The Claims Period is closed and the Administrator is processing claims. You will receive a decision letter about your Claim.
Call the Administrator at 1-877-877-5786 (toll-free) to make sure your mailing address is up-to-date.
- Home
- >
- Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
About the Indian Residential Schools Day Scholars settlement
What is this class action about?
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.What is the settlement?
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 have applied for compensation on their behalf.
Note: The claims period closed on January 4, 2024 and it’s no longer possible to submit a new claim.
The Administrator is reviewing and processing all submitted claims. If you submitted your claim before the deadline, you will receive a decision letter about your claim.
Make sure your mailing address is up-to-date. Call the Administrator at 1-877-877-5786 (toll-free).
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 are being 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. Find more information about the application process on the Day Scholars Revitalization Society website.
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 IndianDaySchools.com.
How does this settlement impact the Band Class?
What’s happening with the claims process right now?
The Administrator is now processing all claims. If you submitted a claim, you will receive a decision letter about your Claim.
Make sure your mailing address is up-to-date. Call the Administrator at 1-877-877-5786 (toll-free). The Administrator's Call Centre hours of operation are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. ET Monday-Friday (closed on statutory holidays).
How many Day Scholars does this settlement affect?
Missing Information
What are the top types of missing information?
- Schedule E School attendance
- ID or Statutory Declaration
- Authorization
How many claim forms have missing information?
- 625 require outreach to the Claimant
- 733 are awaiting reply from the Claimant
- The Administrator has not been able to connect 122 Claimants
What is the deadline to submit missing information?
Your response to missing information must be provided within 60 days from the date on your Missing Information Request Letter.
If you are still unsure of when that is, please call the Administrator at 1-877-877-5786. The Call Centre's hours of operation are from 10:00am-6:00pm EST Monday-Friday (closed on Statutory Holidays).
I received a Missing Information Request Letter. What do I do now?
Support & Resources
Which supports and resources do I have access to?
Eligibility Decision
Why has my claim been dismissed by the Claims Administrator?
If your claim is rejected, the claims Administrator will send you a written notice providing clear reasons why the claim has been dismissed.
If your school is not listed in Schedule E of the Settlement Agreement, then you cannot request reconsideration.
Also, if you submitted a claim on behalf of an individual who died before May 30, 2005, then you cannot request reconsideration. 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 claim has been denied using the instructions contained in the notice.
Eligibility
What criteria was used to determine which schools to be listed in Schedule E?
How is this settlement different from the 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
Compensation & Revitalization Fund
What is the status of the Revitalization Fund?
Find more information about the application process on the Day Scholars Revitalization Society website.
When will all the payments be completed?
Make sure your mailing address is up-to-date. Call the Administrator at 1-877-877-5786 (toll-free). The Administrator's Call Centre hours of operation are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. ET Monday-Friday (closed on statutory holidays).
What benefit do Descendants of Day Scholars receive in the Settlement?
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.
More information is available on the Day Scholars Revitalization Society’s website at DSRSociety.ca.
What is the compensation available in the settlement?
Claims
My mailing address has changed since submitting my claim, what should I do?
I have questions about a letter I received from the Administrator, who should I contact?
If you have questions about a letter you have received from the Administrator, call the claims Administrator at 1-877-877-5786 (toll-free), or contact Class Counsel, Waddell Phillips, at 1-888-222-6845 (toll-free) or by email at DayScholars@WaddellPhillips.ca.
The Administrator's Call Centre hours of operation are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. ET Monday-Friday (closed on statutory holidays).
I haven’t heard back about my claim. Could my claim form be missing information?
Call the Administrator at 1-877-877-5786 today to check the status of your claim. The Call Centre's hours of operation are from 10:00am-6:00pm EST Monday-Friday (closed on Statutory Holidays).
Claims with missing information may be denied.
If you received a Missing Information Request Letter, please submit any missing information by the timeline included in the letter.
Your response to missing information must be provided within 60 days from the date on your Missing Information Request Letter.
If you are still unsure of when that is, please call the Administrator at 1-877-877-5786. The Call Centre's hours of operation are from 10:00am-6:00pm EST Monday-Friday (closed on Statutory Holidays).
How will I receive my compensation payment?
Can I still apply?
What about those who did not submit a claim in time? Is there a process for them to still submit a claim?
I submitted a claim and have not heard back. How do I know it has been received?
The Claims Period closed on January 4, 2024, and it’s no longer possible to submit a new claim.
The Administrator is processing claims. You will receive a decision letter about your claim.
Make sure your mailing address is up-to-date. If you’ve moved since submitting your claim, please call the Administrator at 1-877-877-5786 (toll-free). The Administrator's Call Centre hours of operation are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. ET Monday-Friday (closed on statutory holidays).
