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The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 7, 2001 - A5

March 8 is International Women’s Day. This week we look at at the

careers, the choices and the challenges of several local women.
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A special report by Sarah A. Zimmerman
IT’SA RAINY, windy day. Fat flakes of PEE
snow fall but melt before they hit the
ground and walking from the car to the
house is enough to send a wet chill down
your spine,

But there they are, out in the dreary weath-
CONSTABLE Shana Moritz knows her way around & thick jackets keeping them warm and can-

guns and bad guys. vas bags protecting their heavy cargo.
They are Terrace’s letter carriers and the

2
old adage still holds true ~ through sleet, rain
O Nn S a eC i S or snow, the mail must go through.
Rosealee Dilley has been delivering the
mail in Terrace since 1981! and a little bit of

a

O snow or rain doesn’t faze her.
Nn c O Nn | a eG “For me it’s the best job going,” she says

with a big smile on her face.
“The weather's not too bad,” she says. “If

it’s raining or snowing or cold you just add an
extra Jayer.”

Dilley is just one of the 19 women and only
IN A world where people switch jobs almost as “two men who are letter carriers in Terrace.
often as they switch their pants, it’s arare thing to __ That means the mail delivery workforce is

. : comprised of 89.5 per cent women and that's
find someone who knows unequivocally what twice the provincial average.

_they want to do for a living. Out of 6,016 letter carriers in B.C. only 43.9
But for Terrace’s Cst. Shana Moritz, becoming 4 per cent are women.
police officer has been a dream she’s had since she But having a lot of women working for Ca-
was a toddler. nada Post seems to be the trend in northern
“Ever since I was three-years-old I knew [ wanted to B.C., says Joanne Purser, this region's local
- be an RCMP member,” says Moritz. “Every Hallowe’en area manager. ,
I would dress up like an RCMP member.” “In my ten years of experience in northern
Now 23-years-ald, Moritz dons her favorite costume 9 ¢. [’ve noticed that we are actually predo-
» every day for work. minantly women up north,” she said.

It’s been almost a year since Cst. Moritz completed

: “I came from the P.G, processing plant and
. her training at the RCMP training academy in Regina. p cP

at least three quarters of the workers there are

' She’s been stationed in Terrace since May 2000. women,” she said.
Moritz is one of nine female officers stationed here in Rosealee Dilley has also noticed that trend. ROSEALEE DILLEY has been delivering mail in Terrace for nearly 20 years. Through
Terrace. In her 20 years on and off with Canada Post rain, sleet or snow she makes sure the job i is done.

‘With 42 members at this detachment that means 21 pitiey has noticed that Terrace’s office has al-

per cent are female. ways had a lot of female employees. “To move up with Canada Post means working Rexanne Ayers, equity coordinator for the
Staff Sgt. Tom Forester says that in the recent past “There has always been more women ap- inside and I don’t want that.” corporation, says more and more women ate
' the number of female members has hovered around 20 plying here to begin with,” she says. “There’s a place for everybody and mine is moving up the corporate ladder.
Per CEM ss ae rere ares SEN AE Hhsatt 2 HENS ‘Dilley: posits. that since, so: many, ; men dte’ | “outside, ” says' Dilley. Of the 211 middle. and ; “other; managers.. ‘in
i a ‘ Howevery: things-are: staring torchangeoves wisn Ht 90" ehployed 3 in ithe, various ‘indystries,arpund"Yer: ” BE for Roserhary” Schulte who had been a B.C,, 144 or 68 per cent are women, ape
, “The: new recruits (postediin Terrace) now: are 50 per * race that. ‘there i is more room for. women to’fill : “istter carrier here since 1991,-a move indoors :! In the north coast region that number jumps
cent male and 50 per cent female,’ he said, roles that. inother parts of the province may be Was a welcome change. to 85 per cent.
He estimates that by the end of this year 30 per cent flied predominantly by men. Six months ago she took on the responsibil- Joanne Purser is just one of those women
_ of the police force here will be female. “Most of the men go to higher paid jobs ity coordinating the re-routing of mail io making her way up in the organization.
of the six new recruits who have come to Terrace ike working in the bush or logging,” she says. changed addresses and working behind the She has been with Canada Post for about
since mid-February three are male and three are female. Dilley started as a letter carrier when her Scenes in the sorting room. ten- years. She started out in an entry level
For Moritz, getting pasted in Terrace right out of family decided to start a travel fund, casual letter carrier’s position in

training academy was like having a blast from the past. = Rach person in her family had a dif-

‘That’s because her father is also an RCMP member ferent destination th t A P . int i le in Pri
and he was posted here from 1988 to 1992. visit. After family conference: they The mail defivery workforce in Terrace Is com- George, wees

Shana went to Clarence Michiel school and then fin- gecided Dilley would take on a job prised of 89.5 per cent women and that’s twice the 1, September Purser got another

