnipe band, took care of the punk rock denartment. They were a little much for my hangover, but everyone else seemed to really enjoy them. Sherry Shute, Gwen Swick and Catherine MacKay rock n' rolled all weekend long and had no trouble keeping people on their feet. Connie Kaldor was her usual vivacious self and managed to steal the show with her closing act on Saturday night. Incidentally, Connie has finally(!) been nominated for a Juno Award. Heather Bishop has teamed up with a very talented woman named Tracy Riley and they did a night show together as well as several workshops. Unfortunately, Heather had the closing spot before the finale on Sunday night, and her performance seemed very short compared to the time alloted for the closing act the night before. Karen Howe and Kris Purdy sang songs for the kids in all of us, and had the audience up dancing, exercising and hugging themselves. Louise Rose, who has studied piano with Oscar Peterson and worked with Duke Ellington, really sang the blues. Three of the weekend's most beautiful voices sang en francais. The passion in Lucie Blue Tremblay's love songs, Suzanne Campagne and friends' soaring harmonies and Christine Bernard's poetry transcended language, luckily for me and my high school French. Both Lucie Blue and Suzanne gave exceptional performances during the night shows. continued on next page PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor NORTHERN W OMAN page 9 �WIEN'S FESTIVAL continued Tracy Riley, Jennifer Berezan and Heather Bishop played to a packed tent at the "Woman to Woman" (lesbian, by any other name) workshop on Sunday, and were rewarded for their courage and talent with several standing ovations. Never,never,never miss a chance to see either Tracy Riley or Jennifer Berezan-they are both excellent singers and song writers. Another scheduled workshop was cancelled and Tracey Riley, Jennifer Berean, Moon Joyce, Kris Purdy, Lillian Allen and three women known only as Rita, Marion and Elaine put on an impromptu rhythm jam. It was great,and was yet another demonstration of the amazing sounds women can make, with or without instruments. Lillian Allen got down from the stage with a microphone is the fact that it results from a and started soliciting sounds and large number of women from all over chants from the audience-somehow I the country working together, and wasn't surprised at the number of providing support for our cultural women who had just been dying to make growth and awareness. This year's a little noise. festival has managed to improve on The fever was high by the time "Our Time Ts Now" by rearranging schedeight o'clock rolled around on Sunday uling and featuring performers and evening. A whole bunch of women were workshops which represent a wider down at the front of the stage dancing range of interest than was available to a Parachute Club tape before the last year. The organizers, volunteers show began. Suddenly,they all got up and performers all deserve congratuon the stage and started a spontaneous lations for their vision and the hard dance party, andwork everyone in put the in audthey've to make it a realience cheered. And it was all over say,ladies,you've ity. As Sheila would much too soon. really got ovaries! Thank you The Canadian Women's Festival was You can support future Women's one=-of the best organized and most inFestival's by becoming a member of spiring celebrations I have ever atthe Canadian Women's Music and Culttended. The festival itself is a wonural Festival Inc. FRIENDS contribute derful thing, but even more uplifting a single donation of up to $49.00, photo by JOYCE MICHALCHUK PATRONS-a single donation of $50.00 or more, SUSTAINERS-$25.00 per month on a yearly basis (pre-paid by cheque). A membership entitles you to receive mailings about concerts, social events, and the festival; a membership card; a discount on festival tickets;and your name printed in the '86 Canadian Women's Festival programme book. Contributions, queries and comments can be mailed to: The Canadian Women's Music and Cultural Festival 3D-161 Stafford Street Winnipeg, Manitoba R3M 2W9 con't. edt:"My reading has university texts so movie instead. It's er Woman". It takes in South America. own, any prison. The interplay between acters, both male, a macho-man. They rerent political realwas humanistic. I book is quite good ........ 'm reading Marge Home. It's a woman's ble, very readable way. All the elements re in it and the sois right. There is people organizing share the experience group." ......, :"I just finished y Joy Kogawa. It af. It is about the way ns were treated in the ells the story of her er family was moved ace and how she ended m her parents." ...***. stions were: (Jane hing by Alice Walker test short story collnd Trouble." (Gwen 0' le's Inland Passage s Politics of Reality: st Theory." (Iris John- son) Women Who Do and Women Who Don't by Rowland."(Anna McColl)"A Diary of Jane Somers by Jane Somers in reality Doris Lessing." * NOVEL PUBLISHED Thunder Bay resident Joan Skelton has just had her novel The Survivor of the Edmund Fitzgerald published by Renumbra Press. The Survivor of the Edmund Fitzgerald features a startling human drama woven around the dramatic sinking of the cargo ship off Coppermine Point. Two strangers, a man and a woman, encounter each other on the frozen shore and together work out their individual and unique fates. (Available at the Northern Woman's Bookstore). 4 ACCESSIBLE An extensive ACCESSIBILITY GUIDE to the City of Thunder Bay has been publishes. The guide contains information on over 400 public facilities and will be of use to individuals with mobility, sight and hearing impairments, seniors and parents with young children. For a copy of the GUIDE contact Ontario March of Dimes, 209-211 Van Norman St., Thunder Bay, P7A 4B6. NOTABLE WOMEN RECORDS AND TAPES will be distributing independent recordings by Canadian women through an annual mail order catalogue. Their premier edition will be available in 1986 and will reflect the diversity of music by women. Recording artists are urged to contact NOTABLE WOMEN immediately with samples of their work. Individuals are invited to suggest records tapes by women to be included. To receive a catalogue write NOTABLE WOMEN, 64 Alice St. Guelph. womonspace pot tuck 4inzt Wednesday o4 event' month cate 345-7802 Laiebead University Women s Centre presents Lauri Conger and Kim Erickson IN CONCERT DECEMBER 21st, 19(55 University Centre Theatre (5.-.30 p.m. Adults $7.00 Seniors & rids $5.00 ge 10 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �CHRISTMAS COMMITTEE JOY ASHAM The she-lves were tired. Year after year they had worked their teeny-tiny fingers to the bone - not doing brain surgery or anything like that - just assembling parts, using knitting machines and working toward fulfilling the philosophical statement of their raison d'etre: "To make a bigger and better Christmas through the manufacture and distribution of more and more, bigger and better toys". Some toys were always changing - they were candid community - some toys were staying virtually the same, but looking glossier all the time - these were called government. The she-lves were more interested in manufacturing community things as this was more interesting work and a change is better than arrest. They had figured out by their value system (called "I left my brain") that community and change was very important to future she-lves and if there's one thing they wouldn't compromise its the future of up-coming she-lves - although they were greatly encouraged to do so. In fact, they were told, if they would quit messing .around with the community toys they could have lots and lots of government toys and if they couldn't use those themselves-, they could barter for the best toy - 'Power ". Of course, they could only acquire so much of this new and best toy - but, some was said to be better than none. - The she -lves thought and thought. The power toy seemed to be attractive - it could communicate what community wanted - and help see that come to pass. They were also told that community was no different from government - that government's value system was very close - that being: "My brain is right". And some she-lves could see this and entered into the compromise two by two, as two lefts were said to make a right. (Value system speaking). made with one extra coat of paint (ordinary she-lves needed Incentive a new word that meant ensuring that there's enough toys to barter for reindeer to feed new she-lves). This program was called PUSH (Power Utilizes She-lves Holistically) and some more she-lves bartered for governmnet and eventually for Power. This new program needed a leader, someone who would inspire the ordinary she-lves to greater and glossier production. The power she-lves squeaked and squeaked and eventually their wheels were greased and a leader was selected. The media she-lves then doodled and planned as everyone knew that "Image" was important - and finally they conceived a brilliant idea: "We'll dress him in the ordinary she-lves colour, instead of the traditional power colour - then the she-lves will see him as one of them". And it came to pass, that a glorious red suit was made and the imagemakers were pleased because the new leader looked so good. And as head of the PUSH program, he was bestowed with great pomp and circumstance, a fitting title: PUSHer. All was good for a while. The she-Ives used their Incentive to make glossier toys, the Power she -lees were kept busy making sure the PUSHer's new red suit never faded and the image-makers did what they did and liked best: talk about this. Then a lowly, ordinary she-lve asked a silly question that reverberated up the power chimney and came out covered with soot. The question was simple. It was a mere WHY? Then all the ordinary she-lves began whisnering, wondering, querying "Why?" for they started to realize that there was no purpose to making glossier toys when community toys were in much greater need. And that need was growing and growing as change had been arrested for a very long time and for most she-lves, this meant fewer and fewer reindeer. It came to pass that finally the she-lves spoke with one voice. Knowing that Power she-lves and the PUSHer didn't understand ordinary language, they traded a reindeer to a consultant she-lve who rephrased the question appropriately and maximized its effectiveness. So the Power she-lves were eventually asked, "Status Quid?" . These new power she-lves realized that what their old co-assemblers were doing (concentrating on community toys instead of government toys) was not helping to make the other toys stay the same but look better. So they developed a way to make sure that bigger and better toys would continue to be . But, Power she-lves still did not understand and before passing the question on to the PUSHer, formed a committee to study, analyze and evaluate it. In its great wisdom, this new committee made a modified interpretation. Off to the PUSHer their modification went: "Status Quo?" The PUSHer got very excited. He wouldn't admit that at times the Power she-lves had ideas better than him, even though they had been smart enough to choose him for their leader. But, this was such a good idea it would ensure that he always had new red suits and that bigger and better toys would continue to be made that he finally, finally with the help of the media she-lves declared to all: "Status Quo:" He became consternated. The ordinary she-lves didn't seem as excited about this as he thought they should be. After all, a Power she-lve had informed him (as Power she-lves were wont to do) that the idea had orginally come from the ordinary she-lves. What the Power She-lve didn't say, however, was that the committee had made the question glossier for his benefit, or remind him that it was a question at all. This was because the Power she-lve had come to know that the toys bartered for Power had only brought a little of the best toy - only enough, really, to control the she-lves certainly not enough to correct the PUSHer. So the PUSHer did not ever learn the meaning of the idea --- but was still convinced it would work, if only the right distribution system was used. He thought and thought. He traded some reindeer. Finally, with much consultation, a new system was developed: "Quid Pro Quo" (Quid Pro Quo: The concise Oxford 'Dictionary, n. Blunder made by putting one thing for another.) A leader for this system needed to be found. The search was long and hard, but finally a suitable candidate appeared and was bestowed, with slightly less pomp and circumstance, the title "Status Quack". The Status Quack needed to design, develop, implement, manage and evaluate the Quid Pro Quo system. As distribution of the Status Quo message was absolutely essential and dissemination had to be faster and better to please the PUSHer, the Status Quack thought and thought. AHAHT The reindeer are not only tasty but they're fast and sure-footed: Meanwhile, Ms. Rudolph was organizing the reindeer NORTHERNWOMAN. page 11 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Read any GOOD BOOKS by JOAN BARIL As the northern winter sharpens it's claws, the northern women turns to her most faithful companion - a good book. What are women reading? For the past two weeks I asked every woman I met. I think you'll find this sample surprising. st RN WOMAN'S BOOKSTORE 9 N. COURT ST. DER BAY, P7A 4T7 344-7979 cayenne Doreen Boucher: (Thunder Bay Physical and Sexual Assault Centre) "I'm reading Understanding Wife Assault; A Training Manual for Counsellors and Advocates by Deborah Sinclair It's put out by the Ministry of Community and Social Services and it's a y good handbook for anyone who wants to help battered women." Deborah Ratelle: "I get into mysteries sometimes. You know how it is Woman's Almanac in winter. I'm reading Dorothy Sayer's .Busman's Honeymoon. I'm also reading Manuscripts of Pauline Archange by Marie Clair Blais. It's the story of y, Friday 11.30 - 6.00 a girl, growing up in Quebec and from y 11.30 - 4.30 the time she was very young, four or five, she kept a diary. Fiction_ Poetry i...t lately Karen "I'm reading Edie Sedgewick's biography. It's an excellent book. Sedgewick came from a prestipeous Boston family. She trained as a high fashion model and then appeared in Andy Warhol movies and became a member of the group surrounding him. It's a tragic story of excess, drugs and eventual suicide. I also saw an incredible movie, 'Keith and Mary'. It's the most erotic movie I've ever seen. A husband and wife, both in their seventies and married for forty-five years, talk about their sex life. They actually make love on camera. 'Keith and Mary' is distributed by City Films of Willowdale. It is half an hour long. It was made in Holland but the couple are Irish. Lynn Beak: "I'm in a murder mystery phase right now. P.D. James is my favourite mystery author. Innocent Blood is a good book by her to start with. I've just finished Willa Cather's Old Beauty and Other Short Stories. It was a peaceful book. Jean Rhys is one of my favorite authors. In a book of short stories, Tigers are Better Looking, she deals many times with the theme of expatriates, wandering people. Mavis Gallant is a Canadian writer who deals with the same expatriate outlook, Canadians at home and abroad. Her latest book of short stories is Home Truths. is...... ? RFR Joy Fedorik: "The Color Purple by Alice Walker is a wonderful book. It soars. I found the first thirtyfive pages hard to get through becaus they were so depressing, but it was more than worth it. I carried this book everywhere. I couldn't put it down. I'll also recommend an oldie, Shulamith Firestone's The Dialectic of Sex. I also loved Daughter of Copperwoman by Anne Cameron. I also rear -a bad book among all the good ones. The Passion of Molly T. is a futurist look at the militant feminist movemer When the author (Lawrence Sanders) doesn't know what to do with the plot he relies heavily on sex and violencE Khya Beaudry: "I'm reading A Poison Stronger Than Love by Anastasia Skilnyk. It's an excellent book. It's about Grassy Narrows. It is helping m to see how we have not understood, or even attempted to understand Native culture. The book emphasized for me that the spirituality of a culture cal die. A sad story. cont'd on pg. IC ,...... * t Mary Smith: "I'm reading Reinventiu the Corporation by John Naisbett, who was also the author of Megatrends. He says we are moving into an information age in which the industrial authoritarian model of organizations doesn't work anymore. I also liked the movie 'The Jagged Edge'. The heroine is a strong, competent woman who was also made very human and realistic. Margaret Phillips: Marian Engel's collection of short stories, put together as she was dying, which makes many of them more gripping". Donna Phoenix: "I highly recommend Dreaming the lDark by Startawk. It's a book about magic and the empowerment of women. I'm also reading Goddesses in Every Woman which is interesting, easy to read psychology. The author, Dr. Jean Shinoda Bolen, was trained as a Jungian psychoanalyst. Although she rejects a good deal of Jung's training, she uses the descriptions of seven Greek goddesses as archetypes to describe various characteristics of women." PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �UPDATE continued from page 3 The Women