Frequently Asked Questions

It is no longer possible to submit a claim. The deadline for submitting a claim has passed.

No. The Settlement Agreement provided for one three-month extension, called the ‘Ultimate Claims Deadline’ which expired on January 4, 2024. The Settlement Agreement does not allow for further extensions.

If you have not yet received any correspondence from the Administrator, there is no cause for concern as communication may be sent at a later date to confirm receipt of your submission. If you have already received a confirmation of receipt letter but have not received any recent correspondence from the Administrator, rest assured that the Administrator is still assessing your claim application and will send you a letter in the mail when a decision has been made.

In addition, please note that you may contact the Claims Administrator Call Centre at 1-877-877-5786 to confirm receipt of your Claim. The Call Centre's hours of operation are from 10:00am-6:00pm EST Monday-Friday.

Class Counsel remain available to provide any information you need on the settlement. You can also contact Class Counsel for help or legal support without charge if you receive a decision from the Claims Administrator about your application and need an explanation or guidance on what to do next.

You can contact Class Counsel, Waddell Phillips, at 1-888-846-5538 or by email at dayscholars@waddellphillips.ca.

If your claim is approved by the Claims Administrator, you will receive your compensation payment through the method you requested on your claims form, either by: 1. Cheque sent to the mailing address you provide on the Claim Form; OR 2. Direct deposit.

The funds will be administered by a non-profit society called the Day Scholars Revitalization Society that is independent of Canada and Class Counsel. Canada or Class Counsel are not involved in making decisions on who receives funding through the Day Scholars Revitalization Fund.

The Society is currently in the process of establishing an office, a website, and policies and procedures that will govern the application process. More information regarding the application process will be posted here when available.

This class action called Gottfriedson v. Canada is about the claims of Day Scholars, students who attended Indian Residential Schools (“IRS”) during the day only and did not sleep there overnight. The lawsuit asserted that the purpose, operation, and management of IRSs destroyed the Class Members’ language and culture, violated their cultural and linguistic rights, and caused psychological harm. 

The Class Action sought compensation for Survivors who say they were harmed as a result of their attendance at IRSs as Day Scholars. The class action also sought compensation for Descendants and Bands who say they too were harmed as a result of Survivors’ attendance as Day Scholars at IRSs and IRS policy. 

The settlement applies to the Day Scholar Survivor Class (students who attended Indian Residential School as Day Scholars), and the Descendant Class. The Day Scholars Survivor and Descendant Class Settlement includes a $10,000 individual compensation for each eligible Day Scholar who attended an IRS during the day only (but did not sleep there overnight) and was alive as of May 30, 2005. In cases where the Day Scholar died on or after May 30, 2005, their estate administrator, executor, trustee, liquidator, or if none is appointed, their highest priority heir, could apply for compensation on their behalf. Note: The claims process for the Day Scholars Settlement has closed. It is no longer possible to submit a claim.​ The settlement also includes a $50 million Day Scholars Revitalization Fund to be used to support healing, wellness, education, language, culture, heritage, and commemoration for the benefit of the Survivor and Descendant Classes. The funds will be administered by a non-profit society that is independent of Canada and Class Counsel. Canada or Class Counsel will not make decisions on who receives funding through the Day Scholars Revitalization Fund. Day Scholars and their children will be able to apply for grants to access the money in Society. The Society is currently in the process of establishing an office, a website, and policies and procedures that will govern the application process. More information regarding the application process will be posted here when available. The class action and settlement are not about sexual or serious physical abuse endured by students at IRSs. Day scholars were eligible to apply for compensation for sexual or serious physical abuse endured at IRSs through the Independent Assessment Process of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (“IRSSA”). This class action and settlement are not about Federal Indian Day Schools. Claims regarding Federal Indian Day Schools are part of the Federal Indian Day Schools Class Action. You can find out more about the settlement in that class action at https://indiandayschools.com/en/.

The claims process for the Day Scholars Settlement has closed. It is no longer possible to submit a claim.

The Claims Administrator is currently reviewing and assessing claims. Class Members will receive a letter in the mail when an eligibility decision has been made about their claims.

Approximately 12,000-20,000 Day Scholars Survivors were alive as of May 30, 2005.  In addition, Descendants (natural or adopted children) of Day Scholars may be eligible to benefit from the Day Scholars Revitalization Fund, which greatly increases the overall number of individuals impacted by the settlement. 

