'Close them down': Province settles class action lawsuit with former Manitoba Developmental Centre residents

A major class action lawsuit between the province and former residents of an institution for people with intellectual disabilities has been settled.

The Manitoba Developmental Centre (MDC) has been around for more than one hundred years, and is still in operation in Portage la Prairie, housing some 160 residents with intellectual disabilities as of 2018.

The lawsuit, filed by former MDC resident David Weremy, said the province failed in its responsibilities to properly care for those living at the institution, despite knowing how bad conditions were there.

In the mid-1970s and again in the late 1980s provincial reports described poor living conditions at the centre. Evidence outlined in the plaintiff's case cited later instances of abuse or mistreatment of residents by staff into the 1990s and early 2000s.

On Friday, the Court of King's Bench approved an agreed upon settlement between the province and Weremy, who was an MDC resident for 18 years.

During the case, Weremy said he was repeatedly assaulted by other residents with no intervention by staff, who also assaulted him and others.

Weremy filed the case and was the representative plaintiff for all MDC residents eligible for compensation. He hopes the settlement sends a broader message about the need to end institutionalized care.

"I hope they lock them up, close them down. We don't want them anymore," said Weremy.

As part of the settlement, the province will set up a $17 million settlement fund, with up to $80,000 being given for specific harms suffered.

A claims process is being set up for anyone who lived at MDC from 1951 until May 2020 to receive compensation, and $1 million reconciliation endowment fund is being set up through the Winnipeg Foundation.

Manitoba's Premier and Minister of Families will make a public apology for the mistreatment of former residents at MDC. A memorial will also be constructed at the MDC cemetery.