and Therapy conference, Part 11 will be held in Toronto May 20-23. If it continues the outstanding high level of Part I, held some years ago, this conference should be a first choice of women involved with women's mental health. Write Professional Development Associates, 3 Cameron Crescent, Toronto M4G 1Z7 for information woo eve Ontario's Green Paper on Pay Equity (usually known as equal pay for work of equal value) is out. But don't break out the champagne this is a discussion paper only. But the government says its committed in principle; we've yet to see the practice. Perhaps equally important to women in Ontario will be effective first contract legislation. Federally, there is the promise of pension reform but the reality is family allowance cutbacks and Bill C-49, the most ill-conceived and potentially troublesome law which makes blocking the sidewalks a criminal offense (women only). This piece of legislative never-never is, of course, designed to sweep prostitutes somewhere else. Even the proponents of the bill laugh hollowly at the absurdity of it all. The bill represents a crawling acquiescence to the nation's police chiefs and a deliberate back-hander to the government's own Royal Commission (the Fraser Commissidn) and to groups like the Elizabeth Fry Society. Now that the prostitution "problem" is "solved", stay tuned for a media second. growth of other "problems ", the pimp problem, the massage parlour problem, the escort service problem, the co-brt,lail-street revolving door problem, the hassling on the street of DAY CAR E Day care groups across the region are mobilizing and working energetically to ensure the improvement of day care services. Day care- was made a municipal election issue in Thunder Bay, Red Lake, Terrace Bay and other communities as day care and/or women's groups raised the issue at all-candidate meetings. Thunder Bay Advocates for Quality Child Care also surveyed all municipal candidates and plan to meet with newly elected Council members to further discuss day care concerns. Thunder Bay Advocates have also discussed day care with Jim Foulds MPP, stressing the need for day care to be given a much higher priority within the Liberal-NDP accord. young women who are not prostitutes as in the days of the old vagrancy laws. Nairobi, July 1985 According to the mainstream media Nairobi was a mishmash of political divisions and lost hotel reservations. According to women's magazines a different perspective appears emphasizing the size of the gathering, the difficulties trying to chose among the great numbers of workshops and events, the learning, networking and befriending. $oo The following is a pot pourri of quotes. (From Leticia Shahani, Secretary General of the conference commenting on the results of a questionnaire of governments which showed obstacles to the advancement of women) "Some of the major obstacles traditional attitudes towards are: women,the low priority given to women's issues and unfortunately the worsening 'world economic situation. In some countries, the absence of peace has been identified as a major obstacle" - the concise words of a bureaucrat emcompass vast pain. (From the U.S. magazine Off Our Backs on N.G.O. conference) "13,000 registrants ...grass roots feminist groups from Northwestern Ontario was well represented at the Coalition for Better Day Care Conference held in Toronto in October. The Coalition was restructured better represent local day care advocacy groups and individuals. Holly Rupert of Red Lake was elected as an individual member to the Coalition Council and Ruth Wells has been appointed T.B. Advocates representative to the Council. A well-organized and impressive lobby of provincial politicians was held the day following the Conference. At this lobby our delegates focussed on tsthe "indirect subsidy" issue. The Hon. John Sweeney, Minister of Community and Social Services announced that the elimination of the indirect subsidy was postponed until December 31, 1986. A reprieve but not a solution for our municipal centres. He also advised that he would deal individually with any centre experiencing financial problems. The federal government has just announced the establishment of the Parliamentary Task Force on Child Care. This Task Force is extremely important, in that its work will point the direction for day care policy in the years ahead. In a sense this Task Force is our last chance to influence the development of adequate day care policy. It is vital that submissions from individuals as well as groups be made to the Task Force. If you are concerned Third World countries may have been better represented than "western women's groups .. hundreds to thousands of women were walking about meeting groups, signing lists, being networked... bewildering array of workshops ... by the end of the first day (various) groups had begun to appropriate space on the lawn and to spread out over tables in the courtyard ...conferences and rallies as well... the Peace Tent...Tools and Tech demonstrations of "how to".,films ...(Emma Kivisild, Kinesis) "something that sets Nairobi apart from Mexico City in 1975 and Copenhagen in 1980 - the involvement of the Third World women in setting the agenda and the leadership roles taken by Third World Women ...Third World lesbians at the Forum were vocal and visible, refuting the myth that lesbianism is one of the products of decadent capitalist societies...women were not able to emerge from Forum '85 with strategies. What we did achieve was building invaluable networks, both regional and global. It is these networks that will solidify our gains - most importantly the development of a much more international and inter-racial focus for our movement," AiAl about the future of day care please plan to make a statement to the Task Force, or relate your personal experience so that we may use it in our brief. If you are willing to make a submission (eg a letter, a statement or a brief) or share your experience with ussthe NWO Regional Day Care Committee would like to hear from you. The Committee has resource information that might be helpful to you in preparing your statement. For more information contact NWO Regional Day Care Committee, Box 144, Thunder Bay, P7C 4V5, or telephone Women's Centre 345-7802. LARC LARC (Lesbian Archives and Resource Centre, Mb & N.W. Ont.) wants work especially by lesbians who are: healers, native, rural, pagan, differently abled, separtist, poor and working, over 50 or under 20. VOICES for Lesbian Survival focuses on healing; includes LARC reports. Subs $8 for 3 issues; sustaining sub $20. Single issues $3. Write LARC/VOICES C/O Isabel Andrews, R.R.#2, KENORA, Ontario. P9N 3W8 VIOICE NORTHERN WOMAN page 13 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �um IV) ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT continued from page 7 The other side of the statement about "these issues being so useful and important that they are all people's concerns" is the one that says "Oh, but these are only women's concerns". The implication here is "where are the men ?" Again, this is a way of subtly diminishing us and our work. It may be unintentional or intentional. The only response here is to state emphatically that the study/research had its focus as women so that's what it talks about. One might add that a review of the literature shows remarkably few studies focussing on women, so this one is a landmark study! A very common remark is that "all the women do in this study is bitch/complain/nag" etc. People talk a lot about women complaining. I used to respond by anxiously saying "but we're not complaining..we have legitimate concerns here..." Then I decided that to complain was a good thing. The dictionary defines complaining as "expressing dissatisfaction or stating a grievance", and that's what we're doing. Part of what is happening with this kind of remark is a put-down of women who are not satisfied with the status-quo. Feminists are sometimes told that we don't have a sense of humour. That means we don't smile enough. We don't assure those who might be oppressing us that we really aren't hurting: I think we should own up to complaining and say "of course we are complaintng - there are lots of unsatisfactory situations regarding women and economic development and we're saying something about it" and then get right into the discussion. Let's not deny our complaints. Instead, turn their complaints about us into a way for us to talk about the issue. We are all familiar with the remark "Well, you're just a bunch of women's libbers, my wife wouldn't be concerned about those issues" or "I don't want to join up with you, you're feminists and you hate men and I still want to live with my man" etc. Depending on who says it I either feel a pit of anger welling up in me, or emphathetic feelings when I know a woman who is saying it is in fact afraid of seeing the possibilites of her own life. Usually people are trying to denigrate the work at hand by declaring it the work of a few radicals who don't represent the majority. I always respond directly by stating clearly what I am and what I believe in. Yes, I'm a feminist and here's what it means to me... then I state my definition and then continue talking about the issue at hand. I also clarify that I'm not pretending to represent the majority of women. Women are not monolithic - we do not all think alike. No piece of research ever represents everyone. But we can always state clearly that the research does represent the women we spoke to their concerns are valid. It is important to remember that many women do not dare use the word feminism, (or women) even though they may believe, or want to believe. It is hard work being a feminist. The challenge of it begins at our very core, in our own homes, in our relationships. As for the R.E.A.L. women who claim that feminists break up the family? Anyone who reads the Project Mayday report will see how strongly the research argues to have women's work and life recognized and given its full due. I am a feminist and I am pro-family. My pro-family ideal is that of a non-stereotyped, flexible, interdependent, social and economic unit where all members participate in decision making. We must unpick the pro-family rhetoric of the New Right and insert our own definition of family. It is worth remembering that many men will dismiss us because they don't know what we're talking about. And many men will dismiss us because they know exactly what we're talking about and they don't want us talking Many men will not dismiss about it this work and will learn much from it. We need to help those men develop ways of talking about our work in their own worlds. A particular problem of working on contentious issues in small communities is the way we are so easily pinpointed and scapegoated. Be ready for that. Build support into your work, have networks, allow yourself some time off if you've been in the front lines too long, develop a thicker skin. Be prepared. In closing I want again to outline why we have a right to be involved, and I'm drawing from a speech by Gene Errington. "We have a right to be involved because we have an expertise that is simply not being incorporated, simply not being recognized, not being included.... We have a right to be involved because we are the ones who live in isolation.... It is women who have to be concerned about the safety of children. We are the ones respon sible for nurturance. Shopping is not a trivial issue to talk about. We have to work with whatever is given and if that is insufficient then our work is very difficult. We are the one responsible for family life. And ... we have the talents and abilities to offer in the public world, and we have the need for personal satisfaction and for adult companionship and for our own growth. We have a right to be taken seriously. ... We need to define our terri- tory that has not been extended to us We need to share our concerns and communicate on a new and different level. We don't want to influence from the background, we don't want tokenism. We need to locate power, learn about it, how to get it, who has it, how we can wield it for a better world. We have a right to be involved in economic development because we have a right to take part in the decisions that affect our lives. We are the experts on our needs, and the needs of our children, and the needs of our families, and the development of our communities. We, quite simply, IS are the experts on the quality of life. c. 7' \.4k4 by DONNA PHOENIX REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH HAZARDS "It's hot just pregnant women. The breast fed child and the male testes are vulnerable too." This was one of a number of disturbing facts I was presented with in early September at the Reproductive Hazards Conference in Toronto. The meeting centred around the right to work and have healthy children, and further revealed that: in Canada 50% of all conceptions do not result in live birth; of the babies that are born 7-10% have obvious defects for which there are no known causes; 15% of Canadian couples are infertile; and, in general, the sperm count of the North American male is declining. These statistics were compiled by the Ontario Federation of Labour. While policies for the control of reproductive hazards have tended to centre on the removal of pregnant, or, in some cases of all women of child bearing capacity from workplaces, all workers have the right to know about dangers in their place of employment. Become informed: Ask your steward or your employer to what substances you are exposed. Learn the facts about the harmful effects on your reproductive organs. Get involved with your Health and Safety Committee, if you have one. One of our strengths in the past has been the sharing of information. Ask if other women/other workers wives have had children with birth defects, problems conceiving or if they've had miscarriages. Read labels. Tell your doctor where you work and what chemicals you or your partner have been exposed to. If you want more information on this topic contact Donna Phoenix at Northern Women's Centre. (From K Blom and J SIeIIma4Lead. New Petspectnees on all Old Problem) NORTHERN WOMAN page 14 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �411 Department of the Secretary of State of Canada CanacE Secretariat d'Etat du Canada UNITED NATIONS DECADE FOR DECENNIE DES NATIONS UNIES POUR LA WOMEN 1976-1985 FEMME 1976-1985 The Decade for Women, proclaimed by the United Nations to eliminate discrimination against women will end in 1985. The co-operative efforts of women working to achieve this goal will however continue. La Decennie pour la femme, proclamee par les Nations Unies afin d'eliminer la discrimination envers les femmes, prendra fin en 1985. Toutefois, les efforts deployes collectivement par toutes celles qui cherchent a ametiorer la condition feminine n'en resteront pas la. A poster in full color, acknowledging and celebrating the work of women over the past decade, has been produced by the Government of Canada and is available free of charge from: Une affiche en couleur a ete produite par le gouvernement du Canada pour saluer et celebrer le travail accompli par les femmes au cours de la derniere decennie. Vous pouvez l'obtenir gratuitement en ecrivant a l'adresse suivante : Communications Directorate Department of the Secretary of State of Canada Ottawa, Ontario Kl A 0M5 Direction des communications Secretariat d'Etat du Canada Ottawa (Ontario) KlA 0M5 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor NORTHERN WOMAN page 15 �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor WINTER '86 EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PROGRAMS Thunder Bay District 9 : IN: Intercity Shopping Centre, December 11-14 (9:30 a.m. to closing). Wednesdays 7:00-10:00 p.m. January 22, 1986 February 26, 1986 INSTRUCTOR: FEE: Al Bonazzo $18.00 ROOM: 149, Auto Shop, Dorion Bldg : Section 98 DATE/TIME START DATE: COMPLETION: : WT 843 Motor Vehicle (WOMEN KNOW YOUR CAR) In this elective post-secondary credit subject, women will learn the basic procedures of car maintenance and general operations. Section 99 DATE/TIME Mondays 7:00-10:00 p.m. START DATE: January 20, 1986 COMPLETION: February 24, 1986 **NEW** MAIL - : GS 026 99 ASSERTIVENESS TRAINING (FOR WOMEN) This elective post-secondary credit subject will provide women with the skills necessary to negotiate honestly for the things she wants--on the job, at home, in the community. Assertion is not be confused with aggression. Assertion takes into account the rights and feelings of others. DATE/TIME Thursdays 7:00-10:00 p.m. START DATE: January 16, 1986 COMPLETION: March 20, 1986 INSTRUCTOR: Ivy Cook FEE: ROOM: $30.00 265, Shuniah Bldg To receive a registration form, call Community Programs 475-6116. Northwestern Ontario residents may call Toll Free 1-800-465-6961. Applications must be postmarked no later than JANUARY 5, 1986; no postdated cheques accepted. MALL Registration: REGISTRATION INFORMATION Commencing Tuesday December 3rd, 1985, registrations will be accepted in the Registrar's Office (Shuniah Building) daily from 9:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Monday to Thursday. Friday registration takes place 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. PROGRAMS For further information contact the Chair Secretarial & English as a Second Language. Hospitality (807) 475-6318; or your local Canada Employment & Immigration office; or the Women's Employment Centre, 130 S. Syndicate Avenue, Thunder Bay, ON P7E 1C7 (807) 623-2731. BASIC TRAINING IN SKILLS DEVELOPMENT (B.T.s.D.) Academic Upgrading Grades 8-12; For further information on CAREER PLANNING FOR WOMEN, W.I.T.T., I.N.T.O., contact the Chair Industrial & Motive Power (807) 475-6215, or Women's Employment Centre (807) 623-2731. No program schedule for Winter Semester. Students study helps women to explore opportunities for employment in non-traditional jobs. job search skills, goal setting and plot a career path. Work placement gives women actual job experience. INTRODUCTION TO NON-TRADITIONAL OCCUPATIONS (I.N.T.o.) is an, 8 -week program that Start Date -- February 3rd, 1986 WOMEN INTO TRADES & TECHNOLOGY (w is an 18-week program designed to expose women to all aspects of practical trades training and the world of Hi-Tech. Start date -- January 6th, 1986 to enter appropriate employment or begin suitable training. CAREER PLANNING FOR WOMEN is an 8-week program to assist women entering or re-entering the labour force to understand present employment conditions, to select realistic career goals and For further information, contact the Program Co-ordinator (807) 475-6390. 