THE EXPRESS September 27, 1995 Page 3 WOMEN'S ISSUES News Nelsonteensat Chinaforum in Brief □ Teen forces media throng to their knees at unofficial Women's Forum in China by Steve Thornton elderly people and others in wheelchairs. Fire season winds NELSON - Being surrounded by Soon, he says, "hordes of camera people" women for two weeks was a strange and appeared, and "for five rows back no one down liberating experience for 15-year-old Mike could see, because they were all standing The fife season of 1995 is McDonald, but it was violence toward an right there in front of the stage." expected to fall short of beating the American institution and the behavior of The reporters ignored protests from the record season low for fires set in reporters that really frustrated him. crowd, McDonald says. 1993. McDonald and his 12-year-old brother "I stood on my chair and yelled at them. That year, the Nelson Forest Chris, both residents of Nelson, were dele- They turned around and said, 'Get down District recorded 169 fires. As of gates at the unofficial Women's Forum in you stupid kid,' and that made me a bit last Wednesday, the district had Huairou, China, while the UN World angry." recorded 161 fires, of which 99 Conference on Women was being held He squeezed ahead of them, blocking the were human-caused and 62 were nearby in Beijing earlier this month. They cameras. ''They were like, · Get down, we blamed on lightning strikes. were the only members of a B.C. group of can't see,' and I said. 'Listen, I'm not get- Gary Shaw of the Wildland about 30 at the forum who were not female. ting down until you guys kneel down. You Forest Service, Nelson region, said For the most part, he guys are being ignorant, it is unlikely that the district will be says, women were you 're not thinking about able to set a new record this sea- ''shocked" by the pres- "I didn't realize that anybody but yourselves, son. and I'm not going to ence of th e young women in different "It almost looks like the season Canadian males, while move."' just got started in September," said others "thought it was countries were having Twenty seconds later, Shaw. "We've had quite a bit of excellent." There were "a such a problem. I he says, "they kneeled activity in the last week, almost couple of workshops we down. everyone. The ones one or two (fires) a day. So, it's couldn't go to because thought the violence in that I could see, they all Steve Thornton photo keeping everybody pretty active." we were male - you'd Canada was bad. But kneeled down, and then OUTSPOKEN: Nelson residents Chris Still, the season has remained walk in accidentally and it's not. It's petty com- the ones arotmd them did, and Mike McDonald. fairly cool compared to last year. they'd freak out." too." At this time a year ago crews had pared to some other Reaction from the But it's not. It's petty compared to some When a friend told him already battled 1016 fires, 896 of about delegates turning countries." crowd was positive, even other countries." One woman, he says, which were lightning strikes and against Chinese workers to the point of applause. "was told that if she talked about the prob- 120 human-caused. The cost of in a McDonald's restaurant, he became "One girl in the audience stands up and lem at all, when she went home she would suppression was $19 million com- angry. goes, 'That kid's got balls!' and everyone be killed." She talked, he says. What hap- pared to $1.2 million this season. "There were a lot of people there that was laughing. That was pretty good." pened later, he doesn't know. "We just haven't had the same don't like McDonald's. McDonald, who went to the forum But there were lighter moments. The climatic occurrences whatsoever," They went in there and trashed the place because "men have got a great part in Chinese, he says, showed affection for said Shaw. "We had a storm - just trashed everything. The Chinese achieving equality between men and Canadians - likely because of Dr. Norman through here maybe two weeks people were crying, they were like, 'What's women," says discussions about violence Bethune's fame there. ago. That was the most significant going on?"' enlightened him. "Whenever they heard you were from display of lightning we've seen this He was still bothered by that incident "I didn't realize that women in different Canada. they started treating you really summer, but basically there hasn't . when he arrived for closing ceremonies and countries were having such a problem. I nice. They'd say, 'Oh, Canada, yes, very been as much activity." found a spot near the front, among seated thought the violence in Canada was bad. good."' School district over budget Retirement payouts, severance costs, extra-curricular transport'l- Supporting heritage Needledisposal projectplanned tio n, supplies and equipment expenditures have been attributed to School District No. 7's $333,334 operating deficit. Last week superintendent Don Truscott said school board mem- □ It's just one of the many initiatives bers were discussing solutions to offset the deficit and were prepar- supported by AIDS/HIV organization in ing to present recommendations at the West Kootenay the Sept. 25 meeting. An audit of the school district's by Don Anderson books was presented to the school NELSON - West Kootenay pharmacies will participate in a board at its Sept. 18 meeting. The ( region-wide needle disposal program. board requires approval from the ~ , t "Every pharmacist in the West Kootenay has agreed to do the nee- Ministry of Education to record the dle disposal project," said Karen Muirhead. executive director of ,/4}'. deficit and identify necessary Castlegar-based ANKORS. "That is just phenomenal. It hasn't hap- reductions in its final operating pened anywhere else in B.C." budget, which is due in February. Pharmacies in the region will talce the needles, which are then dis- posed in large bins and prepared for pick-up and delivery to a medical Minimum wage disposal site. I. l ''We have been incredibly innovative, and I think that has been boosted ) respected and seen by the funding agencies," said Muirhead. Minimum wage earners will get The needle disposal project is just one of the latest initiatives spon- a 50 cent raise Oct. l as part of sored by ANKORS, an organization founded just over a year ago as a changes to the Employment service organization for people who have been infected with HIV and Standards Act announced last year. others who require support and education services. As a result, minimum wage has "That really is our primary mandate and, secondly, to make sure been boosted to $7 an hour. It is that we educate people on every level in every community (about the second 50 cent increase this AIDS/HIV). And I think we are being successful that way," she said. year and is expected to affect more On Oct. 1, an AIDS Walk in Nelson will kick off AIDS Awareness than 80,000 minimum wage earn- Week Oct. 2-8. · ers, of which an estimated 60 per A training program for youth in the West Kootenay/Boundary area cent are women. Don Anderson photo who want to be involved in AIDS awareness issues is also in develop- Other changes to the act are Nelson resident Mary Beringer examines the City of ment, and ANKORS will hold a fundraising raffle Oct. 8 to establish a expected to improve minimum Nelson's inventory of homes that have been designat- foundation fund for people living with HIV and AIDS. standards in the workplace for ed as heritage buildings at last Tuesday's open house Despite these initiatives, Muirhead said there is still a lot of ground more than 1.5 million workers in at City Hall. The open house was held to examine to cover. the province. Provisions include heritage issues in the community. "Very clearly we have a virus and a disease that is outstripping any- Please see NEWS- page 5 thing that we've ever known," she said.