In this edition
- News
- Deadline for filing a claim for compensation for groundwater contamination in Shannon, Quebec is 15 January 2023
- Programs and services
- Rehabilitation program: continuing the conversation
- Compassionate Award application is now more accessible
- One-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit
- Veteran stories
- Getting out of the hurt locker
- Canadian combat engineer wins first Veteran Entrepreneur of the Year Award
- Commemoration
- 25 years since 1998’s Great Ice Storm
- 150 years of the RCMP: 1873–2023
- The Last Post Fund: Ensuring dignity for all who serve
- Commemoration calendar
- Engagement
- First Accessibility Action Plan released
- Join the 2023 Annual Forum for Women and 2SLGBTQI+ Veterans
News
Deadline for filing a claim for compensation for groundwater contamination in Shannon, Quebec is 15 January 2023
Spieser v. Attorney General of Canada et al. (Contamination of groundwater by TCE in Shannon, Quebec)
Notice to class members concerning the process for the execution of the judgment and for the administration of individual claims in case no. 200-09-007773-127.
Following the Québec Court of Appeal judgments rendered on 17 January 2020, and 1 November 2021, in the case no. 200-09-007773-127, persons aged 18 or over on 21 December 2000, who resided in certain defined areas of the municipality of Shannon or on Cannon Street situated in the territory of the Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier municipality, province of Québec, for at least one month during certain determined periods between the months of April 1995 and June 2006 may be entitled to cumulative compensation ranging from $250 to $64,000, in addition to interest and additional indemnity accrued from 16 July 2007, to the date of payment of compensation.
On 30 June 2021, Justice Bernard Godbout of the Québec Superior Court:
- approved the form and content of this notice and of the plan for communicating the notice
- designated a Claims Administrator
- approved the Claims process
- approved the Claim Form
- approved Class counsel fees of 25 percent of the compensation paid to the Class members.
On 31 March 2022, Justice Bernard Godbout approved the modifications to the Claims process in order to integrate claimants who have resided on Cannon Street.
To be eligible to receive compensation, Class members must provide, by means of the Claim Form, information and supporting documents that establish:
- they were 18 years of age or over on 21 December 2000
- the duration of their residence in Shannon or on Cannon Street (situated in the territory of the Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier municipality) and their address(es) of residence during the relevant period
- if they were parents with custody of or responsibility for one or more children under the age of 18 before 21 December 2000, at a relevant address
- if the Claim is submitted on behalf of a person who is deceased or lacking capacity, the Claimant must establish the authority or rights to do so.
Class members wishing to obtain the compensation to which they believe themselves entitled must fill out the Claim Form approved by the Court and submit it to the Claims Administrator no later than 15 January 2023. Any claim submitted after this date will be prescribed.
You are invited to contact any person you believe may be concerned by this notice.
The Claim Form is available online.
This notice was approved by the Honourable Bernard Godbout, judge of the Superior Court of Québec.
Programs and services
Rehabilitation program: continuing the conversation
Are you a Veteran or family member with experience in our Rehabilitation Program? Then Veterans Affairs Canada wants to hear from you. Please join the third round of consultations so that together, we can continue to improve rehabilitation services.
The input from current rehabilitation participants who are migrating to the new national contractor, PCVRS, will be especially valuable.
We are looking for a broad group of Veterans and their families, including those who identify as Indigenous, racialized, 2SLGBTQI+, or a person with a disability to ensure our rehabilitation services are inclusive for all.
Our goal for this third round of consultations is to understand how the changes to the Rehabilitation Program are affecting program participants. Consultation sessions will take place in two parts:
- a quick phone call to talk about you and your background
- Microsoft Teams sessions lasting for 30 minutes to an hour. Depending on your preference, these sessions will either be a one-on-one interview or a group discussion with other Veterans and stakeholders
If you want to get involved, please contact us by email by 20 January 2022, and we will give you information on next steps. To best support your participation in the third round of consultations, please include any required accommodations in your email.
Do you know a Veteran or family member who may want to participate? Please tell them about this opportunity, too, so that everyone has the chance to share their views.
Compassionate Award application is now more accessible
You can now access and fill out an application form for the Veterans Review and Appeal Board’s Compassionate Award online through My VAC Account.
The Compassionate Award is a special discretionary award for Veterans, Canadian Armed Forces and Royal Canadian Mounted Police Members, and their families, who need assistance on compassionate grounds.