99 : 99 : ASSERTIVENESS TRAINING FOR WOMEN-PART II This course has been designed to provide an opportunity for review and development of advanced assertive skills such as negotiating and identifying communication barriers. Specific issues including those brought by the participants will be addressed. Wellfunctioning relationships in employment guarantee job satisfaction as well as potential advancement. Personal relationships will also be enchanced by fine-tuning these skills. DATE/TIME Wednesdays 7:00-10:00 p.m. START DATE: January 22, 1986 COMPLETION: March 26, 1986 INSTRUCTOR: Mary Fedorchuk FEE: ROOM: $30.00 380, Shuniah Bldg *PRE-REQUISITE: Assertiveness Training Part I ZA 350 258, Shuniah Bldg **This subject may be used as a credit toward the Equal Opportunity Management Certificate. INSTRUCTOR: tba FEE: ROOM: $60.00 INTERVIEWING, RECRUITMENT, SELECTION AND ORIENTATION This subject examines the various types of situations encountered in the business environment from selection through counselling, Methods discipline and grievance interviews. of instruction will involve group interaction, case studies and role-playing. Resume analysis and preparation will be discussed in conjunction with selection interviews. DATE/TIME Tuesday & Thursday 7:00-9:30pm START DATE: January 14, 1986 COMPLETION: April 3, 1986 PR 303 : WOMEN IN HISTORY Why have the lives of women in history been This course _forgotten? How did it happen? will help you understand women's lives today by looking at the saga of average women's Through the use lives throughout the ages. of flims, slides, pictures, handouts, lectures and discussion, we will explore ancient to modern times. No previous courses in history necessary. DATE/TIME Wednesdays 7:00-10:00 p.m. START DATE: January 15, 1986 COMPLETION: April 23, 1986 INSTRUCTOR: Joan Baril FEE: ROOM: $45.00 342, Shuniah Bldg taken full-time during the day or part-time (evenings) through Community Programs. 99 GS 221 GENERAL ARTS AND SCIENCE DIPLOMA PROGRAM emphasizing Women's Programs Curriculae may be For further information, contact the Director Equal Opportunity Programs (807) 476-6278. Subjects in the EOM program may be taken during the day or as offered during the evening through Community Programs. This one-year certificate program is divided into two parts: one semester-September to Decemberin the College; second semester -January to April-in a field placement environment. Field placements and job opportunities will not necessarily be in the Thunder Bay region. **NEW**BUSINES DIVISION -EQUAL OPPORTUNITY MANAGEMENT CERTIFICATE PROGRAM(Post- Basic) Ct. The Confederation College of Applied Arts & Technology 99 WOMEN & STRESS MANAGEMENT This elective post-secondary credit subject is intended to examine situation stresses, in our lives, family, job, social relationships, conflict, change, developmental crises, etc., as well as potential sources of stress they bring to every situation because of their personality, their own belief system,, their life rhythms and their problem-solving. A lifestyleand attitude approach to changing their stress response will be developed by each individual. DATE /TIME Mondays 7:00-10:00 p.m. START DATE: January 13, 1986 COMPLETION: March 17, 1986 ;INSTRUCTOR: Shirley Stevens FEE: ROOM: $30.00 342, Shuniah Bldg GS 143 Toll Free: 1 - 800 - 465 - 6961 Northwestern Ontario Residents may call (807) 475 -6232, YOUR SUGGESTIONS, CALL EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PROGRAMS WELCOMES : ZW 013 99 TOWARD CHANGE: WOMEN AND DISABILITIES An opportunity for women with disabilities to come together to address difficulties they face in their daily lives and to make effective changes that will enhance their self-image and increase their coping abilities. This will happen through a combined orocess of presentations, films, discussions, skill sharing, etc. DATE/TIME Mondays 7:00-9:30 p.m. START DATE: January 20, 1986 COMPLETION: March 24, 1986 INSTRUCTOR: Margaret Buffington/Wave Watson FEE: ROOM: $25.00 156, Shuniah Bldg : ZW 012 99 FEMINIST COUNSELLING A practical guide designed for counsellors working with women, based on a peer relationParticipants will develop skills, ship. using women's experiences, mutual assistance and support as tools in arriving at collecThe tive solutions in problem-solving. course will be of particular interest to individuals working in self-help counselling situations in community organizations. DATE/TIME Mondays 7:00-10:00 p.m. START DATE: January 20, 1986 COMPLETION: March 24, 1986 Leni Untinen/Dawn St. Amand INSTRUCTOR: FEE: ROOM: $30.00 175, Shuniah Bldg : ZB 293 99 FIRST STEP-COMPUTER PROGRAMMING FOR WOMEN An introductory course in computer fundamentals designed to give women an understanding of the capabilities and terminology associated with computers. Upon completion, students will be capable of designing some of their own "BASIC" programs such as budget or mortgage payment calculations. Students will have hands-on experience with computers. DATE/TIME Tuesdays 7:00-10:00 p.m. START DATE: January 21, 1986 COMPLETION: March 25, 1986 INSTRUCTOR: Anna Melville FEE: ROOM: $30.00 344, Shuniah Bldg �Second Class Mail Registration No. 5697 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Don't forget to renew your subscription! Here's my sub: p2 EDITORIAL p2 YOUR VOICE p3 UPDATE p4 MAYDAY (North Shore Women) p6 WOMEN AND ECONOMIC DEV'T. p8 POETRY p9 WOMEN'S FESTIVAL Name Address (postal code) Individual $ 5Institutional $10 ************************ ************ IS THERE AN ASTERISK ON YOUR. LABEL?? PLEASE RENEW. YOUR SUBSCRIPTION 011 THE CHRISTMAS COMMITTEE ************************************* p12 READ ANY BOOKS p15 SUPPORT OUR p16 ADVERTISERS WORKERS THIS ISSUE: Kimberly Ashton, Lenny Ashton, Susan Chopp, Elaine Goodwin, Noreen Lavoie, Karen Maki, Anna McColl, Gwen O'Reilly, RETURN TO: THE NORTHERN WMAN 69 N. COURT ST. THUNEER BAY, ONTARIO P7A 4T7 `Margaret Phillips. ReturnPostage Guaranteed Northern Woman Journal 69 N. Court St., Thunder Bay, Ontario P7A 4T7 (Four Issues) $5.00 $10.00 Busineo0 or Ins4tution PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal Description An account of the resource Northern Woman Journal Published in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Northern Woman Journal (originally called Northern Woman) started in 1973 following the first annual Northern Women’s Conference in order to keep the conference attendees connected. Initially serving as a newsletter of events, local issues, and women’s resources, the Northern Woman Journal quickly became a diverse publication reaching national and international readers. Not only did it serve as a newsletter to keep local women up to date on feminist issues in Northwestern Ontario, but also as a safe space to discuss women’s resources, law, politics, economics, health, racism, sexism, homophobia, feminist organizing and activism, transnational feminist issues, poetry, feminist reading, feminist art, and women’s diverse lived experiences.One of the longest-running feminist perodicals in North America, the Northern Woman Journal reached its end in 1995. Throughout its 22 years, the Northern Woman Journal was produced by its many collective members, with membership evolving year to year. For many years, the journal worked closely alongside and shared space with the Northern Women’s Centre and the Northern Women’s Bookstore. With the exception of a year-long government grant in the 1970s, the journal relied entirely on subscription fees and donations in order to maintain publishing, which presented challenges throughout its entire existence. As stated in an early version of the editorial policy, “only by a free and open exchange of views and opinions will we develop a basis for unity which can be used as a basis for action.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal, Vol 9 No 3 Description An account of the resource Vol. 9, No. 3 (December 1985) Title: Northern Woman Journal Topics include: Side Effects play at Kam Theatre Depo provera Women & pharmaceuticals Journal funding Lakehead University Women’s Centre Project Mayday Les Elles du Nord Kenora’s Women’s Place North Shore women’s research, Project Mayday Women and Pensions Committee Women & economic development Exclusion of women from the economy Women’s work & the economy Poetry Women’s Festival, Winnipeg Feminist book list Women & Christmas Women and Therapy Conference Pay Equity Transnational feminism Daycare access Reproductive health hazards United Nations Decade for Women Confederation College programs for women Authors/Contributors: Joan Baril Carol Lepine-Quesnelle Susan Collins Gwen O’Reilly Joy Asham Kimberly Ashton Lenny Ashton Susan Chopp Elaine Goodwin Noreen Lavoie Karen Maki Anna McColl Margaret Phillips Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Northern Woman Journal Collective Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1985-12 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Published on this site with permission. Language A language of the resource English https://digitalcollections.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/16/2790/1986_Vol_9_No_4.pdf e1e08c615091d8e334dc4f67067a9644 PDF Text Text $1.50 Northern Woman Journal 1986 VOL.9 NO.4, THUNDER BAY, ONT. APRIL PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Dear N.W.J., Part of my problem with pornography is that it affects me on such a gut level. I realize in order to appear rational I must (like the pornographers and their supporters) argue the issue of censorship and human rights in a calm, controlled manner, but I can't. When I see these images of women and children in magazines, film and video I get angry. Angry that our society condones this exploitation. Pornography is not just sold "under the counter" any more. We see the hate imagery on our television screens and now it's beginning to be delivered'to our homes by Canada Post. A number of businesses have received a piece of junk mail peddling pornography. It came to the Women's Centre in a white envelope titled MATURE VIEWERS ONLY It contained a glossy,full colour fold out selling "Highest Quality Erotic XXX Video Movies",which are"totally uncut, U.S. version". The pictures and text were quite explicit about the merchandise. When a member of the Women's Centre called the Post Office to complain about this, the postmaster explained that Canada Post had checked with their legal advisors and they were within their rights to deliver this type of thing. Since it is our understanding that the Post Office is paid to deliver "Householder Mail how complicit is our postal system in condoning the spread of pornography in our community? On an intellectual level it coulC be argued that our human rights are being violated by delivering pornographic pimp-mail to someone who feels that pornography is synonymous with misogyny. But again my response is an emotional one. I feel pornography is men degrading women. I feel violated by pornographic images. I don't want to see them on television, in movies or in bookstores. I certainly don't want them delivered to my home. Carolyn P Greenwood. BEENDIGEN(Crisis Home for Native Women) 622-5101 WOMEN'S HEALTH INFORMATION NETWORK #4 Ste. 17, 8A N. Cumberland 344-1410 PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL ASSAULT CENTRE Office: 345-0894 Crisis: 344-4502 COMMUNITY REFERRAL LINE (LSPC) 345-4009 345-5841 Dear NWJ Readers: Those of you who read the NORTHERN WOMAN editorials understand the financial dilemma that the Jourru is experiencing. (In fact you may be getting tired of reading about the financial problems.) The current situation is that wE have scraped together enough money tE pay the last printing bill; we are bE hind in our rent; and we have anothe] publishing date fast approaching witl no guarantee of the $ to pay for the printing. Obviously, some creative money raising ventures must be considered. One rather attractive possibilil is to become a member of the Canadiar Periodical Publishers Association, which means that the Journal would bE distributed to all bookstores across Canada who would take us, and we woul get 45% of the sales. Not only would this bring us new revenue but it wou] allow the Journal to be widely circulated, thus increasing our fame and prestige. The only drawback to this schemE is that we have to pay $100.00 to re ister with CPPA (and we ain't Rot the $100). So we are making this appeal. We need 20 donations of $5 (or 10 dor ations of $10...or 50 donations of $1 to make this project go. We ask you to participate. Please give your donation to any Journal member, or leavE it at the Women's Centre. Thank You. Other fund raising ideas will bE welcomed. Is anyone interested in helping the Journal fund raise? plgaii call Carolyn Greenwood at 345-7801-" with your ideas and support. SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR, a foremother of feminist literature one of the leaders of the existentalist movement died earlier this week. A novelist, a playwright and historian;she leaves behind a legacy of important work. Perhaps her most famous workTHE SECOND SEX was published in 1949. Her later works, such as THE WOMAN DESTROYED and A VERY EASY DEATH,move us, disturb us, and provide us with comfort while telling stories that we share a common experience with. She will be missed. RESOURCES FOR WOMEN IN THUNDER BAY.. SEC. STATE WOMEN'S PROGRAMS 28 N. Cumberland Street, 3rd floor Lisa Bengtsson 345-2316 CONFEDERATION COLLEGE WOMEN'S PROGRAMMES. Ruth Cunningham 475-6278 WOMEN'S DIRECTORATE, Ontario. 435 James Street, P7E 6E3 Joy Fedorick 475-1691 HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISION, Ontario. 