Williams Lake then made her way

ished grade nine at Skeena Junior Secondary school. and use her. wagés to put together 1 Provincial average. promotion which brought her to Ter-
Her father was then posted in Penticton where she has family travel fund, race. She oversees day-to-day

lived ever since. Higher than average wages and ; operations throughout the region.
Travelling to a new posting every few years iscom- the chance to work outside every day lured “It was physically demanding being a letter “[Joanne’s} a good example of a woman oc-

mon for members of the RCMP. _ _ Dilley to delivering mail. carrier,” she says, cupying a non-traditional role,” said Ayers,
Geiting ta know a new place and new people is It has now become part of Dilley’s life. And though she loved working outdoors the “I think what has changed in terms of

something Moritz has had to do all her life since she
grew up as a cop’s kid.
“For me to sit in the same place doing the same job

Though she could bid on other jobs that move inside has been easier on her physically women in the company is that there are more
would allow. her to move up in the corporation and has given her the opportunity to learn women in decision making positions.”

f lone time,” sh haking her head, “I couldn't Dilley is happy right where she is, more about the operations. “Now there are a lot more wamen who are
. doit a ig lime, She Says shaking “I don’t want to go up the ladder,” she says, It’s also the first time she's worked in an of- directors and managers and have a lot more
fice environment, a transition she is enjoying. — i i 2
Moritz credits her dad for inspiring her to go into law JOyne input as far as how things are done

enforcement,

Ftnomornnoe Firefighting women aren’t

4 She also remembers her father coming home from
work in uniform with his gun on his hip.

“2 an unusual sight in Thornhill

“The new recruits sim safely, take it
(posted In Terrace) now vr. ind Icaned ELIZABETH Nystrom is a 17-

are 50 per cent male and ot ‘to jet jt scare year-old high school student. She

50 per cent female.” her. is a also a-volunteer firefighter.

“My dad made me Nystrom has been donning the

get comfortable yellow jacket, distinctive helmet

with a gun,” says Moritz. and coupling hoses since October
Firearm handling is something a lot of cadets in the Of last year.

training academy have trouble getting used to, said Mar- That’s when she joined a new

itz, project offered through the Thorn-
4 “Some people were afraid of it,” she said, “You could hill Fire Department.
see them shaking with it in their hands.” The junior firefighters program

Training in Regina also taught Moritz a thing or two allows teenagers to practice with
about being a woman in a traditionally male-dominated other yolunteers, learn about how
career. the equipment works and how fire

Usually there are five or six women to each training behaves.
troupe says Moritz, but it didn't work out that way for The idea is to give young
her, people the opportunity start get-

Moritz ended up in a training troupe with 15 men and ting experience early. Once they
one other woman who only lasted two months before she are 19 the transition to becoming

left. a fully trained and participating [es :
“ 7 + ” . .
sai amen five months and one week with 15 guys, volunteer will be a natural pro SEVENTEEN- YEAR. OLD Elizabeth Nystrom has been volunteering with the Thornhill volunteer fira

By graduation the petite cadet beat out her 15 male The junior firefighters program department since October. She is one of two junior fire fighters learning at an early age.

cohorts to take the top spot in the physical endurance is in its infancy right now, but

test, Captain David Grubb is confident full complement of skills,” said the case. When she first started most of
“Sometimes I could do more push-ups than the guys that once it gets off the ground Gmbb. “I was really surprised when { the women involved were the

or climb to the top of a rope faster,” she says. “It boosts itll be the perfect training ground Nystrom chose to volunteer be- came out and found out there wives of other volunteers, bul now

your confidence a litile bit.” for volunteer firefighters of the fu- cause she wanted to help others. were five other women voluntcer- more women ate joining for their
Now that her first year with the RCMP is almost up, ture. “Pm helping my community ing,” she said. “I didn’t feel like own reasons.

Cst. Moritz has had a chance to reflect on her exper- The junior firefighters practice and [’m a volunteer firefighter! | such a loner!” In 1991 Brown and her husband

jences so far. — with the other volunteer learning don’t know anyone else who’s In fact, Thorhill has had along were living out at Lakelse Lake
She says that her gender has not been an 1 issue since how to use equipment and deal doing this,” she said. history of women volunteers. when a fire engulfed their neigh-

she graduated from the academy. If anything her exper- with precarious situations. Nystrom especially likes the Lt. Darlene Brown has been a bour's house.

iences as a new RCMP member have alt been very po- Right now there are only two challenge of taking part in recrea- volunteer since 1991. “If it had been any worse it

sitive, teenagers taking part in the pro- ted fire scenarios during practices, Ever since she's been with the would have burnt our house
The most exciting thing about her job? Learning - ject, but Grubb hopes to see that When she fisst joined Nystrom  depattment there haye been other down," said Brown. :

something new every day. number grow in the future, | thought she’d be the odd person. women actively volunteering, “We felt a little helpless and
“Probably for’ the next 25 years vi keep learning,” ' “We're hoping that by the time out given that she is agirl, -.... though she says there are more’ that's when I decided to join,” she

she says.. - -* they are 18 or 19 they will have a. But.to her surprise that wasn’ t now than in the past. . said.