Friday, February 6, 1998 — North Shore News — 3 my f Canadian operation @ heals Russian girl Anastasia flies home to Russia to recuperate Martin Millerchip Contributing Writer miller@nsnews.com ANASTASIA Shurova is on the road to recovery, but that road will unexpectedly detour through her distant homeland for a couple of years. The little Russian girl born with a cleft palate under- went major corrective surgery in Victoria a month ago and it had been anticipated that specch therapy, ortho- dontic work and further surgery would follow while Anastasia stayed in North Vancouver. But according to Heather Gray-Grant, the North Vancouver woman who sct up the fundraising drive to help Anastasia, the six-year-old girl’s upper jaw needs time to grow stronger before the orthodontic work can take place. The News first told Anastasia’s story in October 1997. At that time, Gray-Grant was struggling to raise $45,000 and complete the paperwork necessary to set up a charitable foundation and bring Anastasia to Canada. Thanks to North Shore and Lower Mainland gen- crosity, Gray-Grant has since raised almost $110,000 — more than double the original target — and the founda- tion that now bears Anastasia’s name is poised to help other children unable to obtain corrective surgery where they live. Anastasia was born with a hole in the roof of her mouth and no upper lip — a result of chemotherapy pre- scribed for her mother when Russian doctors mistook pregnancy for stomach cancer. Two surgenes and dental work attempting to correct the problem only made things worse and left Anastasia terrified of doctors. Teeth were extracted without anesthetic or pain killers and at one point she was strapped to a hospital bed while her mother was denied visiting rights. Anastasia has been shunned by the children of Tver, near Moscow, not only for her looks but because her speech is almost unintelligible. When Gray-Grant heard Anastasia’s sad story through a friend of the family she determined to help. Her efforts received a huge boost when Victoria plas- ic surgeon Dr. Jason Gray agreed to volunteer his time. Other medical personnel on his team followed suit, and donated travel points brought Anastasia and her mother to Vancouver in December. Since Dr. Gray operated in January, Anastasia’s palate is healing nicely but surgical examination revealed that a change in plans was required. Her upper jaw is in three picces and the bone itself is threatened by the condition of Anastasia’s teeth. Major dental work under general anesthetic in six or eight weeks will help, but the jaw itself nceds bone grafts from her hip and re-alignment. Specialists feel that it will be safer to wait a couple of years until Anastasia loses her “baby” teeth before attempting that work. So Anastasia will see her father and older brother much sconer than expected but she could be sporting a new smile when she docs. When the dentistry operation planned for the end of See Foundation page § NEWS photo Miko Wakefield ANASTASIA Shurova can breathe, eat and taik thanks to the First | phase generosity of many Canadians. Robert Galster News Reporter robert@nsnews.com THE North Shore’s water quality may be about to improve, but the change . comes at a price. In this case, taste is under. the gun. - ~ Starting next Monday, water leaving the Lower _ Mainland’s three watersheds is going to get an extra‘dose of chlorine. In addition to the extra dis- infection at the source, two new secondary disin- tection stations will begin operations. . “There’s a potential for people to notice more chlorine,” said Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) spokesman Bill Morrell. While the new secondary treatment facilities, ‘located in Vancouver and Surrey, will not affect GVRD postpones ozone disinfection and instead boosts chicrine levels at the source is much more likely to have a notice- able impact. “Those sources are treated with chlorine already ... people may very well notice a change,” said Morrell. Friends of the Watershed spokesman Ross Muirhead said he was disappointed the GVRD has discontinued its ozone pilot study on the Seymour watershed and blamed the need for extra chlori- nation on the construction of roads within the watershed. bidity levels,” said Muirhead, which he said, rise as a result of the GVRD’s activities there. The decision to increase the chlorine content of the region’s water came on the heels of the GVRD’s decision to postpone building an ozone disinfection system in the Capilano watershed and a filtration plant in the Seymour watershed. The projects were postponed by the GVRD’s board to avoid increasing taxes over and above the amount necessary to pay for a massive sewage treatment program already under way in the Greater Vancouver region. Morrell said letting water sit overnight should result in the taste and odor of chlorine dissipating. He added that aquarium and fish enthusiasts may want to seek advice from fish suppliers or pet shops on dechlorination techniques. “Most people that own aquariums are familiar the North Shore’s water, the extra chlorine added ‘Crackdown on curfews THE North Vancouver RCMP are cracking down on teenagers and - adults who don’t like to follow court orders. Const. Tom Seaman said thar there is “large scale disre- spect” for court orders such as curfews by “continual oftend- . ers.” Seaman said North Van RCMP officers, as well as “| police in other Lower Mainland RCMP detachments, will start knocking on the doors of “high risk offenders” to see if curfews are being obcyed. Seaman said that in a three- day period in January, three of seven people checked who were supposed to be home under court-ordered curfews were out. — Anna Marie D’Angelo Theft nets “The chlorine is adjusted according to the tur- probation with dechiorination anyway,” he said. Lawyer describes his client as ‘modest but honest’ Anna Marie D’Angelo News Reporter dangelo@nsnews.com ANNA Cheng stole $200 from her employ- er last March and tried to blame it on bur- glars. On Wednesday, the 27-year-old woman was sen- tenced to 12 months’ probation for stealing money and misleading police by a reporting a crime that she knew didn’t happen. North Vancouver provincial court Judge Bill Rodgers gave Cheng a conditional discharge. She will not have a criminal record for the crimes after she completes her probation. Rodgers noted that Cheng repaid the money and wrote an apology to her employer. The judge ordered Cheng to complete 100 hours of conmunity work. Last March, Cheng was the first employee to start work one morning at Popi Childrenswear in Capilano mall. A shore time after arriving at work, Cheng called police to report a burglary. Cheng, who worked as a store clerk, told police that she went to get the cash float hidden in a washroom and noticed the storage room appeared to be broken into. ‘Lhe float money was missing as was about $40 in the cash register. “An internal theft was (immediately) suspected,” said Crown lawyer David Payn. He said Cheng confessed to the crime when inter- viewed by police a few days after the incident. During the police interview, an officer pulled out a video tape that “really had nothing to do with” the employce theft, but apparently led Cheng to believe she had been video recorded, said the Crown lawyer. Payn asked for probation, community work and a sus- pended sentence tor the crimes. A suspended sentence carries a criminal record. Cheng’s lawyer, Dan Sudeyko said that cither his client’s conscience or the video tape contributed to her confession to police. Sudeyko said his client was from very poor, modest but honest, reots and this incident was out of character for her or anyone in her family. Cheng did not have a previous criminal record. The defence lawyer asked for a conditional discharge, probation and community work: as a sentence for the crimes. Another charge against Cheng, one of failing to appear in court, was stayed (dropped.) Cheng was fired from her job. She is unemployed. to cost $30m From page V shares. Mitchell said he — was shocked when Price Waterhouse was appointed trustee. ; He said Eron appeared busy and successful. “Their facade was extreme- ly good. “The next thing you know it was just a house of cards,” he said. He said Seasons is currently looking for construction financing for the mausoleum and has a number of groups interested in putting up the cash, including a large pension fund. The financing, Mitchell said, should be in place by March. Seasons’ long-range plans call for a nine-storey, 264,000- square-foot — facility = with enough room for 30,000 crypts. Seasons told the North Shore News it expects to spend $30 million on the first phase. . That phase is slated to include five 15,000-square- foot floors underground. Eventually those under- ground floors will consume 68,005 square feet, said Seasons. West Vancouver’s” Brian Slobogian was Eron’s sole director and onc af the com- Pany’s two principals.