At least eight people from the Windsor area are among the former residents of the Southwestern Regional Centre who allege they were abused and have reached a tentative settlement with the province for $12.1 million, says their lawyer.
None of them were willing to speak about the case on Friday, said lawyer Garth Myers, of Koskie Minsky LLP, the law firm representing former residents of the centre.
The settlement was reached earlier this week and still has to be approved by a judge.
The lawsuit alleged the centre for people with developmental disabilities, which operated near Blenheim from 1961 to 2008, failed to properly care for and protect the residents from physical and mental harm.
The lawsuit came after a $35-million class-action settlement in a similar case between the province and residents of the Huronia Regional Centre, a facility that also provided treatment and care for persons with developmental disabilities.
The settlement includes a written apology from Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne. Wynne mentioned the Southwestern facilities in her apology to former Huronia Centre residents, but has yet to make a formal apology to Southwestern survivors.
