Victoria, BC – One year after Premier David Eby formally apologized to the Sons of Freedom Doukhobors for the wrongful detention of children in the 1950s, the BC Ombudsperson is urging the government to move more quickly on its compensation commitments.

While the government has made progress, issuing payments to some of those who were detained in New Denver as school-aged children, it has been slow to finalize its decision on who else will be eligible for compensation, leaving many still waiting for answers.

Notably, after a months-long delay, the government is only now beginning to notify New Denver survivors who were not school-aged at the time—those who were too young or too old to attend school but were still forcibly taken from their families—about how and when they will be compensated. There is still no clear process or timeline for payments to descendants of survivors, including those whose family members never received compensation because they passed away before the government acknowledged the harm.

“We welcome that the government has begun compensating some survivors,” said BC Ombudsperson Jay Chalke. “But the promise made one year ago was broader. The province committed to ensuring that all affected individuals receive fair compensation, and so far, we have not seen a full plan or timeline for when that will happen. Given the Premier’s commitment that accompanied the solemn proceedings in the legislature one year ago today, it is disheartening to see so little progress.”

The government’s apology and compensation commitments followed the Ombudsperson’s 2023 report, Time to Right the Wrong. That report found the province still had not fully implemented key recommendations from the Office’s 1999 report, Righting the Wrong, in which the Ombudsperson first called for an apology to those who were wrongfully detained and financial compensation for the harm they endured.

Since the Premier’s February 2024 commitment, the Ombudsperson’s Office has been monitoring the government’s progress. Despite multiple requests, the Ministry of the Attorney General has not provided clear information on when outstanding payments will be issued or who will be eligible. This lack of communication is particularly concerning given that the government previously stated after the provincial election that there would be clearer engagement with affected individuals, yet that has not materialized.

“The government made a promise to this community, and that promise is only partly fulfilled,” Chalke added. “It’s time to ensure that what has already been promised is fully, fairly and transparently allocated. We will keep monitoring the province’s progress and call on the Premier and Attorney General to move faster, provide more transparency, and ensure that all those who were impacted receive the compensation they deserve.”

The Ombudsperson’s Office will assess the government’s next steps and issue further updates as progress comes — or if delays continue.