Deal reached after decades of abuse at school

A compensation deal has been reached with the B.C. government for some of the residents who were abused at the Woodlands Residential School in New Westminster, but many former residents are being left out in the cold.

Many students at the school for the mentally disabled suffered physical, sexual and emotional abuse before the centre closed in 1996.

David Klein, the lawyer in a class action suit, says the proposed settlement is a good deal for 1,100 former residents.

Some of them would be able to collect up to $150,000 each.

However, the agreement - which still has to be approved by the courts - would only cover residents harmed after Aug. 1, 1974, leaving 500 people still alive who were in the school earlier without any compensation for abuse.

The courts have ruled the province was not liable for its employees' actions prior to that date.

School controversial for decades

But Klein disputed that distinction.

"It's shameful. There is no reason from a moral and ethical standpoint to exclude the pre-1974 residents," he said.

The settlement has been many years in the making. Reports and studies on the institution date back to the 1950s, many of which were critical of the level of care at Woodlands.

A 2001 report by former ombudsman Dulcie McCallum, which found that residents were abused, was the catalyst for compensation negotiations to begin.

The proposed settlement announced Monday came just weeks before a class action lawsuit was to proceed.

"The compensation will range from $3,000 to $150,000," Klein said.

B.C. Attorney General Mike de Jong issued a statement calling the agreement, "the result of extensive negotiations to find a fair approach to compensate Woodlands residents who suffered abuse."

The proposed settlement goes before a judge for final approval early in 2010.