By Cynthia Munster
Portage Daily Graphic
August 22, 2007
http://www.portagedailygraphic.com/Top%20Stories/332971.html
Portage LA Prairie — John Taylor is disappointed and frustrated by the federal government's residential school settlement.
The Dakota Tipi First Nation resident spent 12 years in a residential school in Lebret, Sask., during his childhood and the memories of that experience still haunt him.
"It's very frustrating and very disappointing. It hurts, you know? It still hurts today, I hate to talk about it, but people ask me to talk about it. I talk and I always break down," said Taylor. "I'm happy at this settlement that is coming out -- at least it's better than nothing. You know, $43,000 is a lot of money when you think about it, which I never had in my life.I can make use of it. But still, I don't think it's enough. It should be more."
Taylor said he suffered from physical, psychological and sexual abuse while attending residential school.
 |
| John Taylor is a former residential school student. The Dakota Tipi resident expects to receive $43,000 for the 12 years he spent in a residential school in Lebret, Sask.. Taylor is still haunted by the memories of the psychological, physical and sexual abuse he suffered during his time at the school. Photo by Cynthia Munster |
"Today, I've got no feelings in my fingers. I lost use of my nerves. I try to grab a cup of coffee, sometimes I don't even know if I dropped it," said Taylor, who explained that stems from repeated beatings.
Three years ago, Taylor filed a case against the government in Saskatoon. His case was turned down earlier this year.
Taylor's wife, Evelyn, who spent 11 years in the Portage Indian Residential School, located in the Rufus Prince building on Crescent Road West, expects to receive $33,000 out of the settlement.
Though they don't know when they will receive the money from the government, the couple has already plans for it. They want to travel somewhere.
The opt-out phase of a national notification program in the Indian residential schools settlement has been completed. The postmark deadline for an opt-out request was on Monday. As of yesterday, a total of 201 opt out forms from former students have been received and logged. In the coming days, any additional opt out forms received which were postmarked prior to the deadline will be tallied and verified. According to the settlement agreement, as long as the total number of former residential schools students who choose to opt out is less than 5,000, the settlement will go forward.
It is expected that claim forms will be available by approximately Sept. 20.
Packages expected to average $28,000 will be made available to an estimated 80,000 former students who suffered widespread abuse, cultural losses and in some cases, even death at the church-run institutions.
The agreement has been dubbed the largest and most complicated class-action settlement in Canadian history.
The end of the opt-out period means former students who stayed in the settlement can make a claim for a payment and will never again be able to sue Government of Canada, the churches who joined in the settlement, or any other defendant in the class actions over residential schools. Former students who opted out of the settlement will not get any payment from the settlement, but may pursue their own legal action.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.