ÎLE-À-LA-CROSSE, SK, Jan. 29, 2026 /CNW/ - Today, on behalf of the Honourable Rebecca Alty, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, the Honourable Buckley Belanger, Secretary of State for Rural Development joined plaintiffs Louis Gardiner, Margaret Aubichon, Melvina Aubichon, Emile Janvier, Duane Favel, and Donna Janvier--to announce an agreement in the class action about the Île-à-la-Crosse School.
Île-à-la-Crosse School operated from the 1860s until the 1970s, and the students who attended were mostly from Métis communities and First Nations in northern Saskatchewan. Since an Agreement-in-Principle was reached in 2025, the Government of Canada and the lawyers for former students of Île-à-la-Crosse School have been working to find a fair, compassionate, and respectful way to resolve the litigation. These talks led to the Settlement Agreement that was signed today.
With this agreement, Canada will give individual compensation, to be provided directly to former students for the experiences they endured while at Île-à-la-Crosse School. Compensation of up to $10,000 for less than five years attendance and up to $15,000 for five or more years attendance is possible. Under the agreement, an independent, court-appointed third party administrator will decide the compensation for attendance at Île-à-la-Crosse School.
Canada has also agreed to provide $10 million to support healing, wellness, protection of languages, education, and commemoration for former students of Île-à-la-Crosse School and their families. A non-profit organization will be set up to receive and review funding applications. It will also set the criteria used to decide which applications are eligible.
Canada will pay to administer the settlement and legal costs.
This settlement is separate from the settlement that was reached between former students of Île-à-la-Crosse School and the Province of Saskatchewan.
Here are the next steps:
- Canada will ask the Court to approve the agreement on March 30-31, 2026. The Court will look at whether the settlement is fair, reasonable, and in the best interests of the former students of Île-à-la-Crosse School and their family members.
- Former students of Île-à-la-Crosse School and their family members will be also able to review the proposed Settlement Agreement and share their comments with the Court.
- If the Court approves the settlement, former students will be able to submit their claims to the independent third party administrator.
- After the Agreement receives Court approval, more details about the implementation, including how, where and when to apply will become available.
- At the hearing the Court will also consider the separate settlement that was reached between former students of Île-à-la-Crosse School and the Province of Saskatchewan.
Canada and the former students of Île-à-la-Crosse will work to make sure that other former students of Île-à-la-Crosse School and their family members are informed and able to be involved in the settlement process.
Quotes
"This is a big step forward for our Survivors in terms of finding closure, which comes only after a long and hard fight for recognition of what we endured at the Île-à-la-Crosse Residential School. If court approval is granted, I believe this settlement will help us toward a healthier future."
Louis Gardiner
Proposed Representative Plaintiff
"We have spent many years calling on the Federal Government to address the harms that we endured at the Île-à-la-Crosse Residential School, so it is meaningful that we have finally reached this settlement agreement. Although there is more healing work to be done, this settlement will provide important recognition and compensation for Survivors, our families, and our people."
Margaret Aubichon
Proposed Representative Plaintiff
"The residential institution at Île-à-la-Crosse caused much mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, and cultural harm to all Survivors - both deceased and living. I hope that the Federal Government's acknowledgement of the harms caused by the Île-à-la-Crosse Residential School helps to address the suffering of all those involved."
Melvina Aubichon
Proposed Representative Plaintiff
"Today's settlement recognizes the profound harm suffered by former students of Île-à-la-Crosse School and the courage it took for them to come forward. While no settlement can undo their pain, it is an important step toward recognizing their experiences. Reaching this outcome outside of the courts reflects an approach that prioritizes dignity and respect and I commend the diligent work done by all parties to achieve this outcome."
The Honourable Rebecca Alty
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations
"Today is about the Survivors of Île-à-la-Crosse School. They waited a long time for this moment, and they worked hard to get here. I am incredibly honoured to stand with them as we take this important step toward justice and fairness with this proposed settlement with the Government of Canada."
The Honourable Buckley Belanger
Secretary of State (Rural Development)
Associated links
Île-à-la-Crosse School Survivors and Canada sign Agreement-in-Principle
Stay connected
Join the conversation about Indigenous Peoples in Canada:
X: @GCIndigenous
Facebook: @GCIndigenous
Instagram: @gcindigenous
You can subscribe to receive our news releases and speeches via RSS feeds. For more information or to subscribe, visit www.cirnac.gc.ca/RSS.
SOURCE Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
For more information, media may contact: Class Counsel for Representative Plaintiffs, Sotos LLP, Margaret Waddell, Q. Arb., [email protected], www.sotosclassactions.com, 1-416-977-2413; Goldblatt Partners LLP, Tina Q. Yang, [email protected], www.goldblattpartners.com, 1-647-381-8500; Merchant Law Group LLP, Evatt Merchant, [email protected], www.merchantlaw.com, 1-306-791-2191; Connor Burton, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Buckley Belanger, Secretary of State (Rural Development), [email protected], 1-343-549-8093; Alec Wilson, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Rebecca Alty, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, [email protected], 1-819-661-1538; Media Relations, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, [email protected]
Share this article