The schools listed in Schedule E are schools that were covered by the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) listed in Schedule A of the Federal Court certification order and that had or could have had Day Scholars.  It includes two Lists. List 1 is a list of Federal Indian Residential Schools confirmed to have Day Scholars (those who attended during the day but did not sleep overnight) in attendance. List 2 is a list of Federal Indian Residential Schools that have no confirmed Day Scholars but might have had Day Scholars in attendance. 

Descendants (i.e., the children of Day Scholars) are not eligible for direct compensation under the settlement. However, the settlement includes $50 million for a Day Scholars Revitalization Fund, established to support healing, wellness, education, language, culture, and commemoration activities for the benefit of the Day Scholar Survivor and Descendant Classes.    The funds will be administered by a non-profit society called the Day Scholars Revitalization Society that is independent of Canada and Class Counsel. Canada or Class Counsel are not involved in making decisions on who receives funding through the Day Scholars Revitalization Fund.   The process for applying for funding from the Day Scholars Revitalization Society has not yet been set. Day Scholar Survivors and Descendants will be able to apply for funding to support healing, wellness, education, language, culture, and commemoration activities. 

This settlement is for Federal Indian Residential Schools Day Scholars from the Gottfriedson class action. This settlement provides compensation for Day Scholars who attended a Federal Indian Residential School during the day only but did not sleep there overnight. This lawsuit is not for students who attended Indian Day Schools – those students are covered by a separate class action settlement called the McLean Federal Indian Day Schools settlement.  In some cases, schools may have operated as a Federal Indian Residential School and then later as a Federal Indian Day School. We understand this can be confusing. That’s why it is important to check the dates on the Schedule E list.  To confirm which settlement, you may be eligible for, check the schools' lists for both class actions. You can find the lists of Federal Indian Residential Schools included in the Day Scholar Class Action in Schedule E, and you can find the schools list for the Federal Indian Day Schools Settlement at www.indiandayschools.com   

If your claim is rejected, the Claims Administrator will send you a written notice providing clear reasons why the claim has been dismissed.

Claimants do not have a right of reconsideration if their claims are dismissed because their institution or school is not an IRS listed in Schedule E of the Settlement Agreement or if the claim is on behalf of an individual who died before May 30, 2005.

If your claim has been dismissed for any other reason, you can ask for reconsideration.

If eligible for reconsideration, the Claims Administrator will inform you of your right to reconsideration. If that happens, you can choose to have a lawyer provided by Class Counsel (at no cost to you), you can represent yourself, or you can choose your own lawyer (you will have to pay your lawyer). An Independent Reviewer will reconsider the claim based on the written submissions of the Claimant (or their counsel) and any new evidence submitted by the Claimant. The Independent Reviewer’s decision will be final and binding.

If you want to seek reconsideration, it is important that you act quickly after you receive notice that your claims has been denied using the instructions contained in the notice.

The settlement includes a $10,000 individual compensation for each eligible Day Scholar who attended an IRS during the day only (but did not sleep there overnight) and was alive as of May 30, 2005. In cases where the Day Scholar died on or after May 30, 2005, their estate administrator, executor, trustee, liquidator, or if none is appointed, their highest priority heir, may be able to apply for compensation on their behalf. The settlement also includes a $50 million Day Scholars Revitalization Fund to be used to support healing, wellness, education, language, culture, heritage, and commemoration for the benefit of the Survivor and Descendant Classes. The funds will be administered by a non-profit society that is independent of Canada and Class Counsel. Canada or Class Counsel will not make decisions on who receives funding through the Day Scholars Revitalization Fund. Day Scholars and their children will be able to apply for grants to access the money in the Society. More information can be found in Schedule F.

Descendant Class Members (the natural or adopted children of Survivor Class Members) will be able to apply to access funding from the Revitalization Fund. The funds will be used to support healing, wellness, education, language, culture, heritage, and commemoration, and will be managed by a not-for-profit society that is independent of Canada and Class Counsel. Canada or Class Counsel will not make decisions on who receives funding through the Day Scholars Revitalization Fund.

 The Day Scholars Revitalization Society, which will administer the Fund, is currently being established. Information regarding when the Society will start receiving applications for funding will be posted on this website when available. More information can be found in Schedule F.  

 

The Claims Administrator has begun issuing payments to claimants whose claims have been reviewed and approved. Valid claims will be processed as quickly as possible.

Estate Claim payments may take longer to process because the Claims Administrator (Deloitte) does not assess Estate Claims until the end of the claims period. The Claims Administrator is required to ensure that no claim has been brought by another appointed estate executor, Administrator, Trustee or Liquidator, or by an heir of the same or higher priority.

