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September 2022

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Breaking 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 December 21, 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 December 21, 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

Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence launches podcast for Canadian Veterans

Image of pain management therapies.

The Most Painful Podcast explores topics relevant to Veterans, their families, caregivers, researchers and clinicians. Through the use of expert panelists, episodes will provide education and understanding related to chronic pain while exploring complications and a variety of pain management therapies.

Tom Hoppe, Chair of the Advisory Council for Veterans, is your host.

You can listen to The Most Painful Podcast on the CPCoE’s own channel, on Spotify or on Apple Podcasts.

 

Supports for those affected by Military Sexual Misconduct

Are you a Veteran who experienced sexual misconduct during service? You don’t have to suffer in silence. If you need support, resources are available.

  • Sexual Misconduct Response Centre: Call 1-844-750-1648 for 24/7 confidential support, guidance, information on options and resources, and personalized referrals to services and programs. You can also receive ongoing assistance through the Response and Support Coordination program.
  • Online discussion board: Hosted by Togetherall, the online discussion board gives individuals affected by military sexual misconduct and their families an anonymous and secure platform to connect with others, share their thoughts, learn, and support one another through healing and recovery. Individuals can also access the site’s library of mental health resources.
  • VAC Assistance Service: Call 1-800-268-7708 to speak to a mental health professional right away. This confidential service is available 24/7, and provides immediate short-term mental health support.
  • OSI Clinics and Satellite Service Sites: Services include in-person and virtual mental health assessment and treatment to address mental health issues related to service or interfering with rehabilitation. To discuss a possible referral, you can send a secure message via My VAC Account, or call 1-866-522-2122.
  • PTSD Coach Canada mobile application: This app can help you and your loved ones learn about and manage symptoms that can occur after trauma.
  • Sexual misconduct support resources search tool: If you experienced sexual misconduct during your service, this will help you find supports and resources near you.
  • Guidance and tips on self-care following sexual misconduct: This material can be used by both CAF members and Veterans as well as civilian members of the Defence Team.
 

You are not alone: World Suicide Prevention Day

Reaching out for help can be hard when you’re struggling, but connecting with someone who cares can make all the difference in the world. No matter what you’re facing, please know that you are never alone.

If you or someone you know is at risk for suicide, Talk Suicide Canada provides a safe and judgement-free place to talk. Please call 1-833-456-4566 anytime, or text 45645 between 4 p.m. and midnight ET. If you or someone you know are in immediate danger, call 911.

Former CAF and RCMP members and their families can also speak to a mental health professional 24/7, 365 days a year by calling the VAC Assistance Service at 1-800-268-7708. If you do not need immediate support, you can set up an appointment with a local mental health professional with the online chat.

World Suicide Prevention Day is 10 September 2022. Do a buddy check with your loved ones—reach out today and let them know that you’re there for them.

And remember that there are resources available that can help.

 

LifeSpeak talks suicide: understanding, preventing and intervening

With World Suicide Awareness Day on September 10, here are some resources from LifeSpeak to raise awareness about suicide prevention and mental health.

According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, suicide is one of the top ten causes of death in the country. But it’s not only the people who die by suicide that we need to consider. For each person who dies by suicide, it is estimated that over 125 others are affected. It’s also the millions of people who may be experiencing suicidal thoughts, suffering silently and putting on a brave face.

The topic of suicide can be uncomfortable and overwhelming, especially if you find yourself affected by it in one way or another. Check out the links below to learn about how suicide can be impactful:

Log in to LifeSpeak from any computer or mobile device at veterans.lifespeak.com. Use the access ID: Canada.

 

Want to connect with other Veterans and blow off some steam? Check out PASS

Photo of Veteran playing indoor hockey.

The Purpose After Service through Sport (PASS) program brings together men who are Veterans and currently serving members of the Canadian military to connect socially, improve health and fitness, access transition resources, and blow off some steam in a semi-competitive environment.

PASS offers a free, weekly ball-hockey program to help you get or stay active, connect and have fun! It’s available at CFBs Equimalt, Edmonton, Shilo, Kingston, Petawawa, Borden, Valcartier, Montreal, and Gagetown.

A randomized trial design is evaluating the program’s effectiveness in supporting military Veterans’ mental health and physical health.

Although the PASS trial is for Veteran and currently serving men, it is also recruiting for a parallel study specifically tailored for Veteran women, called Purpose After service through Connectivity and Exercise (PACE). For details, please contact Katrina Waldhauser by email.

