December 4, 1989 | September 3, 1991 |  April 26, 1991 report | November 16, 1991

Carol Bunko-Ruys Reports ( December 4, 1989)

 

The Klassen story

Breaking through to the public

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What follows is Carol Bunko-Ruys entire report dated December 4, 1989. See also the Thompson papers At the Preliminary Hearing of the charges against the natural parents, Bunko was sworn in as an expert witness:

Page 52, line 17, (Volume # 1)(Q. Miazga) And you're a member of the Adlerian Society? (A. Bunko-Ruys) Yes. ... The Adlerian Society is based in Saskatoon and they provide a lot of information on Adlerian psychology, they're involved in parenting workshops in the City. (Official Court Transcript)

Community Child Care Consultants

715 Broadway Avenue, Saskatoon, Sask. S7N 1B3

Telephone (306) 652-0744

Carol Bunko | Del Williams | Nancy Jones

INITIAL CASE ASSESSMENT

CLIENT: Michael London Ross D.O.B. October 18, 1979 Age: 10 years

STATUS: Permanent Ward

CURRENT PLACEMENT: Anita and Dale Klassen 222 St. Paul's Place Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Phone: 382-9570

UPCOMING PLACEMENTS: Marilyn and Lyle Thompson Box 170 Waldheim, Saskatchewan Phone: 342-2934

NATURAL FAMILY: -Helen Ross (natural mother) Resides in Laird, Saskatchewan -Donald Ross (natural father) Resides in Saskatoon, Sask. -Kathy Ross (sister) resides Klassen home -Michelle Ross (twin sister to Kathy) D.O.B. March 4/82 (7 years) Resides Klassen home

CONTACT WORKER: Ron Puff Phone 955-5234

SCHOOL PLACEMENT: In home tutoring Most recent placements were radius Tutoring/Carolyn Robin's Structured Success class.

REGIONAL WORKER: Nancy McGregor

WRITER: Carol Bunko-Ruys

DATE OF REPORT: December 4, 1989

PERIOD OF CONTACT: Mid-October until December 4, 1989

(Note this document is for confidential purposes only. Direct any Questions or concerns to writer)

REASON FOR REFERRAL

Michael is a ten - year old boy who has displayed disturbing behaviors since his initial contact with the Department of Social Services. Michael has been in care for approximately two years and it is reported that he has made little progress. Michael has a history which includes long-term trauma. Michael was the victim of neglect, emotional and physical abuse. While Michael has not disclosed sexual abuse, he has elluded to the fact on several occasions. Michael's behavior is consistent to that of other children that have experienced sexual abuse. Michael was referred to Community Child Care Consultants tp provide both counseling and consultation regarding Michael's overall level of functioning and needs.

OBSERVATIONS REGARDING OVERALL LEVEL OF FUNCTIONING

Michael is an extremely active boy who requires immediate gratification. Given this, Michael has severe difficulty attending to even the shortest tasks until completion. Writer Notes Michael's attention span at best is approximately 20 minutes. Usually Michael will choose to change tasks about every 5 minutes. His strong need for immediate gratification leaves him impulsive and at risk for self-harm, as well as potentially harmful to others.

Michael has experienced a great deal of failure. He has had long breaks between school placements as has behavior has disallowed any success. He currently receives in-home tutoring at three hours per week. Michael does state he wants to be in school.

Michael presents several behaviors that suggest he is struggling with his sexual identity and overall sexuality. He enjoys dressing up as a woman. Most often, Michael chooses high heels, panty hose and rather slinky dresses. He appears to be "strutting" as he circles the room several times. Any attempts at exploring the purpose of this dress-up are met with "I don't know". Michael will allow writer to play along. Michael is often the mom who goes shopping, leaving writer (the dad) to stay home with the kids. During one session Michael role-played a mother giving birth to two children. He named one of the cabbage patch babies Michael. He has been able to demonstrate some nurturing towards this baby Michael. One can only speculate on the purpose of this behavior. Michael may be working out nurturing/mothering issues or he may have had exposure to prostitution.

In drawings of self, Michael draws his penis with some scribbling over top. He states that no one has touched his private parts, while his drawings are consistent with those drawings of children who have been sexually abused.

