Alberta
‘It doesn’t feel real’: uneral held in Edmonton for mother, child killed in stabbing
Carolann Robillard, 35, and her child Sara Miller, 11, who had started using the first name Jayden, pose in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Vanessa Carlin
By Ritika Dubey in Edmonton
Dozens of people gathered at a church Wednesday to bid an emotional farewell to a mother and her child who were stabbed to death outside an Edmonton school earlier this month.
Carolann Robillard, 35, and 11-year-old Sara Miller, who had recently started using the first name Jayden, were killed in what police said was a random attack outside Crawford Plains School on May 5.
Those who attended the funeral at Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples, northeast of downtown Edmonton, donned T-shirts with a photo of the mother and child. Attendees embraced each other ahead of the service
Robillard’s sister, Amanda Robillard, said purple was her sibling’s favourite colour. She said a community member donated pins with a purple ribbon for the funeral to honour Robillard and Jayden.
With a blend of Indigenous traditions and Catholic practices, their caskets were carried inside the church as the hall resounded with Cree drums and singing, with the scent of sage lingering in the air.
“It doesn’t feel real,” Amanda Robillard said. “(Carolann) cared about her kids. She was a great mother.”
Robillard was studying to become a teacher’s assistant, the sister said in her eulogy.
“Carolann will be remembered for her continuous dancing, her deadly auntie laugh, her big dimples and her beautiful outlook on life,” she said.
She added that Jayden had a “huge heart” and loved everyone.
“(He needed) to make others feel accepted, he made sure to seek out the new janitor at school simply to tell him, ‘Thank you for what you do.'”
He also aspired to become a professional basketball player, Amanda Robillard said.
She said their deaths “tore our family apart.”
Police have said the man who killed Robillard and Jayden had been facing assault charges for allegedly attacking a man on a scooter. The charges were stayed two days before the mother and child were stabbed.
Officers shot the man during an altercation with him shortly after the stabbings. He died in the hospital five days later.
Police have said the 33-year-old was the sole person responsible for the deaths. Since he was incapacitated in the hospital and later died, police said they won’t be naming the killer or laying any charges against him.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, the province’s police watchdog, is investigating the shooting.
Investigators have said the killer was known to police, had mental health issues and a record of assaulting children.
After the funeral Wednesday, Robillard’s brother questioned the security at the school.
“We don’t know how long he was sitting at that park … Schools need to change, security-wise,” George Robillard told reporters outside the church.
On the day of the stabbing, Jayden and his eight-year-old sister had walked home from school but could not get inside, police have said.
They walked back to the school to meet their mother when they were attacked. The eight-year-old escaped but witnessed the stabbings.
Robillard was a single mother of three and her two surviving children are being raised by Robillard’s sister and mother.
During the funeral Wednesday, Katti Holmes, Robillard’s best friend, described her as the life of the party.
“The day I found out about her (death) was my birthday,” Holmes said of her friend of eight years.
“She was supposed to be there.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 24, 2023.
Blairmore area wildfire warning signage is shown in this handout image provided by the Government of Alberta Fire Service. As fire bans continue in many provinces, businesses selling camping gear and firewood are seeing a shift in demand. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Government of Alberta Fire Service
By Ritika Dubey in Edmonton
Jade Najam was getting excited about camping during the May long weekend, sitting around the campfire late into the night with his family and sipping hot chocolate.
“Camping is all about the campfire. Just surfing the fire and sitting around the fire,” said Najam. “Sitting around the campfire is the most important part of our evening.”
But Alberta’s fire ban, which was put in place in early May, still hadn’t been lifted. Najam called off the plans to go camping in the wilderness, deciding it was better to stay home instead.
Fire bans began rolling in after hot, dry weather took over much of Canada early in the season — starting in Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, now expanding to the Maritimes. While Saskatchewan and Alberta have lifted the bans in some regions, people in the Prairies have been monitoring the wildfire season closely.
Companies that supply camping enthusiasts have been seeing trends change.
Najam, who is the managing director of Smart Firewood Products, based in Leduc, Alta., says demand usually picks up around mid-April and continues until mid-October.
“This May, I’m not even at five per cent of what I did last year in sales,” he said.
Najam said his company provides “truckloads” of firewood to national parks in Alberta every year, while serving locals with retail firewood in his yard.
“My semi-truck full of firewood didn’t even get out of the yard,” he said of the current season.
One outdoor outfitter, meanwhile, is seeing a jump in sales for propane gas outdoor firepits.
“People have to look at things a bit differently when planning their camping trip due to fire bans,” said Mike Eerkes, general manager at a Mountain Equipment Company store in Edmonton.
He said campers are opting for alternatives that don’t get the classic smoky-wood campfire but still provide a warm glow.
For propane fires, Eerkes said, “All you need is a propane firepit, a propane tank and some gas in it.”
The biggest advantage to propane fire is that “you can have it,” he said. “They’re fully compliant with the fire bans.”