Keen to take part? Email Purpose After Service through Sport.

For more information, visit the program website.

The PASS program is supported through VAC’s Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund.

 

Veteran stories

John Scott: Not made for retirement

RCMP Staff Sergeant (Ret.) John Scott with UNPOL in South Sudan.
RCMP Staff Sergeant (Ret.) John Scott with UNPOL in South Sudan.

A police and peacekeeping career took John Scott around the world.

John Scott has served as a police officer, peacekeeper and police services inspector and trainer around the world, from New Zealand, to Canada, to East Timor to South Sudan. He tried to retire but got bored and returned, and at age 70, is still looking for adventure.

Read his full story here.

 

John O’Neill: Scars within

John O'Neill, Master Warrant Officer
John O'Neill, Master Warrant Officer

John O’Neill’s service record is a roadmap of places where Canadian service men and women have made a real difference over the past two decades.

Bosnia in 1998. Kosovo in 1999. Ethiopia and Eritrea in 2000. Afghanistan in 2007 and again in 2010.

These places still conjure up images in the minds of Canadians, some of which are disturbing to recall. John carries those images with him still. While the physical scars that come from 24 years of military service remain, the emotional injuries are more problematic for John and his family. John was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in 2014, but he believes it was building for some time.

Read his full story on Articles for Veterans and family.

 

Commemoration

Canada remembers the women who served in the Battle of the Atlantic

Wren Veteran Elsa Lessard attending the National Remembrance Day Ceremony.
Wren Veteran Elsa Lessard attending the National Remembrance Day Ceremony.

Every September, we remember the brave Canadians who fought during the Battle of the Atlantic.

Elsa Lessard was one. She intercepted secret radio messages from German U-boats during the Battle of the Atlantic. This was pivotal in helping protect the vital flow of Allied shipping across the Atlantic.

In 1942, the Navy started to recruit women and established the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRCNS), commonly known as the “Wrens.”

You can hear her story first hand by listening to her episode of our Faces of Freedom podcast.

We remember all who served.

 

Lieutenant John Counsell: a hero during and after service

John Counsell with Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent
John Counsell with Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent

Lieutenant John Counsell, of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, sustained a spinal cord injury that nearly killed him during the 1942 Dieppe Raid.

What he did as a result of that injury has changed the lives of many.

After returning home from the war, Counsell kept fighting.

Counsell, with others, lobbied the government to take better care of Veterans. This advocacy helped create Veterans Affairs Canada.

Later, he founded the Canadian Paraplegic Association, now Spinal Cord Injury Canada. He also worked with an inventor at the National Research Council to create the world’s first power wheelchair.

For his service, Counsell received the Military Cross and the Order of the British Empire. He became an Order of Canada Member in 1967 and an Officer in 1972.

He died in 1976, but his legacy will live forever.

Did you know? John Counsell appeared in a question on the iconic quiz show, Jeopardy!

 

Remembering the Dieppe Raid

Our shared values of peace and freedom come at a high price. The anniversary of the Dieppe Raid reminds us of that price.

From Dieppe, France, to Windsor, Ontario, Canadians came together to honour the sacrifices made on the beaches of Dieppe, 80 years ago.

Parade marches to the Red Beach Monument in Windsor, ON.
Photo 1: Parade marches to the Red Beach Monument in Windsor, ON.
Elder Theresa Sims, from the Upper Mohawk, Turtle Clan of the Six Nations Reserve, drums a song of welcome at the Dieppe Raid anniversary memorial in Windsor, ON.
Photo 2: Elder Theresa Sims, from the Upper Mohawk, Turtle Clan of the Six Nations Reserve, drums a song of welcome at the Dieppe Raid anniversary memorial in Windsor, ON.
Honourary Colonel Joseph Ouellette of the Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment delivers remarks at the memorial in Windsor, ON.
Photo 3: Honourary Colonel Joseph Ouellette of the Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment delivers remarks at the memorial in Windsor, ON.
 
Vintage aircraft from the Canadian Aviation Museum of Windsor perform a flyover in Windsor, ON.
Photo 4: Vintage aircraft from the Canadian Aviation Museum of Windsor perform a flyover in Windsor, ON.
Dieppe Raid Veteran, Sapper John L. Date lays a wreath in Windsor, ON.
Photo 5: Dieppe Raid Veteran, Sapper John L. Date lays a wreath in Windsor, ON.
Headstones at the Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery, France, at sunset.
Photo 6: Headstones at the Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery, France, at sunset.
 
