On April 1, 2019 — which is almost here! — the CRT will start resolving many motor vehicle injury (MVI) personal injury disputes in British Columbia. This will include determinations of whether an injury is a “minor injury”, disputes about accident benefits, and disputes about damages and fault up to $50,000.
We’ve been working hard to implement these new areas of jurisdiction, and have reported on our progress in a series of monthly blog posts. These posts highlight aspects of our team’s hard work behind the scenes.
New Rules
The CRT rules define the processes and procedures for dispute resolution at the CRT. On April 1, 2019, we will be repealing the current CRT rules and replacing them with new ones. Most of the changes are to add rules for our MVI jurisdiction.
The new rules have already been posted on our Rules page, but won’t take effect until April 1, 2019.
Fees for MVI Disputes
Subject to final approval, the proposed fees for MVI disputes are:
| ITEM | FEE |
| CRT Application – Damages/liability dispute | $125 if done online $150 for paper form |
| CRT Application – Minor Injury Determination | $75 online $100 paper |
| CRT Application – Accident Benefits dispute | $75 online $100 paper |
| CRT Application – 2 or more dispute types | $125 online $150 paper |
| Dispute Response – all MVI dispute types | $25 |
| Negotiation and Facilitation – all dispute types | Included in application fee |
| Tribunal Decision – Minor Injury Determination | Included in application fee |
| Tribunal Decision – Damages/liability dispute and/or Accident Benefits dispute | $50 |
All other CRT fees remain the same.
Solution Explorer
The Solution Explorer will be updated on March 29, 2019 at 2:00pm PST. This update includes:
- Adding the new MVI area
- Removing the old MVI area from small claims
- Updating several small claims areas with the new MVI information
Some small claims areas will be unavailable during the update, for about 30 minutes.
Technology
We’ve finished developing the online application forms for these new MVI disputes. Extensive user testing was done to ensure the forms are easy to understand and use.
We’ve also been making improvements to our website:
- New page for Motor Vehicle Injury disputes
- New FAQ
- New page all about Evidence
- Updates to Presentations and Media
CRT Operations
In February, the CRT held competitions for full-time Tribunal members specializing in motor vehicle injury claims.
All CRT members are expert decision-makers. They are appointed after an extensive merit-based competition process designed to minimize bias and maximize objectivity. This process includes:
- A screening matrix that rates individual skills and experience against the job requirements. This is to objectively compare candidate qualifications.
- A decision-writing exercise for shortlisted candidates. The exercises are assigned a number and marked anonymously to avoid implicit bias.
- Panel interviews for shortlisted candidates. Interviews are based on substantive and situational questions, and every candidate is asked the same questions. Many of these interviews are done by phone, which can also minimize implicit bias.
- Reference checks for candidates. This includes other due diligence, such as searching for any Law Society discipline records and continuing professional development activity records.
Presentations and Information Materials
We have informational rack cards and posters about this new area of jurisdiction. Contact us if your organization would like these materials; if you would like a representative of the CRT to speak to your organization; or if you have media inquiries.