A settlement agreement has now officially been signed by the Government of Canada and Survivors of the Ile a la Crosse Boarding School.
For years, survivors of the school have had various legal challenges against both the provincial and federal governments over the operation of the school.
The Ile a la Crosse Boarding School ran from the 1860s to the 1970s, but was excluded from official designation as a residential school leaving survivors out of potential compensation.
This past September, survivors and the federal government reached a settlement agreement in principle.
On Thursday morning, Canada’s Secretary of State and former mayor of Ile a la Crosse Buckley Belanger, announced that both sides had signed the official agreement at an event in the northern community.
“Today is about the Survivors of Île-à-la-Crosse School,” said Belanger. “They waited a long time for this moment, and they worked hard to get here. I am incredibly honoured to stand with them as we take this important step toward justice and fairness with this proposed settlement with the Government of Canada.”
This means survivors will be eligible for individual compensation and millions will be paid out for various supports to former students and their families.
Individual compensation will up to $10,000 for less than five-years attendance and up to $15,000 for those who attended more than 5-years.
The government will also provide $10 million to support healing, wellness, protection of languages, education, and commemoration for former students and their families.
“This is a big step forward for our Survivors in terms of finding closure, which comes only after a long and hard fight for recognition of what we endured at the Île-à-la-Crosse Residential School,” said proposed representative plaintiff Louis Gardiner. “If court approval is granted, I believe this settlement will help us toward a healthier future.”
The agreement will now head to court in late March where Canada will ask for approval.
If the court approves the settlement, former students will be able to begin submitting their claims. The process of that will be made available after court approval.
At that hearing in March, the court will also consider the separate settlement that was reached between survivors and the Province of Saskatchewan.
(TOP PHOTO – File photo of the Ile a la Crosse Boarding School)