Cadets mistreated after CFB Valcartier grenade explosion, says report

A long-anticipated report into a deadly 1974 explosion at a cadet training camp at CFB Valcartier in Quebec says the dozens of victims should be adequately compensated.

• Valcartier explosion that killed 6 cadets remembered 

It is "unfair" that cadets — who did not hold status in the Forces — were unable to receive care similar to what was offered members of the Forces who were also injured in the blast, Gary Walbourne said in a report released Tuesday.

Walbourne said surviving victims should be assessed to determine physical and psychological care is required.

He added that victims should be awarded with an immediate and reasonable financial compensation in line with jurisprudence in other similar situations.

The report was sparked by complaints he received in 2013.

DND 'should have done more'

Six boys died and 30 were injured because a live grenade was mixed in with dummies used for training.

They were all teenagers at the time, and the survivors were told to keep quiet about the incident.

Cadets were not assisted nor compensated under any Department of National Defence policies or regulations in effect at the time.- Gary Walbourne, military ombudsman

The ombudsman found that of the cadets who survived the explosion, many suffered — and continue to suffer from — physical and/or psychological injuries. However, the cadets did not receive assistance on par with what was offered to the military members who were also affected by the incident. 

The report said the Department of National Defence "should have done more" to assist the young boys who were under their care.

He added that "at least 53 per cent" of the cadets who witnessed the blast or who were injured by it "still seem to be suffering from physical and/or psychological injuries."

DND responded to the report almost immediately, saying the Canadian Armed Forces will be taking "immediate action" to ensure the surviving victims get the help needed.

"The Canadian Armed Forces is fully committed to supporting this effort through the development and implementation of a framework for assessment and care and immediately reaching out to those who have been affected by this incident," said Lt.-Gen. Guy Thibault, vice chief of defence staff.

Survivor Gerry Fostaty said he has been briefed on the contents of the report, and is looking forward to implementation of the recommendations.

"I'd like to see it happen relatively quickly because it has been 41 years. It has been a long time," he said.

"Our concern is that there is an election coming, and perhaps post-election, this will be forgotten. I'm hoping that won't be the case."

'Mass confusion'

Paul Wheeler, who was an instructor at the camp, travelled last year to Saskatchewan for a commemorative event  to mark the 40th year of the tragedy. He says that even though he wasn't physically wounded, the emotional scars persisted.

"I walked through the door and my mum looked at me and said, 'Oh, I'm glad you're OK'," he said. "And because physically I was, but I didn't tell her about the recurring nightmares and dreams and things. So I just nodded my head and said yes, I'm fine. I think it happened to almost everybody in the same way."

Glenn Souva was an 18-year-old instructor at the time of the explosion. It was years before he understood the traumatic nature of what he saw that day, he said.

"Mass confusion, people on the ground, people not knowing what was going on. There was one gentleman, one cadet saying he's got parts of a body all over him," he recalled.

Cadet program to be reviewed

Walbourne said in a statement that he will conduct an independent review of the Canadian Cadet Organization, starting later this year.

"Its objective will be to identify any issues of unfairness and make recommendations as to how the program could be improved," he said.

However, Thibault said the cadet program has changed dramatically since the 70s.

"Today's cadets participate in a wide range of citizenship, leadership, and physical fitness activities in a safe and supervised environment," he said. 

"Their welfare is our first priority. A far greater network of support and resources is now available to cadets, their instructors, and families in the case of traumatic events or an accident."