Police on watch for native school settlement sc= ams

SHERRI ZICKEFOOSE

PAGE B2

February 8, 2008

CALGARY HERALD

Calgary police officers are receiving sensitivity training to help brace for inevitable sc= ams targeting residential school survivors flush with federal settlement payments.

A police service = DVD was revealed at a recent meeting of the Calgary police commission.

Aboriginals on Alberta reserves and throughout the country are preparing to guard against fraud, scams and increased drug trafficking they fear will accompany the lumpsum residential school payments of up to $38,000, which began being iss= ued last fall.

Calgary police ha= ve to be prepared to deal with it, police Chief Rick Hanson said.

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Calgary Police Chief Rick Hansen

“This will = be going out to all members. There’s no doubt we will be approached about this in the near future,” said Hanson.

It’s estima= ted that more than $50 million will flow into some Alberta reserves.=

Residential school survivors have been targeted by salespeople — such as out-of-province= car dealers — even before the cash has reached recipients’ hands.

“There are going to be people whose offers will be too good to resist,” said Pii= kani Nation Chief Reg Crow Shoe.

With the extra ca= sh comes fears of an increase in the number of muggings, frauds and drug deale= rs targeting reserves. Rises in elder abuse and family discord are also a conc= ern.

The RCMP are givi= ng seminars at reserves around Alberta, and financial institutions, such as Scotiabank, are helping survivors with basic investment and banking information.

The Blood Tribe h= as set up a special support group to help survivors receiving federal cash. The group will continue until after the last payments are received.<= /span>

About $50 million= in common experience payments is expected to flow to members of the Blood Tribe= under the residential schools agreement.

Each eligible survivor is entitled to a $10,000 payment to compensate for the first year = they spent at residential school, and $3,000 for each year thereafter, up to 12 years.

An initial paymen= t of about $8,000 was made to survivors last year, meaning former students will = this year receive up to $38,000.

It’s the biggest payout to individual aboriginals in Canadian history.

The money is part= of a $5-billion settlement, mostly for middle-aged and elderly aboriginal peop= le who attended Indian residential schools under the guise of assimilation.

The century-old practice was scrapped after widespread stories of abuse and mistreatment em= erged.

About 80,000 aboriginal people in Canada are eligible for the payments.

Calgary Herald