Michael is able to identify past experiences through non-direct means. Until his level of trust develops, he will require indirect ways to work out such past issues. The following examples are provided to demonstrate:

1) Michael brought a magazine cutout of a baby. We talked about what babies need and things that sometimes happen when that is not o.k. for babies. Michael listed the following:

-get touched in their private parts; -be thrown around; -get sick and not get looked after; -get hurt because adults don't make it safe; -get called names that hurt your feelings; -don't get proper food.

2) During a story-telling exercise, Michael told of having a wolf for a friend. The wolf protected him from his mom and dad. "The wolf had to stop them from fighting with me. They were punching and kicking."

Michael has not developed clear boundaries regarding relationships and roles of others. For example, Michael would state to writer "I love you" after each session during initial involvement's. At the same time, Michael could become defiant and aggressive during sessions.

Michael has a very poor self-image. He has difficulty accepting compliments. Initially, Michael did not like to do written work or art work and would state "I'm no good at this." He has started to ask to paint.

ONGOING NEEDS

Must be supervised at all times. As Michael's self-control increases, supervision may lesson. Michael should not be left alone with small children.

Requires specialized programming which includes short-term goals and tasks. A behavior modification plan involving Michael's ability to earn special privileges or items may be useful (both at home and school). Once Michael is stabilized in his new home, he will require a well-planned and slowly paced integration into a school program.

Needs clear boundaries and messages regarding differentiation between behavior and feelings (i.e. I like you but not what you did).

Needs ongoing support towards building a more positive self-image.

Michael needs to be allowed to continue his dress-up and role play as a means to work out his sexuality. As well, Michael requires opportunities in play mediums to work out past traumas and current issues.

STRENGTHS

Michael is easily engaged in a variety of activities. He enjoys dress-up, role play and puppet shows.

Michael can be an affectionate boy who enjoys hugs and doing something nice for others.

With reminders, he can play more calmly and gently.

Michael displays frequent glimpses of motivation towards behavioral changes.

Enjoys attending sessions and always asks when his next session is.

PLACEMENT

Recently a specialized home was found for Michael. He has started pre-placement visits and the date planned for movement is December 12, 1989. Michael seems to think the move is a good idea while he has "mixed feelings". While this is natural, Michael has not yet developed a method of coping that moves beyond "acting-out" behaviors. Writer anticipates that Michael will take quite awhile to settle in his new placement. Michael will continue to have contact with his sisters and previous foster family once he moves.

Writer supports the plan that Michael live within a family setting. However, should this plan not be successful, given Michael's level of dysfunction, residential treatment should be considered for a period of time. Michael is at risk of developing a series of placement breakdowns.

SUMMARY AND RECCOMENDATIONS

Michael is a young boy experiencing many behavioral and social/emotional problems. He is at risk for harm and ongoing failure if he does not receive long-term therapeutic involvement. Michael possesses strengths that can support the changes he will need to make in order to begin to experience success and a sense of control. With this in mind, the following recommendations are made:

1) That Michael continue involvement with Community Child Care at once per week minimum for a period of six months;

2) That writer provide feedback and consultation to foster parents and regional worker on a bi-monthly basis;

3) That funding be secured for a specialized school program that would meet Michael's needs; and

4) That Michael continue involvement with his current contract worker, Ron Puff, for support and consistency to both Michael and his foster parents.

Respectfully submitted:

Carol Bunko-Ruys.

CBR: LH

The confidential purposes to which Carol Bunko-Ruys refers could fall into the category of "bad secrets." Good secrets are ones that don't hurt anybody and bad ones hurt the keeper of the secret or others, according to the therapy used by Bunko and others. By disclosing this document, injusticebusters does Ms. Bunko-Ruys the service of unloading from her a guilty secret. By jettisoning this baggage, she can make the first step to becoming an honest individual.