Dieppe Raid Veteran, Trooper (Ret’d) Gordon Fennell speaks at the Square du Canada ceremony in Dieppe, France.
Photo 7: Dieppe Raid Veteran, Trooper (Ret’d) Gordon Fennell speaks at the Square du Canada ceremony in Dieppe, France.
Canadian youth in Dieppe, France, display the faces of some of the Canadians who served in the Dieppe Raid.
Photo 8: Canadian youth in Dieppe, France, display the faces of some of the Canadians who served in the Dieppe Raid.
Veteran George Douglas Furchner holds the medals of his stepfather Norris A. Demeray, a Dieppe Raid Veteran and POW, at Puys Beach where he landed eighty years earlier.
Photo 9: Veteran George Douglas Furchner holds the medals of his stepfather Norris A. Demeray, a Dieppe Raid Veteran and POW, at Puys Beach where he landed eighty years earlier.
 

Veterans’ Week learning resources—homework that matters!

Each fall, hundreds of thousands of copies of our Veterans’ Week learning resources land in classrooms across Canada.

Each fall, hundreds of thousands of copies of our Veterans’ Week learning resources land in classrooms across Canada.

From the Take Time to Remember activity booklet, to the Tales of Animals in War (storytelling through the eyes of six Remembrance Clubhouse animal characters) as well Canada Remembers Times and the Postcards for Peace, these materials help students take an active role in remembrance.

You can order Veterans’ Week learning materials and access learning resources here.

 

Commemoration calendar

September 3:
Merchant Navy Veterans Day
Beginning of the Battle of the Atlantic, 1939
September 18:
Battle of Britain, 1940, marked in Canada on the third Sunday of September
September 20:
Newfoundlanders land in Gallipoli, 1915
September 25:
Police and Peace Officers’ Memorial Day
September 26:
Beginning of Canadian participation in the UN Mission in the Congo, 1999
October:
Women’s History Month
October 2:
The Battle of the Scheldt begins, 1944
October 8:
Canadian CF-18s deploy to Middle East for Gulf War, 1990
October 11:
Canadians liberate Cambrai, France, 1918
October 27:
Military advance party, including Canadians, arrive in Rwanda as part of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda, 1993
October 28:
The Poppy Campaign begins, on the last Friday in October
 

Engagement

Run, walk or roll in the Canada Army Run

The Canada Army Run is back and better than ever this September, and you can take part in person in Ottawa, or in virtual events open to participants from coast to coast to coast.

Virtual events can be completed between September 9 to 18, and the in-person run takes places in Ottawa on September 18, 2022. Register online to run, walk, or roll in events ranging from 5 to 21.1 km.

Your registration includes a race kit with exclusive Canada Army Run merchandise, which will be shipped anywhere in Canada for virtual participants.

This is an important fundraiser for both the Support Our Troops Fund and Soldier On, so register today and show your support!

 

2021 Census shows Canadian military experience

With the release of the 2021 Census data, a clearer picture of Canadian Veterans has already begun to emerge, including details on age, gender, living arrangements and place of residence.

For the first time in 50 years, the 2021 census included a question on Canadians’ military experience. As participants completed the questionnaire, they were identified as a Veteran if they indicated that they were no longer serving in the Regular Force or Primary Reserve Force.

This is a key development, as the information gathered will shed important light on the demographic, economic, family and household characteristics of the Veteran population.

This information will help VAC and other organizations, including the Canadian Armed Forces, Department of National Defence and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, better understand—and better serve —Canadian Veterans and their families.

Veterans Affairs Canada will continue to work with Statistics Canada and other partners and stakeholders to collect better statistical information on the Veteran population.

 

Share your story about life after service

A research team from the University of British Columbia is looking for Veterans to share their transition story.

A research team from the University of British Columbia is looking for Veterans to share their transition story.

The team is developing a website to support the well-being of serving and former CAF members as they transition from the military to life after service. The project is supported by the Department of National Defence’s Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) program.

The website will feature Veteran stories on a variety of topics, including:

  • career-based transitions
  • education-based challenges
  • overcoming challenges
  • health and family-related challenges
  • overcoming trauma and PTSD
  • socialization in the civilian world.

If you would like to share your transition story or learn more about the project, please email Dr. Sumeet Sekhon.

 

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.

 

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