Class-Action Lawsuit Over COVID-19 Outbreaks in Quebec Long-Term Care Is Approved

A judge has authorized a class-action lawsuit against the Quebec government on behalf of all residents of public long-term care homes that experienced major COVID-19 outbreaks during the pandemic’s first year. The lawsuit in Superior Court alleges that the province’s response to the first two waves of COVID-19 was improvised and that a pre-existing pandemic plan was ignored until it was too late. Members of the class action include anyone living in a public long-term care centre that experienced a COVID-19 outbreak that infected at least 25 percent of residents between March 13, 2020, and March 20, 2021. The suit seeks compensation of at least $100,000 for each member who was infected, $40,000 for class members who didn’t get sick, and additional compensation for both groups’ families....