Survivor Gets Cash Eight Years After Court Award
Thursday, June 18, 2009 at 15:10
A Regina-based lawyer says money is finally coming to a residential school survivor, eight years after the judge awarded him the money.
Tony Merchant says his client is excited he’ll finally receive his compensation, but regrets it took so long for it to arrive.
The victim is known only as “H.L.”
He suffered years of abuse at a school north of Regina.
In all Merchant believes H.L. will get $300,000 plus interest, which would be one of the largest decisions in Saskatchewan history.
Merchant says the payment was held back after the government appealed the amount.
Merchant says that he understands these things take time, but it’s terrible it took eight years.
“We’re hoping and praying that we can have money to him in about six weeks. He’s been through a long period,” Merchant says.
“One of the bad things the government does is they’ve been delaying payments, so you have a relatively good program where people don’t get the money in a timely manner, and it just sort is offensive.”
Merchant says he hopes no one else has to wait this long for their money.