Former residents of Quebec military base must apply for compensation for contaminated water before Jan. 15

It took Ed Sweeney more than 20 years to discover he was drinking contaminated water in his family home in the 90s.

He lived in military housing on Canadian Forces Base Valcartier from 1992 to 1998.

A friend reached out to him last year on Facebook about how he could receive compensation from the federal government and two private companies as part of a multimillion-dollar contaminated water case in Shannon, Que.

"[My friend] said 'Hey, did you make a claim?' I said 'Why would I make a claim?'" recalled Sweeney.

"I followed the case 18 to 20 years ago … As somebody else would, as an outsider looking at this poor village, going through this. Yet I live[d] there. And I wasn't told … It's actually sickening when I think about it."

Sweeney is one of thousands of military personnel and their families who have submitted a claim for compensation for being exposed to trichloroethylene (TCE), a degreasing agent that can cause cancer and genetic mutations and which contaminated local groundwater for decades.

To qualify for compensation, claimants must have lived on the Valcartier base, just outside of Quebec City, anytime between April 1, 1995 and March 31, 2000.

Those involved in the case say the real challenge has been locating everyone who is eligible, particularly before the upcoming application deadline of Jan. 15, 2023, which was extended from the initial deadline of July 2022.

2,500 people file claims out of 4,000 eligible residents

Right now, only 2,500 people have filed a claim, out of a possible 4,000 people who are eligible, said Steve Clarke, one of the lawyers working on this case. Thousands of people still need to be reached.

"It's proven to be more difficult than we would have imagined," said Clarke. "[It's] because of how long ago this happened."

Each individual has to provide documented proof that they lived on the base, said Clarke — information that's not always easily accessible. He notes a number of former residents have never even heard about the possibility of compensation because they are scattered across the country or world.

"We have clients from Peru, Mexico, the U.S. who have never heard of the case," said Clarke.

"And these claims are substantive … Individuals have the right to make a claim up to $120,000. We have families that have received half a million dollars… A life changing amount of money and we have no way of knowing who they are or how to find them," said Clarke, adding that, on average, individuals receive $60,000 in compensation.

Many don't realize base was part of affected area

An added challenge is making the residents aware that they were in the affected area, said Clarke, especially since some residents of the Quebec military base never knew the neighbourhood was part of the municipality of Shannon.

"The government called [the base] Courcelette, so they thought they lived in Courcelette. They didn't realize Courcelette was kind of a nickname for the area in the municipality of Shannon … And they're outraged. They're simply outraged," said Clarke.

That was the case for Sweeney, who recalled only ever knowing his postal address as Courcelette.

"We never called it Shannon, even though we were considered residents of Shannon. So most people heard about the case, we felt sorry for the civilians living in Shannon. It was terrible. But all the while, here we were drinking from the same water source and nobody told us," said Sweeney.

People who think they might qualify for compensation are encouraged to get in touch with Charles Veilleux & Associés, the law firm presiding over this case.

The CBC reached out to the Department of National Defence. It said the process can be difficult for claimants and "committed to assist with requests as best we can". They recommend anyone seeking information regarding eligibility should consult the claims website at actioncollectiveshannon.ca.