Survivors told payments would be as high as $50,000. (video here)
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The total federal settlement payment for individual ‘60s Scoop survivors is now set at $25,000, the claims administrator announced this week.
“I understand everyone won’t be happy,” said Doug Lennox of Klein Lawyers, lead spokesperson for the class-action agreement approved in November 2018.
“But now we know how much money we still need to pay and what everybody’s owed.”
The ‘60s Scoop was a wave of adoptions from the 1950s to the ‘90s that swept First Nations, Inuit and Métis children out of their homes and into non-Indigenous foster and adoptive placements across Canada and around the world.
Survivors sued the federal and Ontario governments, settling for $875-million to compensate for the loss of their cultural identities. Inuit and First Nations people not registered under the Indian Act (non-status) were left out of the deal.
Interim compensation
Already 12,500 survivors received an interim compensation payment of $21,000 during the coronavirus pandemic. They are awaiting their second and final payment of $4,000.
Then, there are those whose claims were approved during the pandemic and are waiting for their total payment of $25,000.
“I know it’s enormously frustrating,” Lennox added.
“People want to know why does everything take so long? We have a legal system that is hundreds of years old. It moves at its own pace.”
He said Collectiva would be ready to implement the decision almost immediately, adding its call centre is now open extended hours.
“They have the funds, they’re ready to go.”
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