In a major change of policy, the Province of B.C. has begun to issue direct financial payments to the Sons of Freedom Doukhobor residential school survivors.
Between 1953 and 1959, approximately 200 children of Sons of Freedom members were placed into care in provincial institutions including a former tuberculosis sanatorium in New Denver in part because their parents opposed government rules and refused to send them to public schools.
In February, the province issued an apology for these actions, now 70 years in the past.
“This is not a proud history. The Province of British Columbia recognizes the stigma and trauma experienced by the Sons of Freedom and the broader Doukhobor community,” said Attorney General Nikki Sharma at an apology event held in Castlegar.
During the apology, Sharma acknowledged the children were “mistreated both physically and psychologically.”
“There is no more sacred a relationship than parent and child, and that relationship was broken for a whole community, resulting in harms that have echoed for generations," said Premier David Eby in a written apology statement back in February.
Along with the apology, the province announced a $10 million compensation package. The package included $5 million to create a legacy fund to preserve and promote the Sons of Freedom cultural heritage and to support educational initiatives, cultural programs and cultural sites and $1.25 million for research and the creation of archival services to better understand the group's history and archive key documents and oral histories.
In addition, there was $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.
Immediately after the announcement, numbers of survivors began to express their dissatisfaction, primarily that money was not being paid directly to the survivors or their families. Individuals and groups began to voice their disappointment through letters and calls to government officials and elected representatives as well as speaking to the media.
This culminated on Feb. 27 when the official apology was given once again, this time by Premier David Eby during a session of the B.C. Legislature in Victoria.
At a reception for survivors following the session, in front of news cameras and a livestream feed, Loraine Saliken-Walton, a daughter of New Denver School survivors said, "Mr. Premier, we are grateful that you have taken the time to make this apology and have committed $10 million towards righting this historic wrong. But we would like a say in how that money is allocated.
“Mr. Premier, would you commit in front of all these people and witnesses to do the right thing and consult with our broader community … about how to compensate for the harm that was committed and the suffering that those children lived through?”
Saliken-Walton said they wanted to see the same type of personal compensation that other groups such as the Japanese, Metis and First Nations have received along with their formal apologies.
That same day, B.C. Ombudsperson Jay Chalke added his voice to the complaints, “The Doukhobor community deserves a meaningful commitment from government to right this long-standing wrong and trauma that continues to this day. That’s why I remain frustrated that the individual compensation our office has been recommending for more than 20 years, has still not been clearly promised.”
While the government has not changed its mind about the majority of the funds, the $3.75 million health and well-being fund will now be "shared among survivors and the descendants of the those who have passed away," according to an emailed response to Castelgar News from the Attorney General's office (AGO).
"After extensive consultations with several members of the community, we decided to speed up the process by directly distributing the health and well-being fund," says the statement.
"Based on feedback we received, we are distributing these funds to survivors and descendants, as soon as feasible, to use in whatever way supports their health and wellness needs. Each recipient will decide for themselves what their health and well-being needs are, for example: medical and wellness devices or culturally sensitive counselling focused on inter-generational trauma."
The exact amounts or who qualifies for the funding remains unclear.
The statement from the AGO said the decision about the division of funds was based on "what was done in similar cases and expert consultation." But, "given the sensitivity of this issue, it is not government’s place to disclose the amount each person receives."
Splitting the $3.75 million among the approximately 200 incarcerated children would leave an average amount of about $18,000 per survivor, but it is likely that the calculations are more complicated than that.
Castlegar News has spoken to several survivors who say their payments have ranged from $10,000 to $18,000 each.
One survivor, who we have agreed not to name because he fears speaking out could jeopardize future benefits, said he accepted the money but noted in his acceptance that it was under duress.He does not feel that the payment was sufficient to account for the suffering he endured or to meet his current healthcare needs.
The AGO says they have engaged directly with the community to identify survivors and distribute the funds as quickly as possible. This includes ensuring those survivors who were elderly and unwell receive attention first.
The province has partnered with the Canadian Red Cross (CRC) to distribute the payments to "identified survivors and descendants."
CRC representatives were in Castlegar and Grand Forks between Aug. 20 and Aug. 30 to distribute payments to living survivors.
When asked why the changes to the original compensation plan had not been made public, the AGO said, "In our extensive discussions with experts and members of the community, it emerged that many who were forcibly held at New Denver never disclosed, even to their closest loved ones, what they endured.
"We decided that it would be most appropriate in this situation to work directly with the survivors and descendants so that we don’t risk retraumatizing anyone by making a public update."