435 james Street, 475-1693 FAYE PETERSON TRANSITION HOME' 623-6600 LAKEHEAD UNIVERSITY WOMEN'S CENTRE C/O Student Union 345-2121 NORTHERN WOMEN'S CENTRE 69 N Court Street, 345-7802 or Our Voice Feminists in Solidarity Feminists in North America are trying to raise awareness and concerns about the women's movement in the Third World. The group is particularly concerned about the region of Central America, where women have to face poverty and repression, as well as oppression in work and family life. Feminists in Solidarity prepares educational programs, direct action and material aid campaigns to forge international links among women. Contact: Feminists in Solidarity, 108 E Coven Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19119, USA. cover I chose this photograph because of the obvious closeness between these women. To me it expressed the enduring friendships which are possible between women. While they are not(strictly speaking) "Northern Women", I felt they typified the feeling of International Women's Day. As women we are interconnected as mothers,daughters,lovers and friends: sisters from birth to death. Carolyn P. Greenwood, I NORTHERN WOMAN page 2 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �by JOAN BARIL eoe International Women's Day, March 8, turned into a women's weekend in Thunder Bay. For film buffs it started on March 7 with a screening of the 1928 classic, "The Passion of Joan of Arc". Later that evening came a party at the Ramada Inn. Two major events were held on Saturday, a conference at Lakehead University sponsored by the university's women's and the "End of Decade" centre meeting of the Northwestern Women's Decade Council. The day culminated in a concert by Heather Bishop and Tracey Riley at the Heritage Community Centre.... .s Karen Maki of the Northern Women's Centre startled the four panel members of the Taskforce on Pay Equity by quoting the Bible to them, namely Leviticus 27:1-8 which states the value of a man is fifty shekels of silver whereas a female is thirty shekels. Its about time the situation was brought to an end, Karen suggested, and went on to describe the poverty of minimum wage women and the necessity for an effective pay equity , policy... eee New faces: Faye Peterson House has a new coordinator, Roberta Couch. As ever it was a busy year at the House which ran near eighty percent capacity last year. The related problem which battered women in Thun der Bay face is the scarcity of affordable housing to move into after the shelter. This concern, as well as the funding for transition houses, will be the focus of the June 6,7,8 meeting of the Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses, in Waterloo. Kenora's new Family Resource Centre has applied for membership but the centre is still not open. ay. ..Women in Crisis-Sioux-Hudson North is the name of the Sioux Lookout transition house which opened last summer with Pat McGinnis as director. From the opening to the end of the year, they ran at ninety percent capacity. .0 edle Another Thunder Bay problem is the lack of feminist counsellors and therapists. In this respect the mental health committee of the Decade Council is bringing in Susan McPhail, a feminist therapist, to do a workshop in Dryden April 14 and 15; Thunder Bay April 16,17 and Terrace Bay 19,20. The workshops are designed for women working with women. Interested women should phone Dawn St. Amand at (807)345-3606. see oleo The "End of Decade" luncheon and meeting honoured several local women who had worked for Decade Council during the past ten years. Presented with scrolls of appreciation were Leni Untinen, Elizabeth Poulin, Lauri Cunningham, Barbara Street, Leona (Lang) Watson, Bernice Cain, Julie Fels, Margaret Philips, Joan Packota, Lisa Bengtsson and Margaret Lanchok. As well, everyone got a copy of the poem by Leni Untinen. o ave Kenora's Women's Place have hired two workers to look into health and legal issues of concern to battered women. KWP is also running a twentyfour hour crisis line staffed by volunteers 000 ...Project Mayday has hired Linda Pattison to work with groups in Marathon, Schreiber, Terrace Bay and Rossport to identify direction's for action. In March, the Mayday women have planned workshops for every Wednesday.os ...Red Lake women will also run a by CHERYL HODGINS workshop series starting on April 5 with a look at Women and Financial ManA Lobbying Workshop sponsored agement.000 by Project Mayday was held in TerbeStav tuned for more information race Bay on February 8. Carol Quesabout the Northern Women's Conference nelle, a member of Mayday's Board in Sudbury tentatively scheduled for of Directors, explained the reason this coming June. There will be funds for the workshop. available to help Northwestern Ontario "After the North Shore Women's women to attend plus lots of "how to" Conference was held here last Octoworkshops on keeping groups together, ber, lobbying skills were identified lobbying and using the media.. as a major need of the women. After all, before we can get anything from 10Geralton Women's Conference, the government, we have to know how May 30,31, will feature Maud Barlow to ask for it effectively." (former advisor on women to Prime Min- V Leni Untinen, who facilitated ister Trudeau), and the Nellie McClung a lobbying workshop at the Confertheatre troupe.., ence, facilitated this one as well. Women's Health Information NetUntinen's vibrant personality and work (WHIN) is offering memberships at superb communication skills were five dollars each. Members receive key factors in the Workshop's sucfour issues of their perky periodical cess. During the Conference follow"Health Network News" as well as accup, when plans for a lobbying workess to all information and activities. shop were discussed, women who had Send fiver to 8A N. Cumberland St., attended the fall workshop agreed #17, Thunder Bay, P7A 4L1.01040 that though the information was in..Congratulations to the Thunder valuable, it was Untinen's charisBay Physical Assault Centre which was matic presentation that made it come presented with the Ontario Crime Prevalive for the women. The message was ention Award by Solicitor General loud and clear: "get Leni to do the Kenneth Keyes in recognition of ten workshop!" years service. Untinen, who is coordinator of the Northwestern Ontario Women's Blame it on Baby. The doctors Decade Council, has successfully lobwant the maternity section of the Nipigon hospital closed.-( levels of government for necessary Labor Pains p.4) Although the doctors' but contentious issues such as Tranrationale is that there are too few sition Houses for battered women in deliveries to keep their "skills sharp" N.W.O. many observers believe the true reaDuring the workshop she detailson is they don't want to be bothered the five components of lobbying: ed with pesky babies who have the your people, your resources, the nerve to be born in the middle of the other people, the issue, and the night. At a public meeting in Nipigon strategy. She gave an in-depth analthe doctors and a doctor's wife testysis of each, their interactions, ified that- obstetrics keeps a doctor their individual and collective efon call, interrupts parties and home fect on the outcome of the lobby, ani life and that it has been disruptive contingency plans to implement when to family life doing the usual twentythe unexpected happens. five deliveries or so a year divided Information was practical, and among the four of them. When it was included suggestions on everything suggested that one of them devote from where to borrow a typewriter to his/her practice to obstetrics in orwhom to contact in specific minisder to have at least one set of skills tries. continually sharpened, this too was Untinen emphasized the necessit not acceptable. Too disruptive. of maintaining support and cohesion Since women who had personal within the lobby group if it was to experiences to relate were not allowsurvive and succeed. She offered ed to testify at the meeting, very practical advice on how to avoid con little was heard about the interruptflict within a group, and suggested ions to home life, the pain and expenways to cope with it should it inse caused by a policy that expects evitably arise. women in labour to go to Thunder Bay The signifigance of statistics for the delivery. was discussed; when to use, and not As for the tiny newborn, what use, them. about her? Doesn't s/he have a right At the end of the afternoon, th to the most favourable and safe atmoswomen role-played a situation. Half phere in which to leap into this of the participants acted as a munworld; a relaxed and comfortable mother icipal town council, the other half with a helpful and relaxed husband or as a lobby group. friend, a birth where the emphasis is The exercise revealed to the on the baby and not on the transportawomen just what skills they possess, tion o and the effectiveness of Untinen's presentation. Lobbying Workshop - continued on page 1 NORTHERN WOMAN page PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �NO MORE LABOR PAINS by KATHY THOMPSON Women living in the communities serviced by the Nipigon District Memorial Hospital have been forced to have their babies in Thunder Bay- over 100 kilometres from their home. The doctors practicing in this hospital ceased deliveries in November of 1985. They stated that in 1985 there were 24 births at the hospital. With three doctors handling deliveries, this means that on average each physician delivered eight babies. Soon after this decision was announced, the Committee for Re-Instating a Birth System was formed. CRIBS is comprised of approxiamately 15 local women, some planning on having children, and some whose families are complete. CRIBS set out to have this decision overturned by first voicing our outrage and concern in the local paper, and then by circulating a petition to Gilles Pouliot, MP Lake Nipigon. who plans to Present it in the legislature in April. With a population of 2400 in Nipinn, the 550 signatures proved that this decision was an unpopular one. Due to this public support and outcry, a forum was finally organized in March by Don Ross, Hospital Administrator. CRIBS set out to put together a brief outlining all our concerns. When the decision was publicly announced, the doctors reassured their patients in a letter which appeared in the paper that they would continue to provide prenatal care, and that women wishing to return to the Nipigon hospital for the remaindbe er of then. hospital able to do so. This was all the information that was given. After speak ing with several women who were pregnant, or had recently given birth after the decision was made, it became obvious to us that the labouring woman was on her own. They were discouraged from coming into the hospital for a medical examination by their doctors, and were instructed to proceed directly to Thunder Bay for delivery. This information was quite appalling to CRIBS, and proved that this was a decision that was made in haste by the local physicians, with no consideration given to the risks to both mother and infant. The risk of travelling over 100 kilometres in labour without medical attention was the tip of the iceburg. In this northern community weather conditions, and traffic can seriously lengthen the trip or cause hazardous driving conditions. There is risk of delivering on the highway, the risks associated with unknown doctors in Thunder Bay (the average patient will see the physician delivering her child once or twice prenatally). The staggering Caesarian rate in Thunder Bay was brought to public attention around the same time as the Twenty-eight percent of decision. all deliveries in Thunder Bay hospitals are delivered by Caesarian section, while the national average is eighteen percent. Therefore, women in our communities are at greater risk of going through major surgery. Several women in the area were having induced labors by physicians in Thunder Bay who were worried about these women being on the highway in labor- - there are major risks involved with inductions. NORTHERN WOMAN page 4 Along with the risk factors, another concern of ours is inconvenience and financial burdens. Some women do not have private transportation available to them, and ambulance service was not provided. The major industry of the community is pulp and paper, which means many fathers could be out in the bush while the mother is in labor, posing another problem for the mothers having to make the trip. Childcare for children at home has to be arranged for an additional 2 and a half to three hours, when fathers visit with the new mother, just for his travelling time. It was also suggested by some physicians, that some women would have to go to Thunder Bay one or two weeks prior to their due date, which poses an incredible financial strain for women without family or friends in Thunder Bay. Many of the women who have given birth in Nipigon were very pleased and happy with their birth experiences. Very little if any interventions are used here, and it is as close to a "natural childbirth" as you can have in a typical hospital setting. Analgesics are not used as there is no anasthesiologist available; therefore, forceps are not used, inductions are not performed, and neither are caesarians. In the past, when complications arose requiring more fP Re:Birth. more sophisticated technology and facilities, women were sent to Thunder Bay by ambulance. Many other factors contributed to a good birth experience. In a small town, chances are that the laboring woman knows many of the staff, making her more comfortable and at ease. Besides fathers being allowed in the labor room, women wishing to, could have "support" friends or relatives with her. After the birth, rooming-in is allowed in all rooms. Visiting hours are convenient for family and friends providing needed support during the post-partum period. And sibling visitation is allowed any time during those visiting hours with no restrictions. None of these practices exist in Thunder Bay. All of these risks, concerns, and burdens were outlined in the brief CRIBS presented at the forum with the doctors, Ministry of Health officials, and hospital representatives, along with some suggestions for an alternative birthing system. The first suggestion was to have one physician handle all obstretical patients. This would enable the one physician to maintain his or her obstetrical skills. Also to train or recruit obstetrical nurses to the area. This suggestion was not acceptable to the physicians, as they explained that one of them would then be on call 24 hours a day 365 days a year. How this would differ from what other physicians who handle obstetrics around the country is not known. They stated that they are currently on call 1 out of 3 nights, and that this added responsibility would burden their family life. What CRIBS learned from this meeting is that because women in the area are close enough, by the doctor's definition, to Thunder Bay, we would be safer to make the trip. Maintaining their obstetrical skills is obviously not the issue, as this can be easily rectified by having one doctor handle all obstetrics, which they are unwilling to do. The battle Currently facing the committee is to keep the obstetrical facilities at the hospital intact. We learned that the two beds used for maternity patients in the past will now be used for other patients, if necessary. This means that women who are able to return to the Nipigon hospital for the remainder of their haspital stay may not be albe to do so if those beds are occupied. There are plans to build a new hospital here in Nipigon, and it was learned at this forum that complete obstetrical facilities are not included in the plans. Currently in the plans is an allocation of a portion of the emergency room for emergency deliveries. Therefore, the decision made by these four doctors is a decision our community will endure for a lifetime. If another doctor comes to Nipigon to practice who is willing to handle obstetrics, it will not be possible for he or she to do so, as the facilities will not be available. CRIBS plans to lobby the Ministry of Health, and the Hospital Board to keep these facilities. We also plan to present our needs to the Midwifery Task Force recently formed by the Ministry of Health. We feel that a midwife would meet the needs of the community, and fill the loss of this important health service. We feel that the decision made here in Nipigon will become a trend in small communities across the country due to the decreasing birth rate, heavy work load, and increase in malpractice insurance. We were told by the Ministry of Health that it has already become a trend. This decision was recently made in Blind River, and we were told that it is working out well there. The next community to fight such a decision as this, will be told that it has happened in Blind River and Nipigon, and that it is working out well in those communities. Our Question is FOR WHOM? PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �.Native Women's Status by LYNN BEAK STATUS REINSTATE NT In Bill C-31 the federal government has introduced new rules governing Indian Status and Band membership. Bill C-31 was passed in June 1985, as a direct result of the Equality Rights section (#15) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (which came into effect on April 17,1985) and the years of lobbying done by dedicated Native women, and the women's groups that supported them. The most important changes brought about by Bill C-31 are: (1) separating Indian Status and Band membership so that Indian Status is conferred by Indian Affairs based on the Indian Act, and Band membership may be conferred by Bands based on their membership rules (if they choose to develop rules); (2) reinstatement of many men, women and children who lost their Status due to Indian Act rules, or who chose to "enfranchise" and now wish to return to Indian :status; (3) initial registration of the children of reinstated people; (4) no further conferring of Indian Status upon people (women who married Indian men) who are not of native ancestry; (5) elimination of differential treatment of "illegitimate" children; (6) recognition of adoption as a means of gaining Status (but NOT losing it) when a child is adopted by Status Indians. WHO APE ENTITLED Indian Affairs will now confer status upon the following groups: people who were registered (or registrable) prior to April 17, 1985, under the old rules; reinstated people; and the children of both groups. Those who can apply for reinstatement include: (1) Indian women who lost Status due to marriage to a non-Indian man (about 12,000 women); (2) children of the above women born before Status was lost; (3) illegitimate children of Indian women who were protested (where their fathers were proven to be non-Indians); (4) children who lost Status at age 21 where their mother and paternal grandmother only acquired Status through marriage; (5) any one who enfranchised (gave up Indian Status) and their spouses and children; (6) any one who lost Status for a variety of reasons, such as living in a foreign country without permission, completing post-secondary education, entering religious life, or obtaining full-time employment. HOW TO APPLY Indian Affairs and local legal clinics have application forms for reinstatement. If a person had Indian Status at one time, they do not need to prove their parentage to Indian Affairs, but must simply provide enough information to determine that it is the same person. Therefore, they will normally need their band name and number, birth date and name of parents, siblings and minor children. However, if the person who wishes to apply for a registration is the child or grandchild of someone who had Status and lost it, then that person will need to prove their