Financial assistance available to victims
Most Canadian provinces have financial assistance programs to assist some victims of violent or personal crimes.
Provinces and territories administer financial assistance programs according to their own rules and standards that can vary greatly from province to province.
Financial assistance for victims of crime can also come in other forms, mostly restitution, compensation and project funding.
Financial assistance for Canadians victimized abroad is also available.
Victims can also seek financial assistance to attend a parole hearing.
For more information on the types of assistance available from the federal government at the federal level, please visit Victims Fund.
About restitution
Restitution is when the court orders the offender to pay the victim for monetary losses due to bodily or psychological harm or damage to property caused by the crime.
Restitution can be ordered in various ways in Canada:
- As a stand-alone order, given the additional sentence according to s.738 of the Criminal Code;
- As a condition of probation (s.732.1, 3.1a); or
- As a conditional sentence (s.724.3, 2).
For more information about restitution, see and our infographic or the Victims' Rights in Canada; Restitution Orders (Justice Canada, 2015).
Compensation for victims
Compensation programs are mostly administrated at the provincial level.
- Alberta: Contact the Victim of Crime Financial Benefits Program at 780-427-7217
- British Columbia: Contact the Crime Victim Assistance Program at 604-660-3888
- Manitoba: Contact the Compensation for Victims of Crime Program at 204-945-0899 in Winnipeg or toll free at 1-800-262-9344
- New Brunswick
- Ontario
- Prince Edward Island
- Quebec: 514-906-3019 in Montreal or toll free at 1-800-561-4822
- Saskatchewan
Important note: OFOVC is not responsible for managing these provincial financial programs, all of which are subject to change at any time. Some provincial/territorial programs only accept applications for financial assistance within specific time frames from the date of the crime.
Find and contact services near you
Some provinces have established criminal injuries compensation or financial assistance programs for victims of crime.
Contact the organizations in your province or territory that can refer you to the criminal injuries compensation or financial assistance program in your region.
Information about the Canadian Benefit for Parents of Young Victims of Crime
The Canadian Benefit for Parents of Young Victims of Crime provides up to 35 weeks of income support to parents who have suffered a loss of income from taking time away from work to cope with the death or disappearance of their child due to a probable Criminal Code offence.
Page details
- Date modified: