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1974 Valcartier Grenade Deaths (gov't action, memorial, etc.)

Further info on the CBC website today.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cadets-grenade-accident-compensation-1.3746700
 
dapaterson said:
Further info on the CBC website today.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cadets-grenade-accident-compensation-1.3746700

And here's the Order-in-Council:
PC Number: 2016-0647
Date: 2016-06-21

His Excellency the Governor General in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister of National Defence, authorizes the Minister of National Defence to make ex gratia payments for the provision of health care services in relation to the treatment of injuries sustained by the following individuals as a result of the grenade explosion which occurred on July 30, 1974 at the Canadian Forces Base Valcartier Cadet Camp:

(a) any cadet who was in the room when the explosion occurred; and

(b) any non-professional first responder who, on that day, was not a member of the Canadian Armed Forces and was involved immediately following the explosion.


Sur recommandation du ministre de la Défense nationale, Son Excellence le Gouverneur général en conseil autorise le ministre de la Défense nationale à verser, à titre gracieux, des paiements pour la fourniture de services de soins de santé reliés au traitement des blessures subies par les personnes ci-après résultant de l’explosion d’une grenade, le 30 juillet 1974, au Camp des cadets de la Base des Forces armées canadiennes Valcartier :

a) les cadets qui se trouvaient dans la salle au moment de l’explosion;

b) les premiers répondants non professionnels qui, à cette date, n’étaient pas membres des Forces armées canadiennes et ont été impliqués immédiatement après l’explosion.
 
Nothing yet, as of this post, at the DND/CF Ombudsman's site, but this from The Canadian Press via CBC.ca:
The Canadian Forces ombudsman is taking the military to task for its treatment of ill and injured cadets, saying little has changed since a deadly grenade explosion at a cadet camp in 1974.

In a report to be released Thursday, ombudsman Gary Walbourne says the military must do more to ensure cadets who suffer long-term injuries or illness while in uniform get similar levels of support and compensation as their instructors and other service members.

That isn't currently the case, says the report — cadet instructors and serving military personnel are eligible for large disability payments and other supports that cadets themselves are unable to access.

"Overall, we found that Canadian cadets, although treated fairly following minor incidents, are not treated on par with Canadian Armed Forces members or civilians involved in cadet activities when it comes to compensation for serious, life-changing injuries and illness," says the report ...
 
Lightguns said:
This has the potential to make Cadets an exceedingly expensive enterprise for the Govt of Canada does it not?
Only if they get hurt and the system does what some consider the right thing.

Or a real cynic with no faith in the system might even suggest a New Cadets Charter  >:D

BTW, here's a link to the Bud'man's report (also attached in case link doesn't work), and here's the Executive Summary:
In December 2015, our Office launched a systemic review of the Canadian Cadet Program to identify any issues of unfairness that might arise should a cadet be seriously injured or killed during an approved Cadet activity. This review set out to determine what cadets (and/or their families) would be entitled to, and the process to access those entitlements.

    It assesses similarities and differences in the benefits offered to people involved in cadet or youth activities:
    Canadian Armed Forces members and employees of National Defence;
    cadets from allied countries comparable to Canada; and
    members of other Canadian youth organizations.

We also looked at Canadian federal and provincial insurance and benefit schemes to see if or how they compensate ill and injured youth.

Overall, we found that Canadian cadets, although treated fairly following minor incidents, are not treated on par with Canadian Armed Forces members or civilians involved in cadet activities when it comes to compensation for serious, life-changing injuries and illnesses.

We also found that information on how to access Canadian cadet health care entitlements is not readily available, and the process is not well understood.

Our review concludes that when it comes to access to long-term care and compensation, not much has changed since the 1974 Valcartier grenade incident. More needs to be done to support our most vulnerable participants of the Cadet Program.

With this in mind, our Office has made the following four recommendations to the Minister of National Defence:

    1)  We recommend that, in the event of an illness or injury arising out of an approved cadet activity, the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces ensure that cadets are compensated and supported in a manner that is commensurate with the compensation and support available to members of the Canadian Armed Forces.
    2)  With regard to the general availability of information on cadet entitlements, we recommend that the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces complete the following activities in time for summer training 2017:
        a) Amalgamate information on cadets’ health care entitlements and Cadet League accident insurance policies and the process to access them;
        b) Provide this information to all those in charge of supervising cadets;
        c) Ensure compliance with the process;
        d) Publish the same detailed information on the Internet; and
        e) Include the same detailed information in documents provided to cadets and their families.
    3) As part of the next annual review of the accident insurance policies of the Cadet Leagues, we recommend that the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces ensure that the benefits are identical across the three Cadet Leagues.
    4) We recommend that the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces conduct necessary consultations and institute policies and procedures regarding Staff Cadets’ possible entitlements to compensation in case of illness or injury arising from their duties.
 

Attachments

Government settles with cadets in deadly 1974 grenade blast in Valcartier
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/valcartier-grenade-cadets-1.4017327
The Canadian Press  Posted: Mar 09, 2017 12:08 PM ET| Last Updated: Mar 09, 2017 1:05 PM ET
The federal government has reached a settlement with 120 former military cadets who were affected by a deadly grenade explosion more than 40 years ago.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan will today announce details of the agreement, which comes after years of negotiation.

A grenade exploded at a cadet summer camp in Valcartier, Que., in 1974, killing six teens and leaving dozens of others with lifelong physical and psychological injuries.

