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Sabrina's Law

2007 42 min
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A documentary on the creation of Sabrina's Law in the province in Ontario, the first legislation in the world to protect children with deadly allergies. On a September morning in 2003, Sara Shannon handed her 13-year-old daughter Sabrina lunch money, gave her a kiss and watched her walk into the halls of a high school in Pembroke, Ontario. The next day Sabrina Shannon died of complications brought about by anaphylactic shock. Suspected cause of death: french fries from the school cafeteria. French fries that she had eaten before, only this time the cafeteria was also serving poutine. All it would …

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Sabrina's Law

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A documentary on the creation of Sabrina's Law in the province in Ontario, the first legislation in the world to protect children with deadly allergies. On a September morning in 2003, Sara Shannon handed her 13-year-old daughter Sabrina lunch money, gave her a kiss and watched her walk into the halls of a high school in Pembroke, Ontario. The next day Sabrina Shannon died of complications brought about by anaphylactic shock. Suspected cause of death: french fries from the school cafeteria. French fries that she had eaten before, only this time the cafeteria was also serving poutine. All it would take is for the same tongs to be used in both dishes to set off Sabrina's reaction to dairy. Since then her parents have dedicated their lives to ensuring that what happened will never happen to another child.
  • director
    Barry Lank
  • cinematographer
    Barry Lank
  • producer
    Luanne Lank
    Merit Jensen-Carr
    Derek Mazur
  • executive in charge of production
    Michael Ghent
  • writer
    Bonnie Dickie
  • additional research
    Angelo Eidse
  • editor
    Randy Frykas
  • original score
    Michael Richard Plowman
  • camera assistant
    Linda Danchak
  • audio recordist
    Russ Dyck
    Mark Obradovich
    Doug Suhr
    Daniel Tremblay
    Jerry Turchyn
  • sound edit
    Anita Lubosch
  • re-recording mixer
    Howard Rissin
  • online editing
    Tony Wytinck
  • still photography
    Barry Lank
    Linda Danchak
  • narration
    Kathleen Whelan
  • production management
    Luanne Lank
    Danielle Audette
  • business affairs
    Dodie Graham
    Alexa Rosentreter
  • production accountant
    Jolyn Hoogstraten
  • unit publicity
    Jennifer Jensen
  • legal affairs
    Paul Popeski Law Office
  • production coordinator
    Rolande Petit
    Monique Perron
  • program administrator
    Cyndi Forcand
  • marketing manager
    Leslie Stafford
  • production supervisor
    Scott Collins

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Education

Ages 15 to 17
School subjects
This documentary provides a way to analyze citizen activism. Ask students to explain, based on what they have seen in the film, how Sabrina’s mother’s legal struggle succeeded. They should also be prepared to explain the various mechanisms whereby a citizen’s cause can be brought before elected officials. They can also explore other causes that people rally around, and suggest an action plan, as seen in the documentary.
Sabrina's Law
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