Dear Sir:

The Feb. 26 articles on Page AS concerning the logging
industry, its effect on families and changes to UI for sea-
sonal workers, left ne with mixed emotions.

“Sheldon Mitchell and Eldon Haugan are not your aver-
age welfare bums’” begins reporter Jeff Nagel’s piece. Was
it really necessary that Mr, Nage] begin his article with the
term ‘welfare bum’? This is infammatory and only serves
to reinforce negative stereolypes about people living on
welfare, What was wrong wilh ‘welfare recipients’?

While |- wish only the best for Mr. Mitchell and Mr.
Haugan, I can’t help feel having earned a good income
most of their lives, ihey have been insulaled from the
realities of a typical 1990s paycheck, They are uow getting
a-taste of what many have been dealing with for some
time. Jobs paying $8-$10 an hour, or $7 an hour, have be-

“come the norm, Jobs paying $23 are the stulf of dreanis. —

One of Mr. Mitchell’s comments was disturbing. ‘I’m nat
acrook. [ don’t steal. ] pay my taxes. | dou’t like living on
welfare’. Does Mr. Mitchell believe that only ‘bad’
people end up on welfare? I was on welfare for 10 months
and | ani not a ‘bad’ person and definitely did tot ‘enjoy’
the expericnce. I'm sure this is not what was intended -
but the inference is there.

‘Human Resources Canada says ‘‘ihese people looked at
UI as part of their earnings for the year and that’s not the
intent.’’ This has been true of many seasonal industries, To
others struggling to earn a living 1’m sure it did not seem
altogether equilable. [ know I didn’t always think it was
fair but-if your employer finds it cast effective to. only
employ you 4-6 months of the year - what other option da
you have? It seems that Human Resources Canada is now
saying that Mr. Mitchell and others in his position will
have to find a second job to get them through the rest of
the year, It’s difficult to find one job — now you're cx-
pected to find two?

I know what it’s like to be behind in all your bills, run
out of food, lose your confidence and self-esteem, While
all this is happening Social Services expects you to be up-
beat, do nothing but look for work and survive on $500 per
month,

_ You are also told if you end up homeless ‘it’s not our
problem.’’ I would never wish this situation on anyone
else. It makes me a little angry thal only when uncmploy-

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(635-7737.

_A

Organizational Networking Potluck!
March 19, 1997 at 6:30 pm
Skeena Health Unit Auditorium

We NEED your input! We are working toward finalizing the
agenda topics for the upcoming second annual First Nations
Women's Summit. Dates selected for this conference are
| confirmed for May 28, 29, 30 & 31, 1997 at Northwest
Community College.

Would You Like to suggest a THEME for the 2nd Annual
First Nations Women Summilt? a paem-story-song . . .

Would you like ta suggest a logo - know of anyone who
would like to support our cause by donating and/or entering a
logo, Should we proceed with a logo canlest when we are only
at the fruition of our Sociely (we may only be able to honour

logo with an honorarium)? ;

Please fax us your responses @ 635-8105, Should you have
women who would like to attend our meetings but do not have
the finances for overnight stay - we will find billeting for you,
because we have “NO MONIES" at this time to cover any travel
costs, . ; ;

We are also asking for letters of support, followed is a
contact list. oo

CONTACT LIST
® Frances (250) 635-9429 or 638-8558 fax 638-8558
« Mae (250) 635-5532 ;
«- Doris (250) 635-3126
¢ Kathy (250) 635-8162 or 638-0228

IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED THAT THE 2NO ANNUAL FIRST NATIONS
WOMENS-SUMMIT BE HELD IN MAY 28, 29, 30 & 31. PLEASE CALL
' Thank you
Yaurs in Sisterhood,

Frances Stanley

More people than jobs

a
CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD

The Mail Bag

ment and poverty starts to affect the middle class, and the
affluent, that it becomes newsworthy. The reat possibility
that | might have ended up on the street would not have
warranted a columa, let alone a full page.

The truth Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Haugan have facing them
is that there are more uncmployed. people than there are
jobs.

: Peter Randrup, Terrace, I3.C.
Under control
Dear Sir:

I'm responding to Brad Mazurak’s recent letter, He was
in a frothy dither and a snit because my wife, Isobel
Brophy, dared ‘“‘push her Catholic opinions” regarding the
granting ofa business license to the local sex/porno shop.