The incident, largely forgotten by most Canadians, gained new prominence several years ago when military ombudsman Gary Walbourne issued a scathing report that said the surviving cadets had been treated unfairly.

Walbourne found the cadets did not get the same physical, mental or financial assistance as instructors and other military personnel.

The ombudsman issued a separate report in January that found even today, cadets injured or killed while in uniform do not get adequate support or benefits.

 
More from the Info-machine:
Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan today announced a comprehensive program of financial recognition and health care support for the victims of the 1974 accidental grenade explosion at the CFB Valcartier cadet camp.

The Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) recognize that those affected by this terrible tragedy have struggled with the long-term effects on their health of the trauma they experienced and regret that it took this long to formally recognize and address this tragedy.

In recognition of their pain and suffering, all former cadets in the room at the time of the explosion and non-professional first responders involved immediately after the explosion will be provided with a universal benevolent payment. Victims are also eligible to apply for an individualized benevolent payment for both physical and mental injuries sustained as a result of the incident. Estates of the cadets who tragically perished in the incident and of the victims who have passed away since are also eligible to apply for elements of the program. In addition, all incident-related health care costs, not funded by provincial health care systems, for former cadets in the room at the time of the explosion and non-professional first responders involved immediately after the explosion will be covered by DND and the CAF for the remainder of their lifetime.

Quotes

    “The cadets and families affected by this incident were the victims of a tragic and unique set of circumstances. These former cadets were under our care at the time and some have struggled – and continue to struggle to this day – with the long-term effects of the trauma they experienced and the actions taken by the military in the aftermath of the incident. For this, we sincerely apologize. The financial recognition and health care support we are announcing today are long overdue, and will ensure that the victims are finally offered some measure of comfort, while getting the care they need and deserve.”
   
    Harjit S. Sajjan, Defence Minister

    “We want to ensure that the victims of this past tragic incident are well taken care of and are recognized for the pain and suffering they endured. As a result of this incident, the Cadet Program underwent significant changes. I can assure you that the Canadian Armed Forces takes its responsibility to protect the youth in its care very seriously, and the first priority in all cadet activities is the safety and welfare of cadets.”

    Vice-Admiral Ron Lloyd, Acting Vice Chief of the Defence Staff

    DND and the CAF continue to urge former cadets who were in the room at the time of the explosion and non-professional first responders involved immediately after the explosion to contact us at 1-844-800-8566 or 1974@forces.gc.ca.

Quick Facts

    On July 30, 1974, an accidental grenade explosion killed six cadets and injured dozens more at the CFB Valcartier cadet camp. In July 2015, the Minister of National Defence committed to ensuring that affected individuals would have access to health care and compensation, where appropriate.

    The development of the program was informed in large part by discussions with victims of this incident and their representatives, with the intent of coming to a mutually acceptable program for affected individuals.

    In recognition of their pain and suffering, all cadets in the room at the time of the explosion and non-professional first responders who were involved immediately after the explosion will be provided with a universal benevolent payment of $42,000. It is estimated that approximately 155 individuals will be eligible for the payment. Estates of the six cadets who tragically perished in the incident and of those who have passed away in the years since are also eligible to apply for this benevolent payment.

    In recognition of loss, an additional benevolent payment of $58,000 will be provided to the estates of the six deceased cadets– for a total of $100,000 for each of the six estates.

    Affected individuals are also eligible to apply for an individualized benevolent payment for both physical and mental injuries sustained as a result of the incident. This payment will be determined based on individual circumstances, up to a maximum of $310,000 (including the universal benevolent payment).

    The estates of former cadets who have passed away in the years since the incident are also eligible to apply for this payment.

    Additionally, to ensure that the health care needs of those affected by this terrible tragedy are met, DND and the CAF are paying for all necessary incident-related health care costs incurred by affected individuals, not funded by provincial health care systems, for the remainder of their lifetime.

    Peer support and resiliency training is also being offered to those who wish to receive additional services from the CAF and extended to their spouses and children. Reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed in the event that travel is required to take part in these sessions.
Full info-machine package (including news release, backgrounder & FAQ's) also attached.
 

Attachments

One of the cadets receives his final payment.

Ottawa Citizen

'I deserve more,' says cadet awarded $310,000 in deadly '74 grenade blast
KELLY EGAN Updated: February 6, 2019

An Ottawa man has been awarded $310,000 for the life-altering damage caused when a grenade exploded in a deadly accident at a cadet camp in CFB Valcartier in 1974.

Randall Brooks, 59, received a cheque for $268,000 last week, the second instalment in a special program announced in 2017 to compensate about 150 teenagers who were inside barracks at a summer camp when the live grenade exploded during a demonstration on munitions.

Only 14 at the time and standing about an arm’s length from the blast, Brooks was struck with shrapnel in his upper chest, leg, hip and abdomen and endured four surgeries in 18 hours just to help keep him alive.

“I have to be honest, I have mixed feelings,” he said this week of being compensated by the Department of National Defence almost 45 years later. “I feel that I deserve more. It’s only half the equation.”

more at link
 
As a 'Critically Injured Cadet' from the July 30th,1974 Grenade Accidemt/Incident at C.F.B. Valcartier, Quebec. If you want to hear my 'Story" I used to have 2 Stories about my experience/case/situation on accident canada. I was 'Lead Story' December 28th,2018 Ottawa Sun and Ottawa Citizen same day pg. 7 and a 4 1/2 minute video about my experience
 
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