relationship to the person who had Status. In most cases a certified Statement of Live Birth, obtainable from the Registrar General's office, will suffice to provide names for both mother and father. Where the father is not listed (and that information is necessary), the person will need an affidavit from the man admitting parentage, or a Children's Law Reform Act paternity declaration. Anyone applying for Status should collect all their documents and then complete the application form. Try to obtain as much information from your family as possible, to assist Indian Affairs to locate your family line. Confirmation of re-registration is taking up to six months, since there are approximately 70,000 to 100,000 people entitled to apply for Indian Status. Benefits such as education assistance will not be granted prior to the date of the application so hardship will be caused by this delay for many people. APPEAL PROCESS Everyone who thinks they may be entitled to registration should apply. It will not be granted to you unless you apply. If an application is refused an appeal is available. The appeal is heard by the District Court in Ontario, and the appeal must be seilffrrOrrietireitOftWomerpmertsftimo cial protest decision by the Indian Registrar. Anyone who is refused Status should contact a lawyer to determine if the decision was properly made and should do this quickly, because of the 6 month time limit. VICTORY Although the amendments did not eliminate all problems with the Indian Act, they are a victory for women. In future, native women will not lose Status for marrying a man without Status. All women who lost Status, their children, and anyone else who ever lost Status for any reason can now be reinstated. The direct benefits from the Charter of Rights have been few, and we must celebrate the ones we have achieved. WE AS HUMAN BEINGS ARE A PARTOF THE EARTH AND SKY. OUR POWER COMES FROM THE NATURAL WORLD. EARTH AND SKY GIVE US OUR POWER, NOIIWRI'l.WW, .RW.5 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �UNIVERSITY WOMEN by GWEN O'REILLY Women's Centre Coalition Conference Women's centres exist on university and college campuses throughout the country, each attempting in it's own way to improve the status of women. Unfortunately, institutes of higher learning, although frequently considered the vanguard of social and scientific advancement, are also bastions of traditional male domination. The idea of a women's centre coalition has been growing throughout campus centres due to continued threats of closure, funding problems, space cutbacks, and various ongoing battles with administrations, student government, and engineering students. Women's centres everywhere face similar frustrations. In October, 1985, Ryerson and York Women's Centres met to discuss issues concerning their organizations. It was decided then that these women would initiate a concerted effort to make the Coalition a reality. The major intent of the conference was to develop an increased and continued awareness among campus women's centres of each others achievements and problems, and to establish a provincial and national communication/support structure among centres. Resources for the conference were provided by the Ontario Federation of Students. On February-7th, 1986, sixty women representing fifteen schools from across Canada( mainly Ontario) met in the middle of a ferobious Toronto snowstorm. The conference commenced with a speaker and a wine and cheese social The keynote address was given by Johanna Stuckey, a self-proclaimed "Early( circa 1969) Canadian Radical Feminist", and founding member of the first university women's centre in Ontario at York. She outlined the herstory of the university women's movement throughout the sixties and seventies, and spoke about the recurring problems caused by external attacks or disapproval, internal conflict, and that old devil, burn-out. In summing up, she passed on an important thought: "...two-things I do know now: that I did not know in 1969: first, that most people are not logical about sex roles and sexism, and second, that change comes slowly in society at large, and even more slowly in universities and colleges, the bastions of tradition. I used to think (mistakenly) that all I had to do was demonstrate clearly the injustice of society's and men's treatment of women, and they would immediately change." Johanna learned the hard way. We as organizers and activists of the eighties, are fortunate to have her wisdom to guide us. Saturday morning, the group gathered at the Ryerson campus and got down to work. Most of the day was spent listening to representatives from each school introduce themselves and describe their centre's situation. The amount of information, ideas and helpful suggestions shared was astounding. Campus women's centres exist in an amazing diversity of situations. Some centres, like those at Simon Fraser and McGill, reported a large, annual budget ($5,000 to $7,500), excellent space, extensive resource collections and a relatively large membership. The Guelph centre ran and won a student referendum for funding, and now claims $12,000 to $14,000 annually from student activity fees. Their impressive budget has not, unfortunately won them sufficient space. By contrast Ontario College of Art has one interested (committed!) woman, no funding, space or other means of support. Other centres fell somewhere between these extremes. Space but no funding. Funding but no space. Many are at the mercy of unsympathetic student governments. Ryerson is threatened with closure, Carelton with space and funding cutbacks. York representatives related a frightening story of a persistent lunatic who harrassed them with hundreds of phone calls and bomb threats. Waterloo established a personal safety service after two women were murdered on campus during Oktoberfest. Almost everyone had a horror story to tell. of preference, has internalized the social biases of homophobia and heterosexism to some degree. Since animosity dissipates group energy, it is important that women understand and confront their own homophobia and heterosexism. The seminar did indeed reveal many persistent stereotypes commonly (if secretly) held by straight women and lesbians about each other, however, in soliciting these misconceptions, the leaders aroused a great deal of hostility which was not properly dealt with during the course of the workshop. Sunday's proceedings started off slowly, but soon gained momentum. OFS representatives Leanne Macmillan and Janet Maher gave a seminar on organization and action for women's centres. They discussed the details involved in choosing, or clearly identifying an issue requiring action, recognizing target groups in order to attempt change, and also which tactics and strategy effected the most gain with the least pain. The presentation included information on resources and funding possibilities, as well as outside alliances which might be available to campus women's centres from the surrounding community. The final session was somewhat to talk r about, and people slowly tric i g u to catch planes and buses. The newly formed Coalition still managed to make some important resolutions. It was decided immediately to announce the formation of the Coalition and send the minutes of our first meeting to women's centres across the country. A list of centres in crisis MaS circulated and representatives from the Heuberships ranged from 1 to 150 centres attending were asked to write members, with the actual core"organiletters of support to the student zers" always comprising a smaller subunions/administrations involved. Sevgroup. Political positions were equalen regional representatives were choly varied, and generally governed to sen to form the Coalition Committee, some extent by sources of funding. whose responsibilities include the Centres such as Guelph are obliged to development of an inter-centre newsmaintain neutrality (i.e. no position letter, and planning for the next on abortion, men are allowed in the conference, scheduled for the fall of centre), since-their funding comes '86. In addition, a resource booklet directly from student activity fees. of profiles of all campus women's Several of the more established centres centres is being compiled, and should have paid co-ordinators. Regardless of be ready for distribution by the fall. situation, all centres expressed a Requests for information have already need for community and support from been sent out, and the regional reps a coalition. plan to meet at the end of May to put After a lunch break and a dramatic it all together. poetry recital by Taylor Greene, a Delegates left the conference with Toronto performer, the Saturday sessa bouyant feeling of renewal and many ion continued with more round table newly made friendships. A great deal discussion. The afternoon also includof work and sharing was accomplished ed a workshop on lesbians and straight over the course of two days, especially women working together. This presentaconsidering the majority of the women tion was coordinated by Side By Side, attending had never worked together a non-profit, feminist resource group, before. There is no substitute for the and presented by Natalie Zlodre and sure knowledge that there are other Maggie Redmans. committed women out there working Starting from the assumption that towards the same goals, and experienall sexual/affectional preferences are cing the same frustrations achieving valid (including bisexuality and celithose goals. The Coalition of Campus bacy), Maggie and Natalie attempted to Women's Centres is now a reality, and deal with the stereotypes and resultpromises to become an effective vehiing "horizontal hatred" surrounding cle for creative and supportive exchboth straight women and lesbians. They ange among campus women's centres. pointed out that everyone, regardless Hurray for us! W9W, ,P PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor NORTH VII\j , �ENTRY RE ENTRY AND EXIT by JOAN BARIL .. . Want to be an educational adminiistrator? Set up your own school? Say no more. If you qualify, the federal government may give you more money per student that it gives to the community colleges. You too can have your own "alternate education system" as one CEIC official phrased it. And the best part is you don't need any experience, either in education or in the courses your training program could offer. "Anyone can apply." as the CEIC official repeated many many times at a public meeting at the Lakehead Labour Centre March 10 called to explain the program. The new CEIC offering is called Entry-Re-Entry and it is one segment of the new Canadian "Job Strategy". First, let's see what the program is not. It is not an employee training program. It makes sense, I believe, for the government to give money to employers to train workers or prospective workers-the sort of on-the-job training which has been funded for years, the kind of thing where a typewriter repair business trains people to repair typewriters and perhaps in related fields such as customer relations. But Entry-Re-Entry is an entirely different kettle of CEIC fish. Through it, the typewriter repair owner may apply bo train anything he or she wants; bartenders, cooking, waitressing, secretarial and so on. A proposal is submitted and if accepted "teachers" Are hired on contract, eligible trainees are rounded up and eh voila! - mini-school! Next, our education entrepeneur can collect up to the maximum of $60.00 per student, per day. So get out your calculators, gentle readers, figure out the take for ten students for a month of twenty teaching days. Now multiply a bit because at least one Thunder Bay entrepeneur is consdering up to one hundred students. He'll be pulling in close to half a million dollars. To put your total figure in perspective, consider that Confederation College recieves $24.00 to $26.00 per student, per day for training federally sponsored studentsl and note that these students receive all the advantages of attending a solid community-based educational institution which offers (besides qualified teachers) such services as health facilities, counselling, and sports programs. %It t: ... ............... CEIC is looking at at least eight projects in Thunder Bay alone, involving 200 students or more. Doubts have 10.1tiltmoniter the enormous fundstoinvo been expressed about CEIC's policy ,S1s. and the quality of instuction Sudbury office, 600 miles away using one CEIC officer to do it However some or all of this mo function may be taken over by college. Not to mention a recognized diploma at the end of it all. Students in "alternate educatioal systems" run by "the private sector" will not receive any piece of paper recognized as anything. For example, trainees in a local program who will study mathematics and English will not receive certification that they have achieved a particular academic grade or level. Also there is no guarantee of a job after training. In fact concerns have been raised suggesting trainees may end up destroying their own job opportunities. During the course of training, students "on-the-job training" will provide prospective local employers with free labour, lessening the number of real jobs available in the field they are working in. Who are the prospective trainees and what do they get out of signing up? Entry-Re-Entry is aimed at youth and women who have been at home for three years or more. The trainees will receive a living allowance while they are attending the program or, if applicable, continue on unemployment insurance. If we ask what women and youth need to enter the labour force, the answer is surely-jobs. Home-bound women also may need affordable day care. But youth and women will flock to Entry-Re-Entry because they get paid to do so, or perhaps they'll be steered into it by social workers or welfare officers or perhaps they'll sign up because the words "training program" have an appearance of offering something worthwhile. Once enrolled, they are no longer a blot up the unemployment statistics and it all looks so good when the issue of unemployment rolls around at Question Period. The local women's centre has its own concerns about the type of training offered to women- service, tourist and industry jobs for the most part, waitress, bartenders and retail clerk. But according to Dena Morrison (from the Sudbury CEIC office which will moniter the Thunder Bay program) " not trad" is "downsized" which to you and me means the focus is off helping women into the non-traditional higher paid jobs. In short, after a period of luring women into a brief flirtation with non-traditional occupations, Manpower, it seems, is tossing us back into the cheap labour Existing educational inst have complex networks of check balances to ensure the Ministr Education's regulations are me things are kept honest. Colleg Universities and school boards elected or appointed governing ies. They have inspecters, aud internal checks. They have pri or chairmen to moniter curricu and teaching. They have studen cils, appeal systems and local ory boards. Community training ects such as "Down to Business have grown out of community or ations and have community boar Entry-Re-Entry lacks these che and in-puts. Local Advisory Co (LACs), which are now being se will have an advisory function In a time when the averag dent loan barely pays for the trip to the bookstore, when ex educational institutions are b squeezed for funds, when the s ship system is so meagre that not provide higher education t our brightest students, when t eam of getting a summer job to one's way through winter class often just a dream, when appre ships have dried up, when the daycare is going through the r the subsidy system is collapsi when government money is neede help students get a real educa we see our government pumping into "the privatization of the ational system" and handing ou mous sums to "the private sect set up "alternate educational NOTES 1. English Second Language, $2 federal trainees per day; BTSO grading) $26.00, other college rams higher. 2. Down to Business is being p down. "Immigrant women are no the focus", says CEIC. pool. NORTHERN WOMAN PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Part One Easter was ... a crisp white blouse ... plaid skirt ... tightly curled hair ... keeping quiet in church when so much excitement stirred inside as thoughts of easter eggs ran through my head. Easter was ... the long ride home in the child filled car ... bursts of laughter ... shouts ... tears ... being quiet ... waiting to get home as thoughts of easter eggs ran through my head. Easter was ... home at last ... children shoving ... father laughing ... mother giving instructions Take off church clothes ... no fighting ... no eating before breakfast. Easter was ... the smell of bacon cooking ... children changing ... pushing ... laughing ... running finding a melted hen in a basket by the window. Easter was ... a taste of warm melted chocolate before breakfast. Part Two Easter was ... NO LIPSTICK ... NO EARRINGS ... NO HIGH HEELS ... ISN'T HER SKIRT TOO TIGHT ... WB'RE GOING TO CHURCH; Easter was ... washing again and crying for high heels and lipstick ... smiling at priests and parents' friends who whispered "what a nice girl" as thoughts of tight skirts and boys ran through my head. Easter was ... aprons ... cleaning ... keeping the kids out of the chocolate ... smells of bacon and eggs. Easter was ... walking down main street arm in arm with my friend Joyce ... Laughing in our red lipstick ... clamp-on earrings ... long tight skirts soft sweaters ... bobby socks in high heels ... hats and gloves that covered heads and hands. Easter was ... enjoying the.whistles from the boys. Part Three Easter was windows and walls ... 