British Columbia releases “The Need to Know: Administrative Review on Woodlands School"

August, 2001. British Columbia’s Ministry of Children and Family Development commissioned Dulcie McCallum, the Provincial Ombudsman (a.k.a. citizens’ protector or citizens’ representative), to write a review of Woodlands School. Woodlands School was a provincial institution between 1950 and 1996 that provided residential care for children with mental disorders. (British Columbia Coalition of People with Disabilities, n.d.). McCallum outlines thirteen findings in the first half of the report, covering the topics of abuse, police and parental involvement and sterilization.

There were findings of systemic physical and sexual abuse, including sexual sterilization of children and other vulnerable people while they were institutionalized at Woodlands, between 1975 and 1992. These sterilizations were not done under British Columbia’s eugenic legislation, as the law was repealed in 1973. Therefore, the sterilizations were done on the account of the staff and medical professionals at the Woodlands institution and were not legal under provincial or federal law. After outlining all of her findings in the report, McCallum then proposes twelve recommendations for the Ministry, Province and Woodlands School. (McCallum, 2002). These recommendations included the need to address sterilization, reparation, support and an apology for former residents and legal proceedings, which ultimately followed.

Survivors of Woodlands School had the opportunity to choose, by December 2008, whether or not they wanted to be part of a Class Action settlement, which was later approved by the BC Supreme Court July 7, 2010. Members of the Class Action had until September 2013 to apply for compensation. Settlements with the province for compensation between $3,000 and $150,000 were available to former residents who established that he or she was subject to wrongdoings including sexual, physical, or psychological misconduct or injury while living at Woodlands.(BCCPD, n.d.). The compensation process, which began in January 2013, began slowly and very few claims, of the 850 survivors that have come forward, were filed during the year.

A PDF version of the report can be found online here.

-Laura Shaw

British Columbia releases “The Need to Know: Administrative Review on Woodlands School"

August, 2001. British Columbia’s Ministry of Children and Family Development commissioned Dulcie McCallum, the Provincial Ombudsman (a.k.a. citizens’ protector or citizens’ representative), to write a review of Woodlands School. Woodlands School was a provincial institution between 1950 and 1996 that provided residential care for children with mental disorders. (British Columbia Coalition of People with Disabilities, n.d.). McCallum outlines thirteen findings in the first half of the report, covering the topics of abuse, police and parental involvement and sterilization.

There were findings of systemic physical and sexual abuse, including sexual sterilization of children and other vulnerable people while they were institutionalized at Woodlands, between 1975 and 1992. These sterilizations were not done under British Columbia’s eugenic legislation, as the law was repealed in 1973. Therefore, the sterilizations were done on the account of the staff and medical professionals at the Woodlands institution and were not legal under provincial or federal law. After outlining all of her findings in the report, McCallum then proposes twelve recommendations for the Ministry, Province and Woodlands School. (McCallum, 2002). These recommendations included the need to address sterilization, reparation, support and an apology for former residents and legal proceedings, which ultimately followed.

Survivors of Woodlands School had the opportunity to choose, by December 2008, whether or not they wanted to be part of a Class Action settlement, which was later approved by the BC Supreme Court July 7, 2010. Members of the Class Action had until September 2013 to apply for compensation. Settlements with the province for compensation between $3,000 and $150,000 were available to former residents who established that he or she was subject to wrongdoings including sexual, physical, or psychological misconduct or injury while living at Woodlands.(BCCPD, n.d.). The compensation process, which began in January 2013, began slowly and very few claims, of the 850 survivors that have come forward, were filed during the year.

A PDF version of the report can be found online here.

-Laura Shaw