About the CRT

The Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT) is Canada’s first online tribunal. It offers an accessible, affordable way to resolve many civil disputes — without a lawyer, and without a courtroom.

The CRT was created under the Civil Resolution Tribunal Act. The CRT is one of over 20 administrative tribunals in BC’s public justice system — independent bodies, funded by government, that make decisions and resolve disputes outside of court.

Our statutory mandate, and our goal in everything we do, is to keep dispute resolution timely, flexible, accessible, affordable, efficient, and fair.

We encourage a collaborative, problem-solving approach. Because our processes are online and we hold authority across several areas of law, the CRT works differently from a traditional courtroom — and from most other BC tribunals. See our FAQs to learn about the CRT process.

How the CRT began

In 2011, the BC government pledged to modernize the justice system — improving timeliness and efficiency, promoting early resolution, and giving British Columbians alternatives to court.

Led by David Merner, the province’s Dispute Resolution Office (DRO) imagined a way for people to file a claim, respond, and resolve it from anywhere in BC, with as little inconvenience as possible. From that vision, the CRT was born.

The Civil Resolution Tribunal Act received Royal Assent in May 2012. Cheryl Vickers was appointed Acting Chair in 2013, leading early consultations and the design of the tribunal’s processes, rules, and technology. Shannon Salter (now Deputy Minister to the Premier, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the BC Public Service) was appointed CRT Chair in 2014, and Richard Rogers joined as the CRT’s first executive director in 2015. Together they secured funding, built the business processes, and launched the first CRT website.

A signature innovation is our Solution Explorer — a free online tool that gives people legal information tailored to their issue, built by software and user-experience experts with input from legal advocates.

From the start, our goal was human-centred design. At every stage, we invited community advocates and members of the public to test and shape our technology — and we still rely on that feedback today.

The CRT launched on July 13, 2016, accepting its first strata property disputes. Our jurisdiction — and our dispute volumes — have grown significantly since.

Changes to jurisdiction

The Civil Resolution Tribunal Act has been amended several times to expand our authority. The CRT began accepting each type of claim on the dates below.

July 13, 2016: Strata property claims of any amount
June 1, 2017: Small claims $5,000 and under, including accident claims of $5,000 and under
April 1, 2019: Motor vehicle injury disputes for accidents on or after this date — including “minor injury” determinations, accident-benefit disputes, and liability and damages up to $50,000
July 15, 2019: Claims about incorporated BC societies, and housing and community-service cooperative associations
May 1, 2021: Entitlement to accident benefits under BC’s “care-based” compensation model, for accidents on or after this date
September 1, 2022: Accident responsibility claims about ICBC’s assessment of responsibility for an accident
January 29, 2024: Claims under the Intimate Images Protection Act about sharing, or threatening to share, an intimate image without consent
March 31, 2025: Small claims of $5,000 and under involving a breach of the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act
March 18, 2026: The maximum intimate-image damages award increased from $5,000 to $75,000

CRT chairs and acting chairs

The chair leads the tribunal. This is the CRT’s succession of chairs and acting chairs since 2013.

Cheryl Vickers: Acting Chair (March 15, 2013 – July 10, 2014)
Shannon Salter: Chair (July 11, 2014 – February 15, 2022)
Richard Rogers: Acting Chair (February 15, 2022 – June 10, 2022)
Shelley Lopez: Acting Chair (June 13, 2022 – August 15, 2022)
Simmi (K.) Sandhu: Chair (August 15, 2022 – December 21, 2023)
Shelley Lopez: Acting Chair (December 22, 2023 – April 25, 2024)
Shelley Lopez: Chair (April 26, 2024 – present)

Vice chairs

Vice chairs lead the CRT’s areas of jurisdiction and, at times, may serve as acting chair. For the current roster, see the Staff and Members page.

