Are you a Class Member in these class actions?
This page is a resource for you, as potential Claimants, and provides a summary of the proposed Settlement, objecting to the proposed Settlement, and the claims process.
Settlement and Claims Information
Background on the Proposed Settlement
This proposed Settlement resolves two class action lawsuits involving staffing-related lockdowns (when individuals detained at a correctional institution are locked in their cells due to shortages of staff at the correctional institution) at Ontario Correctional Institutions between May 30, 2009 and November 27, 2017. These lawsuits allege that the Defendants improperly subjected inmates and immigration detainees to chronic staffing-related lockdowns, constituting systemic negligence and breaches of sections 7 and 12 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Lapple Action (Inmates)
If you were an inmate of an Ontario Correctional Institution between May 30, 2009 and November 27, 2017, you may be eligible for compensation. The Class includes individuals who are still incarcerated. It does not include individuals who were incarcerated at the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre, the Ontario Correctional Institute, and the St. Lawrence Valley Correctional and Treatment Centre, solely with respect to their incarceration at those Correctional Institutions.
Dadzie Action (Immigration Detainees)
If you were detained in an Ontario Correctional Institution between May 30, 2009 and November 27, 2017 under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, you may be eligible for compensation. The Class does not include individuals who were incarcerated at Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre, the Ontario Correctional Institute and the St. Lawrence Valley Correctional and Treatment Centre, solely with respect to their detention under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act at those Correctional Institutions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Compensation Overview
The proposed Settlement, if approved, would provide an all-inclusive Settlement Fund of $59 million to pay eligible Class Members’ Claims, as well as certain fees and expenses. If approved, the proposed Settlement will provide compensation to Class Members who experienced 16 or more staffing-related lockdowns, calculated in accordance with the Settlement Agreement:
• between August 15, 2014 and November 27, 2017, for current or former inmates; or
• between August 11, 2014 and November 27, 2017, for current or former immigration detainees.
Depending on the number of staffing-related lockdowns and the nature of harm suffered, eligible Claimants could receive between $2,000 and $68,000 (subject to a pro rata reduction, if necessary).
Class Members who experienced staffing-related lockdowns after May 30, 2009 but before the dates set out above may still be eligible for compensation if they can show that they were legally incapable of starting a lawsuit during that time, or, in limited circumstances, may be eligible to receive limited compensation from an Exceptional Circumstances Fund of $2 million.
If approved, the proposed Settlement will provide the following types of compensation to Eligible Claimants:
| Who is Eligible | How Amount is Determined | Possible Award Amount |
| Basic Recovery Award | ||
| All Eligible Claimants (those who experienced 16 or more staffing-related lockdowns, calculated in accordance with the Compensation Protocol). | Determined by the Administrator through the use of the Basic Recovery Grid, based on the total number of staffing-related lockdowns that the Claimant experienced, calculated in accordance with the Compensation Protocol. | $2,000 to $28,000* |
| Differential Impact Award | ||
| Eligible Claimants who have at least one mental health alert or suicide alert in their OTIS record that does not post-date the last staffing-related lockdown that they experienced. | Determined by the Administrator through the use of the Enhanced Recovery Grid, based on the total number of staffing-related lockdowns that the Claimant experienced, calculated in accordance with the Compensation Protocol. | $3,000 to $15,000* |
| Serious Harm Award – Level One | ||
| Eligible Claimants who experienced, within 120 days of a staffing-related lockdown, substantial degradation in an existing Mental Disorder, development of a new Mental Disorder, or self-injurious behaviour (not including body modification or protest actions, such as hunger strikes), or, during a staffing-related lockdown, violence causing serious physical injuries requiring medical attention. | Determined by the Adjudicator on a paper record, which will include the Claimant's written statement and supporting documents. | $20,000* |
| Serious Harm Award – Level Two | ||
| Eligible Claimants who experienced either a documented suicide attempt during or within 120 days of a staffing-related lockdown, or violence causing permanent impairment during a staffing-related lockdown. | Determined by the Adjudicator on a paper record, which will include the Claimant's written statement and supporting documents. | $40,000* |
* All awards will be subject to pro rata reductions, if necessary.
Eligible Claimants who qualify may receive either a Differential Impact Award or a single Serious Harm Award (either at Level One or Level Two), but not both.
For a Serious Harm Award, “Mental Disorder” means the diagnosis by a medical doctor, psychologist, or nurse practitioner (or the identification by a social worker, counsellor, therapist or registered nurse of a diagnosis by a medical doctor, psychologist or nurse practitioner) of the existence of one of the following disorders, as defined in the relevant Diagnostics and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders, either the Fourth Edition (“DSM-4”) or Fifth Edition (“DSM-5”): schizophrenia (all sub-types), delusional disorder, schizophreniform disorder, schizoaffective disorder, brief psychotic disorder, substance-induced psychotic disorder (excluding intoxications and withdrawal), psychotic disorder not otherwise specified, major depressive disorders, bipolar disorder I, bipolar disorder II, neurocognitive disorders and/or delirium, dementia and amnestic and other cognitive disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, or borderline personality disorder, and excludes substance-use disorder.
Some Class Members may be eligible for additional compensation from the Exceptional Circumstances Fund, assessed by the Administrator in accordance with the Exceptional Circumstances Protocol.
On October 8, 2025, Class Counsel amended the Exceptional Circumstances Protocol to provide for a further distribution of any undistributed amounts in the Exceptional Circumstances Fund, including any uncashed or undeposited funds, to Class Members affected by the limitation periods, who were incarcerated at Correctional Institutions where Staffing-Related Lockdowns occurred on 100 or more days but who are credited with 100 or fewer Staffing-Related Lockdowns as calculated under the Compensation Protocol. These changes will only reduce the amount of the Settlement Fund that is distributed cy-près to charitable organizations and will not decrease the award that any individual Class Member receives. These amendments are posted below.
Amended Exceptional Circumstances Protocol
Updates from the Administrator
Canada Post rotating strikes: Impact to Objection Forms and letters to and from Administrator
The nation-wide rotating postal strikes will affect the timely delivery of mail related to this proposed Settlement. If you plan on writing a letter to the Administrator, please note there may be delays in mail delivery. If possible, send an email instead to Info@ONTJailStaffLockdowns.ca.
If you have recently used the mail to send an Objection Form, it may still be accepted. The Administrator or Class Counsel will be in touch with you.
Contact Centre, Website Launches for Proposed Settlement
Thank you for visiting the website of the Ontario Corrections Staffing-Related Lockdowns Class Actions Settlement. Please check back for updates or sign up to receive updates directly to your email.
If you have questions about the proposed Settlement and would like to speak to the Administrator, please call 1-844-742-0825, toll-free, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern Time, Monday to Friday.
No compensation is available at this time. Before any compensation will become available, the proposed Settlement must be approved by the Court.
If the Settlement is approved, Class Members will have 12 months to make a Claim by submitting a Claim Form, from the date that Notice of Settlement Approval is first provided.