Terry Halifax
Northern News Services

Inuvik (May 06/01) - An out-of-court settlement ending legal action over abuse at Grollier Hall has given at least one of the men who lived there a sense of closure.

Walter Bayha of Deline attended the residence in the early 1970s and is now 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, the day the settlement was announced.

He's pleased with the education and counseling 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.

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 federal and territorial governments and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mackenzie reached the settlement with 28 of 29 victims of abuse at the former Inuvik residence.

The deal came after three and a half years of negotiations."This is very good news -- it's a historical day," said Grollier Hall Healing Circle director Norman Yakeleya. "This is the first one in Canada."

Specifics of the settlement are confidential. The federal government has refused to release details of how the costs of the settlement will be shared between the three parties.

"The negotiations led to a complete package and it's much more than just finances," Yakeleya 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."

Of the 29 victims, all but one were involved in the settlement. The discussions included a total of 12 representatives and lawyers from the federal and territorial governments, the Roman Catholic Diocese and the Healing Circle. A neutral third party acted as mediator throughout.

In a statement, Father Jean Pochot of Rae, spokesperson for the diocese, said: "First justice, then healing. We are on the way."

This was the first out-of-court resolution in such a case. There have been 28 such claims in Canada.

Grollier Hall was officially closed in 1996. The 29 cases of abuse against boys took place between 1959-1979.