Class action suit against CHSLD with dozens of COVID-19 deaths gets green light

MONTREAL -

A Quebec judge granted permission on Wednesday for a class action lawsuit to proceed against a CHSLD that became infamous for being home to dozens of COVID-19-related deaths.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of residents who lived at the Vigi Mont-Royal during the months of April and May 2020.

According to the lawsuit, every resident of the CHSLD contracted COVID-19, as did at least 125 employees. In total, 68 people died of the virus.

Should the lawsuit succeed, there are several tiers of payouts, with resident being eligible for $20,000. Children of residents could be eligible for $2,500 and grandchildren would be eligible for $500.

Residents who survived the outbreak would receive an additional $30,000, while partners who lost a spouse would receive $100,000.

Caregivers would receive $5,000.

Also on Wednesday, an inquiry into the failures of Quebec's CHSLD system during the pandemic heard testimony from nurses working at a Laval facility that was home to over 100 deaths.

An assistant heart nurse at CHSLD Ste-Dorothee said there was a major scarcity of vital resources, with an emergency red zone quarantine area lacking running water. She said there were also no connections for oxygen concentrators for people with respiratory issues.

A separate class action suit has been launched against the Laval facility.