Survivor of institutional abuse Marie Slark led successful fight for compensation

Marie Slark was released from the Huronia Regional Centre in 1970 to live in a foster home managed by the institution. Nine years earlier, as a slight seven-year-old, she had been rejected by her dysfunctional parents and placed by Children’s Aid in the sprawling complex built in Central Ontario to house children with intellectual disabilities.Life at the Huronia Centre was horrific, say survivors who recount endless days of neglect and abuse. Marie thought the foster home offered her a first chance to live in a place of love and care. Instead, she was beaten with a wire and forced to do all the household chores including caring for younger children.