What happens after you claim
We will confirm we have your claim and give you a claim number. Then we review it, assess it, and write to you with the result.
1. We confirm we have it
When your Claim Form reaches us, we will write to you to confirm it has arrived and give you a claim number.
Please use that number if you contact us. We use claim numbers rather than names in our records, and in anything we file with the Court, so that your identity is protected.
2. We conduct a preliminary review
Within 30 days of receiving your Claim Form, we check that the form is complete. If something is missing, or we need to ask you about one of your answers, we will contact you. You will be given time to reply. We will also ask you to provide a copy of a government-issued photo ID to confirm your identity.
3. We conduct a detailed review
Within 60 days of receiving your Claim Form, we conduct a detailed review of the Claim Form to assess whether you are eligible for higher compensation in Tier 2 (the more detailed process) or are only eligible for Tier 1 (the simpler process), based on the harm reported in your Claim Form.
If you are eligible for Tier 2, we will ask you to fill out a simple form indicating whether you want to pursue the simpler process in Tier 1 or pursue higher compensation in the Tier 2 process.
4. We assess it
Depending on your tier, we assess your claim against the process the Court approved. Read about how compensation is decided.
If you are pursuing a Tier 2 claim, we will contact you as part of the assessment to schedule an interview and to discuss any additional supporting documentation that we might need to obtain. We may also ask for names and contact information for witnesses who have knowledge of what happened to you.
5. We tell you the result
We will write to you with the outcome of your assessment.
6. If you disagree with the result
You can ask an independent Arbitrator to review your assessment. We will explain how when we write to you with your result.
7. Payment
For most claimants, payments will be made after the first claims deadline, 13 September 2027, has passed and all claims have been assessed. This is because the total amount available has to be shared fairly among everyone whose claim is approved. However, to support the objective of providing timely compensation, the Court has approved a process whereby limited, interim distributions can be made before that date. Interim distributions, if any are made, will be for a portion of the full amount of some claims.
How long will it take?
We cannot tell you yet. It depends on how many claims are received and how complex they are. We would rather say that honestly than give you a date we might not meet.
We will keep this website up to date as the process moves along.
Your privacy
Your name will not appear in material filed with the Court, only your claim number. The settling defendants (Vancouver College, St. Thomas More Collegiate, and the Archbishop of Vancouver) will receive only a list of anonymized Claimant IDs and amounts of compensation paid. At the end of the process, a list of names of people who were compensated is filed with the Court under seal, which means it is kept confidential and can only be opened if the Court orders it.
Your information and documents submitted to us will remain confidential unless you try to pursue a separate legal case against one of the settling defendants for the abuse you suffered.
Documents you send us are kept securely for 80 years and then destroyed.