NB water contamination class action suit certified
The Saskatchewan Court of Queen’s Bench has approved a $3.3 million settlement between the City of North Battleford, the Province of Saskatchewan and the Infant Class (under 18-years-old) relating to the cryptosporidium outbreak in North Battleford in March and April of 2001.
In 2001, the parasite cryptosporidium was leaked into the North Battleford drinking water causing an estimated 5,800 to 7,100 residents to fall ill in the Battlefords area. There were no deaths caused by the contamination, however the city was under a boil water advisory for an extended period of time.
“It’s been a long negotiation and we are finally glad we got to this point, said Brad Jamieson of Cuelenaere, Kendall, Katzman & Watson, who is representing the Infant Class in the case. “Litigating this would have been a huge undertaking, which means we would have basically had to re-do the inquiry again, so it was in everyone’s best interest to come to a negotiated settlement.”
In April 2003, a class action suit was started in regards to the contamination and as a result nearly 700 individuals reach an out of court settlement on August 21, 2003. Another 100 people settled in November of 2003 in a second claim that was filed by a second law firm. As a result that action was discontinued.