As some women declared in a Japel button campaign,
“Real men don't need pom.” Nor, might I add, do they
need other virility crutches, Meu do need to keep the beast
under control rather that to conform-to the pimp/Avhore
mentality so dominant in our society,

Ask yourself how long your current partner would keep
you around if you were nol sexually attractive and, perba ps
ore to the point, bringing in a paycheque.

Mazurak's anti-Catholicism,. pervasive throughout his
letter, is sadly misplaced if he’s referring 10 what mast
people call the Catholic church. That is because approxi-
mately 30 years ago there was a revolution in the Catholic
church and the bad guys won.

Nearly all stratum of authority from Pope to laymen in
the Catholic church abdicated the responsibility of manly
leadership, succumbing to emasculaling heresy.

Tom Brophy, Terrace B.C.

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The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 12, 1997 - A?

'TIL MARCH 22™ J

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698-1158 meee nb:

YOU BE THE JUDGE

“Who Sent That Obscene
Message Through The «<
E-Mail?"

“Hey, Giovanni, what are you roaring
about? You're laughing so hard you're going
to get a hernia.”

Giovanni, a switchboard operator,
looked up from his coffee in the company
coffee shop. His good friend Sinclair, the
company méchanic was lacking over his
shoulder, oo,

“Get a load of this monologue, This
comic, what's his name, wrote this wlid
piece about a big fat woman. It's cbscene,
Some guy who used to work here wrate it
down and passed it an to me. What a gas!”

Sinclair was grinning from ear to ear.
“Let's have some fun with it, Gio. There’s a

woman, Betty, in the accounting dapartment.

Bet she weighs at least 500 pounds. Let's
substitute har name in the monologue and
send it by E-mail to aii the men in the .
office.”

The next day, the bess couldn't under-
stand why his male employees were holding
their sides laughing. ;

Somebody brought his attention to the
bulletin board. There was the monologue,
The boss dropped everything and.ordered
the foreman to question each employee.

“Were you the one ho did it? he asked
Sinclair. .

“Not me, boss."

He asked Glovannni the same question.

“Not me, boss."

The next day, It was not laughter that
shattered the atmosphere. It was loud sob-
bing. Betty haJ discovered the monologue.

She hurried into her boss's office.

“Ron, take a look at this filth | found
pasted up on the bulletin board. That's me,

" by Claire Bernstein

ee AN

Based On Actual Court Cases

Betty, the ‘500-pound female gorilla’ doing
all Kinds of-horrible things. I'm so humiliat-
ed | could die. How could anyone be so
cruel?”

~~ Glovanni felt so bad about causing
such pain that he admitted he was one of
the perpetrators. ;

And Sinclair finally admitted that he
was the other partnerdn crime.

The next day they were fired. They
sued for damages for belng wrongfully
dismissed.

In court, Giovannl and Sinclair were no
longer laughing. “Look, your honor, we're
sorry we caused Betty such pain. We made
a mistake in judgment. But we don’t
deserve to be fired. Especially me, Gio,
because | owned up on my own.as soon as
I saw the harm my little joke was causing.”

"You can't let them get away with that,
your honor,” argued the boss. “These guys .
acted carelessly when using E-mall as their
means of communication, because E-mail
is instantaneous and such an easy means
of communication, employees should be
especially cautious when using it: The
crude joke about a co-worker reached many
people inthe company and were harmful,”

Were Giovanni and Sinclair wrongfully
dismissed? YOU! BE THE JUDGE, Then look
below for the decision of the court.

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YOU BE THE JUDGE - DECISION
"Giovanni and Sinclair, you got what you deserved, You were rightfully dismissed," ruled the

court.

"On its own, your ‘prank’ would have warranted nothing more than a severe reprimand, But
you made it worse by not telling your foreman about the E-mail when he first asked aboullt. The
Joke becomes inexcusable when considered In conjunction with your dishonesty: .

YOU! SE THE JUDGE {5 hased on actual court cases, Today's decision [5 based on the facts of the case and the

law of British Cotumble. {f you have a similar problam, please consult a awyef In your province. Clalre Bernstein Is a
lawyar and syndi¢ated columnist, Copyright 1997 Haika Entelprises. b9-dJe rr