It is no longer possible to submit a claim. The deadline for submitting a claim has passed.

No. The Settlement Agreement provided for one three-month extension, called the ‘Ultimate Claims Deadline’ which expired on January 4, 2024. The Settlement Agreement does not allow for further extensions.

If you have not yet received any correspondence from the Administrator, there is no cause for concern as communication may be sent at a later date to confirm receipt of your submission. If you have already received a confirmation of receipt letter but have not received any recent correspondence from the Administrator, rest assured that the Administrator is still assessing your claim application and will send you a letter in the mail when a decision has been made.

In addition, please note that you may contact the Claims Administrator Call Centre at 1-877-877-5786 to confirm receipt of your Claim. The Call Centre's hours of operation are from 10:00am-6:00pm EST Monday-Friday.

Class Counsel remain available to provide any information you need on the settlement. You can also contact Class Counsel for help or legal support without charge if you receive a decision from the Claims Administrator about your application and need an explanation or guidance on what to do next.

You can contact Class Counsel, Waddell Phillips, at 1-888-846-5538 or by email at dayscholars@waddellphillips.ca.

If your claim is approved by the Claims Administrator, you will receive your compensation payment through the method you requested on your claims form, either by: 1. Cheque sent to the mailing address you provide on the Claim Form; OR 2. Direct deposit.

The funds will be administered by a non-profit society called the Day Scholars Revitalization Society that is independent of Canada and Class Counsel. Canada or Class Counsel are not involved in making decisions on who receives funding through the Day Scholars Revitalization Fund.

The Society is currently in the process of establishing an office, a website, and policies and procedures that will govern the application process. More information regarding the application process will be posted here when available.

The settlement includes a $10,000 individual compensation for each eligible Day Scholar who attended an IRS during the day only (but did not sleep there overnight) and was alive as of May 30, 2005. In cases where the Day Scholar died on or after May 30, 2005, their estate administrator, executor, trustee, liquidator, or if none is appointed, their highest priority heir, may be able to apply for compensation on their behalf. The settlement also includes a $50 million Day Scholars Revitalization Fund to be used to support healing, wellness, education, language, culture, heritage, and commemoration for the benefit of the Survivor and Descendant Classes. The funds will be administered by a non-profit society that is independent of Canada and Class Counsel. Canada or Class Counsel will not make decisions on who receives funding through the Day Scholars Revitalization Fund. Day Scholars and their children will be able to apply for grants to access the money in the Society. More information can be found in Schedule F.

Descendant Class Members (the natural or adopted children of Survivor Class Members) will be able to apply to access funding from the Revitalization Fund. The funds will be used to support healing, wellness, education, language, culture, heritage, and commemoration, and will be managed by a not-for-profit society that is independent of Canada and Class Counsel. Canada or Class Counsel will not make decisions on who receives funding through the Day Scholars Revitalization Fund.

 The Day Scholars Revitalization Society, which will administer the Fund, is currently being established. Information regarding when the Society will start receiving applications for funding will be posted on this website when available. More information can be found in Schedule F.  

 

The Claims Administrator has begun issuing payments to claimants whose claims have been reviewed and approved. Valid claims will be processed as quickly as possible.

Estate Claim payments may take longer to process because the Claims Administrator (Deloitte) does not assess Estate Claims until the end of the claims period. The Claims Administrator is required to ensure that no claim has been brought by another appointed estate executor, Administrator, Trustee or Liquidator, or by an heir of the same or higher priority.

This class action called Gottfriedson v. Canada is about the claims of Day Scholars, students who attended Indian Residential Schools (“IRS”) during the day only and did not sleep there overnight. The lawsuit asserted that the purpose, operation, and management of IRSs destroyed the Class Members’ language and culture, violated their cultural and linguistic rights, and caused psychological harm. 

The Class Action sought compensation for Survivors who say they were harmed as a result of their attendance at IRSs as Day Scholars. The class action also sought compensation for Descendants and Bands who say they too were harmed as a result of Survivors’ attendance as Day Scholars at IRSs and IRS policy. 

