WARNING: This details in this story may be triggering
At the age of six, Angel Sampson was forced to learn how to keep a secret.
While children are often taught to never lie to their parents, for Sampson it felt like a matter of life and death 含羞草研究社� facing recurring violence and abuse at the Tsartlip Indian Day School in Saanichton, returning home each day in fear.
含羞草研究社淭he nuns threatened every day with more beatings, they would say we含羞草研究社檙e all going to go to hell if we talked about it, our parents would go to jail, we could be adopted out, or we can be put in an orphanage,含羞草研究社� Sampson said. 含羞草研究社淭hose are the threats we got at the age of six.含羞草研究社�
Unlike residential schools, where children were forced to live there day and night, the roughly 200,000 Indigenous children who attended day schools across Canada would go home at the end of a school day.
Sampson, while sitting at a small table inside a coffee shop just outside of Tsartlip, appeared confident 含羞草研究社� with openness 含羞草研究社� and no nervousness; a stark contrast to the dark and disturbing sexual abuse and disregard for decency and safety she faced while attending the day school.
At the hands of Catholic clergy members, fellow students, doctors and dentists 含羞草研究社� all before she was the age of 10 含羞草研究社� many of the incidents and abuse she recounted to Black Press Media are too disturbing to publish.
Sampson has been a beacon for many local fellow Indigenous people as they navigate intergenerational traumas, the permanent impacts of abuse, and most recently the $1.47 billion federal settlement for survivors of residential schools and day schools in the country.
She was one of six plaintiffs named in the original on the landmark case that began in 2009.
含羞草研究社淲hen we all decided that we were going to settle, I didn含羞草研究社檛 think it would be this small amount for everything that we had to endure,含羞草研究社� she said.
含羞草研究社淚 said, 含羞草研究社榮hame on you Canada.含羞草研究社� It wasn含羞草研究社檛 just one child, it was hundreds of thousands of children that went through what I went through at every Day School across this country. And that含羞草研究社檚 all they含羞草研究社檙e offering?含羞草研究社�
After the case was settled in 2019, survivors had to fill out a form and provide proof that they attended the school to receive their settlement: They could claim between $10,000 and $200,000 based on the abuse they endured. Those who were seeking more than the minimum settlement would need to provide more details and witness statements.
Claimants had three years to submit their application to Deloitte, an auditing firm that was appointed to administer the settlement, from January 2020 to 2023.
After the end of the submission period, there would be no further extensions, and no way to re-submit or amend the claimant含羞草研究社檚 first submission after they receive their settlement dollars.
Deloitte said they could not comment on matters related to the settlement, and they referred Black Press Media to Argyle, a communications firm that also speaks on behalf of Gowling WLG, a law firm that represented survivors in the class-action.
Argyle, on behalf of Gowling, said since the settlement, the Indian Day School website has seen 2.7 million visits. Fifteen thousand packages have been sent to friendship centres, band offices and Indigenous political organizations, and approximately 30 in-person and 50 virtual sessions took place in an effort to inform survivors of the settlement.
Sampson says those efforts weren含羞草研究社檛 enough, and she含羞草研究社檚 currently working with multiple Tsartlip survivors on a weekly basis in an attempt to appeal the process with Deloitte.
含羞草研究社淭here含羞草研究社檚 so many that applied for the highest amount, and then Deloitte has turned on that and said 含羞草研究社榳e think you only deserve $10,000,含羞草研究社櫤卟菅芯可鐫 Sampson said.
含羞草研究社淕oing through COVID, there was no ability to work one-on-one, face-to-face with anybody. There was no getting therapy from anybody and everybody just felt lost. They didn含羞草研究社檛 know how to do these forms, because our lawyers were back east, and everybody含羞草研究社檚 like, 含羞草研究社榳hat the hell? What do we do now?含羞草研究社櫤卟菅芯可鐫
She said most survivors she含羞草研究社檚 spoken with only applied for the minimum settlement in-part because they didn含羞草研究社檛 want to re-live past traumas, and akso due to minimal support during the pandemic.
Sampson thinks most of the survivors would have been able to qualify for level four or five settlements.
According to Crown-Indigenous Relations, as of April 1, 151,198 claims have been compensated, of which 115,680 have been paid as a minimum $10,000 claim.
含羞草研究社淎ll aspects of the settlement agreement, including the compensation amounts, claims process and timelines, were approved by the Federal Court of Canada as fair, just and in the best interest of class members, and independent from the Government of Canada,含羞草研究社� noted a statement from the ministy of crown-Indigenous relations.
含羞草研究社淒eloitte is responsible for receiving and reviewing claim forms, determining eligibility and level of compensation to be awarded, and they are responsible for keeping class members updated on the status of their claim. Any intervention by the Government of Canada in the claims administrator含羞草研究社檚 processing of a survivor含羞草研究社檚 claim would be inappropriate and contrary to the settlement agreement and Federal court order.含羞草研究社�
Roughly 30,000 claims are in various stages of processing, according to Argyle 含羞草研究社� some waiting for over two years, Sampson said, adding that there has been little-to-no communication between survivors and Gowling and Deloitte since the end of the submission period.
Over the past three years, Sampson has spoken with multiple other law firms in an attempt to press charges against the Roman Catholic Church, which ran over 300 of the 699 day schools across Canada.
含羞草研究社淭hey含羞草研究社檙e getting away with decades and decades of abuse, and murder, and I don含羞草研究社檛 know why people don含羞草研究社檛 want to help us. That含羞草研究社檚 how our people are viewing the church, is that they are above the law,含羞草研究社� she said.
Currently, she continues to work with survivors and their families on having their voices heard, and attempting to advocate for appropriate reparations for the abuse she and her community went through.
This includes just the other day, helping a young woman understand what her late father experienced while in the same school.
含羞草研究社淚 knew, I was there. So I wrote a narrative for her. I had to tell her and she just cried and cried. She含羞草研究社檚 almost 30 years old, this young woman, and she含羞草研究社檚 hearing about it for the first time in her life. The government should be ashamed for how they cheat our people and how they neglect our people.含羞草研究社�
Sampson has since also opened a daycare in Saanichton, winning an Aboriginal Child Care Award for her work as an early childhood educator.
It含羞草研究社檚 one way she says she is ensuring that children know they have a voice in this world.
含羞草研究社淭hey含羞草研究社檒l always have a voice where I含羞草研究社檓 concerned, I will never ever not listen to a child talk. No matter how crazy their conversations get. You know, childcare has given me hope for our people.含羞草研究社�
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