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. Terrace Review _ Wednesday, March 7, 1990 Ai5

_ Quick initiation for women’s programs minister

“‘It is my belief that we cannot. all the negative attitudes,”’ she

|. just ‘pick up’ funding dropped.

by the Federal ‘Government,’
Carol Gran, Provincial Minister

- responsible for Women’s Pro-
: grams told an audience of about -
_.§0 women at the Inn of the West

March 1. ‘‘The Federal Govern-
ment has the responsibility for
core funding: We will speak
firmly tothem.”--

by Pam Whitaker
~ Of the several briefs presented

--at the public meeting, funding

seenied to be the underlying con-
cern for the vatious programs al-
ready in progress and for addi-
tional programs. deemed bene-
ficial to the community, pro-
grams that address poverty,
health care and education.
Sadie Parnell, executive direc-
tor of the Kermode Friendship
Center, said that their funding

. has to date, been cut by seven

percent. She described in detail
the helps that the many pro-

' grams give, such as in teaching

CAROL GRAN: It Is my intention to go to the bastions of

power and communicate the changing needs of women.

basic life skills, parenting and
literacy. ‘‘We may not change

said, “but at least people will
have the choice to change.”
Gran, travelling with her depu-

ty minister, Chris Bullen, is on

an information tour throughout

the province. ‘‘We are meeting

with women’s groups and in-

dividuals from all walks of life,”

she said. ‘‘I want to hear their

concerns, and obtain feedback

on existing programs.’? They

have just completed the second

week of their four-week tour. >

-. In-her opening remarks to the-
‘Terrace gathering, Gran explain-

‘ed why she feels qualified for the

position she holds in the British

Columbia Parliament. She was

brought up in a family of five by

a single mother with absolutely

no help, and she was also a

single mother herself for a short .
time.

“Seventy thousand British
Columbia women who are work-
ing or on assistance are living at
the poverty level,” she said.
‘‘We want to reach out to these
women andalso to the widowed,
divorced and to girls in high

Women’s group awaits provincial reaction _

- «A step in the right
direction.”

-. That was the most frequent

-reaction from representatives of
“women’s groups in Terrace to.
the visit by Carol Gran, Minister
Responsible for Women’s Pro-
grams in the provincial Cabinet.

by Nancy Orr . .

| Gran, 48, the member for
Langley, who only assumed her

7 ‘new Ministry in November, was
“in Terrace March 1 as part of a

" fact-finding tour of British Col-

umbia to ‘‘listen to the coricerns

of women and how best.to serve
‘them’? she said during an inter-
view. 7 Sa tte

“Stimulating and reward-

Curlers
unhappy

It seems that a few local
curlers are unhappy about the

_ parking situation at the local

curling rink and this will be one

- of. the topics of discussion at to-
day’s Planning and Public
Works committee meeting.

The item was introduced to
Terrace city council last week by
alderman Bob Cooper, who said
he had. received complaints re--
garding the city’s dumping of
snow on the lot east of the curl-

” ing rink. This effectively reduces

_; the number -of; parking spaces

- near the rink and, according to

: ¢ Cooper, during a recent bonspiel
_it was “a little tight.” -

One’ fact that local curlers
--may be forced to face, though, is —

' that the parking lot they think of

as their own actually belongs to ©
the city. The gravel lot between |

the- curling rink and Riverside

Park is in fact a part of River-. .
side: Park. Being city property, .[

then, it makes an ideal dumping
ground for snow removed from

_ city: streets. The committee ‘has...
+ invited &member of the curling.

“¢lub - executive .

on

,
Pow ee
oa

en et ee ae

ing,’’ she said, of her tour,
‘Many of the concerns were the
same in other areas of the pro-
vince, particularly the isolation

. from the Lower Mainland facili-

ties, and lack of money, but
each district has its special pro-.

" blems. I have left the Van-
“couver/ Victoria area to the last,

to insure my perspective is fresh
for the rural’areas. It will be an
interesting. task to analyze my
tour. . oat

‘This is the first time in B.C,
that a Ministry for Women’s

Programs has been set up.’” she.

continued.”” Perhaps it should
bea Ministry for the Family, but
at present we have lots of work

to do in providing, services for

women. At first we will be coor-

-dinating all the many services in

the other Ministries of Health,
Social Services, Labor and many
others, but then we must initiate
our own. — ,
‘My first task will be to meet
with Mary Collins, the deputy

Minister for the Status of

Women in the Federal Govern-"

ment.’’ said Gran. ‘‘And bring |
to her attention the needs of
women and the work that will
suffer by the withdrawal of
funding.” Gran, who was a
single mother with two children
in her early years, brings the un-
derstanding of personal ex-
périence to her new post. —

_ “My: insight is enhanced’ by
my early years. My mother had
to leave an abusive husband and
raise six children on her own,
when social programs were not

available. I learned from her.

strength and spirit, too.

r*My five years in Municipal
politics was an excellent training
ground,’’ Gran said, ‘I made
some mistakes at that level
‘which would have been disas-
trous at the Provincial level.”’

“The hardest thing to deal
with . is sensationalism,’”’ the
Minister said, ““And you become

almost paranoid about your per-

sonal life. We are all human be- |
ings. You have to learn never to -

school, With the acceleration of
technology many jobs will disap-
pear so upgrading is important
now.”’ She explained. that

changes in society are making it -

necessary for all to be breadwin-
ners, “It is my intention to go to |
the bastions of power and com-
municate the changing needs of
women in the workplace.” Bet-
ter daycare, more flexible hours

‘and job sharing were examples

she gave of some of the needs. -
Daycare was an issue often
mentioned at this meeting. A.

contingent from Prince Rupert —
said that there was a lack of in-. .

fant daycare facilities in that ci-
ty, for example, to serve girls.
wishing to finish high school.
“Daycare: is a. number one
priority of women we have
‘spoken to,’’ Carol Gran said.
“We are going to form a work-
ing committee in Victoria to put
together a package of incentives
for quality daycare spaces in this

' province.’’

Specific concerns in the area
of education that were mention-
ed at this meeting were for more
access to existing programs such

as training programs, public ser-
_vice programs, or programs ©

preparing women to meet their
potential. Often, desired pro-
grams have not been available in
this area or were not cost effec-

tive.

let your guard down. And your
family didn’t run for office, you
can’t be responsible for them.
“The best lesson I am learning
is that there are so-many op-

posite points of view. And that I

am not absolutely right all the
time? - , >

The general reaction from the
Women’s groups was probably
summed up by Carol Sabo, Di-
rector of the Women’s Centre,
“J have mixed reactions. I was
pleased with what she said, that

she supports what we do, and .

the importance of our work to

- the community. 7
“That doesn’t mean that I
support the Government! But it
is good to see a woman recogniz-
ed in government circles and

speaking on our behalf. We shall

have to wait and see.”’

Also in the area of education,

concern was expressed that there

is a need for women con-

templating abortion to have
thorough and accurate counsell- — .

ing. For instance, counselling

_ that would inform the prospec: —

tive mother of the risks involvéd

_ physicaily, and psychologically

in ‘post abortion syndrome’.

At the windup of the
Women’s -Programs meeting
Thursday evening, deputy minis-
ter Chris Bullen announced tha
there will be a ‘Business Succes
for Women’ conference helc
March 15 in Terrace.

McALPINE & CO.

“os Me. Raymond, L. Crook, Chairman

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A Stage I Report describing the project's technical data, environmental
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