However, he acknowledges that propane fires are not fuel efficient, based on his experience. He suggested buying larger, refillable propane tanks for cost-effectiveness.
Overall, Eerkes said he hasn’t seen a remarkable shift in the sales of camping gear overall.
“It’s certain the fires are going to have some effect … but I’m not convinced we’re seeing a massive downturn in people going camping this year.”
A private campground about 100 kilometres southwest of Halifax has been getting cancellations since the fire ban and camping bans in wooded areas of Nova Scotia earlier this week.
“When fire bans are in place, it’s the private campground’s choice to follow the fire ban to not,” said Minseo Kim, manager of the Little Lake Family Campground in Lunenburg, N.S. “But for this fire ban, private campgrounds have to listen as well.
“This has never happened before. We never faced this issue.”
Kim said the cancellations will not have a huge effect in the coming weeks, partly because the peak season begins in July and the campground also has an open space outside of the wooded area.
He is hoping the fire ban lifts soon for overnight campers.
Nova Scotia imposed the fire ban on Monday, with Prince Edward Island following Tuesday.
Chris Nuttall-Smith, the author of the newly released book “Cook It Wild,” said campers don’t really need campfires to enjoy the outdoors or prepare meals.
A longtime backpacker and camper, Nuttall-Smith said fire bans are not a “huge limitation” for cooking outdoors with alternatives like backpack stoves available.
Nuttall-Smith, in his book, shares 75 recipes to cook in the wild, with up to 65 of them possible without a campfire, he said.
“Some of the best trips that I’ve ever taken are in places where you’re never allowed to have a campfire,” he said. “I don’t think a lot of people miss it.”
He recommends campers making due without fire this season bring pre-prepared food and enjoy the outdoors.
“You can find so much beauty out in the wild at dusk, after dark, like looking at the fireflies, looking at the stars. There is so much to do.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2023.
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News release from Innisfail RCMP
Innisfail RCMP seek public assistance in locating missing elderly female – Update #3
Innisfail, Alta. – RCMP would like to provide additional details and clarify some information with regards the search efforts and the ultimate rescue of Lorraine Vandenbosch who went missing from Dickson Point Campground on May 29, 2023.
Upon locating Lorraine as she emerged from a heavily wooded area, rescue teams had difficulties transporting her due to a steep embankment. Alberta RCMP Air Services were again up to the task in supporting rescue efforts by landing in the difficult location and transporting Lorraine . She was taken for medical assessment and ultimately transported by STARS to hospital. Lorraine remains confused about her ordeal and RCMP have few details at this time.
Background
June 1, 2023
Innisfail RCMP seek public assistance in locating missing elderly female – Update #2
Innisfail, Alta. – RCMP are please to report that after 4 days of searching, Lorraine Vandenbosch has been located by rescue teams alive and in good spirits.
The RCMP helicopter located Lorainne this morning at approximately 9:30 a.m. walking out of a heavily wood area near the Dickson Trout Pond.
Lorainne is receiving precautionary medical attention and is with her family.
RCMP would like to thank the tireless effort of all involved in this search: Red Deer County SAR, Rocky Mountain House SAR, Sundre SAR, Wetaskiwin SAR, Red Deer County Patrol, Innisfail Fire Dept, Red Deer County Fire Dept, Spruceview Fire Dept, Alberta Conservation Officers, Raven Crime Watch and Mounted Horse volunteers.
RCMP would also like to thank the organizations that provided food to the teams, Spruceview Bakery and Red Deer Costco. This support allowed the rescue teams to continue working long hours.
Background
Innisfail RCMP seek public assistance in locating missing elderly female – Update
Innisfail, Alta. – Innisfail RCMP continue to search for Lorraine Vadenbosch who went missing from the Dickson Point Campground at Glennifer Lake yesterday. RCMP with assistance from Red Deer County, Sundre, and Rocky Mountain House Search and Rescue teams are actively searching the area.
While search teams continue to search, we are asking residents in the Glennifer Lake, Dickson, Spruce View, and nearby areas, to check your properties including treed outcroppings and outbuildings for Lorraine.
If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Lorraine, please contact the Innisfail RCMP Detachment at 403-227-3342. If you want to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store.
May 29, 2023
Innisfail RCMP seek public assistance in locating missing elderly female
Innisfail. Alta. – Innisfail RCMP are seeking public assistance in locating a missing elderly female. Lorraine Vandenbosch (78), a resident of Didsbury, was last seen on May 29, 2023, at 10:30 a.m., at the Dickson Point Campground at Gleniffer Lake. Lorraine may be confused and there is great concern for her safety.
Lorraine is described as:
- 5 feet tall
- Red hair
- Light complexion
- Last seen wearing white pants, white and black shirt, black runners and a cream colored hat
If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Lorraine, please contact the Innisfail RCMP Detachment at 403-227-3342. If you want to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store.
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