Court Hearings On Residential School Deal Finished

Court Hearings On Residential School Deal Finished

Thursday, October 19, 2006 at 14:50

The last court hearings into the residential compensation agreement wrapped up earlier this week in the Yukon.

Courts in several provinces and territories have been reviewing the deal. They have to give it their blessing before it can move forward.

Lawyer Tony Merchant points out that many judges expressed concerns with how the victims were being dealt with — especially those who were have been rejected in the application process.

However, Merchant doesn’t expect the judges’ misgivings to hinder the agreement from being approved.

He expects the court decisions to come down next month, but the compensation payments will probably have to wait until July or August.

Merchant says any elder that’s had trouble getting the early fast-track payments should have less trouble proving their case when the main compensation payments are made — because the application process will likely be different.