History of the Board

The first compensation program began in 1967 under the Law Enforcement Compensation Act (LECA, 1967). This program provided for awards to peace officers, police officers and firefighters for injuries arising from criminal acts.

In 1971, the Compensation for Victims of Crime Act (CVCA, 1971) replaced the LECA and the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board was created. Under the new Act the Board was able to award compensation to any victim of a violent crime that occurred in the Province of Ontario who made a claim to the Board.

The Compensation for Victims of Crime Act has been amended a number of times since 1971, most recently in 2000, when it was changed to further increase victims’ ability to access the program. Changes included:

The time limit in which to file a claim was extended from one year to two years from the date of the incident
Applicants no longer needed to prove they were in financial need to be eligible to receive interim payments for support, medical expenses and funeral expenses
Total maximum periodic (monthly) awards for permanent injury or support were increased from $250,000 to $365,000 for a single occurrence for all applicants