A new class action lawsuit against the province alleges abuse and neglect at Woodstock's former Oxford Regional Centre and 11 other Ontario institutions for those with developmental disabilities.
In 2013, the province awarded survivors of three similar institutions $67.7-million. Cheques are still being collected by former residents of the Rideau Regional Centre, the Huronia Regional Center and the Southwestern Regional Centre in Chatham-Kent.
The attention garnered by that settlement brought other plaintiffs to the forefront, says Jody Brown of the Koskie Minsky Law Firm.
"The allegations are similar to the other three; there was systemic under staffing that led to abuse, along with allegations that there wasn't proper abuse prevention policies implemented that led to harm," Brown tells BlackburnNews.com. "People from these 12 (institutions) came forward and said 'you know, it's great those three settled but similar things happened at these 12 and we think there should be a case'."
Those who settled with the province told stories of beatings, sexual assaults and emotional abuse spanning years, sometimes even decades.
The current lawsuit names the following institutions as sites for abuse between 1963-1998:
- Oxford Regional Centre
- St. Lawrence Regional Centre
- Durham Centre for Developmentally Handicapped
- Northwestern Regional Centre
- L.S. Penrose Centre
- Midwestern Regional Centre
- Muskoka Centre
- Bluewater Centre
- Pine Ridge
- Prince Edward Heights
- Adult Occupational Centre (Edgar)
- D’Arcy Place
A judge granted the case class action designation on August 20.
To read the full statement of claim, click here.