To clarify the Woodlands compensation process, the provincial government has issued the following information bulletin:

                                     Are you a former resident of Woodlands?

If you were a resident of Woodlands, also known as Woodlands Institution and Woodlands School, in New Westminster, B.C., you may be eligible for a payment from the provincial government.

This payment will not impact any benefits you may receive or income for tax purposes.

The process to determine eligibility is very simple, and you will not be asked to talk about your experience at Woodlands.

You will be asked to provide the following information:
o Full name;
o Date of birth;
o Address; and
o The name and address of your legal guardian if you have one.

To determine if you are eligible, you or your guardian or caregiver can call toll free 1 888 523-7192 or woodlands.care.facility.residents@gov.bc.ca.

People who resided at Woodlands prior to August 1, 1974 will receive $10,000 in an ex-gratia payment. In addition, people who resided in Woodlands after August 1, 1974 will receive up to a maximum of $10,000.

This payment is separate from the previous Woodlands class action. If you received a payment under that class action, you may still be eligible up to a combined maximum of $10,000. Payments can only be made to former residents who are still living and will not be made to a deceased resident’s estate.

For information on the March announcement, please visit:
https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018PREM0013-000547

To download the bulletin, please click here.

Vancouver Foundation President and CEO, Kevin McCort, and DABC’s Executive Director Sam Turcott.

Congratulations to The Vancouver Foundation on their 75th anniversary and thank you very much for inviting us to celebrate with you at the Pinnacle Hotel yesterday! It was a wonderful event.

And, as always, thank you very much for your continued support.

Thank you to everyone who joined us last night for Fall Fling 2018; we greatly appreciate your support of DABC’s work! This was a special gala as we were also celebrating Jane Dyson’s legacy and retirement, and we were pleased to see you all there.

At the gala, we played a video tribute to Jane featuring interviews from some of the people who’ve worked with her over her 20 years at DABC. Thank you to the Law Foundation of BC for providing us with funding for this project and to everyone else who helped make the video possible. And, of course, to all the people featured in the video who provided such touching messages for Jane.

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/OuiZR54S17w.

Thank you also to our event volunteers, all those who donated to and bid on our silent and live auctions, and to our wonderful sponsors:

• Vancouver Taxi Association
• BC Government and Employees’ Union (BCGEU)
• Hospital Employees’ Union (HEU)
• Simpson, Thomas and Associates
• Tompkins Wozny
• CUPE Local 1936
• CUPE Metropolitan Vancouver District Council
• BC Teacher’s Federation (BCTF)

Congratulations to our Employer of the Year Award winner BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, and Employee of the Year winner Mirjana Komljenovic of Maple Roch.

And, as always, a special thanks to our fantastic hosts Stephen Quinn (host of CBC Radio’s Early Edition) and David C. Jones!