Changes to Criminal Record Checks Coming Into Effect November 30th in BC November 11 2013

Criminal record checks to be free for volunteers in British Colombia as of November 30th, 2013. This will be of great assistance to many volunteers who are required by law to obtain criminal record checks due to the nature of their work with children or other involvement in the vulnerable sector.


The province of B.C. will now be assuming the cost of the verifications currently costing approximately $20. Representatives of the government have stated that the changes are intended to show support and appreciation to the volunteers and to allow non-profit organizations to better focus on providing great services and programs to members of their communities.

You may be wondering how the province intends to mitigate the added costs of the criminal record checks for volunteers. The cost for employees requiring verification of criminal records will rise to $28.

Whether other jurisdictions intend to make similar changes to criminal record verification programs remains to be seen.