MONTREAL
      (CUP)
      --
      While
     
     
      thousands
      of
      Canadians
      took
      to
     
     
      the
      streets
      last
      month
      for
      the
     
     
      Waik
      for
      Life,
      a
      nationwide
      event
     
     
      that
      raises
      funds
      for
      the
      fight
     
     
      against
      HIV
      and
      AIDS,
      their
     
     
      numbers
      were
      much
      lower
      than
     
     
      years
      past.
     
    

    
     
      Participation
      in
      Montréal's
     
     
      annual
      AIDS
      walk
      was
      down
      to
     
     
      15,000
      people,
      compared
      to
     
     
      25,000
      in
      1999.
      In
      Vancouver,
     
     
      registration
      was
      down
      by
      25
      per
     
     
      cent.
     
    

    
     
      Mark
      Wainberg,
      director
     
     
      of
      the
      McGill
      AIDS
      Centre,
      said
     
     
      he
      believes
      the
      decline
      in
      num-
     
     
      bers
      is
      a
      result
      of
      a
      widespread
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      AIDS
      activists
      fear
      apathy
      |
     
     
      .
      Participation
      down
      at
      AIDS
      walks;
      organizers
      blame
      desensitization
     
    
   
   
    
     
      desensitization
      that
      corresponds
     
     
      with
      a
      decrease
      in
      disease
      mor-
     
     
      tality
      rates.
     
    

    
     
      "People
      think
      that
      we've
     
     
      cured
      AIDS
      and
      we
      haven't,"
     
     
      Wainberg
      said.
      "In
      some
      ways,
     
     
      we're
      ail
      victims
      of
      the
      success
     
     
      we've
      had
      with
      the
      drugs.
      Just
     
     
      because
      they
      have
      lengthened
     
     
      lifespan
      doesn't
      mean
      we
      don't
     
     
      have
      to
      be
      vigilant
      in
      our
      fight."
     
    

    
     
      Wainberg
      said
      while
     
     
      AIDS
      deaths
      may
      be
      down,
      the
     
     
      number
      of
      AIDS
      cases
      is
      on
      the
     
     
      rise,
      especially
      among
      hetero-
     
     
      sexual
      young
      women.
     
    

    
     
      Still,
      AIDS
      walk
      organiz-
     
     
      ers
      remain
      optimistic
      the
      fight
     
     
      will
      continue
      to
      gain
      support.
     
    

    
     
      Darren
      Fisher,
      national
     
     
      events
      coordinator
      for
      the
     
     
      Canadian
      AIDS
      Society,
      said
      the
     
     
      decreased
      numbers
      of
      walkers
     
    
   
   
    
     
      in
      the
      larger
      cities
      are
      not
      a
      good
     
     
      measure
      of
      the
      overall
      success
     
     
      of
      the
      event,
      which
      actually
     
     
      brought
      out
      increased
      participa-
     
     
      tion
      and
      funds
      in
      smaller
      com-
     
     
      munities.
     
    

    
     
      "For
      a
      lot
      of
      cities,
      this
      is
     
     
      the
      only
      fundraiser
      or
      outreach
     
     
      opportunity,”
      said
      Fisher.
     
    

    
     
      Until
      this
      year,
      AIDS
     
     
      walks
      across
      the
      country
      were
     
     
      organized
      separately
      in
      each
     
     
      city.
      This
      year
      marked
      the
      first
     
     
      collaborative
      event,
      in
      which
     
     
      regional
      organizers
      banded
     
     
      together
      in
      hopes
      of
      generating
     
     
      more
      awareness
      and
      sponsor-
     
     
      ship.
     
    

    
     
      Louis-Michel
      _
      Taillefer,
     
     
      spokesperson
      for
      the
      Farha
     
     
      Foundation,
      an
      AIDS
      fundraising
     
     
      group
      in
      Montréal,
      suggested
     
     
      the
      decrease
      in
      urban
      participa-
     
     
      tion
      at
      the
      events
      is
      the
      result
      of
     
     
      increased
      competition
      between
     
     
      different
      charity
      walks
      scheduled
     
     
      for
      the
      same
      time
      of
      year,
      such
     
     
      as
      the
      Terry
      Fox
      Run
      and
      Run
     
     
      for
      the
      Cure,
      which
      benefit
      can-
     
     
      cer
      research.
     
    

    
     
      "It
      is
      always
      difficult
      for
      us
     
     
      to
      recruit
      people.
      People
      are
     
     
      torn
      between
      all
      these
      different
     
     
      causes,"
      said
      Taillefer.
     
    

    
     
      This
      year's
      Terry
      Fox
      Run
     
     
      in
      Québec
      garnered
      a
      30
      per
     
     
      cent
      increase
      in
      participation
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      18
      per
      cent
      increase
      in
     
     
      funds.
      The
      run
      was
      held
      at
      60
     
     
      locations
      across
      Québec
      and
      at
     
     
      thousands
      of
      sites
      nationally
     
     
      and
      internationally.
     
    

    
     
      Taillefer
      also
      attributed
     
     
      the
      decline
      in
      AIDS
      walk
      partici-
     
     
      pation
      to
      the
      taboo
      nature
      of
      the
     
     
      disease.
      ;
     
     
      "Because
      it's
      a
      transmis-
     
     
      sible
      disease,
      unlike
      cancer,
     
     
      there
      seems
      to
      be
      this
      general
     
     
      attitude
      of,
      ‘If
      you've
      got
      it,
      then
     
     
      you
      deserve
      it.
      You
      did
      some-
     
     
      thing
      wrong,”
      he
      said.
      "That
     
     
      makes
      it
      much
      more
      difficult
      for
     
     
      us
      to
      attract
      people."
     
    

    
     
      Danny
      Wright,
      Queer
     
     
      McGill
      librarian,
      said
      he
      worries
     
     
      the
      rising
      desensitization
      to
      the
     
     
      disease
      could
      hinder
      the
      vast
     
     
      amount
      of
      research
      that
      still
     
     
      needs
      to
      be
      done
      to
      find
      a
      cure.
     
     
      "There's
      kind
      of
      a
      complacency
     
     
      about
      it
      now.
      There's
      less
      of
      an
     
     
      effort
      to
      support
      it.
      People
      feel
     
     
      it's
      dwindling
      down
      when
      it's
      just
     
     
      as
      present,"
      he
      said.
     
    

    
     
      Queer
      McGill
      sent
      10
     
     
      people
      to
      the
      walk,
      and
      has
      so
     
     
      far
      raised
      $400
      to
      be
      donated
      to
     
     
      AIDS
      Community
      Care
     
     
      Montréal.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      AA
      ARR
      LAA
      LMC
      DITION
      TINIE
     
     
      Last
      weekend,
      the
      UPEI
      men's
      volleyball
      travelled
      to
      Fredericton
     
    
   
   
    
     
      to
      partake
      in
      a
      double-header
      against
      STU.
      The
      boys
      played
      well
     
     
      in
      this,
      their
      first
      two
      matches
      of
      the
      year,
      finishing
      with
      a
     
    

    
     
      1-1
      record.
      This
      weekend
      the
      boys
      play
      in
      another
      double-header,
     
     
      this
      time
      against
      UNBSJ,
      at
      the
      Chi-Wan
      Young
      Sports
      Centre
      in
     
     
      what
      could
      possibly
      be
      the
      only
      home
      matches
      of
      the
      season
      for
     
     
      this
      travelling
      team.
      Come
      out
      and
      catch
      some
      of
      the
      best
      volley-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ball
      action
      in
      the
      region.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      Cadre
      October
      12,
      2004
      page
      17