The Class Action Settlement of the Residential Schools Class Action established an Independent Assessment Process (IAP) as an out of court, alternative dispute resolution process to resolves claims of abuse suffered at Indian Residential Schools. First Nations people who suffered abuse at Indian Residential Schools in Canada must make their IAP claims by September 19, 2012.

You can hire a lawyer to assist and represent you in your IAP claim. We are offering our legal services if you need legal help. Suzanne Desrosiers and Fay Brunning are lawyers who have formed a legal team to assist you. Our team also includes an articling student, Christine Hodgins, and a paralegal, Christina Ruest.

Suzanne Desrosiers practices in Timmins and she works for a number of First Nations along the James Bay coast. Suzanne is well known among aboriginal leaders and individuals who have been Board members of various First Nation organizations, such as the health authorities, educational authorities and the power authorities. Suzanne has also visited these coastal communities at different times throughout her career.

Fay Brunning is a litigation lawyer in Ottawa at Sack Goldblatt Mitchell LLP with over 20 years of experience including handling claims for individuals seeking damages for physical and mental injuries. She has often served aboriginal persons and she has recently been recognized by lawyers in Ontario as a woman leader in the legal profession.

We have been requested by aboriginal organizations to devote a portion of our practices to helping the victims of the Residential School System with their IAP claims. The IAP claims relate to monetary compensation for those people who suffered physical or sexual abuse or other wrongful acts as children at these residential schools. If you believe you have an IAP claim, please seek legal advice. We have sought permission to enter the First Nations along the James Bay coast from each Chief and Council prior to commencing our work. We respect that Cree is the mother tongue of the victims of the residential school along the James Bay coast and we have therefore arranged to have some of our documents available in both English and Cree to ensure that clients understand our role. We can arrange for Cree translation, if necessary, for our meetings. Unfortunately we cannot speak the Cree language ourselves.

The legal claim process will unfortunately bring back memories of terrible past childhood experiences. Our team recognises the importance of each person receiving appropriate aboriginal healing and/or approved counselling to provide proper support and hopefully to help in the healing journey and bring closure to the terrible events of the past. We have been seeking advice from an aboriginal healer and approved counsellors as to how to appropriately assist the aboriginal people who suffered. If you live in a James Bay coastal community, you can contact the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority at 705-658-4544 for assistance with flights and accommodations to see an approved counsellor or aboriginal healer in the closest community that offers such services. Counselling is available to all residential school survivors, regardless whether you make an IAP claim.

Filing for IAP compensation could be an important step in your healing journey. If you suffered abuse, you are legally entitled to additional compensation. You can meet with us and, after that meeting, you decide whether or not to proceed with an IAP claim. All meetings are strictly confidential. In the first meeting, we will explain the process and our fee arrangement and, if you are comfortable, you can decide to retain us. Our legal team is professional and knowledgeable and we will do our best to work in your interest and to ensure that you receive any settlement that you are entitled to receive.

It is important that you contact us as soon as possible because it will take time to complete the questionnaire and request supporting documentation for the application to be filed by September 2012.

Please contact us to schedule an appointment to discuss your possible IAP claim, or the possible claim of a family member, at 1-855- IAP-CLAIM (1-855-427-2524). Please allow for approximately 20 minutes for us to collect important general information from you and schedule our first meeting.

If you are traveling to Timmins, Kingston, North Bay or Ottawa areas before June, contact us and we can arrange to meet you when you are travelling to those locations.

We are planning to be in Fort Albany from January 31 to February 3 and in Moosonee and in Moose Factory from February 3 to February 7. We have not yet scheduled dates in Attawapiskat but will do so if enough people come forward to advance their claim. Please call for an appointment in advance. We will be along the Coast at various other times from now until September.

Direct Contact Information:

Suzanne Desrosiers
Law Office of Suzanne Desrosiers
Timmins, Ontario
Tel: 705-268-6492
Fax: 705-264-1940
Email: sdesrosiers@ntl.sympatico.ca

Fay Brunning
Sack Goldblatt Mitchell LLP
Ottawa, Ontario
Tel: 613-235-5327
Fax: 613-235-3041
Email: fbrunning@sgmlaw.com