Tracy Kovalench
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 29/98) - "I was going to call my talk tonight blood, sex and politics," said Brian Huskins. "That would be sure to get everyone's attention."

Catchy titles, however, were hardly necessary. Huskins' audience for the night were member of AIDS Yellowknife. The venue was the group's annual general meeting Monday night.

Former chair of the Canadian AIDS Society, Huskins encouraged the members of the Yellowknife chapter to continue public education and appeal to the government for financial support.

"Care, support and drugs are just not enough," says Huskins, a former Yellowknife resident. "We have to challenge our government to invest wisely."

Huskins stressed education as the number 1 weapon in fighting the disease. He pointed out that although AIDS-related deaths have decreased over the past years, the number of people acquiring the HIV virus continues to grow. The NWT is no exception.

Reported cases in the North are somewhere between 28 to 31, said AIDS Yellowknife spokesperson Robert Hay. "But it's not a reliable indication of how many cases actually exist."

Hay said people either go South for testing, don't have access to the test or decide against testing completely.

High rates for teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases in general prove Northerners are not practising enough safe sex. Substance abuse, which can lead to risky situations, is also a concern in the North.

AIDS Yellowknife is working to increase awareness in the North. Last year members helped form the Youth Peer Educators, a theatre group made up of high school students.

The Educators write and perform HIV- and AIDS-related skits for students across the city. The teenage thespians had a chance to strut their stuff at the meeting and recently reached out to parents at a performance for the Elks Lodge.

"It's a far more powerful means of spreading any message about an issue," said Hay. "They know the issues and use language appropriate for their peers."

AIDS Yellowknife hopes to launch a similar project at the Yellowknife Correctional Centre this year.