Released on April 26, 2017
The Government of Saskatchewan and the City of North Battleford will make compensation available to approximately 700 people who became ill in the spring of 2001 after consuming contaminated drinking water supplied by the City of North Battleford.This measure will only be available to those claimants who meet the settlement criteria, and have not already received compensation.
A fund of $3.3 million – split evenly between the province and the city – will be used to compensate people who were under the age of 18 at the time they contracted cryptosporidiosis, a waterbourne contaminant that can cause gastrointestinal illness, including diarrhea, stomach pain, dehydration, nausea and vomiting.
An administrator will co-ordinate the compensation process, with individual settlements ranging from $750 and upward. Compensation will be based on the length and severity of an individual’s illness at the time of the outbreak, meaning that many claimants will require medical documentation from 2001 to substantiate their claims. Claimants will also need to swear an affidavit that they were present in North Battleford during the relevant time period, consumed tap water and became ill as a result.
Claims for compensation can be made for up to seven months, until November 25, 2017. After that date, no more claims will be accepted by the administrator.
Since the 2001 incident, the Ministry of Environment and Water Security Agency have made changes to requirements, regulations and enforcement related to water management standards and operator training. Many municipal waterworks operations in the province have upgraded and/or implemented new treatment technologies to improve drinking water quality and safety. As a result of these changes, Saskatchewan now has the lowest percentage of untreated wastewater in Canada.
More information on the compensation process is available through a website established by the settlement administrator and the plaintiffs’ legal counsel at www.cuelenaere.com/northbattleford/.
-30-For more information, contact:
Noel Busse
Justice
Regina
Phone: 306-787-8959
Email: noel.busse@gov.sk.ca
Patrick Boyle
Water Security Agency
Moose Jaw
Phone: 306-694-8914
Jim Puffalt
City of North Battleford
Phone: 306-445-1727