A4 RED DEER ADVOCATE Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012
Autistic ballerina charms world, inspires others THE CANADIAN PRESS
CANADA
BRIEFS
Thousands of Canadian’s personal information goes missing OTTAWA — Thousands of Canadians are being told that personal information about them held by the government has gone missing. Human Resources and Skills Development Canada notified the privacy commissioner’s office on Dec. 21 that the data had been lost. About 5,000 people are believed to be affected and are receiving letters notifying them of the privacy breach and steps they need to take to protect their information. About 60 people have already called an information line at the privacy commissioner’s office expressing concern about the incident and complaints have already been filed. “It’s too early to say whether or not these will turn into official, full, investigations,” said Anne-Marie Hayden, a spokeswoman for the privacy commissioner. “We’d have to look at what we receive first and determine next steps from there. But the commissioner’s office is working with HRSDC to try and figure out what happened. The department handles a variety of files including pensions, old age security, employment insurance and childcare tax credits. Each year, federal departments are required to report on how well they comply with privacy legislation. In the 2010-2011 report — the most recent one posted on HRSDC’s website — the department noted that it had been the subject of three complaints regarding how it handled personal information.
Woman identified in fatal lake crash KELOWNA, B.C. — A Salmon Arm, B.C., woman has been identified as the victim in a fatal vehicle accident on Highway 97 last week. Fifty-nine-year-old Elly Collins was the driver and only occupant of a Jeep that went out of control and plowed into icy waters of Wood Lake, south of Vernon. The BC Coroners Service says several people who saw the crash, along with first responders, made heroic efforts to pull Collins from her vehicle. It took several minutes to extract the woman and although she was rushed to hospital, she couldn’t be resuscitated. Both the coroner and the RCMP are continuing to investigate.
Residents near Williams Lake, B.C. could lose fire services WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. — The Cariboo Regional District says thousands of rural B.C. residents are in danger of losing fire protection services after the City of Williams Lake reneged on a deal. The district now has 120 days to either pursue further legal action or find another solution after winning a B.C. Supreme Court injunction that will keep those citizens covered for fire protection in the meantime. The district launched legal action alleging that in mid-December the city unilaterally refused to sign an agreement the jurisdictions had come to in August. The deal was for Williams Lake to provide fire service for residents living in the so-called “rural fringe” areas around the city for five years, starting
Photo by The Canadian Press
Clara Bergs, 10, dances the lead from the ballet Coppelia which she has learned and memorized from watching videos, to an audience of stuffed animals and mom Lisa Anderson, with family dog Cookie. She spent her first 16 months in hospital going through multiple surgeries. Before she turned two, her parents noticed she had trouble connecting with people. She couldn’t walk until she was four and didn’t speak until she was six. “She made no connection with people. Basically she tuned them out. You could scream in her ear and she wouldn’t look at you,” Anderson says. “Now, she makes eye contacta She’ll see somebody and she’ll go over and give them a hug. She’s excited to be alive, she wakes up happy, puts on her ballet clothes, goes downstairs and
dances until breakfast is ready.” Amidst the many responsibilities that come with being a parent and caring for a special needs child, Anderson says the positive feedback generated by the ballet video has given the entire family a boost. “It has brought some meaning to why we do it everyday, and why I fought for Clara so hard when she was a baby and didn’t give up when the doctors said there’s no hope for this child,” says Anderson. The video, which was first posted online in September, spread like wildfire after Clara’s therapists told friends
January 1. The city and district had both passed requisite laws to complete the agreement, then put it to a referendum where it was authorized by voters. But the district alleged that Williams Lake council members then passed a resolution instead saying it would only agree to a one-year term, and that the cost must be fixed. B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver granted the district the injunction it sought on Dec. 21, requiring the Williams Lake to temporarily honour its offer to protect citizens in the event of fire. “While this is welcome news, a longterm resolution is still required,” the district said in a news release. According to the court documents filed in request for the injunction, the district plans to seek a declaration that the deal is valid and binding. Otherwise, the documents say the district wants the city to be compelled to provide services until an “adequate alternative” can be implemented. The province provided fire protection services to the area until July 2006.
additional three-month sentence for leaving the scene of the accident. Warren was also stripped her of her driver’s licence for eight years. Kassandra’s mother, Markita Kaulius, told reporters after the sentencing there should be a five-year minimum sentence for such crimes. “She will serve what we feel is very little jail time for taking the life of an innocent young woman. It often seems the justice system continues to fail the victim and their families in refusing to properly sentence offenders to a stronger sentence.” Kaulius said the death has changed their lives forever.
Father found guilty of sex crimes against disabled daughter VICTORIA — A provincial court judge has found a Nanaimo, B.C., father guilty of sexual assault and touching for a sexual purpose in two incidents involving his disabled daughter. A trial was held in late November after a school counsellor called the Ministry of Children and Family Development following allegations by the teenager, who said the incidents occurred after her 12th birthday. During the trial, the father admitted to being an alcoholic but flatly deny the sex abuse allegations made by the girl who was born with fetal alcohol syndrome. The defence called the man, and the girl’s mother, grandmother and aunt to testify, arguing the girl may have made stories up because she was angry she was not able to attend a ceremonial potlatch in Gold River, B.C. But Judge Evan Blake said in a written ruling that while there were some difficulties with the girl’s evidence — likely because her mental capacity is compromised — that did not seriously affect the teen’s credibility. He noted the Crown presented a strong case, and while he couldn’t determine for sure how many times the father engaged in sexually inappropriate behaviour, he was satisfied the incidents she described occurred essentially as she described them.
