On the heels of a groundbreaking apology and settlement over Huronia Regional Centre, the province has once again settled with two groups of survivors

By: Tim Alamenciak News reporter Toronto Star

On the heels of a groundbreaking apology and settlement over Huronia Regional Centre, the province has once again settled with two groups of survivors who filed class action lawsuits.

The province has reached settlements with the survivors of two other provincial institutions for people with intellectual disabilities that were the subject of class-action lawsuits by residents who say they suffered physical, emotional and psychological trauma during their time there.

“It’s the end of a long road for the survivors and their families. They put up with a lot,” said Kirk Baert, a lawyer with Koskie Minsky LLP, who represented survivors in both cases. “It is nice to get them a settlement just before Christmas.”

The two settlements, which are collectively worth $32.7-million, come on the heels of a landmark settlement and apology for survivors of Huronia Regional Centre, the most notorious asylum in a system that has widely been criticized as abusive.

Survivors of Rideau Regional Centre, which was open from 1951 to 2009, will be eligible to receive a portion of roughly $21-million in damages. Rideau was located in Smith Falls, Ontario and housed 2,650 people at its peak.

Southwestern Regional Centre, which was located in Chatham-Kent, operated from 1961 to 2008 and housed under 1,000 people in 1971. Survivors of that institution will qualify for a portion of $11-million.

The settlement still must be approved in court.

Premier Kathleen Wynne issued an apology on the floor of the Queen’s Park legislature in early December. For many survivors, the move was far more important than any financial restitution. In her apology, Wynne included Southwestern and Rideau.

The settlement calls for an additional apology to be made in the form of a published letter, according to Baert.

“The tentative settlements reached today are a turning point that I hope will help former residents to heal. I am pleased that we will now be able to present them to the court for its consideration,” Ontario Attorney-General John Gerretsen said in a news release late Monday