Kandis McCall: Registrar and Operations (May 20, 2025 – present)
Christopher Rivers: Accident Claims (July 6, 2024 – present)
Kristin Gardner: Escalations (March 15, 2024 – present)
Eric Regehr: Strata, Societies and Cooperative Associations (May 1, 2023 – present)
Sherelle Goodwin: Escalations (May 1, 2023 – March 14, 2024)
Kate Campbell: Acting Vice Chair – Strata (May 21, 2019 – October 27, 2019), Strata and Societies and Cooperative Associations (October 28, 2019 – April 30, 2023), Vice Chair (April 26, 2024 – July 5, 2024), Quality Assurance (July 6, 2024 – present)
Andrea Ritchie: Motor Vehicle Injury (March 29, 2019 – September, 2022), Vehicle Accidents (September, 2022 – March 28, 2023), Accident Claims (March 29, 2023 – April 25, 2024), Small Claims, Intimate Image Claims, and Accident Claims (Apr 26, 2024 – July 5, 2024), Small Claims and Intimate Image Claims (July 5, 2024 – present)
Shelley Lopez: Small Claims (January 26, 2017 – December 17, 2023), Small Claims and Intimate Images (December 18, 2023 – April 25, 2024)
Garth Cambrey: Strata (July 31, 2016 – May 20, 2019), Quality Assurance (May 21, 2019 – July 5, 2024)

Vice chairs by area of jurisdiction

Strata

Garth Cambrey (July 31, 2016 – May 20, 2019)
Kate Campbell (May 21, 2019 – April 30, 2023)
Eric Regehr (May 1, 2023 – present)

Small Claims

Shelley Lopez (Jan 26, 2017 – April 25, 2024)
Andrea Ritchie (April 26, 2024 – present)

Accident Claims (previously MVI (2019), and Vehicle Accidents (2022))

Andrea Ritchie (March 29, 2019 – July 5, 2024)
Christopher Rivers (July 6, 2024 – present)

Societies and Cooperative Associations

Kate Campbell (October 28, 2019 – April 30, 2023)
Eric Regehr (May 1, 2023 – present)

Quality Assurance

Garth Cambrey (May 21, 2019 – July 5, 2024)
Kate Campbell (July 6, 2024 – present)

Escalations

Sherelle Goodwin (May 1, 2023 – March 14, 2024)
Kristin Gardner (March 15, 2024 – present)

Intimate Image Claims

Shelley Lopez (December 18, 2023 – April 25, 2024)
Andrea Ritchie (Apr 26, 2024 – present)

Statistics

Each year the CRT submits an Annual Report to the Attorney General, who presents it to the BC Legislature. It covers highlights, statistics, participant survey results, finances, and relevant BC court summaries. Reports are available by fiscal year on our Reports and Publications page.

Key statistics from July 13, 2016 to March 31, 2026:

334,702 Solution Explorer sessions
59,740 claim applications received
50,332 disputes closed
22,687 disputes withdrawn or resolved by consent
11,357 default decisions
11,957 final decisions by a tribunal member

A leader in access to justice

Governments, legal organizations, researchers, and access-to-justice advocates from around the world regularly reach out to learn about the CRT’s technology, processes, and operations. Our representatives speak on expert panels and engage with schools, universities, law students, community associations, and Indigenous organizations across BC. Though we have no budget for travel outside the province, our speakers appear at events virtually, worldwide.

Over the years we have taken part in hundreds of events and research projects. The CRT is widely viewed as a world leader — an inspiration for accessible, economical, and efficient dispute resolution — and we continue to share our work with other provinces and countries building similar services.

Awards

2017: Finalist — Premier’s Innovation and Excellence Award (BC)
2017: ADM’s Celebration of Excellence — ACE Award for Innovation (BC)
2017: Clawbie — Canadian Law Blog Award (Canada)
2018: American Bar Association — Louis M. Brown Award for Legal Access (USA)
2018: PwC Vision to Reality — Accelerator Award (Canada)
2020: BC Public Service — Top Work Unit (BC)
2024: Ministry of the Attorney General — Team Excellence Award (BC)
2025: Finalist — Premier’s Innovation Award for Implementation of the Intimate Images Protection Act (BC)

Continuous improvement

We’re here to serve the public, and we rely on public feedback to improve. We regularly review and update our legal information and self-help tools based on feedback and changes in the law.

Want to help? Watch for public consultations and user-testing opportunities on the CRT blog.