Truth can never be told so as to be understood, and not be believ'd. William Blake, The Proverbs of Hell

Truth suppress'd, whether by courts or crooks, will find an avenue to be told. Sheila Steele, injusticebusters.com

If you hold the mouth of Truth, It will burst out its rib-cage. Somali proverb

Truth crushed to earth will rise again. --William Cullen Bryant

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Publisher : Sheila Steele

Co-founder: Richard Klassen

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Why you should dump your preliminary hearing (written July 1998 and still valid)

 

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Another target of Dueck's malice: Wilf Hathway

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This is a pretty good scrapbook for the 1998-2002 period.

 

 

The Klassen/Kvello civil Trial

 

September 8, 2003: Trial Begins

September 09, 2003: Pamela Klassen Shetterly's Testimony

September 10, 2003: Anita Klassen

September 11, 2003: Michelle Ross

September 12, 2003: Sheila Verway

September 16, 2003: Michael Ross

September 18, 2003: Ellen Gunn

September 19, 2003: Terry Hinz

September 19, 2003:StarPhoenix editorial, Terry Hinz

September 20, 2003: Louis Dupuis

September 27, 2003: Ron Schindell, Jay Watson

October 01, 2003: Case

against the Klassens weak: documents

October 02, 2003: Judge asked to dismiss suit: No evidence of malicious intent: lawyers

October 2, 2003: Letter to the editor from former "Believe the children" advocate

October 03, 2003: Lawyer details evidence of malice

October 04, 2003: Judge ponders request to drop Klassen lawsuit

October 27, 2003: Judge Baynton's interim decision: Quinney dropped, the rest proceed

October 27, 2003: Claim goes forward

October 29, 2003: Brian Dueck

October 30, 2003: Dueck

October 31, 2003: Brian Dueck

November 01, 2003: Matthew Miazga

November 04, 2003: Matthew Miazga

November 05, 2003: Matthew Miazga

November 06, 2003: Sonja Hansen

 

Injusticebusters daily reports Page 1 | Page 2

injusticebusters' daily reports page one 1 page two

Final judgment: Dec. 30, 2003 |

Post judgment publicity

articles and editorials from Jan 6-9

Sabo's apology

Editorials: StarPhoenix, Leader Post and National Post

National Post front page story, Jan. 10

Sarah Gibb's profile of Richard and Kari Klassen |

Lives ruined by Jason Warick, Feb. 19

April 15/04: Judge Baynton warns defendants' lawyers not to delay damages trial

Dueck drops his appeal

Full transcript of Dueck's examinations for discovery which were part of the read-ins at the civil trial

 

 

Revitalizing the archives From 1998 until 2002, injusticebusters was in the throes of identity crisis. What was it? What were we doing? We grappled with editorial policy at the same time we were learning the nuts and bolts of building and posting a website. Once we had a secure, paid site I had full editorial control, although I talked regularly to Richard Klassen who was forced to move his family several times and did not always have access to the internet. Rick's pages: one | two We posted our earliest and later actions. Early versions of the site can be found on the Wayback Machine. I began following other threads to stories of police and prosecutorial misconduct and the site's character took on another facet: a newsclipping scrapbook where stories could live longer than they would in print form. I also began picking up other stories of wrongfully convicted people. It was an explosion. By 2003 there were over 700 pages. I also had contact with several other people (Don Smith, Leon Walchuk, Monique Turenne, the Vopnis) and kept these stories going. It was the story of the Ross children's treatment at the hands of the Saskatchewan government which grabbed the attention of The Fifth Estate. The civil claim (The $10M Lawsuit as we called it) was only mentioned briefly at the end of their show which aired in November, 2000. When Richard Klassen began to make progress in bringing his civil claim to court, the government and police defendants alleged he was breaking the rules of court by publishing discovery material on the internet. MacNeil clinic (the document which started it all) The Thompson Papers Carol Bunko-Ruys reports This claim was absolutely false. However, rather than risk being thrown out of his civil claim, Klassen undertook before Judge Mona Dovall to sever all ties with the website. The court fights: Les Perreaux report QB271 These pages have links which lead to other pages from that era. Now that some of the dust has settled, I have been going back through the material we had posted in the early days. In the spirit of keeping the scrapbook alive, I have been reformatting and placing links. The original material remains intact. I hope the information, which chronicles our struggle is useful to you. The identity crisis is over. We know who we are --Sheila Steele, March 28, 2005