A Native leader in the Yukon says more than a dozen former residential school students have died after receiving their share of a $2 billion settlement.

Diane Strand, the chief of Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, says the payments have stirred up painful memories about people's experiences at the schools. As a result, some have turned to alcohol and drugs, he says.

"Some of these people just don't have the capability [to handle a large sum of money], and I really feel that sometimes the money is just basically, how do I say it, putting the last nail in the coffin," Strand told CBC News.

Jesse Dawson and her brother, Howard, received about $20,000 each. Jesse said her brother couldn't deal with the trauma again.

"It was just too much for Howard to deal with, and he started drinking," Dawson told the CBC.

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