Woman gets 37 months jail for fatal drunk driving collision SURREY, B.C. — A sentence of just over three years in prison has been handed to a woman who pleaded guilty for the drunk driving crash that killed a promising 22-year-old softball player in Surrey, B.C. A provincial court judge in Surrey sentenced Natasha Warren to 37 months behind bars for the collision that took the life of Kassandra Kaulius in May 2011. Warren had been drinking heavily before she got behind the wheel of a vehicle that rammed Kaulius’ car in an intersection, killing the woman instantly. The court heard earlier that Warren’s van was going more than 100 kilometres an hour when the vehicle hit the driver’s side of the young woman’s vehicle. Warren ran from the scene after the crash, but was found shortly thereafter in a wooded area nearby. She was arrested wearing a Vancouver Canucks’ hockey jersey. The judge sentenced Warren to 34 months in prison for dangerous and impaired driving causing death and an
“We don’t get our daughter back,” she said. “Ms. Warren will do a little bit of time for the crime she committed. We will do a life sentence.” Warren told the court in an earlier hearing that she would change places with Kassandra Kaulius if she could. Her lawyer, Mark Cacchioni, said his client is very remorseful. “I’ve never had a man or woman as a criminal client who has ever, almost looked forward to the prospect of serving a lengthy jail sentence, to do a genuine atonement, perhaps in the religious sense, for what she has caused.”
BORDER PAVING LTD. EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION HONOUR ROLL Border Paving wishes to honour the following people who have spent a significant part of their lives helping to make ours an effective organization. Length of service awards were presented this year to: 10 YEARS Pierre Desjardins - Red Deer Pierre Fearn - Camrose Joe Hunt - Red Deer Neal Journeaux - Stony Plain Jackie Lefebvre - Stony Plain
Mark McNary - Camrose Derek Morrical - Red Deer Randy Stoby - Stony Plain Carmen Swanson - Camrose Trent Zacharias - Camrose
15 YEARS Kim Befus - Red Deer Bruce Boklage - Stony Plain Fred Curr - Red Deer
Karl Jevne - Red Deer Barry Lawson - Red Deer David Lund - Hinton
20 YEARS Garth Stange - Red Deer
Howard White - Camrose
25 YEARS Ken Hoppus - Red Deer Glen MacKenzie - Camrose
Bill McKiel - Red Deer Darryl Sharkey - Camrose
30 YEARS Don Gillis - Camrose Glenn Johnston - Stony Plain
Gary Swanson - Red Deer Gary Tibbett - Red Deer
35 YEARS Randy Bowles - Red Deer Ken Haarstad - Red Deer Kim Koda - Stony Plain
Jim Reid - Red Deer Martin Reynolds - Red Deer Stan Shott - Camrose
40 YEARS Ralph Huhn - Red Deer
45 YEARS Thor Thordarson - Red Deer
55 YEARS Vic Walls - Red Deer
RETIREES Bruce Sharpe (R.D.) Dave Witzko (R.D.) Pete Malone (R.D. Toby Hassen (R.D.) Dennis Thompson (Cam.)
- Dec. 14, 2011 - June 2, 2012 - Nov. 6, 2012 - Nov. 7, 2012 - Dec. 13, 2012
29 Years of Service 35 Years of Service 34 Years of Service 38 Years of Service 18 Years of Service
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Clara Bergs may have difficulty with her words and face learning challenges at school, but when she puts on her tutu and twirls around the room, she charms the world. The 10-year-old who has autism and a genetic disorder called DiGeorge Syndrome spun into the spotlight after a YouTube video of her dancing along to a 19th-century ballet delighted Internet audiences around the globe. For Clara’s mother, what was truly touching about the reaction to her daughter’s performance, was the response from other families with special needs kids. “They just said ’Clara is an inspiration to us,”’ says Lisa Anderson. “Clara in her own little way, through her dancing in a little place in Toronto, has touched people around the world and, to me, that is phenomenal.” The clip — which has been viewed more than half a million times — shows a smiling Clara dancing step-by-step to the Coppelia comic ballet in her family’s living room. She circles a footstool and, at one point, holds onto a cabinet for balance as she kicks her legs in the air. A small window at the bottom of the screen simultaneously shows a professional ballerina performing the dance and it’s soon clear that Clara has all the steps memorized. For the little girl, ballet is now a key part of how she expresses herself. “I like to go up on the stage. I like to do Coppelia,” she says excitedly when asked why she loves to dance. “I’m so happy.” What’s remarkable is just how far Clara has come.
in Australia and Asia about the clip. Clara’s dancing was soon reported by media in Europe, the U.S. and Canada. At one point, while on a family vacation in Florida this fall, Anderson recalls a smiling hotel bellboy saying he recognized Clara from her video. “It was really uncanny that this guy in Florida knew who she was... That was really touching to us.” The video was originally posted in an effort to encourage donations to fund Clara’s therapy — a program called Intensive Multi-Treatment Intervention that isn’t funded by the Ontario government. She enrolled in the program while waiting for another form of treatment paid for by the province, for which she has since been approved. Because she’s been doing so well with the IMTI program, however, her family has decided to continue it for now, despite the $3,000 monthly cost. While the popularity of the YouTube video prompted enough donations to cover the cost of a few months of therapy, Clara’s family is constantly grappling with how to raise more. “We’ll still be on this constant search for funding,” says Anderson, who hopes to approach more private donors in the new year. She is also considering lobbying the government to give families the choice to pick an autism therapy program that’s best for their child. “The more you as a parent can help your child as they’re younger, the better off they do as an adult,” she says. “Clara’s prognosis was so poor, yet she has accomplished so much, in my opinion, in the 10 years she’s been alive. What can she accomplish in the next 10 years?”