\

NORTHWEST EXPERTISE
‘Terrace hosts the B.C. and Yukon Association of
Women’ s Centres’ annual conference

“Penny Priddy I Minister
for Women: s 's Equality

- "-Répresentatives: from over 30 :
a Women’ s Resource Centres around the

“province and Yukon will be conferring

din Terrace over the weekend of May 22

to 24, the first time the north has host-
ed the B.C. & Yukon Association of
Women's Centres’
meetirig and conference..
The event is attracting

f over 50 Association repre-

| sentatives as well as

women in and around.

| Terrace, some represent-

ing multicultural, ‘social ©

services and other groups.
Penny Priddy, the Minister
for Women's Equality, will
also be attending , speak-

| ing to the group on.

Saturday: morning,

Priddy is expecteded to -
m speak on the relationship |
ae between the provincial gov- -
ernment and the province's -

‘ women's centres: what the
_ province expects of the'cen-

$55, 000: each. . Meera Nair,

Administeata of the Terrace Women's
-_, Resource Centre‘and co-chair of the —
me Association, says they are expecting to
hear in general terms the parameters of

~ “how to use the finding, as ‘individual .
centres are the: best judges of how to.

yun their own centres.“For example,

-*"-gome centres operate. Transition
-: . Houses, some serve urban communities,

and others large northern areas.”

; ’ One of the main topics for con=
- “sideration ‘at the annual general meet-
ing is the constitution of the B.C.& ¥

». » Association. Nair says this year the

' Association experimented with having

Steering committee members from

-. Terrace Review ~May 15, 1992

annual general

around the province, and j it is the first
time a steering committee member’ fr6m”
the northwest was included in this déci- °
sion-making body: The ‘Association, © o
Nair says, is: becoming more attuned to
what's happening in the north, and jis
no longer. “south-oriented”. “There are
vast differences, ” Nair notes, citing par- -
ticularly the higher costs associated
with more northern locations.

_ In lobbying to. bring the annual
event (and about $15,000 into the local .
economy for meals, accommodation, ‘and ©
travel) into Terrace, Nair says some © |
steering committee members were con- .

cerned that the expertise to put on a

three-day event could not be found out- -

_ side the lower mainland. “They stipulat- -
_ed that we could host the conference,
but if we couldn't find workshop facilita-. -

tors and speakers in. the area, they'd:

_ find someone down south.” The results? ~
“One. woman is coming in from Prince ;

Rupert, the rest are right here in:
Terrace, “Why do we need to fly people

up from the south to get: what. we.
. ‘tres after funding them up -

already have here?” .
‘Topics for. the conferénce

include racism, homophobia, wom "
‘with disabilities, violence. against ©

women in an urban community, lesbian °'
legal rights, “how to be a staff’ person es
and have a life” by Terrace coordinator.

Karla Hennig, what's next for women.in’ . |

B.C., and private prosecution for adult
survivors. The conference workshops ,'

to be held Friday from 9a.m. to 4:45.

p-m.. ‘at the Terrace Inn, are open to the:

‘public for the cost of $265. Friday night.
the Terrace Women's Resource Centre

celebrates its 12th birthday, with a gar- ©
den party in the Centr'es back yard
($10.) For more information, contact
Meera Nair at 638-0228.