When a Compassionate Award is granted, it corresponds to the type of entitlement which had been previously denied under the Pension Act or the Veterans Well-being Act. The amount of the Compassionate Award will be based on the amount that would have been paid to the applicant if the earlier claim for entitlement had been approved.
Now, My VAC Account users can easily apply for the Compassionate Award directly through their account. My VAC Account users can also communicate with the Board via the secure messaging feature.
If you are being represented by the Bureau of Pensions Advocates or the Royal Canadian Legion, talk to your representative about applying.
One-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit
Applications have opened for the one-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit.
The one-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit is a tax-free one-time payment of $500 to help cover some of the cost of rent. This benefit is available to lower-income renters with an adjusted family net income of $20,000 or less for individuals, and $35,000 or less for families, who paid at least 30% of their income, based on their 2021 income tax return, on rent for their principal residence in Canada in 2022. You must be a resident of Canada in 2022 for tax purposes and be at least 15 years of age as of December 1, 2022.
Eligible applicants can quickly, easily, and securely apply for the one-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit via CRA My Account (which can also be accessed via ESDC’s My Service Canada Account).
You can also apply through a web form without having to sign in to their CRA My Account; processing times will be longer than applying through CRA My Account. If applicants are unable to apply online, you can call the CRA at 1-800-282-8079 to complete their application with an agent.
Veteran stories
Getting out of the hurt locker
Former RCMP member helps colleagues get help for PTSD
As he began his uniformed RCMP career in 1974 on northern general duty detachment in Alberta, traumatic situations immediately began affecting RCMP Cpl. (Ret) Paul Woods.
While on highway patrol, he vividly remembers a high-velocity car accident.
Helping other officers and their families deal with trauma and other impacts of duty became a passion for Corp. Woods, “I could see many were in the hurt locker and not getting help.” He now works as a Peer Support Volunteer and Mentor in the RCMP Support for Operational Stress Injuries (SOSI) program, the related Veterans program in Ottawa, and with Operational Stress Injuries and Social Support (OSISS).
Note: This page may contain distressing content. For support, the VAC Assistance Service is available 24/7 at 1-800-268-7708 (TTY: 1-800-567-5803).
Canadian combat engineer wins first Veteran Entrepreneur of the Year Award
This year, the Canadian Innovation and Entrepreneurship, or CANIE Awards program from the Innovators & Entrepreneurs Foundation launched a new award recognizing Veteran entrepreneurs. This award is a celebration of excellence and outstanding achievement in entrepreneurship, within the Veteran community.
Kevin Leboeuf has won The 2022 Veteran Entrepreneur of the Year Award, presented by Prince’s Trust Canada.
Kevin spent 14 years as a combat engineer in the Canadian Armed Forces, and at age 18 was deployed to Afghanistan. After his release, Kevin took advantage of some downtime. While exploring new opportunities, he decided to grow his beard and experiment with various products. This is where his business Educated Beards was born.
Congratulations, Kevin, on your success and we thank you for your service.
Check out other products made and inspired by Veterans at the Prince’s Trust Buy Veterans page.
Do you have a story to share about experience in the Canadian Armed Forces? Tell us about it by email.
Commemoration
25 years since 1998’s Great Ice Storm
In January 1998, more than one million households were plunged into darkness when ice storms struck parts of Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick
The powerful storms and cold temperatures toppled trees, snapped power lines, damaged buildings and turned roads into rivers of ice. In the dead of winter, Canadians were left without lights, central heating, running water, or hot meals.
In response, the Canadian Armed Forces launched Operation RECUPERATION. More than 15,000 Canadian Armed Forces members were deployed to assist in recovery efforts, provide medical care and shelter and help restore power grids across Eastern Canada.
Thank you to all those who participated in Operation RECUPERATION. Twenty-five years later, we remember your determination and support when your fellow Canadians needed you.
In February, come visit our display and ice sculpture at Ottawa’s Winterlude Festival at Confederation Park in Ottawa to discover the stories and experiences of Canadian Veterans 25 years ago.
Do you remember the 1998 Ice Storm? Share your memories online using #CanadaRemembers and #IceStorm1998.
150 years of the RCMP: 1873–2023
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has been our country’s national police service—and iconic Canadian institution—since 1873.
