Fort Simpson (Apr 17/06) - It's not known when First Nation elders will receive the residential school compensation cheques they have been promised.

That's according to Indian Residential Schools Resolution Canada (IRSRC), the federal agency dealing with the process.

An agreement in principal announced Nov. 23, 2005 put elders over 65 first in line to receive advance payments of $8,000.

Under the common experience payment, all former students were offered $10,000 plus an additional $3,000 for every year they attended the schools.

"A number of people have been under the impression the cheques should be in the mail now, but it's not quite that simple," said Sarah Mangione, a spokesperson for IRSRC.

Before any information on the advance payments is made available, a final agreement has to be reached by the negotiation parties, said Mangione. Although the agreement is expected shortly, she declined to speculate when advance payments will be awarded.

As for the common experience payment, the final agreement has to receive approval from seven courts.

There will also be a notification and opt-out period when former students can choose on an individual basis whether they want to be part of the settlement.

"The forms won't be available for quite some time," said Mangione.

The agreement process wasn't disturbed by the change in federal government and is following its original path, Mangione said.

While final details of the compensation settlement are being reached, elders are dying off.

In the Deh Cho, many elders have passed away in the last three months, said Joachim Bonnetrouge, the project co-ordinator for the Fort Providence Residential School Society.

"A lot of elders have been through a lot of pain," said Bonnetrouge.

"Of anyone, those elders are most in need of the payments."

Many elders live on a fixed income with a modest old age pension as their only source of income, said Bonnetrouge.

Although most elders don't want to dwell on their residential school experiences, a cheque in the mail would be considered a form of acknowledgement, Bonnetrouge said.

The office in Fort Providence receives two or three phone calls almost every day from former students who have questions about compensation. People also send

e-mails expressing their anger about having to wait longer, said Bonnetrouge.

"They are angry with the fact the government can't seem to get their heads around compensation," he said.

The estate of any former student who was alive on May 30, 2005, can apply for their compensation, said Mangione. She noted that wills and testaments are important so people can decide who they want to receive the settlement.