40 days of washing curtains polishing furniture ... baking cookies .., sewing dresses ... hiding new white socks and black shiny shoes. Easter was ... 40 days of mass ... rosary ... stations of the cross ... sorrow ... guilt. Easter was ... a night of making maps and hiding eggs ... quietness ... butter cookies in the tin ... hot bread on the counter ... jellied salad in the fridge ... family's new clothes laid out. Easter was ... NO TREATS BEFORE MASS ... EVERYONE TO CHURCH ... rushing ... pushing ... silent tears ... smiling. Easter was ... cooking bacon and eggs ... wiping melted chocolate from a little face before breakfast! ... remembering warm melted chocolate. Easter was ... keeping children quiet ... feeding many ... washing dishes ... gossiping in the kitchen ... playing cards ... laughter ... noise ... tiredness. Easter was done on Sunday night. Part Four Easter is ... remembering Easter .., gently kissing the past goodbye ... letting go of guilt and sorrow. Easter is ... time alone to love all of who I am as a woman in Transition ... fallible ... wonderful ,.. courageous ... needing ... asking ... receiving ... giving . Easter is ... planning a day of ice fishing ... sharing moments ... a meal ... with friends. Easter is ... believing in Parts One ... Two ... Three ... Four ... believing in Parts Five ... Six ... Seven ... that are to come. Carol Quesnelle NORTHERN W OMAN page 8 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Bette CoUcvi Woman Noriliwcstern On-taiio Wornens Paack Council 1q76-1.786 ter:: 7thrs a-ne taugi-iter: and in fowns`ti and ci-fies, women corn& Front iso(a-f-ion. flicy had Anow.n. Togeffie-r tricy were- -not atone. fo sham, 1.0 speak Each ane -the same, milt, on(' uniee To change the -ruCes -Mal ept us still To hear. -fo To hare' , flee female age: 32 Tatk oi iututez, Puncuated by netvouz Zaughtut Ins aLway4 vague. We zit, Hunched oven ()ems, Dreaming to each other oi land, And houzez buitt by woman-hand6. Wand's ticochet a/wand the table And the sound o6 laughter Itoa/tis in OWL eaAz. Everything zeemz pozsibte, No wiish too-ab4und. We Zook up, Stitt taughing, A4 youn wands zhattet out dneamz With the Sudden, vivid ctanity oi ate our beano . " Who the hat us going to kite a 53 yea/t-ad £ady Zabo/tee " Many-Ann it on Will To fee( fife power gained in sharing dernatith-afc strrnqfit carinq To char t -the- :path_ to clime 6, foJart` T -work .for one, to gain for- all A -woman safe, a child's -trus, Pn'antS situ:Wed (ficartis were crushed , To (ift :us old. of 7,01)ei-fy Pernariding our .e'..9.1106-ty of our Earth -PrE -se.1-0aficti, of ow- -worth Thoughts we Feel,' oul sypken. -ward will be heard P-ronhsiliq t he- shadow of -the dale Not a caiLse The Decade, oct of Cove , ri )oal5 710f ye Norffi,ern -women haVe brquit ( won a, pccae, Jio guiester Li_ QntarLv tlionuiris sfIcia commitment" an aciliedetne,nt? 3n, cele:6.catt'on, o Wandeting the ztackz I zeanch out titteS. ("The L064 04 A Panent") ("On Death and Dying") Nothing appeatz. I teatize, With come dizgurt, That I am tnying To con4nont your death With iactz, 6igutez, logic. How did I believe That this cowed be "tead-up"? Wa4 I Zooking bon "zeti-hete? ("G/tie6 to Gninning: A Step-by-Step Manuat") Penhapz a zchotaitty tationatization oi mourning? Something I could digezt and then did card, Hoping, atiso, to dizcakd The iutitity o6 wondering What you Might have thought 04 thingz I had never Been able To say, Many-Ann NORTHERN OW page 9 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Fiction JESSE'S bit of money comin in. Only trouble is I'd feel a whole lot .better if Billy, my oldest, didn't keep comin home lookin worse than when my old man lay a beatin on him, and nothin to say for himself. Seems I spent sc long just tryin to get a job and a place to stay that I forgot how to talk to my kids. I still don't have much time tc be with my kids. Money is real tight Food for seven kids, some stuff for the house, clothes for my four older for school, pay back some of the mot ey my cousin lent me, the cheque juE won't go that far even with the clot and stuff my social worker finds me, Never mind that sometimes I get so sick inside for my town and my old man and the bush that I got to get out of the house and spend some mon( on goin for coffee or bingo to talk to some people I know from around where I come from. Around this time I'm still tryin, you know... STORY by ROSE PITTIS Brian Mulroney, if I could write good I'd sure be sendin you a letter. Lyin here lookin at these puke green walls, me, and lookin back at my life which has been that same colour for a long time. I been seein your dogeared face on the front of a lot of old magazines lyin around the ward and I been thinkin how your social programs with all them social workers managed to help me sell my pride, lose my kids, and trade real life for this psych hospital. I also been seein that angelfaced old lady of yours on a lot of old magazines. Glorified wife and mother of this land with three kids to look after, always smilin. That smile begins to look like a smirk to me 'cos I know what put it there. Money. What I want to know is if I kept my seven kids with me for so long, with a smile on my face and no money, how come they don't put me on the cover of Chatelaine? How come they didn't give me a goddamm god medal! Had my first kid when I was 16, me, maybe ten years ago. The next six years are kind of a blur now. Seems like I -Was either carryin a kid or feedin one, drinkin or soberin up all the time, with my old man takin a swing at my head sometimes to keep things interesting. So I hit rock bottom, find our Maker down there to help me out of the hole and I quit drinkin. Thats when I start feelin the pain of livin again... First its the birth pains, then its the beatin pains, then its the pain inside when I see those swings missin me and landin on my three oldest. Thats when I know its time to leave. So thats the first part over... I drop the old man and the bottle, pick up thekids and the good Lord, and head out of that town down the highway to Thunder Bay where I got a cousin I can stay with. My cousin's got three rooms,three kids and an old man that drinks. Its good its summer and the kids can be outside all the time, though there seems to be more trouble for them to get into than where I come from. I spend my days walRin around lookin for a place to stay and a job to pay for it. I spend my nights listenin to the kids screamin, and sometimes I get out for a coffee, or a bingo. Bout a month goes by and I start to figure out that it doesn't much matter if I find a job, cos there isn't any places to live anyway. My moneys almost gone, my cousin's goin crazy just havin us there, and I have this strange feelin my kids are doin stuff they shouldn't on the street. Around then there were times I'd be so tired of tryin, it took the last of my strength to get me by that hotel door and into that coffee shop. So I use my cousin's address, ignore that twistin pride in my belly that says me and my old man never asked anyone but family for anything, and head out to get signed up for welfare. They all talk a different language down there. I sort of feel scared of them for a while, especially this women who comes to ask questions about my kids and where I'm livin. Says she's my social worker and seems there's some problem with me livin with family that's got a bit of money comin in. So I borrow some money, enough to move me and my kids into a motel for a week, the kind of place I swore-I'd never see again after I quit drinkin. And they give me money for movin out of a family place and into this hole. Seems there's this cheap housing the city's got but you have to be on a list. Always thought you got points from the Lord for havin good healthy kids and standin on your own two feet but this place gives out points for just the opposite. The worse off you can prove yourself, the more points , you get, and the higher up on the list you get. So I scrounge up my points, ignore that twist in my belly again, and end un with a place to stay and a Maybe a month down the road frc that time my body starts to give out on me and I got to go to the doctor. Somehow its hard to get all this ne) part straight in my mind. I guess 7, social worker gets me someone to cor in and help me with my kids during the day. Called a homemaker. Seems like an OK person but used to be ab] to make my own home, me. Now the do( tells me I have to go into the hospital for tests, and with some troub: my kids get into and not going to school the way everone says they she uld, some woman comes round askin questions. I can smell children's aid on her a mile away and the next thing I smell is that fear sweat con out of my own body. This one seems be just lookin not stealin but now can't go in for tests and leave my kids at home waitin for her to show again. I don't like to complain so mud but, Lord, those pains weren't gett: any easier so I get my social worke to find me someone to take care of kids when my cousin can't and then go into the hospital. Seems like it a bad joke they're all playin behind my back. Sitter quits, my cousin go( on a binge, nowhere for my kids to stay. So here I am in the hospital with tubes and bottles hangin off m: body and that woman comes back to c eck on my kids and she and my socia worker say they can get real good h mes for my kids...but nowhere for them all to go together. Around thi time is when I stop tryin for awhil continued on page 11 ,NORTHERN WOMAN pageweb 10 optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor PDF compression, OCR, �... continued from page 10. Then my brother comes through town. He's off the bottle lookin for a job and no place to stay. I get out of the hospital and they give me my kids back. I have to go into the hospital for an operation from those tests soon so I figure my brother can look after my kids. Only trouble is I find out some rules I didn't know about. My brother can't live at my cheap housin maybe cos he's not on welfare and he can't give my address so he can't get welfare cos he's not supposed to be livin there. He's got no money to get another place, doesn't know anyone in town and,-me, I got no energy left to help him out. They can't find me another woman to stay with my kids so I say why don't they hire my brother as a homemaker to keep my kids at home and save them a whole lot of money as well as savin my family. They look at me as if I'm just some crazy old woman even though I'm only 26 and used to be able to think straight once in awhile. This next part is kind of hard to tell, even to myself. I got no choice but to go into the hospital, say bye to my brother who's headin out to look for work down by Marathon, watch them take my kids and send them all over town to those good homes where they got no real family. Except one other choice... I got a bottle of pain pills the doctor gave me to keep me goin til I get in for my operation. Oh Lord, those beatin's my old man gave me were nothin to the one you're layin on me now! I've been in the bush, nightime, in the middle of winter alone and half drunk out of my mind, and I've seen the way out better than I can see the way out of this one! So I take those pills down, me, with some tea to make them go down smooth and I wake up lookin at these puke green walls and pretty pictures of you and your sweet old lady, Brian Mulroney. You can take those social programs and shove them and you can take a look at this slash across the dog-eared face of your wife too. I give up my old man, the booze dreams, my land, my kids, and now I just realized I give up the Lord. I got nothin but a bit of that old twistin pride still left in my belly, and its whats goin to get me out of here. ........................................................................................................................... ...........................+.......**....*.............................................................. Depo --active Contact the CANADIAN COALITION ON DEPO-PROVERA... DEPO-PROVERA, c/o 58 arthur St., is an injectable synthetic hormone Ottawa, Ont. K1R 7B9. Get in touch now being considered by Health and with a women's centre or women's healWelfare Canada as a contraceptive. th centre in your area. Write to the BANNED IN THE UNITED STATES, this drMinister: ugs safety has not been proven. Many The Honourable Jake Epp people feel that there has not been Minister of Health and Welfare enough research on its long-term eff16th Floor, Brooke Claxton Building ects. It often given to women without Tunnyr's Pasture their "informed consent". Women's groOttawa, Ont K1A 0A6 ups, health, consumer and international or to your Member of Parliament development agencies have joined tog(no postage necessary!) ether to delay approval of Depo Provera by Cheryl Hodgins for contraception until its SAFETY HAS BEEN PROVEN. As a country manufacturing Depo Provera I was cleaning the bathroom the The Canadian for export, we should be concerned that other day when suddenly,somewhere beWomen's Movement it is available "over the counter" in tween pouring the javex into the toimany Third World countries where womlet bowl and wiping the tub with comArchives en are not adequatly screened nor monet,the following questions occurred While the purpose of these archives itored for side effects. to me. is similiar to that of others - resACTION... Why don't men feel guilty about earch and preservation, the collectIn November '85, the CANADIAN COALITION leaving their children with babysition is anything but conventional.In ON DEPO-PROVERA was formed to voice ters while they work? an effort to collect on our shared concerns for the safety of Who looks information after the children and the Canadian women's movement, writthis drug. who searches for a replacement careten documents (periodicals, minutes The Coalition is now close to eighty giver when she cannot,or chooses not, of meetings, correspondence and jourmember-groups strong. to do so? nals) are catalogued, but posters, In November, approval was imminent. Why don't more men choose the buttons, graffiti, tee-shirts, flyers occupationswomen's of full-time parent and By mid-December, decision for approval oral histories and signs also homemaker? was delayed until March. find a place. Why aren't ya women at the archives are In mid-January, it seemed that men the ever de- asked "IfThe wanted until to be early an engineer(or pipefitcision was postponed sumtrying to redescover and rebuild the ter) why'd ya have kids?" mer. continuity in women's lives - to take Why don't men support the ON Members of themore CANADIAN COALITION advantage of the experience of all idea of government daycare? DEPO-PROVERA havefunded been writing to theCanadian feminists. They encourage triedir very hard,I Members of just Parliament and to the women's groups to keep records and of aMinister logical of answer Health and Welfare to voito preserve and make those records ions.ce Maybe someone their concerns as to the safety of easily available to other women. you'll have toand excuse this drug encourage you to do the Contact: Canadian Women's Movement om needs to be cleaned same. The Coalition is demanding chaArchives, Box 928, Station Q, Toronto nges to the drug-approval process so Ontario. M4T 2P1 (416) 597-8865. that consumers can participate in the drug approval process. NORTHEW.kARIAN,pd0 GET DEPO-ACTIVE... now... WHY? PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �. DAY CARE NEWS By MARGARET PHILLIPS TASK FORCE There is much activity regarding day care at all levels. Federally, the Report of the Task Force on Child Care (the Katie Cooke Report) has been released. From their comprehensive study of child care and parental leave in Canada, Dr. Cooke and her committee members concluded "that the child care situation is in a state of crisis, and that serious consequences will result if steps are not taken immediately to rectify the situation': The Task Force has put forward a number of important recommendations with the underlying premise that "federal, provincial and territorial governments must begin now to develop complementary systems of child care and parental leave that are as comprehensive, accessible and competent as our systems of health care and education. To achieve universal day care (by the year 2001) the Task Force recommends short-term and mediumterm strategies. The immediate priority must be the stablization of existing services; increasing supply; improved variety of services; and the reduction of user fees. To facilitate this immediate goal the Task Force recommends that the federal government provide "good faith" grants of $4 per day per space for infant, disabled and special needs children; $2 per day for pre-school spaces; and $1 per day for "latchkey" spaces. In the medium term a new federal-provincial cost sharing arrangement for day care is recommended, whereby the federal and provincial governments would provide 50% of the cost of child care; the other 50% to be covered by