While the first round of payments from the New Denver School survivors' compensation package went out to living survivors in August, the B.C. Attorney General's office says issuing payments to descendants of deceased survivors is going to take a while longer.
The payments are part of a $10 million compensation package first announced in February, 2023, alongside a formal apology from the B.C. Provincial Government to Sons of Freedom Doukhobors affected by the forced confinement of children at the New Denver School between 1953 and 1959.
The package included $5 million to create a legacy fund to preserve and promote the Sons of Freedom cultural heritage, $1.25 million for research and the creation of archival services and $3.75 million allocated for a health and well-being fund. This fund was to be distributed on a case-by-case basis to meet specific needs.
In August, the government changed course in response to survivors' complaints and began to issue payments from the health and well-being fund directly to survivors.
Those payments range from about $10,000 to $18,000 per survivor, according to reports from survivors and their families.
The AG's office says it is now in the process of identifying immediate family members of New Denver survivors who have passed away.
"This a long process made more complex by the fact that some descendants may live outside the province or even country, and some survivors never disclosed to their loved ones what they endured, leaving those descendants in the dark," said an emailed response to Castlegar News from the Office of the Attorney General.
"We are committed to approaching this process with empathy, being mindful of cultural nuances and the impacts of generational trauma."
While the government plans to reach out to the descendants directly, members of the Sons of Freedom community who have questions are invited to email sofd@gov.bc.ca.
The AG's office also says that the upcoming provincial election should not interfere with the progress of issuing payments .
"This is a long and complex process, but we remain committed to centring the needs of survivors and their descendants ... The ministry’s work serving British Columbians continues, regardless of the election."
