Campaign to Include Pre-1974 Woodlands Residents in Woodlands Settlement

The Province of B.C. has negotiated a proposed settlement in a class action brought by former residents of Woodlands institution in New Westminster. While the settlement agreement approves compensation for approximately 1100 former residents, over 500 former residents will be excluded merely because they lived at Woodlands prior to 1974. Visit the BCACL website or the BCCPD website for more information.

The We Survived Woodlands Group has launched a campaign to urge the provincial government to include pre-1974 residents in the settlement. Read the letter here or see below.

Al Etmanski writes about his experience and perspective in this blog post.

Dear Community Partner,
 
A Settlement Agreement has been reached between the Provincial government and some former Woodlands School residents. The Agreement means former residents can apply for compensation ranging from $3,000 - $150,000 for abuse they suffered at Woodlands on or after August 1st, 1974. 

This is good news for some, but brings no closure for the 500 residents who lived at
Woodlands before August 1st 1974. They cannot understand why their abuse is not
being recognized and why they are excluded from the Settlement. 
 
We are writing to you in the hope that your organization will help the former Woodlands
residents to urge the government to allow all of them to apply for compensation under
the Settlement. You can do this by emailing:
 
Premier Gordon Campbell 
Premier@gov.bc.ca, Gordon.Campbell.MLA@leg.bc.ca 
 
Attorney General Michael De Jong 
Michael.DeJong@gov.bc.ca, Mike.deJong.MLA@leg.bc.ca 
 
Minister of Children and Family Development, Mary Polak
MCF.Minister@gov.bc.ca, mary.polak.mla@leg.bc.ca 
 
You could also encourage your members to write to their MLAs. Here’s a link to help
people find their MLA. http://www.leg.bc.ca/Mla/3‐1‐1.htm 
 
Some points that you could make in your email: 
 
- We support the We Survived Woodlands Group in their goal to have all Survivors
included in the Settlement. 
 
- The former residents have experienced so much. They are deeply disappointed that
some of their community is excluded from the Settlement.
 
- We understand that it’s government’s responsibility to be fiscally responsible with tax
payers’ dollars, but we believe our money must also be spent in a way that reflects our
societal values of justice and inclusion.
 
- The Province could include all the Woodlands Survivors despite the 1974 Class
Proceeding Act. 
 
Thank you for your help with this very important issue to the disability community. May
we take this opportunity to wish you the very best for the holidays and the New Year. 
 
Best regards,
 
Bill McArthur, Woodlands Survivor 
Gregg Schiller, Coordinator, We Survived Woodlands Group
Jane Dyson, Executive Director, BCCPD

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