The settlement applies to the Day Scholar Survivor Class (students who attended Indian Residential School as Day Scholars), and the Descendant Class. The Day Scholars Survivor and Descendant Class Settlement includes a $10,000 individual compensation for each eligible Day Scholar who attended an IRS during the day only (but did not sleep there overnight) and was alive as of May 30, 2005. In cases where the Day Scholar died on or after May 30, 2005, their estate administrator, executor, trustee, liquidator, or if none is appointed, their highest priority heir, could apply for compensation on their behalf. Note: The claims process for the Day Scholars Settlement has closed. It is no longer possible to submit a claim.​ The settlement also includes a $50 million Day Scholars Revitalization Fund to be used to support healing, wellness, education, language, culture, heritage, and commemoration for the benefit of the Survivor and Descendant Classes. The funds will be administered by a non-profit society that is independent of Canada and Class Counsel. Canada or Class Counsel will not make decisions on who receives funding through the Day Scholars Revitalization Fund. Day Scholars and their children will be able to apply for grants to access the money in Society. The Society is currently in the process of establishing an office, a website, and policies and procedures that will govern the application process. More information regarding the application process will be posted here when available. The class action and settlement are not about sexual or serious physical abuse endured by students at IRSs. Day scholars were eligible to apply for compensation for sexual or serious physical abuse endured at IRSs through the Independent Assessment Process of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (“IRSSA”). This class action and settlement are not about Federal Indian Day Schools. Claims regarding Federal Indian Day Schools are part of the Federal Indian Day Schools Class Action. You can find out more about the settlement in that class action at https://indiandayschools.com/en/.

The claims process for the Day Scholars Settlement has closed. It is no longer possible to submit a claim.

The Claims Administrator is currently reviewing and assessing claims. Class Members will receive a letter in the mail when an eligibility decision has been made about their claims.

Approximately 12,000-20,000 Day Scholars Survivors were alive as of May 30, 2005.  In addition, Descendants (natural or adopted children) of Day Scholars may be eligible to benefit from the Day Scholars Revitalization Fund, which greatly increases the overall number of individuals impacted by the settlement. 

The schools listed in Schedule E are schools that were covered by the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) listed in Schedule A of the Federal Court certification order and that had or could have had Day Scholars.  It includes two Lists. List 1 is a list of Federal Indian Residential Schools confirmed to have Day Scholars (those who attended during the day but did not sleep overnight) in attendance. List 2 is a list of Federal Indian Residential Schools that have no confirmed Day Scholars but might have had Day Scholars in attendance. 

Descendants (i.e., the children of Day Scholars) are not eligible for direct compensation under the settlement. However, the settlement includes $50 million for a Day Scholars Revitalization Fund, established to support healing, wellness, education, language, culture, and commemoration activities for the benefit of the Day Scholar Survivor and Descendant Classes.    The funds will be administered by a non-profit society called the Day Scholars Revitalization Society that is independent of Canada and Class Counsel. Canada or Class Counsel are not involved in making decisions on who receives funding through the Day Scholars Revitalization Fund.   The process for applying for funding from the Day Scholars Revitalization Society has not yet been set. Day Scholar Survivors and Descendants will be able to apply for funding to support healing, wellness, education, language, culture, and commemoration activities. 

This settlement is for Federal Indian Residential Schools Day Scholars from the Gottfriedson class action. This settlement provides compensation for Day Scholars who attended a Federal Indian Residential School during the day only but did not sleep there overnight. This lawsuit is not for students who attended Indian Day Schools – those students are covered by a separate class action settlement called the McLean Federal Indian Day Schools settlement.  In some cases, schools may have operated as a Federal Indian Residential School and then later as a Federal Indian Day School. We understand this can be confusing. That’s why it is important to check the dates on the Schedule E list.  To confirm which settlement, you may be eligible for, check the schools' lists for both class actions. You can find the lists of Federal Indian Residential Schools included in the Day Scholar Class Action in Schedule E, and you can find the schools list for the Federal Indian Day Schools Settlement at www.indiandayschools.com   

If your claim is rejected, the Claims Administrator will send you a written notice providing clear reasons why the claim has been dismissed.

Claimants do not have a right of reconsideration if their claims are dismissed because their institution or school is not an IRS listed in Schedule E of the Settlement Agreement or if the claim is on behalf of an individual who died before May 30, 2005.

If your claim has been dismissed for any other reason, you can ask for reconsideration.

If eligible for reconsideration, the Claims Administrator will inform you of your right to reconsideration. If that happens, you can choose to have a lawyer provided by Class Counsel (at no cost to you), you can represent yourself, or you can choose your own lawyer (you will have to pay your lawyer). An Independent Reviewer will reconsider the claim based on the written submissions of the Claimant (or their counsel) and any new evidence submitted by the Claimant. The Independent Reviewer’s decision will be final and binding.

If you want to seek reconsideration, it is important that you act quickly after you receive notice that your claims has been denied using the instructions contained in the notice.