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The forgotten vict=
ims
of the tainted blood supply will soon be eligible for compensation. The compensation is
for people who were infected with hep C from =
the
Canadian blood system between Jan. 1, 1958 and Dec. 31, 1985 and between =
July
2, 1990 and Sept. 28, 1998. That’s good news for southe=
rn
Albertans like Bruno Toews. “I’m very hopeful it =
will
have a positive effect for all of us,” he said. “The way the
economy has grown in our province, those of us who are on a fixed income =
are
now finding ourselves in a delicate financial position because we weren&#=
8217;t
able to have a full work life.” Toews
operated a successful dairy farm northeast of Lethbr=
idge
and was in the prime of life when he lost his left arm above the elbow in
1984. “My hep C was contracted as the result of a farm accide=
nt. I
was given contaminated blood,” he said. He knew something
wasn’t right. He’d be exhausted while his farmer neighbours were still going strong. His morning cho=
res
tired him so much he’d have to rest until it was time to do evening
chores. Doctors couldn’t pinpoint the problem. Then in 1997, he got=
a
phone call from his doctor and found out the Red Cross had flagged his ca=
se. “It never
occurred to me I was struggling with a blood disorder. In one sense, (the
diagnosis) brought great relief; it wasn’t something in my head,=
221;
Toews said. At age 57, just wh=
en
he could start to see light at the end of the farm mortgage tunnel, he ha=
d to
give up farming. He sold the farm to his sons and still helps out when he
can. The disease will be
with him and nearly 6,000 Canadians for life. In some cases, the compensa=
tion
will go to surviving family members of victims. “It’s =
been
a long, long struggle,” Toews said, add=
ing
he’s grateful to everyone who’s worked on his and other
victims’ behalf, including his medical team and lawyers. Vaughn Marshall, c=
lass
counsel in the class action and a member of the plaintiff’s national
negotiation team, is also pleased with the result. “It’s a
very good thing. When you do settlements in large cases, it’s the b=
est
result for the greatest overall number of people,” he said. “=
There
will always be people that don’t get exactly what they would have l=
iked
to have gotten.” He hopes the
administrator of the class action will start taking applications for the
settlement by mid to late August. After that, compensation should soon fl=
ow
to victims or their estates. “Class couns=
el
have been working since the court hearings in February on all of the
protocols and related matters so that the administrator will be in the
position to act almost immediately at the date of implementation,” =
Marshall
said. After an applicati=
on
has been made, the claim and supporting information goes to the administr=
ator
who determines the compensation based on the level of disease and the imp=
act
it has had on the individual. Victims will recei=
ve a
lump-sum payment based on current health status, age and the likelihood of
disease progression. Victims can watch =
for
notification in newspapers starting in July. Those affected can negotiate=
the
process independently, but Marshall’s experience with complicated l=
egal
cases makes him advocate otherwise. “Because of =
the
complexity of the case people are advised to initially talk to one of the
class counsel to determine if they require further legal help in processi=
ng
the claim,” he said. © Copyright b= y Lethbridge Herald.com |