SASKATCHEWAN REPORT
by Carol Ariano

In Saskatchewan, activities seem to have somewhat "cooled" as women find themselves working increasingly harder simply to keep up with the heavy demands of the workplace. The group in Regina has taken to meeting at 7:30 a.m. as it is almost impossible to justify time out at any other time of the day.

This fall, a brief was prepared for the Unemployment Insurance Commission of Inquiry and presented in Regina when the hearings visited during December. Surprisingly, the Commission members were most supportive, agreeing with the need for training for better employment and acknowledging the threat of technology to long-term employment. One member requested that the presenter apply the same "thoughtful analysis and creative energy" to drawing up a successful job creation plan and re-submit this by February 7. (They don't ask much, do they? Any takers?)

The Bridging Program for Women, a C.C.L.O.W. demonstration project funded by the Canada Employment and Immigration Commission through the Regina Plains Community College is nearing the end of its funding - but all indications are that it will be continued. So far, 131 women have been through various components and a significant percentage have been placed in further training or employment (or, for some, a combination of the two). Now that the program is becoming better known, it is in high demand and the spectre of long waiting lists looms rather threateningly on the horizon. There was certainly no basis for the concern, often expressed by bureaucrats during the lobbying stages, that there would not be enough participants.

An Advisory committee, comprised of 9 women from the Regina community has been established. Acting as a "support" to the staff and students at the Bridging Program, this group will advise the community college board on matters concerned with evaluation, ongoing development and adherence to the original philosophy outlined in the project proposal. This committee is a new venture for the community college and the expectation is that it will have a profound effect by enlarging community involvement in the college, while representing the particular needs of women, and monitoring a program designed and delivered for them. Other C.C.L.O.W. activities have recently taken place as well. Lisa Avedon, the Past President, visited Regina in late January. She presented a workshop "Counseling Victims of Job Loss" to the Regina Vocational Counselors Network. As well, she held a one-day workshop with the C.C.L.O.W. Regina Network. This workshop was intended as a "time out", for a view of where we have been spending time and energy, a review of the Nairobi Conference and a strategies session on what our focus should be for the future.

YUKON REPORT
by Lillian Maguire

In September, Yukon CCLOW was involved in sponsoring a panel discussion on women's perspectives on women's roles and learning opportunities in India, Africa, Russia and Central America. Women who had traveled or worked in these countries provided personal insights for women attending the annual Yukon Women's conference.

As a result of the interest in the panel, we decided to sponsor monthly slide/talk discussions which would provide women an opportunity to present their views on women's roles, education, and learning opportunities in other countries. The sessions so far have included discussions on Nicaragua, Indonesia and China. Future sessions will focus on Africa, Japan and Russia. We are also planning to finish off our series with an international potluck dinner on the final evening.

The sessions have generated wide interest from women and men of all ages. We have established informal ties with Canada Crossroads International through some of the speakers we have sponsored. Through these discussions we are hoping to generate interest in women's concerns internationally, and to provide information on our local Yukon chapter of CCLOW.

We have also been involved in some consultations with other community groups regarding proposed Human Rights legislation. An ad hoc committee representing the needs of women, native people, labor, special needs people and others presented a submission supporting the legislation. It appears that we will be involved in further action in educating the general public on human rights, in the Yukon.

In conjunction with the local Status of Women Council, a representative from CCLOW will be discussing with a consultant, hired by the Yukon Department of Education, the training and educational needs of women in the territory. Although we're unsure of the kind of information that will be requested, we feel confident that we can provide case situations of difficulties encountered by women and examples of practical alternatives for women's learning opportunities.