06 | 16 | 2012 VOLUME 17 | ISSUE 27 THEY'RE OFF ON A CROSS-CANADA FUNDRAISING TREK LIVING HERE PAGE 32
COMMENT PAGE 10
GROWTH WILL REQUIRE A CAREFUL EYE ON FINANCES
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Controversial new hire no longer on the job at twp. Visa problems force South African woman to leave; Woolwich begins process again STEVE KANNON Seven weeks into a three-year contract, Woolwich is back on the market for someone to fill the newly-created executive assistant/communications position. The previous hire’s work visa expired, forcing her to leave the job Thursday. Saskia Koning, a South African citizen who had been in the country for about a year, started with the township on Apr. 26. Chief administrative officer David Brenneman and Mayor Todd Cowan deemed her the only qualified candidate among some 120 people who applied for the job. Her hiring was controversial from the start. The position itself was never fully justified. The pay range of $43,000 to $53,000 plus generous benefits were far above national averages for administrative assistants. That Koning’s qualifications did not appear to match the job description posted by the township served to highlight the fact a friend of the mayor’s was hired for a job he led the charge to create. She was hired despite the fact her visa was set to expire in June. In order to receive a new visa, Koning needed clearance from Immigration Canada based on HIRING | 4
Derek Beam (inset) was the top fundraiser in Canada for the Arthiritis Society’s annual fundraiser walk, collecting almost $25,000. His team, Derek’s Destroyers, was also the top fundraising team in Canada with just over $40,000. [JAMES JACKSON / THE OBSERVER]
St. Clements boy a top fundraiser JAMES JACKSON What was supposed to be a walk turned into a run last Sunday for St. Clements’ Derek Beam as he sprinted from the starting line of the third annual Arthritis Society fundraiser walk at Bingemans in Kitchener. “At first I thought ‘oh my goodness, how is he going to feel later?’” said his mother, Tracey, “but he woke up and felt good the next day and went to school.” The walk consisted of a 1-km or 5-km loop at the park, and this was the first year that Derek felt able to complete the 5-km portion. The 10-year-old has lived with juvenile arthritis for the last four years. It is one of
the most common chronic illnesses affecting children and, according to the Arthritis Society, one in 1,000 children under 16 has the affliction. Unlike other forms of juvenile arthritis – of which there are nearly 100 – the type Derek has also impacts his organs, such as enlargement of the liver and spleen, inflammation of the lungs, and inflammation around his heart, and he will never outgrow it. More than 60 people came out to support the family as part of their team, Derek’s Destroyers, and made a significant impact on the fundraising efforts of the society. According to their website, Derek is the top individual fundraiser across Canada with
nearly $25,000 in donations to his name, easily surpassing his goal of $1,000. His team collected more than $40,000, or about four times their fundraising goal of $9,000 and almost half of the $82,000 collected in Waterloo-Wellington – making Derek’s Destroyers the top fundraising team in the nation. “It’s the whole team that makes our success,” said Tracey. “They all worked hard to reach that number.” The money was raised through a variety of special events, raffles and donations from classmates and friends at St. Clement Catholic School, many of whom asked for FUNDRAISER | 7
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