Terry Halifax
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (May 03/01) - The victims of abuse from Grollier Hall Residential School have reached an out-of- court settlement with the federal government and the Roman Catholic Church.

Norman Yakeleya, Director for the Grollier Hall Healing Circle said the three-and-a-half years of negotiations were not easy, but the men are all pleased with the outcome.

"This is very good news -- it's a historical day," Yakeleya said. "This is the first one in Canada."

Due to the sensitivity of the case, he said the components of the settlement is to remain confidential in accordance with the agreement.

"The negotiations led to a complete package and it's much more than just finances," he said. "The men themselves negotiated the package and took it back for approval from the other men."

He said the settlement was achieved across a table rather than a courtroom and the process led to a better solution all involved.

"It's a settlement you would never achieve in a court," he added. "It goes way beyond the scope of what a court could do and the men are happy with the settlement."

Walter Bayha from Deline is one of the survivors of Grollier Hall. Bayha attended the school in the early 1970s and is elated with the closure he feels from the settlement.

"When I first looked at this, I realized it was going to be a long and difficult journey for us, but today I woke up and I'm very happy and relieved that I can begin another journey," Bayha said Tuesday.

He's pleased with the education and counselling portion of the settlement and plans to take full advantage.

"Both my wife and I will be going back to school and we're pleased that our three children will also get a good education," Bayha said.

Now retired from a career in government, Bayha also plans to take some time to get back to the land to work his father's trapline in the Sahtu. Bayha would not comment on the financial aspect of the settlement, but did say he was happy with the amount.

He said the court system would have only aggravated the emotional damage done to the victims and he hopes others will learn from their experience with this settlement.

"This is a lot better than having to sit through court," he said. "

The support of the other victims has always been there for the men, but both Yakeleya and Bayha wanted to also thank the people of Inuvik for supporting them from the start.

"When I first met all of these guys in Inuvik, I know we all wanted to run away somewhere," Bayha recalled. "We didn't want to get involved, but there was a lot of support right from the beginning."

"We have had to live with it, we had to deal with it, we had to accept it and now we have to go on with our lives," he said. "It's been a human journey."