Tentative $17M settlement reached in Restigouche Hospital class action alleging abuse of patients
CBC
A proposed $17-million settlement has been reached in a class-action lawsuit alleging decades of negligence and mistreatment of psychiatric patients at the Restigouche Hospital Centre in Campbellton, according to lawyers for the plaintiffs.
The action against Vitalité Health Network and the province, launched in 2019, alleged the defendants breached their legal duties and obligations in the manner that they operated Restigouche Hospital Centre, in northern New Brunswick, and that these breaches caused the class members to suffer physical and sexual assault.
Darrell Tidd, one of the two lead plaintiffs, said they are "extremely pleased" with the tentative agreement, which still has to be approved by the court for it to take effect.
"This avoids up to a 15-year court battle, and obtaining real compensation for class members is a big win," he said.
"The trauma-informed claims process is particularly important for this vulnerable class. We're proud of what we have achieved for the class members."
Tidd and Reid Smith started the lawsuit, acting as litigation guardians on behalf of their sons Devan Tidd and Aaron Smith, who were residents at the 140-bed facility.
Tidd alleges his son, who has autism, was overmedicated and complained of assault at the hands of other residents. Smith alleges his son, who has autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder, was also overmedicated at the centre.
The action, which was certified on Oct. 1, 2021, currently includes all individuals who were admitted to or resided at Restigouche Hospital Centre from May 24, 2004, to Oct. 1, 2021, and who were alive as of May 24, 2017.
It also includes individuals who resided at the centre from Jan. 1, 1954, to Oct. 1, 2021, who claim they were sexually assaulted.
"The court has not decided which side is right or that the defendants have done anything wrong," the plaintiffs' Toronto-based law firm Koskie Minsky noted in a news release.
"The proposed settlement is also not an admission of liability or wrongdoing by the defendants with respect to the allegations found in the lawsuit," it said.
"Trials can be expensive and may take years before a final decision on who is right or wrong is made. By agreeing to the proposed settlement, the representative plaintiffs, class members and the defendants avoid the expenses, uncertainties and delays that come with a trial."
A hearing is scheduled for Sept. 25, when the Court of King's Bench will consider whether the settlement is "fair, reasonable, and in the best interests of the class," and whether to approve the settlement agreement.
Vitalité agreed to participate in the mediation process in order to allow the parties to reach an agreement, said president and CEO Dr. France Desrosiers. "The proposed settlement has been established to the satisfaction of all parties," she said in an emailed statement.
For the first time in 111 years, items once belonging to the late Albert Mullins were back in the hands of his family members thanks to the detective work of one Montreal historian.
The year that saw the remains of two First Nations women brought home from a Manitoba landfill and a search get underway for the remains of a third showed how far reconciliation efforts have come — and how far they still need to go, the families say
The RCMP has just released a warning stating there are dangerous, armed individuals on Big Island Cree Nation, near Meadow Lake.
A new land-use plan that Alberta’s government has for the province’s Upper Smoky region is drawing criticism from environmentalists who say they believe it lacks sufficient environmental safeguards, which poses a significant threat to the endangered southern woodland caribou.
Canadian officials made pains to show they were cracking down on illicit drug production in the country in 2025.
A year after the City of Hamilton cancelled its overnight warming bus, it is funding a new all-night warming centre for men at St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church on James Street S.
This year has, without a doubt, been a turbulent one for the Canadian auto industry. Uncertainty dominated the sector — both for auto workers hit with job changes and companies trying to manage a mix of tariffs and changing market conditions.
A woman died at a ski resort in the Canadian Rockies over the weekend, after falling into deep snow.
Two pregnant women who would otherwise be living in a cold tent. A man whose leg wound was so bad it required intravenous medication. Two young people who no longer need to couch surf to get by.
The province has added 12 kilometres of designated trails for all-terrain vehicles in western Prince Edward Island that will connect existing routes in O’Leary and Tignish.
Every year, CBC North publishes hundreds of stories online — breaking news, investigative reporting, political coverage, community features, longform storytelling, and much more.
After a wild year in Canadian politics that began with Justin Trudeau's resignation and ended with Conservative MPs crossing the floor to join Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal government, 2026 is shaping up to be just as action-packed.
It became a rallying cry, a cultural touchstone, a marketing strategy and — our favourite — often described in international media as "a hockey term" or "a Canadian phrase."