Were You a Resident of an Ontario Training School?

THUNDER BAY, Ontario, Oct. 15, 2019 /CNW/ -- Were you a resident of an Ontario Training School? If yes, you may be a class member and a class action may affect your rights.

The class action has now been certified by the court. The lawsuit seeks money on behalf of the following group: All persons who were alive as at December 8, 2015 who resided at any of the Training Schools between January 1, 1953 and April 2, 1984 during the time periods set out for each facility:

(1) Pine Ridge School, Bowmanville (formerly The Ontario Training School for Boys) between January 1, 1953 and its closure in 1979;

(2) Cold Springs Forestry Camp between January 1, 1963 and its closure in 1976;

(3) Hillcrest School, Guelph (formerly known as Ontario Training School for Boys, Guelph) between January 1, 1953 and its closure in 1978;

(4) Brookside School, Coburg (formerly Ontario Training School for Boys, Galt, and Ontario Training School for Boys, Northumberland and Ontario Training School for Boys, Coburg) between January 1, 1953 and April 2, 1984;

(5) Trelawney House, Port Bolster (formerly known as Ontario Training School for Girls, Port Bolster Trelawney House) between August 1959 and its closure in 1973;

(6) Kawartha Lakes School, Lindsay (formerly Ontario Training School for Girls, Lindsay) between 1962 and its closure in 1979;

(7) Glendale School, Simcoe (formerly Ontario Training School for Boys, Simcoe) between 1962 and July 30, 1974;

(8) White Oaks Village, Hagersville (formerly Ontario Training School for Boys, Hagersville (Junior School)) between 1966 and its removal from the regulations under the training schools legislation in 1978;

(9) Sprucedale School, Hagersville (formerly Ontario Training School for Boys, Hagersville (Senior School)) between 1966 and April 2, 1984;

(10) Cecil Facer School, Sudbury between 1971 and April 2, 1984;

(11) Project DARE – Portage Lake between June 1971 and 1976;

(12) Project DARE – Wendigo Lake, South River (formerly Project DARE Wendigo Lake) between 1972 and April 2, 1984;

(13) Syl Apps Youth Centre (formerly Ontario Training School for Girls, Galt (Reception and Diagnostic Centre); Reception and Diagnostic Centre, Galt; Reception, Diagnostic Treatment Centre, Galt; and the Reception and Assessment Centre, Oakville) between 1958 and April 2, 1984.

Class Members are automatically included in the class action unless they take steps to exclude themselves (opt out) by June 4, 2020. If you want to stay in the class action, do nothing.

If you opt out, you will not be part of the lawsuit and you will not be able to share in any money or any other benefit obtained for the class if the lawsuit is successful. But you will retain your right to sue the Province of Ontario as an individual regarding the issues in this case. Free independent legal advice is available from Pro Bono Ontario by calling 1-855-255-7256.

Pro Bono Ontario's Free Legal Advice Hotline normally accepts calls from Monday to Friday between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. and between 1:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Callers will be prompted to make a selection. When first prompted, callers should press #5 for "going to court". When prompted again, callers should press #2 for "all other civil court matters". At that point, callers will be in a queue to speak with a qualified, free lawyer.

Please visit http://kmlaw.ca/cases/ontario-training-schools/ to get more information about this class action and your rights, or contact us at [email protected] or 1-866-860-9364.

SOURCE Koskie Minsky LLP

For further information: Jonathan Ptak, Koskie Minsky LLP, [email protected], [phone]; Garth Myers, Koskie Minsky LLP, [email protected], [phone]