Are you part of the Indian Residential Schools (Gottfriedson) Day Scholars class action
Learn about the Indian Residential Schools (Gottfriedson) Day Scholars settlement agreement for the Survivor and Descendant classes.
Update
The claims process for the Indian Residential Schools (Gottfriedson) Day Scholars settlement is now open. Applications can be submitted until October 4, 2023. For more information on how to apply for compensation, please contact the claims administrator, Deloitte at:
- Toll-free: 1-877-877-5786
- Website: Indian Residential Schools Day Scholars Class Action Claims Administration
- Email: dayscholarsclaims@deloitte.ca
Those affected by the harms associated with their attendance at an Indian Residential School as a day scholar, or the ongoing process, can access emotional and crisis intervention services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through the toll-free:
- National Indian Residential School Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419
- Hope for Wellness Line at 1-855-242-3310 or online at hopeforwellness.ca. Counselling is available in English, French, Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut on request
On this page
What is included in the settlement agreement
The key elements of the Indian Residential Schools (Gottfriedson) Day Scholars settlement agreement for the Survivor and Descendant classes are:
- $10,000 in individual compensation for day scholars who attended an Indian Residential School during the day, but did not sleep there at night
- $50 million towards the creation of the Day Scholars Revitalization Society
- $9.6 million in legal fees for past legal work and settlement implementation
- $2.5 million for class counsel to support additional legal work on behalf of class members at no cost to the class members. Class counsel is committed to not seeking additional legal costs from payments made to class members so as to ensure that compensation intended for plaintiffs is preserved for them
- funding for administrative costs for a court-appointed third-party claims administrator to implement the agreement
Who is eligible for compensation
The settlement agreement includes $10,000 in individual compensation for all persons who attended an Indian Residential School as a day scholar during the day, but did not sleep there overnight. A list of Indian Residential Schools included in this settlement is found in Schedule E of the agreement.
- In cases where the person died on or after May 30, 2005, their estate administrator, executor, trustee, liquidator, or if none is appointed, their highest priority living heir, may apply for compensation on their loved one's behalf.
- Day scholars and their children will be able to apply for grants from the Day Scholars Revitalization Society to support healing, wellness, education, language, culture, and commemoration activities. Consult Schedule F of the settlement agreement for details.
How to apply for compensation
The claims process is managed by a third-party administrator, Deloitte. For comprehensive information on the settlement and claims process, class members should contact Deloitte at:
- Toll-free: 1-877-877-5786
- Website: Indian Residential Schools Day Scholars Class Action Claims Administration
- Email: dayscholarsclaims@deloitte.ca
A claim can be made:
- online through the claims administrator's website
- on paper, through claims forms available online or sent to class members upon request
Completed paper claim forms can be mailed, faxed, or emailed to the claims administrator.
The claims process for day scholars applying on their own behalf, and those applying for a day scholar who died on or after May 30, 2005 are different.
Applying for yourself
- Day scholars who attended an Indian Residential School as a day scholar in List 1 (IRSs known to have had day scholars), do not need any supporting documentation to prove their attendance. Day scholars just need to complete the Survivor claim form.
- Day scholars who attended an Indian Residential School as a day scholar in List 2 (IRSs not known to have had day scholars), need to complete a Survivor claim form and provide a sworn declaration confirming that they were a day scholar and identifying who they lived with at night when they went to the Indian Residential School during the day. The sworn declaration is included in the claim form. A guide on how to complete it is available on Indian Residential Schools Day Scholars Class Action Claims Administration.
To avoid unnecessary delays in processing a claim, the Government of Canada reminds class members to carefully review their claim forms to ensure they are complete prior to submitting them to the claims administrator.
Applying on behalf of a family member
For day scholars who died on or after May 30, 2005, there is a different form, the Estate claim form.
Family members are not eligible to receive direct compensation. However, a class member's estate executor, administrator, trustee, liquidator or if none is appointed, the highest priority living heir, can make a claim on behalf of someone who died on or after May 30, 2005, or on behalf of someone who has been determined to be incapable of managing their own legal or financial affairs.
Consult the Day scholars estates guide to find out who can submit a claim and how to complete the form. All claim forms must be submitted to the claims administrator by October 4, 2023.
What is the Day Scholars Revitalization Society
The settlement includes $50 million toward the creation of the Day Scholars Revitalization Society, an Indigenous-led organization to support healing, wellness, education, language, culture, heritage and commemoration for the benefit of the Survivor and Descendant classes. The funds will be administered by a not-for-profit organization that is independent of Canada.
The Day Scholars Revitalization Society is currently being established.
Background on the settlement agreement
Day scholars are people who attended an Indian Residential School during the day, but did not sleep there at night. While Day Scholars were eligible for compensation for serious physical and sexual abuse suffered at an Indian Residential School through the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement Independent Assessment Process , they were not eligible for the Common Experience Payment as they did not reside at an Indian Residential School. The Indian Residential Schools (Gottfriedson) Day Scholars settlement agreement ensures that Day Scholars receive compensation for the harms and experiences they suffered while attending an Indian Residential School.
On June 9, 2021, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett, together with representative plaintiffs, announced a proposed settlement agreement to resolve the national Indian Residential Schools (Gottfriedson) Day Scholars class action outside of the courts and toward a lasting and meaningful resolution for tens of thousands of day scholars who attended an Indian Residential School during the day, but did not sleep there at night.
The Federal Court approved the settlement agreement for the Survivor and Descendant classes on September 24, 2021.
Supports available for class members
Class members who have questions about the settlement agreement, a rejected claim or the class action in general can contact class counsel (the lawyers appointed by the court to provided legal services to class members, at no cost) toll-free at 1-888-222-6845 or by email at dayscholars@waddellphillips.ca.
Class members who have questions about the claim form or want a paper copy of the claim form can contact the claims administrator (Deloitte) toll-free at 1-877-877-5786 or by email at dayscholarsclaims@deloitte.ca.