user fees. (The subsidization of low income families to be continued during this period.) While this proposal would make day care accessible to significantly more families, the Task Force recognizes that only a universal system will make day care available to all children. The Task Force states "In the long term, we would see licensed child care being fully financed by public revenues, for, as long as user fees are a feature of the child care system, some children will lack access to the services they need...The Task Force believes that the incremental approach is "the most realistic and responible way to reach this goal under current fiscal conditions". The report makes further recommendations dealing with capital funding, taxation issues, research, and day care programs for public service families. The studies and analysis of child care needs, present inadequacies, and concern for quality, which have lead the Task Force to their recommendations, reflect the issues and concerns that have been enunciated by day care advocates for years. Nonetheless, it is notable that the Task Force has a vision of a comprehensive system of quality day care. It is vital that the Katie Cooke Task Force findings and recommendations be kept in the forefront of public/political attention, and that advocacy for the implementation of the key recommendations be maintained. With the current federal Special Committee on Child Care (more on this later) embarked on yet another study, the valuable recommendations of the Cooke report could easily be obscured. We cannot afford to have the Cooke report side-tracked. The mandate of the Task Force also involved the study of parental leave policies, which were found to be most inadequate to meet the needs of today's families, and compared unfavourably with other jurisdictions. The Task Force concluded that even the modest maternity benefits available had serious gaps.. eg the requirement of working for the same employer for at least a year; the exclusion of domestic workers, farm labourers, students and self-employed; the low level of replacement benefits (53% or less for most employees). The report concludes that "As a result of the various exclusions, conditions and low level of benefits, only about half of all women workers who give birth each year claim Unemployment Insurance benefits... Adopting parents and natural fathers are even less fortunate, being ineligible in most jurisdictions for leave or benefits, or both." To address these inadequacies the Task Force makes a number of recommendations which recognize the equal partnership of parents in meeting family responsibilities and which insist that government has a responsibility to assist parents to effectively carry out their dual roles as workers and as family members. Recommendations include: a five day annual paid leave for family related responsibilities; reduction of the qualifying period for parental leave to 20 weeks; increased dura= tion and level of birth and adoption benefits; paid leave for the father for birth related responsibilities; Unemployment Insurance maternity benefit coverage for the self-employed; and for part-time employees who work 8 or more hours per week; and the deletion of the two-week waiting period for U.I.C. birth and adoption benefit claims. The Task Force report is worth reading. It is available for $9.95 from: Canada Government Publishing Centre, Supply and Services Canada, Ottawa, K1A 0S9. The research studies conducted for the Task Force have been published separately and are also worth perusing. They are available (free) from Communicatiol Unit, Status of Women Canada, 10th Floor, 151 Sparks St. Ottawa,K1A li O SPECIAL COMMIIIEL ON CHILD CARE Not to be confused with the Katie Cooke Task Force (which was appointed-undow,the previous _feder. Liberal government) is the parliamentary Special Committee on Child Care, appointed last fall by the Conservative government, and compo sed of seven politicians (5 Conser vatives, 1 Liberal, 1 NDP). This Special Committee is yet again stu dying the child care situation in Canada, and is presently touring t country holding public hearings. While it may seem frustrating to have to retell the day care sto to yet another inquiry, it is abso lutely vital that day care people make their views known. This may b our last chance to influence day care policy. Day care parents, workers anc groups are pressing to have the Sp cial Committee hold hearings in Nc recommending thwestern Ontario hearings in both Dryden and Thunde Bay to adequately cover the regior. A firm commitment from the Specia Committee is yet to be received. Many people have advised the Committee that they wish to make a presentation. In addition to those groups/individuals who will 'preset at the hearings, it is very import. that all people concerned with the provision of quality day care writ, to the Committee. (Special Committ on Child Care, Room 308, 151 Spark St, Ottawa.) For more information contact your local day care parents group, day care centre, Women's centre, o the NWO Regional Day Care Committe Box 144, Thunder Bay, P7C 4V5. NORTHERN-WOMAN page 12 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �DISTRICT NEWS INDIRECT SUBSIDY ISSUE As previously discussed (NWJ Vol. 9 #2) the elimination of the "indirect subsidy" to municipal day care is the major NWO day care issue. The Minister of Community & Social Services has announced the postponement of this policy to December 31, 1986. This is certainly a welcome relief - but it is only a temporary solution. Long-term solutions must be found. It is therefore encouraging to learn that the provincial government appears to be seriously addressing the day care accessibility/affordability issue. At a recent meeting of the Ontario Coalition for Better Day Care, Gerry Duda, Senior Policy Coordinator, Ministry of Community & Social Services, updated the Coalition on the Policy Review being undertaken, indicating that day care reform remains a high priority, and that the direction will be toward "making it more of a public service". (Coalition Newsletter March/86). He further "agreed with the Coalition that it did not make sense for the province to be enforcing its instructions to municipal day care centres to increase their fees to full per diem costs at the same time as the government was conducting a full scale review of funding alternatives. He agreed that easing the problems of affordability created by eliminating the indirect subsidy were the very thing that the province was attempting to deal with." Further COMSOC discussion ilidicated officials will be asked to relax their position of pushing municipalities to full per diem fees in 1986. While this is all positive information day care parents/advocates cannot relax. We know that in NWO COMSOC officials are pressing hard to persuade municipalities to raise their fees, as well as suggesting program changes that could adversely affect the quality of programs in our municipal centres. (See Thunder Bay news below) Day care parents must encourage their municipal councils to resist the local Ministry pressure, and keep day care accessible, affordable and high quality. We must avoid the tragedy of forcing families out of day care, forcing day care centres to close. THUNDER BAY SIOUX LOOKOUT Parents Group has mounted a post card campaign, addressed to the Premier of Ontario. Anyone concerned with day care is asked to sign and send the post card which states "I support a universally accessible, publicly funded day care system which will provide high quality child care services". Please support this campaign. Contact your local day care centre for the post cards. The issue arose because City administration put forward a report which included a number of recommended changes that would seriously affect the quality of Thunder Bay's municipal day care, and jeopardize the existence of the centres. Administration recommendations that were of greatest concern to parents included the change from attendance-based to enrolment-based fees, which is particularly problematic to families who face sudden layoff and recall work situations, and is fraught with potential problems of children being taken to day care when they are sick because families can't afford to pay twice for the same service. No analysis had been done by administration of the number of families who would be forced to withdraw their children if enrolment based fees were effected. GERALDTON parents have organized a Parents Group and have prepared a brief to the Special Committee. TERRACE BAY's Town Council approved a request by the Day Care and have appointed a Day Care Advisory Committee composed of Town Council and parent representatives. This Committee will further investigate ways and means to develop a day care centre in Terrace Bay. The BIG TROUT LAKE Women's Group have placed day care at the top of their priorities, have conducted a needs survey, and are working toward obtaining a day care centre in Big Trout Lake. The NWO Regional Day Care Committee is planning to organize regional forums in the early fall to involve parents, workers, municipal officials and others interested in developing strategies to ensure NWO day care needs can be met. For more information contact the committee at Box 144, Thunder Bay. The recommendation to close 2 ***************+*****.******************* of the 4 centres during the summer Lobbying totally ignored the needs of the ...continued from page 3"I was impressSaid Quesnelle, ldren for security and consistency d by the skills that we women alof familiar staff. Nor did it add: ready have "Often," she said, "we have skills but not ress the transportation/affordabithem Leniare was them,fully. therefore we doabl no lity problems parents would face. these Quesnelle skills outwas in not us."t .* Not to mention staff morale. Adminticipant who was pleased istration's undervaluing of day care workshop. Rosamund van L found the information staff's work was further evident in ; ful. "It increased my *who approach supply a recommendation to utilize she to said. "Knowi ; grievances give staff and 10 month contract work. not only in thei The economic need of day care workbut also in the ers, who are already underpaid, to of their efforts work a full year is ignored, as well Untinen adv as the impact of such staffing arraenting informati ngements on the quality and continthe appropriate uity of care offered to the children. must be thorough Thankfully, City Council deferpresented in cl but added that red all these recommendations. not have to i It is our understanding that sis. "Writin district COMSOC officials have been terious, com pressing the afore-mentioned changes only someone she said. " to many day care centres. We hope have been w that other municipalities will also personsPart wit we resist this backward step. U o t In this respect we are delighted to report that the City of Thunder Bay is taking real leadership by urging the province to retain the indirect subsidy. This, and other positive actions, arose from the City's Community Services Committee meeting on March 10th. With day care children and their parents packing Council Chambers, the Community Services Committee gave a sympathetic hearing to the briefs submitted by Thunder Bay Advocates, NWO Regional Day Care Committee, C.U.P.E., and individual parents. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor * c �by LENNY ASHTON Connoisseurs of short stories are in for a delightful treat. In a book titled "DARKNESS", Bhareti Mukherjee has compiled twelve outstanding short stories for your reading enjoyment. The setting for some are Canada while for others it's the U.S. What they all have in common is their elegance and sedulity. The characters in the stories are semi-assimilated Indians (from India) who are trying to bond themselves to a new community and lifestyle, yet unable to discard their sentimental attachments to a distant Their tribulations kept me homeland. so riveted, I was unable to put the book down until I had read it from cover to cover. Bhareti has also written two novels and a travel memoir which she co-authored with Clark Blaise (her husband.) Have you read any of these works? While we're on the subject.... Have you read a good book lately that you would like to recommend to others? Just fill out the form below and submit it to me at the Northern Woman Journal and I will acknowledge your returns in the next issue of the pap- read any good books lately? cayenne TITLE: AUTHOR: COMMENTS: YOUR NAME: er. WOM A N WOR DS ACROSS DOWN 1. A movement supporting sexual equality. 6. and lascivious. 1. Worry,as women often 8. is. 9. Ancient British tribe led by Queen Boadicea. 12. Male lioness. 14. Yes 15. Wrongful entry. 16. Last letter of Greek alphabet. 18. Physical or social ! support. 19. The female Egyptian 20. 21. 22. 23. 26. 27. 28. 31. 32. 35. 36. 40. 41. 42. 44. enigma. Asexual reproduction. " and out" Gertrude's companion. The forefront of a political movement. Preposition. In or on the position of (Conj.) Holly Found in belly buttons, Birthplace of Sappho. Spreads out. Ferron album. Sweet potato. 3.141 (22/7) Female (Greek) Original lesbian poet. rif do. 2. Discrimination (oink 3. Egyptian goddess of fertility. 4. Ms. Campagnolo. 5. A specific task or responsibility. 6. Women's 7. To victimize subtly. 10. Channel Islands (abb 11. Judy 13. What every woman's entitled to. wheels (see pist 17. head) 19. Possession of sexual power. 21. 22. 24. 25. 29. Within the uterus. Bye bye baby (spanis Insect. She's quite a Greek muse of love poetry. Any woman can. (Parachute Club) 33. Hysterectomize. 34. All the better to kiss you with. 37. Ingest, chew and swallow in turn. Farrow. 38. Short sleep. 42. Chinese board game. means 43. (word frequently understood as 'yes' by men) NORTHERN WOMAN. page 14 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Women and words: an open letter An Open Letter to the Members of Women and Words and to the Community of Women We want to thank the women from across Canada who shared in the vision of the 2nd Pan-Canadian Conference of Women and Words and who sent in comments and suggestions for workshops; however, the black women and women of colour have withdrawn from the organizing committe, and we understand there will be no Pan-Canadian Women and Words Conference in Toronto in the summer of 1986. Any organization that fights sexism must also confront racism. It was our understanding that the conference was to address the theme "Diversity is strength", which in our understanding meant seeking the full participation of women writers(both selfidentified and not) who have been traditionally excluded from the mainstream and ensuring that the conference address both the local and national concerns of women so that it would reflect our diversity of language, race, class, sexuality and geography. We were also committed to increasing the representation of older women, younger women, physically disabled women and poor women. The focus was not to be On women writers of the dominant race /class /language, but rat- her on the women whom the larger society has tried to mute. In the interest of time, we will give but fewl'of the incidents that led to our withdrawal. That we sought to draw in black women and women of colour was seen as exclusionary rather than' affirmative, with the result that, we were told we ought to have done more to make white women comfortable in participating in the committee. It is an outrage that we who have been excluded from all levels of the dominant society since colonization began 500 years ago are now expected to make white women's comfort a priority. We were criticized for not being "conciliatory", i.e., for challenging racist remarks, for not smoothing over "unpleasant" moments. We were criticized about how slowly we worked, how information about the conference took long in filtering through the "white" women's literary community. What was ignored is that in our efforts to preserve the vision of the conference most of the active work the outreach, the phone calls, the rental of office space, the incorporation of the society, the raising of funds, etc. fell on the black women and women of colour. There were complaints that white women in the organization "felt like minorities," indicating that they believed their concerns would not be addressed. To assume that we would exclude issues that did/do not appear to affect us directly is a projection and an insult. It was suggested that we were being unrealistic in wanting to address racism/multiculturalism and bilingualism. What then was the conference about? Are we to believe that women's writing is divorced from these issues. In withdrawing we wish to point out that: It is not our-responsibility to comfort and reassure white women who are unaccustomed to working with black women and women of colour. Racist remarks and attitudes are not open to conciliation and negotiation. Any women's conference that does not seek to address a diversity of issues affecting the lives of women serves only women of the dominant race and class. It is not the task of black women and women of colour to educate white women about racisT. In closing, we'd like to say, that just as we have worked successfully in the past with white women who are confronting their racism, so too do we, in the words of Audre Lorde, look forward to working with ...all women who can meet us, face to face, beyond objectification and beyond guilt." Unfortunately, the Toronto Women and Words Committee does not appear to be the place. Makeda Silvera Sharon Fernandez Michele Paulse Stephanie Martin Last call ! The Dalkon Shield is an intrauterine device (I.U.D.) marketed by A.H. Robbins Company in the 1970's without enough testing for safety and effectiveness. In mid 1972 the company was warned of its dangers by one of its own consultants. Only in 1975 was it withdrawn from the U.S. market after causing: septic infected abortions, perforations, pelvic inflammatory disease(P.I.D.), infertility and death. In 1974, A.H. Robbins offered it to the U.S. Aid Population Office at a 48% discount for distribution in the Third World...a bargain: In 1980, clinics in El Salvador were still inserting the Dalkon Shield in women. In December 1983, U.S. District Judge Lord shared these word with reps from A.H. Robbins..."Nine thousand women have mad claims that they gave up part of their womanhood so that your company might prosper." and "This is corporate irresponsibility at its meanest." In 1985, the A.H. Robbins Company filed for bankruptcy protection in an American court. The court has approved an official committee of Attorneys which has established a 2-step procedure for filing claims in the U.S. 1.Write to: DALKON SHEILD BOX 444 Richmond Virginia,23203 Give your full name,.address and telephone number and state that you are making a claim against the A.H. Robbins Company. Send your claim by registered mail in sufficient time to ensure that it is received on or befor April 30,1986. The po'stmark will not govern;the claim must be received by the deadline. 