$19M Settlement Reached in Veteran Care Class Action Lawsuit

Retired members of the Canadian Armed Forces secured a $19 million payout in a class action settlement after saying they suffered from a decline in veteran care at Ste. Anne’s Hospital when it was transferred to provincial control have

The Montreal-area facility went from federal to provincial control in 2016 and, according to the class action lawsuit, the quality of veteran care diminished as Quebec cut staff salaries by 40 percent and made other changes.

Lead plaintiff Wolf Solkin, a veteran of the Second World War, alleged that after Quebec took control of Ste. Anne’s and implemented pay cuts, the facility lost approximately 40 percent of their staff and had trouble replacing those who had left. He claimed that veteran care declined as a result, stripping away the dignity of the former Canadian Armed Forces members.

Solkin, who initially lodged the lawsuit in 2018, learned of the settlement just a few days before he died, according to Global News. The 97-year-old had been honoured with a Veterans Ombudsman Commendation for fighting for veterans’ rights.

The settlement notice has been posted on the website for Veteran Affairs Canada.

The class action settlement will benefit veterans who have resided at the facility since April 1, 2016, and their families, along with 85 veterans still living at Ste. Anne’s. In addition to the $19 settlement fund, the terms of the agreement stipulate improvements in veteran care at the facility.

“There’s a section which deals specifically with the ongoing care and changes that have been put into the agreement that are to be implemented. Some of them have already been implemented,” the lawyer who represented Solkin told Global News.

For its part, Veteran Affairs Canada expressed support for the settlement.

“While the settlement agreement still requires final approval by the court, Veterans Affairs Canada is very pleased that this matter is being resolved with what we believe to be a fair settlement,” the agency reportedly said in a statement issued after the veteran care settlement was announced.

An approval hearing has been scheduled for April 22, 2021.

Are you a veteran residing at Ste. Anne’s? Do you feel your care has suffered as a result of the shift to provincial control? Tell us about your experience in the comment section below!

The lead plaintiff, Wolf Solkin, was represented by Laurent Kanemy and Gare Windsor of Laurent Kanemy Legal Services Inc. and Michel Savonitto and Julie Savonitto of Savonitto & Associates Inc.

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