‘I deserve more,’ says former cadet awarded $310,000 for 1974 explosion
An Ottawa man has been awarded $310,000 for the life-altering damage caused when a grenade exploded in a deadly accident at a cadet camp in CFB Valcartier in 1974.
Randall Brooks, 59, received a cheque for $268,000 last week, the second instalment in a special program announced in 2017 to compensate about 150 teenagers who were inside barracks at a summer camp when the live grenade exploded during a demonstration on munitions.
Only 14 at the time and standing about an arm’s length from the blast, Brooks was struck with shrapnel in his upper chest, leg, hip and abdomen and endured four surgeries in 18 hours just to help keep him alive.
“I have to be honest, I have mixed feelings,” he said this week of being compensated by the Department of National Defence almost 45 years later. “I feel that I deserve more. It’s only half the equation.”
A keen cadet who saw his future military career dashed, Brooks suffered physical injuries that persisted his whole life and battled psychological damage and post-traumatic stress. He spent his work life underemployed, which had consequences on his marriage and home life.
After years of lobbying, National Defence apologized to the cadets and admitted it had done a poor job of dealing with the aftermath of the tragedy, in which six cadets were killed.
The compensation program made a “universal” payment of $42,000 available to 155 people involved and invited some 55 cadets with a range of injuries to apply to a maximum of $310,000 in further relief. In the ensuing 45 years, some of the Quebec-based troopers went on to successful careers, while others struggled with the effects of trauma and mental illness, even succumbing to suicide.
The total payout so far exceeds $12 million.
Brooks said the maximum amount does not take into account his loss of income over a lifetime. While DND sees cadets as civilians, he believes he should be entitled to benefits similar to those awarded members of the regular forces or reservists. Importantly, that would have left him with a military pension and benefits for his wife and children.
“What would my payout be if we were looking at 44 and a half years of back pay?”
Instead, he is surviving on a private disability pension, while maxing out two credit cards and a line of credit. With the new settlement, he said, he’s able to pay off those debts and buy some financial breathing room.
“It totally gave me relief.” He’s still fighting National Defence on a number of fronts but, as a trained padre, says he has a moral obligation to draw attention to two main issues: cadets are still inadequately insured during activities, and, potentially, they can be interrogated in the absence of a parent, as he was, if a serious event occurs that involves wrongdoing.
Indeed, the DND ombudsman pointed out in the 2017 report that cadets can receive a maximum of $20,000 after a lifelong injury or disability, a fraction of that available to civilian volunteers, military personnel or reservists.
“How can I not speak out? This is why I’m going to fight the system, because it’s not fair.”