Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement
The Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) is an agreement between the Government of Canada and approximately 86,000 Native Canadians who at some point were enrolled as children in the Canadian Indian residential school system, a system which was in place between 1879 and 1996. The IRSSA recognized the damage inflicted by the residential schools and established a $2 billion compensation package for all former IRS students and, in particular, those who had been abused or otherwise harmed. The agreement, announced in 2006, was the largest class action settlement in Canadian history. As of December 2012 a total of $1.62 billion has been paid to 78,750 former students.
St. John's Indian Residential School
The original residential school in Chapleau was operated by the Anglican Diocese of Moosonee from 1907 to 1920. In 1920 the school's administration was taken over by the Department of Indian Affairs. The school was built to accommodate 40 students, and in 1919 it was expanded to accommodate 45. The residential school was located on 153 acres on the east side of Chapleau near the Nebskwashi River. This original school building burned down on June 27, 1926.