Final settlement deadline for info

Community members who have been told they have missing information on their files for the federal Indian Day School settlement have until next Friday to submit their documentation, a hard deadline that represents the very final deadline associated with the class action.

Those who need to submit the documentation would have received correspondence from Deloitte, which is handling the settlement, said Louise Mayo, who was the former settlement coordinator in Kahnawake. Though her role ended last summer, she has been able to assist community members who have had lingering questions about the settlement on an ad-hoc basis.

“I’ve continued to help people in the case that they’re unable to help themselves or can’t figure out what’s going on, say if they haven’t received compensation or they haven’t heard back,” Mayo said.

This June 27 deadline does not mean any claims are being reconsidered, nor does it mean there is an opportunity to add more information that was previously not disclosed before the settlement claim period officially ended in January 2023. This deadline purely concerns individuals who have not yet received compensation who have been asked to provide additional information based on their initial claim.

If an individual is unsure of the status of their claim and has not heard back about their application, they are strongly encouraged to reach out to the settlement administrator at [email protected], or 1-888-221-2898 urgently.

If a claimant is missing information, they should’ve received a letter from the administrator detailing exactly what information isn’t there. Missing information could be as simple as a missing date or name, but if the information isn’t submitted in time an applicant will risk their claim being denied.

If the missing information is required to determine that a claimant’s experience fits into a certain category, the claim may be determined to be in a lower compensation category, as claims are assessed solely based on the information available.

Mayo said that it’s crucial that community members act now, and that she believes many in Kahnawake may be in the category of those with missing information - just last week, she says she helped with four files related to the settlement.

She encourages all community members who are settlement claimants that have not heard back about their claim to immediately reach out to the contact provided or risk losing deserved compensation. Individuals can also contact Mayo directly at 514-793-0662 for any questions related to the settlement.

“This is really a now or never situation,” Mayo said.

[email protected]