Rev. Gael Matheson will receive close to half million dollars in compensation and get her licence to preach back from the Presbyterian Church, a P.E.I. human rights panel announced Friday.

Rev. Gael Matheson, with lawyer Peter Ghiz, leaves a human rights hearing in February.
(CBC)

"It was like taking a large load off her shoulders," said Peter Ghiz, Matheson's lawyer.

"She was glad to be back amongst us. She was lively, she was cheerful."

Matheson did not speak to the media Friday, but last fall, she told CBC News what she wanted more than anything was to be allowed to return to ministry.

Last August, the panel ruled Matheson was the victim of sex discrimination after she was fired by the Presbytery of P.E.I. in 1996. She was removed from her ministry in Murray Harbour North, in eastern P.E.I., and had her ministerial licence suspended.

An appeal by the Presbytery is still underway.

The order to release Matheson's licence means she can return to work as a minister in the Presbyterian Church in Canada, and apply for positions in other churches.

The panel also ordered the Presbytery to write a letter of apology, and that the letter be reviewed by the panel before it is delivered. The Presbytery would also have to write a positive letter of reference.

The bulk of the ordered payment is for lost income and pension contributions, with smaller amounts coming for general damages and medical expenses. The total award is for $498,868, plus $102,310.50 for legal expenses.

The Presbytery is still waiting to hear whether a judicial review of the ruling will be heard. If the decision on compensation stands, it would be the largest settlement ever awarded by the P.E.I. Human Rights Commission.