What is Class Counsel’s role now that the claims period is closed?
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 1-888-222-6845 (toll-free) or by email at DayScholars@WaddellPhillips.ca.
What is this class action about?
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.What is the settlement?
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 have applied for compensation on their behalf.
Note: The claims period closed on January 4, 2024 and it’s no longer possible to submit a new claim.
The Administrator is reviewing and processing all submitted claims. If you submitted your claim before the deadline, you will receive a decision letter about your claim.
Make sure your mailing address is up-to-date. Call the Administrator at 1-877-877-5786 (toll-free).
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 are being 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. Find more information about the application process on the Day Scholars Revitalization Society website.
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 IndianDaySchools.com.
How does this settlement impact the Band Class?
What’s happening with the claims process right now?
The Administrator is now processing all claims. If you submitted a claim, you will receive a decision letter about your Claim.
Make sure your mailing address is up-to-date. Call the Administrator at 1-877-877-5786 (toll-free). The Administrator's Call Centre hours of operation are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. ET Monday-Friday (closed on statutory holidays).
How many Day Scholars does this settlement affect?
What are the top types of missing information?
- Schedule E School attendance
- ID or Statutory Declaration
- Authorization
How many claim forms have missing information?
- 625 require outreach to the Claimant
- 733 are awaiting reply from the Claimant
- The Administrator has not been able to connect 122 Claimants
What is the deadline to submit missing information?
Your response to missing information must be provided within 60 days from the date on your Missing Information Request Letter.
If you are still unsure of when that is, please call the Administrator at 1-877-877-5786. The Call Centre's hours of operation are from 10:00am-6:00pm EST Monday-Friday (closed on Statutory Holidays).
I received a Missing Information Request Letter. What do I do now?
Which supports and resources do I have access to?
Why has my claim been dismissed by the Claims Administrator?
If your claim is rejected, the claims Administrator will send you a written notice providing clear reasons why the claim has been dismissed.
If your school is not listed in Schedule E of the Settlement Agreement, then you cannot request reconsideration.
Also, if you submitted a claim on behalf of an individual who died before May 30, 2005, then you cannot request reconsideration. 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 claim has been denied using the instructions contained in the notice.
What criteria was used to determine which schools to be listed in Schedule E?
How is this settlement different from the 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
What is the status of the Revitalization Fund?
Find more information about the application process on the Day Scholars Revitalization Society website.
When will all the payments be completed?
Make sure your mailing address is up-to-date. Call the Administrator at 1-877-877-5786 (toll-free). The Administrator's Call Centre hours of operation are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. ET Monday-Friday (closed on statutory holidays).
What benefit do Descendants of Day Scholars receive in the Settlement?
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.
More information is available on the Day Scholars Revitalization Society’s website at DSRSociety.ca.
What is the compensation available in the settlement?
My mailing address has changed since submitting my claim, what should I do?
I have questions about a letter I received from the Administrator, who should I contact?
If you have questions about a letter you have received from the Administrator, call the claims Administrator at 1-877-877-5786 (toll-free), or contact Class Counsel, Waddell Phillips, at 1-888-222-6845 (toll-free) or by email at DayScholars@WaddellPhillips.ca.
The Administrator's Call Centre hours of operation are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. ET Monday-Friday (closed on statutory holidays).
I haven’t heard back about my claim. Could my claim form be missing information?
Call the Administrator at 1-877-877-5786 today to check the status of your claim. The Call Centre's hours of operation are from 10:00am-6:00pm EST Monday-Friday (closed on Statutory Holidays).
Claims with missing information may be denied.
If you received a Missing Information Request Letter, please submit any missing information by the timeline included in the letter.
Your response to missing information must be provided within 60 days from the date on your Missing Information Request Letter.
If you are still unsure of when that is, please call the Administrator at 1-877-877-5786. The Call Centre's hours of operation are from 10:00am-6:00pm EST Monday-Friday (closed on Statutory Holidays).
How will I receive my compensation payment?
Can I still apply?
What about those who did not submit a claim in time? Is there a process for them to still submit a claim?
I submitted a claim and have not heard back. How do I know it has been received?
The Claims Period closed on January 4, 2024, and it’s no longer possible to submit a new claim.
The Administrator is processing claims. You will receive a decision letter about your claim.
Make sure your mailing address is up-to-date. If you’ve moved since submitting your claim, please call the Administrator at 1-877-877-5786 (toll-free). The Administrator's Call Centre hours of operation are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. ET Monday-Friday (closed on statutory holidays).
What is Class Counsel’s role now that the claims period is closed?
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 1-888-222-6845 (toll-free) or by email at DayScholars@WaddellPhillips.ca.