Summary of types of compensation offered, by province

Type Of Compensation BC AB MB SK ON PQ PE NS NB NF NT NU YK
Expenses reasonably and actually incurred as a result of the victim’s injury or death Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes  No Yes  No  Yes
Loss of earnings due to victim’s total or partial disability to work Yes No Yes Yes (lost wages for parents/others to accompany victims to counselling sessions and medical appointments) Yes Yes Yes No No  No No  No  No
Funeral or transportation costs Yes, up to $3000 Yes, up to $12,500 Yes Yes, up to $5000 Yes Yes, up to $3000 Yes No Yes  No Manager has discretion  No  Manager has discretion
Pain and suffering No No No No Yes No Yes No Yes  No No  No  No
Support of a child born out of rape Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No  No No  No  No
Other pecuniary loss that, in the opinion of the Board, the victim is likely to incur Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes  No Yes  No  Yes
Offences involving motor vehicle-related deaths No No No Yes. Compensation is available to victims/survivors for the following offences: impaired driving causing bodily harm or death; blood alcohol level over legal limit while driving causing bodily harm or death; and failure or refusal to provide sample after driving causing bodily harm or death. Victims may be compensated for medical costs (such as ambulance and prescriptions not covered by another plan and dental, chiropractic and eyeglass costs); counselling, including traditional Aboriginal healing methods, while involved in the criminal justice system; funeral expenses to a maximum of $5,000 where not covered by other programs; loss of income where it is not covered by Employment Insurance, Workers’ Compensation or an insurance plan; and damage to or loss of clothing as a result of the crime. For more information or to access application forms, click here. For assistance with an application, contact your local victim services office. No No Yes – Compensation is available for victims/survivors for the following offences: operating while impaired, failure or refusal to provide sample and impaired driving causing bodily harm or death. The maximum amount available for the injury or death of one person is $15,000 and the maximum for one criminal incident that results in multiple injuries or deaths is $30,000. Compensation may be awarded for disability affecting the victim’s capacity to work, pain and suffering, financial loss resulting from a victim’s death, etc. Compensation may be denied or reduced if victims are eligible for or receiving costs from other sources, including insurance. For more information on how to apply, you may contact Victim Services. No No No No No No
Funding to travel to justice-related proceedings Yes. Financial assistance under the BC Travel Fund is available to victims to attend and participate in justice related proceedings (not including parole hearings) that take place in BC and where they have to travel more than 100 km. Victims may be eligible for up to $3,000 for meals, accommodation, and travel. No No No Financial assistance is available under the Vulnerable Victims and Family Fund to help victims and survivors participate more fully in the criminal court process. Financial support may be available to help victims travel to attend court during key points in a criminal proceeding, provide vulnerable victims with interpretation services when they are observing a criminal proceeding and ensure victims with disabilities have appropriate supports, such as real-time captioning or other equipment. Victims can apply through their local Victim/Witness Assistance Program (V/WAP) which will determine eligibility on a case-by-case basis and help those who may qualify for assistance to apply. To find your local VWAP office, you may call the Victim Support Line toll-free at 1-888-579-2888 (or 416-314-2447 in the Toronto area). Ontario also has a fund to provide victims with financial assistance to attend provincial parole hearings in Ontario for offenders serving less than 2 years in jail in Ontario. For information relating to the fund, contact the Board Case Officer at the location nearest you by calling the Victim Support Line. No No No No Yes, travel and costs to attend a pre-court preparation meet/case meeting with a Crown. Funding is accessible to clients of the program who meet eligibility requirements. The Victim Services Regional Coordinator will work with victims to identify the need for specific services. The Regional Coordinator will make a request on the victim’s behalf to program management. For more information, please contact the local victim services office. No No No
Counselling Yes Yes, amount of financial assistance determined by the severity of injury. Yes Yes. Amendments to legislation in 2014-15 include: extending compensation for counselling to child victims of domestic violence, witnesses of homicide, and immediate family members in cases involving driving-related offences causing death. Yes Yes No Up to $2000 per family member Yes, short-term counselling available if approved No No No No
Time To Process Up to 9 months Up to 4 months Up to 1 month Up to 5 months Up to a year Minimum of 3 weeks Up to 2 years Up to 1 month – Up to 5 days Up to 48 hours N/A Up to 48 hours

My name is Donna McCully.

It was always our wish to live in Jamaica in our dream home. So, in August 2012, my husband Sedrick Levine and I left Canada to move into our new home. We were thrilled to finally be starting the next chapter in our lives, in Sedrick’s beloved homeland. He bought a little bus and planned to operate tours for visitors to the island. I was helping him run this business venture, as part of our semi- retirement in Jamaica.

My life as I knew it was suddenly shattered when two masked men broke into our home on Sunday, November 17, 2013. Sedrick struggled with the men, allowing me to flee upstairs to call the police. His actions saved my life that day, and that of my father and his housekeeper, who were visiting us at the time. One of the masked intruders chased me upstairs and kicked in the bathroom door, but he stopped when he heard a gunshot from downstairs.

My husband Sedrick was killed that day and the men fled our home with a laptop. The Jamaican police have not yet found these men or charged them with killing my beloved husband. Their motive remains unknown.

This crime has completely changed my life. I suffer from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder now and have depression as a result. I came back to Canada, but I feel very isolated since this happened. These emotional scars may never heal.

I managed to find the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime by searching online one day. I didn’t know where to turn for help when I came home to Canada. The CRCVC has provided me with a lot of emotional support, which has been tremendously helpful. They’ve also written numerous letters to Jamaican officials seeking justice for Sedrick, as well as intervening with Canadian officials on my behalf. The office also helped connect me to a trauma therapist for counselling sessions too.

In order to try and make sense of what happened to Sedrick, it is my hope that others could support the work of the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime. There are so many other victims/survivors out there who also need their assistance.