National

Payments start for first claimants in First Nations child welfare case

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 14 Aug, 2025 10:12 AM

Some claimants are now receiving compensation payments through a $23-billion settlement for more than 300,000 First Nations children and their families.

The settlement is meant to compensate children and their families for Canada's chronic underfunding of on-reserve child welfare services.

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak says the start of compensation payments marks an important milestone.

Woodhouse Nepinak says more than 40,000 claims have now been received but there are still many more eligible claimants who haven’t yet submitted applications.

The settlement agreement, which recognizes nine distinct groups of claimants, was opened to the first two groups in March.

Individuals who were removed from their families on reserves or in Yukon between April 1, 1991 and March 31, 2022, as well as parents or grandparents of those individuals, are now eligible to apply for and receive payments.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Ottawa condemns China for executing Canadians as Beijing points to drug crime

Global Affairs Canada and the Chinese embassy both declined to say how many Canadians were executed or report the names of those killed. Ottawa did confirm they did not include Abbotsford, B.C. native Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, who was sentenced to death for drug smuggling by a Chinese court in 2019.

Ottawa condemns China for executing Canadians as Beijing points to drug crime

Ottawa provides $20M for B.C.'s forest sector amid softwood duties, trade war

The federal government is providing about $20 million in funding to support British Columbia's forestry sector, part of Ottawa's effort to bolster the economy amid the Canada-U. S. trade war. Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says it's more important than ever to support the sector, which is subject to American duties on softwood lumber and now faces the additional threat of steep tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump.

Ottawa provides $20M for B.C.'s forest sector amid softwood duties, trade war

Commercial truck hits B.C. highway overpass, losing lumber load and snarling traffic

British Columbia's Highway Patrol says another commercial truck has hit an overpass in Metro Vancouver, causing no visible damage, but snarling traffic on Wednesday. Police say a load of lumber the tractor trailer was hauling along Highway 99 hit the Blundell Road overpass.

Commercial truck hits B.C. highway overpass, losing lumber load and snarling traffic

Consumers could find 'meaningful savings' as carbon price ends: Desjardins

Canadians can expect to feel the absence of the consumer carbon price at the pumps immediately but it may take longer to notice a difference in the price of other goods, a new report released Wednesday suggests. The analysis by Desjardins Economics comes less than a week after Prime Minister Mark Carney and his new Liberal cabinet ordered that the consumer levy be set to zero on April 1.

Consumers could find 'meaningful savings' as carbon price ends: Desjardins

End of consumer carbon tax leaves $1.5-billion hole in B.C. budget

The budget released earlier this month shows the province was forecasting revenue of just over $2.5 billion from the tax in the 2024-25 fiscal year, while the estimated cost of the climate action tax credit was $995 million.

End of consumer carbon tax leaves $1.5-billion hole in B.C. budget

Ottawa caps non-sufficient funds fees at $10 starting March 2026

Ottawa has put in place new rules limiting the fees banks can levy on customers who don't have enough in their accounts to cover a cheque or other pre-authorized charges. The updates, included in an order-in-council last week, cap non-sufficient funds fees at $10 for personal deposit accounts, prohibit charging more than one NSF fee in a period of two business days, and prohibit charging an NSF fee when an account shortfall is under $10.