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(Editor's Note: The following editorial re- cently appeared in the Dryden Observer and ~ we have been requésted to reprint it. According to a spokesman for the local Project Mayday group, a meeting to dis- cuss "the varied ser- vices needed for bat- tered women will be held Tuesday, May 24 at 2:00 p.m. in Birchwood Terrace Lounge under the sponsorship of the Project Mayday group. The meeting will. fea- ture Leni Untinen, exe- cutive members of the Ontario Association of. Interval Houses. The meeting is open to all interested people."' Is a shelter needed For some, home is a haven, a sanctuary of love and support where the woes of the world are temporarily banish- ed. But for battered wives, home is an end- less trap of physical suf- fering and emotional terror in which the out- lets for escape too often seem barred by financial considerations and fear of the husband's re- venge, society's recrim- inations, the inevitable insecurity of the un- known. Having nowhere to go and no one to talk to may be as frightening to some as the prospect of another black eye or swollen lip. But the local picture may be brightening. A committee of concerned citizens has announ- ced its intention to dis- cuss the problem and extent of wife-battering in the Dryden area, and the possible 'need for a shelter, at a public meeting April 27 at 8 p-m. in the United Church. Statistics rarely rep- resent the complete pic- ture, particularly in sen- sitive subjects such as this, but the number of reported incidents in the Project Mayday Dryden area alone is alarming. Sixty cases of wife-battering were handled by the Dryden OPP in 1981 and 1982. How many more out-of- town were unreported because of telephone party lines, lack of trans- portation, or hesitation in trusting the police and courts to remove the offender? Dryden town police handled only six batter- ing incidents over the same two-year period, but Police Chief John Riley says it may be a case of local doctors feeling "bound by their code of ethics." The. provincial government's Standing Committee on Social Development says one in every 10 wives in Canada is a victim of physical abuse from her husband. In a report released last fall, the committee wrote, "The woman's isolation is in- tensified by the lack of support services avail- able in rural communi- ties," and that efforts to gain financial independ- ence should she leave' her husband may be thwarted. "Jobs are particular- ly scarce for women in Northern Ontario where the unemployment rate has exceeded 25 per cent and the mining and forestry industries dom- inate the economy. The number of women em- ployed in these indus- tries has _ traditionally been low."' And there are often children to consider, who may be able to leave the house with the mother only if a shelter is available. The Dryden Busi- ness and Professional Women's Club has ask- ed the province to consi- der introducing. legisl- ation which would allow for shelter funding to be recovered from offend- ers, a unique approach which could partially cover what will undoubt- edly be a costly project. Shelters or transition houses are currently funded 50 per cent by the federal government, 30 per cent by the pro- Games for disabled Northwestern On- tario - Thunder Bay will be the site for the 1983 Regional Games for Per- sons with a Physical Disability.. These Games will take place June 3rd, 4th and Sth at the C.J. Saunders Fieldhouse and the Fort William Stadium and will include the following events: Amputee, Blind, Cere- bral Palsy and Wheel- chair. The purpose of these Games. is to provide a vehicle at the commun- ity and regional level to all participants, with a physical disability, an opportunity to qualify" for selection to the Pro- vincial Games. It is also the. hope to encourage participation for the fun and fitness of it, and to that end, all events are open to all persons with a physical disability who are six years old and older. This year marks the seventh year these Games will have taken place. It is through the support and co-opera- tion of the Ministry of Tourism and_ Recrea- tion, Confederation Col- lege, Fitness Ontario Resource Services, the Northwestern Ontario Regional Sports Coun- cil, The Handicapped Action Group Inc. and numerous volunteers, that they continue to provide an opportunity to these athletes and participants. Information regarding registration for the Games can be obtained by contacting June Thayer at 577-4239. vince, and 20 per cent by the municipality, with possible higher costs for the municipality if each occupied bed in the hos- tel has a daily cost ex- ceeding $90. Surveys have shown that local fundraising has sometimes been es- sential in meeting costs, but the human value could certainly provide incentive for any num- ber of community groups. Cpl. Syd Varga, a member of the local committee, says one ma- jor benefit of a shelter would be its provision of counselling services, of- ten limited to police visits shortly after an occurance. With access to legal and medical referrals, a shelter could also offer child care, counselling _ in employment, the val- uable support of others who have been down the same road, and per- haps in some instances, counselling for the bat- terer himself. Studies by the provin- cial committee deter- mined that wife-batter- ing is more often the result of a notion by some that women are inferior beings and the property of men, and of a background of family violence, than of exces- sive alcohol consumpt- ion or mental illness. The provincial com- mittee wrote that, "the cycle of violence con- tinues" for the more than 60 per cent of women who return home from the shelters. It is a far-reaching problem with few graspable solu- tions, but safety - even Terrace Bay-Schreiber News, Wednesday, May 18, 1983, page 7 short-term - is unde- niably needed. And a shelter may be the first step in that direction. Public involvement is also needed, and it is hoped that concerned listening, a construct- ive approach, and a knowledge that friends are at hand, will over- shadow anyone's hesita- tion to attend the meet- ing. It is a serious prob- lem, but not one from which a caring commun- ity can turn away. Waghorn's Pharmacy Dispensary Only Closed Friday, May 20 from 5:30 p.m. to Saturday 21st 5:30 p.m. (Closed Sunday 22nd and Monday 23rd) Any Organization And Groups, Or Interested People That would like to enter a float in the Royal Canadian Legion, August Ist, 1983, FIELD DAY PARADE Please contact Schrieber Legion as soon as possible. TERRACE BAY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY AND THE KINSMEN CLUB Vv Will be taking orders until Thursday, May 26, 1983, for your bedding plant requirements -- flowers, vegetables, etc. at approx. $1.50 per flat (varies in. number of plants per flat according to variety). Tree and shrubs also. available -- you name it and we will try to get it! Orders can be picked up at the school bus garage on Saturday, May 28, 1983, and Sunday, May 29, 1983, between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Plants other than those ordered will be sold on a first come, first served basis. Place orders and quantities with © Peter Monks 825-9361 (evenings) Duncan Mackey 825-3338 WHEN THEY LOSE TIME, see aa ae LY In an emergency, time is a precious commodity and every second counts. So when you hear the siren or see the flashing light of a fire truck, ambulance or police car, remember that lives may be at stake and obey the following regulations: © Always bring your vehicle to a stop as close as possible to the side of the road and clear of any intersection. © Do not follow a responding fire department vehicle within 150 metres (500 feet). THE TIME THEY SAVE MAY SAVE LIVES. Ministry of Transportation and Communications Ontario James Snow, Minister William Davis, Premier