Their services span every province and territory, and beyond our borders through international policing and peacekeeping. Since 1989, more than 4,000 Canadian police officers participated in more than 60 peace operations abroad. They have established an excellent reputation in international policing through their expertise, leadership, professionalism and dedication.
On 23 May 2023, the RCMP will commemorate its 150th anniversary.
The Last Post Fund: Ensuring dignity for all who serve
It started 113 years ago.
December 1908, Trooper James Daly was found homeless and unconscious in a doorway of Montreal. Taken to the hospital, the head orderly Arthur Hair noticed a blue envelope sticking out of Daly's pocket: it contained the honorable discharge issued by Britain's War Office. A Veteran of the South African War, Daly had served for over 20 years. Suffering from hypothermia and malnutrition, Daly died two days later. His remains, unclaimed, would have been donated to medical research if Hair had not raised funds to give the soldier a dignified funeral.
The Last Post Fund’s mission is to ensure that no Veteran is denied a dignified funeral and burial as well as a military gravestone, due to insufficient funds. The Veterans Affairs Canada Funeral and Burial Program is administered by the Last Post Fund and provides financial assistance for funeral and burial services, including a military gravestone for eligible Veterans. To qualify, the Veteran will have met service, as well as health or financial criteria. Visit Lastpostfund.ca or Veterans.gc.ca for more information.
Commemoration calendar
- January 4:
- Beginning of the Great Ice Storm in parts of Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick, 1998
- January 8:
- Beginning of Operation RECUPERATION, the CAF assistance mission after the Great Ice Storm, 1998
- January 16-17:
- Coalition forces begin offensive air operations during the Gulf War, 1991
- February:
- Black History Month
- February 1:
- The Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Air Force unified to form the Canadian Armed Forces, 1968
- February 3:
- The Canadian Women’s Auxiliary Air Force was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force (Women’s Division), 1942
- February 8:
- Operation VERITABLE began, with Canadian troops joining the Allied offensive into western Germany, 1945
- February 15:
- National Flag of Canada Day
- February 18:
- The South African War’s Battle of Paardeberg began, 1900
- February 28:
- Gulf War ends, 1991
Engagement
First Accessibility Action Plan released
On 22 December 2022, VAC released its first ever Accessibility Action Plan. The plan lays out our commitment to improve accessibility by identifying barriers and the actions we can take to prevent and remove them.
Some examples of actions include:
- adding described video and subtitles to audio visual displays in visitor centres
- creating a process to collect ongoing feedback from persons with disabilities on built environment-related accessibility issues, and
- improving the application process for VAC programs and services.
VAC has a long history of serving clients with disabilities and in considering accessibility. Canadian Veterans are more likely to suffer from physical and mental health conditions when compared to the general population, according to VAC’s Life After Service Studies. We celebrate this plan as an opportunity to make the Department more accessible.
An accessibility barrier is anything that does not allow persons with disabilities to be included and take part in all areas of life. The barriers in this Action Plan were identified in consultation with persons with disabilities by putting the “nothing without us” principle into practice. VAC conducted an external consultation using Let’s Talk Veterans and consulted internally with VAC’s Accessibility Network.
You can read the final report of the Let’s Talk Veterans Accessibility Consultation on our website.
We will monitor the progress on this Action Plan and publish an annual progress report. An updated accessibility plan will be produced every three years.
Questions and/or feedback related to accessibility at VAC can be sent by mail, email, telephone, or through the Department’s anonymous online feedback form.
VAC’s 2022-2025 Accessibility Action Plan, as well as a description of our feedback process, are available in alternate formats upon request. Please visit our website for more information.
Join the 2023 Annual Forum for Women and 2SLGBTQI+ Veterans
The 2023 Annual Forum for Women and 2SLGBTQI+ Veterans will explore how more inclusive policy, programs and services at Veterans Affairs Canada could better address the needs of women and 2SLGBTQI+ Veterans.
This forum will elevate the voices and lived experiences of women and 2SLGBTQI+ Veterans, bringing them together with subject matter experts, researchers and stakeholders to discuss systemic inequities disproportionately impacting these groups.
The Forum will consist of two components: an open, virtual session on 9 February 2023 and an in-person/hybrid session by invitation on 16 February 2023.
Stay tuned to our social media channels for registration details. For questions, please reach out to us by email.
Do you know other Veterans, family members or others who would benefit from the information in this newsletter? Feel free to share it with them.