As a B.C. Supreme Court judge considered a settlement proposal for those who suffered abuse at the Woodlands School, victims excluded from the compensation package rallied outside the Vancouver court.
A sweeping settlement agreement for 1,100 residents who suffered physical, sexual and psychological abuse was approved in December. However, anyone who was at the New Westminster, B.C., school before August 1974 will not be eligible because of a legal loophole.
Survivor Bill McArthur, who left the school only 10 days before the cutoff, says the decision to exclude the other 500 victims is morally wrong.
“I am outraged. It’s another form of abuse for the government to cut these people out of compensation,” he told reporters from courthouse steps.
“Whether someone suffered before Aug ‘74 or after, they still suffered.”
McArthur left the institution at age 14. He says he suffered repeated sexual and physical abuse at the hands of male staff members – and was once locked outside naked for acting up.
Gregg Schiller has worked with the group of excluded survivors for almost a decade. He says the lack of compensation only re-victimizes those already harmed.
“They were the ones who worked on this all these years and have probably suffered the worst abuse and won’t get a penny.”
Schiller said the group has met with B.C. Attorney General Mike de Jong, who said he would take their concerns to the government. No commitments have been made.
“We’re appealing to the government to do something as soon as possible – to share the Olympic spirit and be generous,” Schiller said.
Those covered under the deal will receive between $15,000 and $150,000.
McArthur says asking for equal compensation should is not unreasonable.
“A lot of these people are getting on in years and living in abject poverty. Why not give them self respect so they can live out the rest of their life in dignity?”
Woodlands closed in 1996. The land was sold to developers for future condo development.
