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(Continued from page 1 ) resenting First City Corp., the Toronto company which holds a conditional option on Variety stores the property, said that while the site was a "natural" for commer- cial development, his group would be willing to sell it to the resi- dents. The Columbia Place group would like the lot landscaped and left as a park area. _ “If you feel so stron- gly that it should be left vacant, then the option is there," Sugden said, adding the sale price discussed includes a "profit" for his com- pany. It was a case of history repeating itself during the second hearing, which in- volved a proposal by Mac's Milk for a vari- ety store, gas bar at Union and Weber. Two years ago, council con- sidered a similar appli- cation to establish a convenience store, paint shop at that Pat Arbuckle Chronicle Staff The pink and blue ribbons folded to form an inverted V gave a simple mes- sage. - - -- Canadian women wanted sexual equali- ty and they were willing to fight for it. Created by two Waterloo women. Alida Burrett and Mayling Stubbs, of the K-W Status of Women, the ribbon badge came to symbolize one of the most successful grass roots lobby campaigns ever waged in Canadian history. "Women responded (to the symbol) because today a lot of women think of themselves as equal to men. Pink and blue reiterate where they wanted to be and where they thought they were." explained Stubbs. For Burrett and Stubbs, the memory of the part they played in this historic campaign brings warmth and pride into their voices. These memories have been rekindled by the recent release of The Taking of Twenty-Eight, by Toronto journalist Penney Kome, a detailed chronicle of women's role in reshaping the constitution, including contributions made by the K-W Status of Women. Simple little ribbons helped lobbyists in equality push corner, but rejected the development in the face of intense neigh- borhood opposition. According to Gordon Weiberg, whose home is next door to the lot, the opinions of the neighborhood haven't changed. "Urn against any business open 24 hours- a-day, seven-days-a- week next door. We don't need that hassle." The final application came from Petro Can- ada, for a 5,200; square- foot building which would accommodate a "tew" conveniences such as a variety store or donut shop. Objectors again re- sponded that such an operation is not needed in the area, adding that the all-night businesses would result in loiter» ing, littering and a disruption in their sleep. "We've got a nice quiet street, we don't need this stuff," commented one woman. The final battle was relatively short, lasting only seven days, yet it won a new respect for women as a "formidable national political forced' in Kome's words. Ironically, because of a lack of media coverage, few Canadians were aware of the magnitude of the confronts tion. Burrett and Stubbs' participation in the struggle began Nov. 5, 1981 when an annoucement was made that a com- promise agreement had been reached between the federal and provincial gov- ernments on the new Charter of Rights. Women's groups across the country had been working for months prior to the federal-provincial conference to ensure that wording in the new charter would adequately protect their rights. They studied the implications of certain clauses, held national meetings on the constitution and lobbied for changes in wording to guarantee women equal rights and adequate protection under the law. Special attention focussed on Section 15 which prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex and allowed for the imple- mentation of affirmative action pro- grams.mtey also successfully fought for The dilemma which arose last Wednesday. is one which council confronted only two weeks ago. when long- time Waterloo variety store operator Joe For- well, asked council to reject a zone change application which would clear the way for a variety store to open at King and University Avenue. In a six-to-two vote, council OK'd the change in zoning, maintaining that mu- nicipal government has no business regulating competition in the free market. An observer of last week's hearings, Dorf- man commented that the intensity of public Representing For- well, Waterloo plan- ning consultant Mark Dorfman then told council there is already a heavy concentration of convenience stores in the area, and that allowing more to open was not in the best interests of the city. and won the inclusion of Section 28 which ensured that all rights and freedoms set out in the charter would be guaranteed equally to men and women. After the conference, it soon became apparent that "something had gone very wrong with what the lobbying women had done," said Stubbs, when it was revealed that provincial premiers had won the right to override equality rights. . Those first few days after the hiitoric Nov. 5 meeting were hectic ones. she recalled. Accurate information about what had happened to women's rights was hard to come by because the media and turned its attention to the native lobby. "The media had not told women What they had lost, how they had lost it or why they had lost it," Stubbs said. - - Women's groups in isolated pockets across the country set up a telephone network to get the word out. Stubbs and Burrett spent much of the time on the telephone contacting groups in Toronto and Ottawa for advice and information so that they could make their members aware of the implications of the federal- provincial agreement. Stubbs and Burrett sent badges to each of the members of parliament. including the Prime Minister. The accompanying letter urged MPs to reconsider the override clause and wear the badge as a symbol of their support of the women's cause. "We believe that men and women are er al. It's ' simple as that. Black and wh e. Or I C and blue - the color of the two ribbons we are enclosing as a statement of our belief in the fundamental right to equality. Our first Canadian Charter of Rights, a product of the 20th century, must recognize this basic fact," the letter said. Waterloo MP Walter MacLean shuttled the letters to Ottawa for the group. All women MPs in the house did wear the badges and soon the pink and blue ribbons became the symbol of the hastily-organ- ized campaign. People liked the new symbol. and more importantly, the media picked up on the idea and broadcast it across the country. Stubbs and Burrett urged local women to send the ribbons to Ottawa as a sign of support for women's rights. More than 700 did and their letters and telegrams joined thousands from across Canada arriving in MPs offices daily.