ILE-A-LA-CROSSE — The Saskatchewan government has reached an Agreement in Principle for compensation of former students of Île-à-la-Crosse School.
The province is agreeing to pay $40.2 million in restitution to former students of the Île-à-la-Crosse School and their families. They are also issuing an official apology to those who attended the school.
Premier Scott Moe was in Île-à-la-Crosse for the announcement Monday, along with cabinet ministers Minister of Justice Tim McLeod, Minister of Education Everett Hindley and Minister of Northern Affairs Eric Schmalz. Member of Parliament Buckley Belanger was also in attendance. In his remarks, Moe offered his apology to the survivors and their families.
“Under this agreement we acknowledge that there were individual and cultural harms and abuses that were suffered by a former students of the the Île-à-la-Crosse School. Going forward this agreement will form the very principle and it’s going to form the basis of a comprehensive settlement with the former students of the the Île-à-la-Crosse School.
“This agreement is made in the spirit of building a positive relationship and promoting reconciliation for the historical injustices and challenges that have been faced by the all too many Métis and Indigenous people in our province of Saskatchewan. And as part of this agreement the province has agreed to pay $40.2 million dollars to address the four major pillars of compensation under the class action that was filed. Those four major pillars are that the former students shared a common experience, that there was individual abuse, that the community requires legacy, healing, wellness, education, language, culture and commemoration and finally the addressing of the legal fees, the disbursements and the costs associated with the administration of the entirety of that settlement.
“As a government we will support the claims process that is for this that is expedited trauma- informed and cost-effective. The government of Saskatchewan acknowledges the past. I would say that we are committed to continuing to work with Métis and Indigenous people in a way that respects the wishes of not only them but the communities that are impacted.
“Today we acknowledge the role of the province of Saskatchewan and previous Saskatchewan governments in the operation of the Île-à-la-Crosse School until into the 70s, and today on behalf of the province of Saskatchewan I apologize to you. Hearing the truth and acknowledging the mistakes of the past are important steps in that path in that journey of reconciliation of which I spoke earlier. We need to continue to work together towards a brighter future for your kids and for mine.”
When asked why it had taken 18 years to get a compensation deal done, Moe had this to say:
“That’s a good question, I think, for us as provincial citizens more general. We haven’t been government for that long. However, there has been, you know, successive governments that also had an opportunity, I think, to engage in and move through this conversation a lot, and I would say that we’re late. We’re late as the citizens of this province. We should have been here years ago doing this. It’s important that we’re here today. It’s important that we’re here today, and I look for, you know, opportunities on discussion with the Timber Bay conversation as well as we move along.
“It’s important that we’re here today and it’s also important, I think, as I say a number of times, we need to accept our past. We need to recognize it. We need to take responsibility. That’s what today is about. We also need to come to moving forward to ensure that these types of things don’t happen again and to move forward to ensure that we are taking every opportunity to capitalize on the chances that we have to create a better life for our kids and grandchildren. That’s why I go to work each and every day. That’s why I do what I do, but none of that can happen. None of that can happen without acknowledging our past.”
The Île-à-la-Crosse School had been in operation from approximately 1860 until the 1970s. A class action lawsuit had been launched and supported by the Métis Nation–Saskatchewan, seeking a recognition of the harms suffered at the school.
It is expected the proposed settlement will be approved by the Court of King’s Bench early in 2026, and that the claims process will be administered by a third-party class actions administration firm approved by the court.
