Six Nations seek extension to deadline for Indian Day School settlement claims

Six Nations wants an extension to the deadline for Indian Day School settlement claims, calling the process unrealistic and insensitive. Both Indian Day School survivor Audrey Hill and Six Nations Chief Mark Hill say many community members still have not been able to make a claim, and many are having a difficult time sharing the trauma they experienced.

Chief Hill says Six Nations has the most Indian Day Schools on the settlement list, but he says he has not received numbers on how many people have applied and how many are eligible. The 2018 settlement agreement is to compensate survivors of federally run Indian Day School for their suffering. The deadline is January 3rd but Six Nations wants it extended by three years.

“We knew the deadline was always an issue. We knew that we have had many members come to our office and say they are not ready to tell their story, they don’t have the necessary supports, they don’t feel supported to tell their stories,” Chief Hill said.

The compensation is between $10,000 to $200,000 for survivors, but Audrey Hill says the government has made it easier to seek the minimum amount of compensation by not requiring traumatic details from the past.