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Widening the Story - Artifact 2

Class Action and the Allocation of Funds

Context

In 2009, Marie Slark and Patricia Seth launched a class action lawsuit against the Government of Ontario for the abuse experienced by survivors of Huronia Regional Centre. The Class Action educates people about the violent truth of the institution, and it highlights the role people labelled with intellectual disabilities are playing as collective defenders of justice for survivor groups. The Class Action, however, never went to trial and resulted in a settlement. Less than half of the settlement money went to survivors, and the financial compensations were low. Those survivors who could speak about their abuse received a small settlement. For those who could not speak, settlement money was reverted back to the Ontario government.

In a CTV news interview, lead plaintiffs Marie Slark and Patricia Seth talk about the Class Action lawsuit against Huronia, how it failed to address the needs of survivors, and how it replicated oppressive ableist frameworks.1(footnote)

Kathleen Wynne’s Apology
Footnotes
  1. Molly Thomas, “Why Class Action Lawsuits Aren’t Always What Abuse Survivors Hope For,” CTV News, March 20, 2021, (Source).