Claims Process Open for Survivors of Federal Indian Day Schools
TORONTO, Jan. 13, 2020 /CNW/ - The Indian Day School Settlement Claims Process is now open for Survivors who suffered harms while attending Federal Indian Day Schools and Federal Day Schools. Survivors can now take the next step in their journey by submitting a claim for compensation.
The Approved Settlement provides direct compensation for eligible Survivors, in the range of $10,000 ? $200,000, as well as support for families and communities through the establishment of a $200M Legacy Fund. To be eligible for direct compensation, a person must have suffered harm while attending one of the Federal Indian Day Schools or Federal Day Schools funded, managed and controlled by Canada, as listed on Schedule K.
To get started, Survivors can visit www.indiandayschools.com or call 1 (888) 221-2898. Class Members will have two and a half years to submit their claims for compensation. The last day to submit a Claim will be July 13, 2022.
Class Counsel encourages all Survivors to review the Claim Form, available on the Indian Day School website, to prepare their submission.
A completed Claim Form can be submitted to the Claims Administrator in the following ways:
To: Indian Day Schools Class Action Claims Administrator, c/o Deloitte
- By Mail: PO Box 1775, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5C 0A2, or
- By Fax: 416-366-1102, or
- By Email: [email protected]
Legal and mental health supports available for Class Members
After waiting many years for justice and recognition, the opening of the Claims Process is a major milestone in many Survivors' lives. To assist claimants in the process, a number of supports are available for Class Members:
- Claims Process and legal support: For any questions about the Claim Form or Claims Process, Survivors can call 1 (888) 221-2898. They will be given the option either to seek support from the Administrator on submitting a Claim, or legal support and help filling out the Claim Form from Class Counsel.
- Mental health counselling and crisis support is available to Class Members 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through the Hope for Wellness Hotline at 1-855-242-3310 or online at www.hopeforwellness.ca. Counselling is available in English, French, Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut, on request.
Plaintiff Quotes
"This compensation is an important next step in the process of healing and revitalizing our languages, cultures and traditions. Not only does this Settlement recognize the harm Indian Day Schools did to our languages and culture, it also validates the significance of First Nation languages and cultures for our people. First Nation people hold to the belief that our languages and cultures are our inherent gifts given to us by our Creator, and we must ensure our languages and cultures will forever be here for our children, grandchildren and our future as the Original and First people of this country." ? Claudette Commanda
"I am glad to finally reach this stage of the process and am hopeful that this settlement will help survivors and their families. No amount of money will ever take away the memories of our experiences, but perhaps it can create new and better ones for us all. If Canada can acknowledge what we endured, in what was a very dark time of its history, then we can all make sure this never happens again." ? Angel Sampson
"As we begin the process of receiving compensation, I hope to see continued progress on our path to healing and wish peace to our communities across Canada ? including ourselves, parents and grandparents ? who suffered unimaginable harms at the hands of the government. Today we remember Garry McLean for his perseverance so Survivors could see justice and receive compensation today." ? Mariette Buckshot
"With this next step in the Settlement process, it is time for us to focus on our healing and look forward to the health and wellness and language and culture initiatives that will ensure what we and our families endured will never be forgotten." ? Roger Augustine
"Money will never fully compensate us for the enormous damage caused by Day Schools. There is still so much work left to do to repair the trauma we have experienced, and we will continue to focus on healing and supporting ourselves and our families." ? Margaret Swan
SOURCE Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP - Toronto
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