er at Charlotte confronts AIDS fears By CRIS LEYKAUF FEAR AND PARANOIA about catching AIDS is something Charlotte Brooks copes with all the time. The HIV-positive mother of four boys spoke in Terrace June 20 at a workshop during the First Nations Women’s Summit. “*There’s going to be a lot of our people com- ing home from the big city, saying they have HIV or-AIDS, and the community will try to push them out,” said Brooks, 35, of Prince Rupert. “‘T really feel our First Nations people need to be educated.’’ Brooks was diagnosed with HIV, the infection that leads to AIDS, in December, 1991. She got the infection from a man she had been dating for three years, also the father of a baby boy she delivered a month after being diagnosed. Her son was born HEV-negative. “He didn’t tell me he had AIDS. He was a nice looking guy. He didn’t look sick.” A few months after being diagnosed she was asked to speak at an AIDS conference in Prince Rupert. ‘1 wanted to put a voice and face to. HIV and AIDS. [ don’t think people realized it was this close,’’ she said. , Since then she has travelled across Canada, speaking at conferences, in native communities and talking to high school students, “(Small communities have a hard time talking opeily about AIDS.”’ Being able to travel and meet other people whose lives have been affected by AIDS has made a tremendous impact on her. But in retura she’s paid a high price. Her battle with her past, including her addictions, has become very pub- lic. And that’s meant coping with derision when she slips into back into bad habits, such as binge drinking at the bar, or doing cocaine. “It?s pretty hard to spill everything out on the CHARLOTTE BROOKS, an HIV-positive woman from Prince Rupert, spoke recently at a workshop in Terrace. She's told her story across Canada and has been featured on poster, brochures.such as this one here, and now a video. The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, July 2, 1997 - A3 table — all my good and bad stuff,” Brooks was raised in the Prince Rupert arca, and says she was mentally, emotionally, physi- cally and spiritually abused ar she grew up, After being diagnosed with HIV, Brooks moved down to Vancouver in 1993-94, and ad- mits to being a cocaine addict during those years, once almost dying from an overdose, ’ She moved back to Prince Rupert in June 1994, during a low point in her life. She and her husband had separated, and she tried to commit suicide by taking a bottle of sleeping pills. A . friend drove her to-the hospital in time to save’ her life, Brooks continued to use cocaine ‘ac- casionally up until this year. ‘¥ was offered it two times this January and turned it down,”” she says proudly. “Every once in a while [ hear a voice that says, ‘Tust one hit.’”” But she’s been able to resist. Alcohol is a demon she hasn’t yet been able to put behind her. ‘‘But I’m trying my best to make good changes for myself and my boys. Pm still learning and growing from my mis- takes and I’m leaming to set boundaries.”’ She’s tried to protect her sons from ber prob- lems. She says she was a closet cocaine addict, but has a harder time nding the binge drinking. “Tm trying to talk myself into dropping the bottle. 1 don’t want my kids to start tuming to alcohol and drugs when things get tough.” Despite her problems with alcohol and drugs, Brooks is remarkably healthy, She’s uot on medication and has no symptoms. Telling ber story across Canada has helped boost her self-esteem, as people tell her they ad- mire her opemess and honesty, Speaking ovt has helped her cope with the harder parts of living with HIV. She describes encounters with people afraid to touch her, or anything that she touched. “Some people are living in so much fear when a person or someone they know has HIV or AIDS is in their home. They wash everything down with bleach, they even throw away the things that we use.”’ Living with HIV or AIDS in a small town is particularly hard, she says, because of the lack of support and cruel rumours, She also tells young native people that they’re not invincible, and to ve careful if they decide to move to the city, “Tt’'s out there. Be careful and watch out.” HIV infecting smaller communities, docs think THE MEDICAL — community An ongoing study of HIV rates in reported tg. the health unit in the stuff,’ adds Martin. { employees of Skeena Cellulose in Prince Rupert.”’ suspects HIV and AIDS might be worse in native populations, but its difficult to say for sure. That’s because people often leave small communities, such as Terrace or the Nass, to get tested in greater anouymity in Vancouver or other centres, says Dr. David Martin, the public health adviser for native reserves in B.C. ‘We don’t have a lot of really firm data,’” he says. veg hEbe aed “HELPING THE WORLD WRITE NOW CODE Self-suffieency through teracy in the developing wor For infortnation, call 1: Seer es native alcohol and drug treatment centres shows that the rates are the same as the rest of the population, says Martin, However, the study is voluntary. Other lab studies which include First Nations people tested in larger centres indicate a higher percentage of HIV posilive tests. Dy, Jim Lugston, of the Skeena Health Unit, says there have been 32 cases of HIV positive people Phone: 604-689-0878 ee “James W. Radelet RADELET & COMPANY aanisters & Sotcitors Tax Law’ Trusts * Corporate & Commercial 1330 - 1075 West Georgia Streat, Vancouver, B.C. VEE 3C9 Fax: 604-§83- 1386 last five years. The health unit covers most of the northwest. “*There’s probably many more cases.’ He says HIV and AIDS are gradually moving into smaller com- munities. Infected people are also staying in small communities longer, since medical treatment is now easier to get in small centres. ‘Even though you might live in an isolated community, you should used condoms and all that good That’s the message public health nurses in the Nass are sending out, Kelly Petorsson would like to see more people coming into the Aiyansh health centre to get free condoms. She and olher nurses usually give two talks a year to dif ferent grades on AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. **There’s always room for more education,” she says. ‘*“There's still a sense of it won't happen to me,”’ News In Brief Heroin seized FIVE PEOPLE were busted last week when Terrace RCMP conducted a drug raid on a home ia the 5000 block of Agar Ave. Police say the June 26 raid uncovered $200 to $500 worth of heroin, along with a significant amount of paraphernalia associated with selling the drug. The cops also found a aumber of marihuana plants growing in the residence and around the yard, as well as a sniall amount of dried marihwana, If sold, the total marihuana harvest would have a value of about $4,000. Five people were arrested in the bust but only four will face charges. Two men and two women will face charges of possession of heroin for the purposes of traf- ficking, producing marihuana and simple possession. Street closure requested KEEFER STREET residents want their street blocked off to limit traffic they fear will invade their neighbourhood once the Real Canadian Wholesale Club store opens its doors. Residents there, led by Maryka Gregg, presented a petition to city council Monday night requesting the closure of Keefer where it intersects Feeney Ave. ‘¥e’s always been a very quiet and peaceful little place,’? Grege told council, ‘This is our little neigh- bourhood. We don’t want the business to change the at- mosphere of the neighbourhood.’’ Union week marked UNION LABEL week will be marked by the City of Terrace this year. The proclamation, at the request of the Kitimat-Terrace and District Labour Council, celebrates the achievements of workers in the first week of September and encourages people to ‘‘buy union and buy Canadian.”’ It was an about-face from last year, when council ig- nored the request and then faced charges from the council that the city is unfriendly to unions, Labour slams banks THE KITIMAT-Terrace and District Labour Council is denouncing the Royal and TD banks for what the labour organization is calling a ‘‘total disregard of the President Norm Lavallee noted the two banks are the’ new owners of Skeena Cellulose but still have financial lies to former parent company Repap Enterprises, which some people have accused of taking money out of its B.C. operations before jettisoning them. ‘Ave the banks going after (Repap founder) George Petty for siphoning off millions of dollars from the northwest to the coffers of eastern Canada?’’ Lavallee asked rhetorically, ‘‘The banks are not.” He said the banks are ‘‘punishing the workers for being the easiest and most vulnerable targets in a mess that was not of their doing.” “Shame on them for their callous and heartless dis- regard,”’ he added. David 8. Madsen, CIM “Professional Investment Advice” To arrange an appointment please call In Terrace 635-2261 / In Kitimat 632-6192 Scotiabank S ETEREE WEEKENDS. - ND.MOREFOR JUST. Sick e souno EB ig E Ousmane Bao { € Sen OO S&S KEITH AVE. MALL TERRACE KITIMAT TERRACE 635-5333 632-5000 635-4948 B infarmeds: Free phone and $25.95 a month cellular plan hased ona 38 month translerable contract, New curtomers only, CAC. Home Free calls unlimited In ienath + maximum 30 ¢alls per month - local calls only, Home Free calls must be to primury cuttomer's re glitered BC TEL redidential landline number, Free calls to calls made on the BC TEL Mobility network. Toon $9.95 phone, Secondary phone shares primary phone plan and appears on primary phone bi!l, Rate af $5¢ per minute during non-free daytime periods, Annual radia system rcess fre of $48, long distance charges and taxes extra, Early cancellation ftes apply on all 3. month contracts, Limited time of fer. : home appticable on! CITY CENTRE SHEENA MALL Iné Plan: New 3 heontracts req ADD A SECOND PHONE FOR ONLY sO: 95 30. ANNIVERSARY 1962-1997 uired on both primary phone and secondary ie ” BUBLIC COMMENT INVITED ON DRAFT PROJECT REPORT SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE GREENVILE-KINCOLITH ROAD PROJECT The Ministry of Transportation and Highways (MoTH) has made an application for a project approval certificate under the Environmental Assessment Act (EA Act) for Greenville-Kincolith Road Project. The application is for approval of the design and con- struction of approximately 23 kilometers of two-lane gravel road along the north side of the Nass River from the village of Greenville to Mill Bay. This new road will connect to a road being constructed by Nisga’a Economic Enterprises incorporated between Mill Bay and the Village of Kincolith {initially for logging purposes) and will eventually become a public, low-volume highway connecting Kincolith to the Nisga’a Highway, Highway #16, and Highway #37. Prior to any government decision on the project, MoTH is required to submit a project report. The.information to be included in this report is documented In draft project report specifications available for public review. The provincial Environmental Assessment Office invited comments on the draft project report specifications to ensure that public issues and concerns are identified and addressed as part of the environmental assessment review process. All comments received by July 28, 1997 will ba considered as part of the review. All submissions will be available to the general public through the Project Registry as originally submitted and required by the EA Act. if your submission dogs not indicate that you wish your address to be treated in confidence, your name and address will be filed In full on the Project Registry. The draft project report specifications and the Greenville-Kincolith Road project applica: 7 tion may be viewed at: . cas Prince Rupert Public Liprary, 101 6th Avenue West, Prince Rupert, BC V8J 1¥8 Terrace Public Library, 4610 Park Avenue, Terrace, BC V8G 1V6 Smithers Public Library, PO Box 55, Smithers, BC VO/ 2NO OES Vancouver Public Library (Business and Economic Division) 350 West Georgia St, Vancouv Nisga’a Tribal Council Office, 100 Gitzyon Street, New Alyansh, BCVOJ1AO Laxqalts'ap (Greenville) Band Council Office, 322 Church Street, Greenville, BC VO 1X0.» Git-Cincolx (Kincolith) Band Council Office, 1304 Broad Street, Kincolith, BC VOV 1B0 ~ Lax-Kw’alaams Band Council Office, 206 Shashaak St., Port Simpson, BC VOV 1HO © or at the Environmental Assessment Office Project Registry at 4st Floor, % 836 Yates Street, Victoria, British Columbia, VV 1X4, Tel (250) 356- 7441, Fax: (250) : 356-7440, email: eaoingo@galaxy.gov.bc.ca Acopy of the draft project report specifications is also avallable for raview on the BAO Web Site at: http: /iwww.eao.gov.be.ca Comments on the draft project report specifications for the Greenville-Kincolltn Road project must be received d by duly 28, 1997 and should be forwarded to: . David Johns, Project Committee Chair Greenville-Kincolith Road Project. - ‘Environmental Assessment Office 2nd Floor, 836 Yates Street -"Mietoria, British Columbla VBV 1X4» _ Telephone: (250) 356-7479 Fax: 250)3 3872