A residential schools support worker says there is still a lot of confusion regarding the application process for the federal Indian day school settlement package.
Last month, a federal court approved a nation-wide class action settlement for Indian day school survivors.
As part of the settlement, individuals will be eligible for compensation anywhere from $10,000 to $200,000.
There is also a $200 million legacy fund for commemoration and other health and wellness projects.
Nevertheless, Tom Roberts, who works with the Lac La Ronge Indian Band’s residential school council, said many survivors don’t understand they can’t apply until later this year once the appeal period has passed.
“A lot of people are calling our office now saying, ‘Where’s the application?’ he said. “What they don’t quite understand is through the court system they have a 60-90 day waiting period for appeals, and stuff like that, and for people to opt-out of that original agreement.”
Roberts said survivors also remain unsure about which schools are covered by the settlement package and what exactly it means to opt out.
The day school settlement package only covers schools that were administered by the federal government and on-reserve.
However, he said one positive development is the government has extended the period to apply for compensation.
“Instead of having one year to do it, we’ve got two-and-a-half years to do it which is okay, that’s nice, it will give people a chance to go through the application thoroughly and address all the issues, or all the questions anyway, that they’re being asked.”
Roberts said the federal government needs to take a greater leadership role in providing information on the settlement package to survivors including having lawyers on hand to answer specific technical questions.
More information on the settlement package can be found at www.indiandayschools.com.
(PHOTO: New Cote Indian Day School (Kamsack, SK), Sept. 1958. Photo courtesy www2.uregina.ca.)