2.You will receive a questionaire upon filinq your claim. Complete and return this by July 30,1986. You may wish to file a claim even if you have no present health problems. If you miss the deadline and health problems occur in the future,you may have no recouse. You may also initiate a lawsuit in Canada against the Canadian subsidiary of A.H. Robbins by issuing a writ and statement of claim. These proceedings could be adjourned pending an offer of settlement from the Committee of Atorneys. If the offer is not satisfactory, the Canadian action could ther proceed. Medical records are necessary to establish a casual link between use of the Dalkon Shield and health problems. A lawyer can advise of the medical evidence required to establish a claim. The Winnipeg Women's Health Clinic has retained a lawyer to apply to the American Court for an extension to the deadline. At present, however, that Apri130.1986 deadline for filing claims remains a critical one. CREDIT: WOMEN'S HEALTH INTERACTION NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN AND THE LAW WOOC41V011V1) I-4 OUTDOOR TRIPS FOR woriffn 2550 Pillsbury .Ave. 50. .41.A/ 55404 Information at Women's Centre and Woman's Bookstore. NORTHERN WOMAN page 15 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PROGRAMS SPRING '86 "NEW"Business Division -EQUAL OPPORTUNITY MANAGEMENT CERTIFICATE PROGRAM (Post-Basic) one semester-September to This one-year certificate program is divided into two parts: December-in the college; second semester-January to April-in a field placement environment. Field placements and job opportunities will not necessarily be in the Thunder Bay region. Subjects in the EOM Program may be taken during the day or as offered during the evening through Community Programs. For further information, contact the Director Equal Opportunity Programs (807) 475-6278. GENERAL ARTS AND SCIENCE DIPLOMA PROGRAM emphasizing Women's Programs Curriculae may be taken full-time during the day or part-time (evenings) through Community Programs. For further information, contact the G.A.S. Program Co-ordinator (807) 475-6390. CAREER PLANNING FOR WOMEN is an 8-week program to assist women entering or re-entering the labour force to understand present employment conditions, to select realistic career goals and to enter appropriate employment or begin suitable training. Tentative Start Date -- September 1986. INTRODUCTION TO NON-TRADITIONAL OCCUPATIONS (I,N.T,o,) is an 8-week program that helps women to explore opportunities for employment in non-traditional jobs. Students study job search Work placement gives women actual job experience. skills, goal setting and plot a career path. Tentative Start Date -- September 1986. WOMEN INTO TRADES & TECHNOLOGY (.W,I.T.T.) is an 18-week program designed to expose women to all aspects of practical trades training and the world of Hi-Tech. Tentative Start Date -- September 1986. For further information on CAREER PLANNING FOR WOMEN, I.N.T.O., W.I.T.T., contact the Chair Industrial & Motive Power (807) 475-6215, or Women's Employment Centre (807) 623-2731. BASIC TRAINING IN SKILLS DEVELOPMENT (B.T.s.D.) Academic Upgrading Grades 8-12; English For further information, contact the Chair Secretarial & Hospitality as a Second Language. (807) 475-6318', or your local Canada Employment & Immigration office, or the Women's Employment (807) 623-2731. Centre, 130 S. Syndicate Avenue, Thunder Bay, ON P7E 1C7 PROGRAMS FEE: : ZW 013 (99) TOWARD CHANGE: FEE: : An opportunity for women with disabilities to come together to address difficulties they face in their daily lives and to make effective changes that will enhance their self-image and increase This will happen through their coping abilities. a combined process of presentations, films, discussions, skill sharing, etc. Mondays 7:00-9:30 p.m. DATE/TIME START DATE: April 7, 1986 June 16, 1986 COMPLETION: INSTRUCTORS: Margaret Buffington/Wave Watson ROOM: 160, Shuniah Bldg $25.A90 WOMEN & DISABILITIES maintenance and general operation. DATE/TIME Tuesdays 7:00-10:00 p.m. START DATE: April 8, 1986 COMPLETION: May 13, 1986 Dave Wirta INSTRUCTOR: ROOM: 149, Dorion Bldg. Auto Shop $18.00 In this elective post-secondary credit subject women will learn the basic procedures of car MOTOR VEHICLE (WOMEN KNOW YOUR CAR) WT 843 (99) REGISTRATION INFORMATION Commencing Friday March 21, 1986 registrations will be accepted in the Registrar's Office (Shuniah Building) daily from 9:00a.m. to 7:30p.m. Monday to Thursday. Fridays from 9:00a.m. For further information contact Community Programs at (807) 475-6116. to 4:00p.m. WOMEN & STRESS MANAGEMENT GS 143 (99) : This elective post-secondary credit subject is intended to examine situation stresses in our lives, family, job, social relationships, conflict, change, developmental crises, etc, as well as potential sources of stress they bring to every situation because of their personality, their own belief system, their life rhythms and their problem-solving. A lifestyle and attitude approach to changing their stress response will be developed by each individual. DATE/TIME Wednesdays 7:00-10:00 p.m. START DATE: April 9, 1986 June 11, 1986 COMPLETION: INSTRUCTOR: Bert Hopkins ROOM: 331, Shuniah Bldg $30.00 FEE: EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PROGRAMS WELCOMES YOUR SUGGESTIONS, CALL US AT (807) 475-6232 Northwestern Ontario residents may call TOLL FREE 1 - 800 - 465 - 6961 1 Feminist Books JUST RELEASED THE rCVt.% RESISTING 5V% §anetw P71146 Available @ $6.50 each from NORTHERN WOMAN'S BOOKSTORE, 69 N. Court St. PH..345-7802 69N.COURT STREET FIRST WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH POT LUCK ********* WOMANSPACE ********* 11.30 - 4.1i0 11.30 - 6.00 Fiction Poetry Sci-Fiction Third World NORTHERN WOMAN'S BOOKSTORE 69 N. COURT ST. THUNDER BAY, P7A 4T7 344-7979 Theory Health Bp :rituality Thursday, Friday Saturday Peace open The Ontario Coalition for Abortion Clinics (OCAC) PO Box 753, Stn. P Toronto, Ont. M5S 2Z1 ****************************** PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Second Class Mlil Registration No. 5697 INSIDE THIS p2ISSUE: Don't forget to renew you subscription! Here's my sub: p3 UPDATE p4 NO MORE LABOUR PAINS p5 NATIVE WOMEN'S STATUS p6 UNIVERSITY WOMEN p7 ENTRY-RE-ENTRY AND EXIT o Individual PUhlta o Asada:clonal $10 ************ ************************f1 p10 FICTION: JESSE'S STORY pll DEPO-ACTIVE p12 DAY CARE NEWS Name Address (postal code) .5.5 IS THERE AN ASTERISK ON YOUR LABEL?? PLEASE RENEW. YOUR SUBSCRIPTION ************************************* p13 INDIRECT SUBSIDY p14 BOOK REVIEW/CROSSWORD D15 WOMEN AND WORDS RETURN TO: THE NORTHERN WOMAN 69 N. COURT ST. THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO P7A 4T7 WORKERS IN THIS ISSUE: Lenny Ashton,Elaine Goodwin,Carolyn Greenwood,Mary-Ann Kleynendorst,Karen Maki,Anna McColl,Gwen O'Reilly,Margaret Phillips,Rosemary Pittis,Heidi Strobl. ReturnPostage Guaranteed Northern iiihroman Journal 69 N. Court St., Thunder Bay, Ontario P7A 4T7 (Four Issues) $5.00 $10,00 Business oT Institution PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal Description An account of the resource Northern Woman Journal Published in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Northern Woman Journal (originally called Northern Woman) started in 1973 following the first annual Northern Women’s Conference in order to keep the conference attendees connected. Initially serving as a newsletter of events, local issues, and women’s resources, the Northern Woman Journal quickly became a diverse publication reaching national and international readers. Not only did it serve as a newsletter to keep local women up to date on feminist issues in Northwestern Ontario, but also as a safe space to discuss women’s resources, law, politics, economics, health, racism, sexism, homophobia, feminist organizing and activism, transnational feminist issues, poetry, feminist reading, feminist art, and women’s diverse lived experiences.One of the longest-running feminist perodicals in North America, the Northern Woman Journal reached its end in 1995. Throughout its 22 years, the Northern Woman Journal was produced by its many collective members, with membership evolving year to year. For many years, the journal worked closely alongside and shared space with the Northern Women’s Centre and the Northern Women’s Bookstore. With the exception of a year-long government grant in the 1970s, the journal relied entirely on subscription fees and donations in order to maintain publishing, which presented challenges throughout its entire existence. As stated in an early version of the editorial policy, “only by a free and open exchange of views and opinions will we develop a basis for unity which can be used as a basis for action.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal, Vol 9 No 4 Description An account of the resource Vol. 9, No. 4 (April 1986) Title: Northern Woman Journal Topics include: Pornography Journal funding Women’s resources Thunder Bay Third-World women’s movement Transnational feminist solidarity International Women’s Day Taskforce on Pay Equity, Thunder Bay Faye Peterson Transition House Women in Crisis-Sioux-Hudson North Kenora’s Women’s Place Nipigon maternity ward closed Access to maternal care/labour healthcare in Northwestern Ontario Indian status and band membership for Native women Status of Native women Indian Act Women’s Centre Coalition Conference University women Alternate education systems for women Poetry Northwestern Ontario Women’s Decade Council Social programs/social work Depo provera Canadian Women’s Movement Archives Daycare news Special committee on childcare Daycare subsidies Feminist book list Women and Words Conference Confederation College women’s programs Authors/Contributors: Carolyn P. Greenwood Joan Baril Lynn Beak Gwen O’Reilly Carol Quesnelle Mary-Anne Kleynendorst Rose Pittis Cheryl Hodgins Margaret Phillips Lenny Ashton Elaine Goodwin Karen Maki Anna McColl Heidi Strobl Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Northern Woman Journal Collective Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1986-04 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Published on this site with permission. Language A language of the resource English https://digitalcollections.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/02aafe42b3f809774bac1c5c958447a0.jpg 7d02b983dbb86765bf6e23bfe1e1aea8 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northland Machinery & Supply Company Limited Subject The topic of the resource Business and Industry Communities in Northwestern Ontario Description An account of the resource Northland Machinery & Supply Company Limited, Fort William. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPG Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context NODA_M-63-2 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Canada - Ontario - Thunder Bay Canada - Ontario - Fort William https://digitalcollections.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/c0510eb88c77c32655aa49291661b485.jpg 8e86fe93884b906b0183ea0be42ee7f4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northland Machinery & Supply Company Limited Subject The topic of the resource Business and Industry Communities in Northwestern Ontario Description An account of the resource Northland Machinery & Supply Company Limited, Fort William. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPG Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context NODA_M-63-3 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Canada - Ontario - Thunder Bay Canada - Ontario - Fort William https://digitalcollections.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/4a7b0bf5544eb44ed6cfc248edb0e39b.png 60905667e994ddd041a915c6a73b9551 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource David Belrose fonds Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northwest Connections June 1997 Cover Subject The topic of the resource Communities in Northwestern Ontario Description An account of the resource The cover of the June 1997 edition of Northwestern Connections Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Northwest Connection Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1997-06 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource png Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Canada-Ontario https://digitalcollections.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/a6bc121e4258eb2bf8d0dd1bdce48e9f.jpg 7241b6e738de8715be6419c1578f1921 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Cairine Budner fonds Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northwest Pioneer Hockey Team Subject The topic of the resource Sports Description An account of the resource Black and white photograph of the Northwest Pioneer Hockey Team. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Donor E. Rinta Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Public domain Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Photograph Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context PHIII-0016(xxxix) scan# BUD-0271 hockey players hockey team Northwest Pioneer Hockey Team https://digitalcollections.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/9dc419e4898571faad0807ec9d9d861a.jpg 6484bea2bd1aca7cbe8586e66ea3e5ee Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Cairine Budner fonds Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northwest Pioneers Hockey Team, 1976 Subject The topic of the resource Sports Description An account of the resource Black and white promotional photograph of the Northwest Pioneers Hockey Team Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1976 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Donor E. Rinta Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Public domain Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Photograph Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context PHIII-0016(xxxxvi) scan# BUD-0273 1976 hockey players hockey team Northwest Pioneer Hockey Team https://digitalcollections.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/e111e907c4214dbf1995b1b801ed5d3b.jpg 1cf1b4319b7e37ccf1147900909b0f27 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Cairine Budner fonds Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northwest Pioneers Hockey Team, 1976/77 Subject The topic of the resource Sports Description An account of the resource Black and white promotional photograph of the Northwest Pioneers Hockey Team Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1976-77 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Donor E. Rinta Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Public domain Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Photograph Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context PHIII-0016(xxxviii) scan# BUD-0276 1976 1977 hockey players hockey team Northwest Pioneers Hockey Team https://digitalcollections.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/1ffde5a1c044ac59a4cfcb69225b2d31.jpg 7feb572df6d9969f4d4e5e876e0bc4e1 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northwestern Ontario Associated Chamber of Commerce Subject The topic of the resource Business and Industry Communities in Northwestern Ontario Description An account of the resource Northwestern Ontario Associated Chamber of Commerce delegation in front of entrance to Parliament Buildings, Toronto, 1969. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1969 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPG Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context NODA_M-65-5 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Canada - Ontario - Toronto