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New CRT Rules Effective May 1, 2021

On May 1, 2021 we updated the CRT Rules.

 

What did we update?

Overall, we tried to further improve the clarity and internal consistency of the CRT Rules. We made small changes throughout to the words used in sentences to make them more readable but not change the meaning. In other places we have reorganized the rules or rewritten them altogether to make it clearer when rules apply and when they don’t.

Some of the updates change how we currently do things. For example:

  • There is some new guidance for case managers when they are thinking about referring a matter to a tribunal member for a decision or order.
  • There is a new process for when a party wants the CRT to order someone else to produce evidence for a dispute.
  • The CRT will apply different factors when considering a request to cancel a default decision or a decision made when a party is non-compliant.

 

What were the results of the public consultation?

The CRT recently invited feedback on the proposed amendments from members of the public, stakeholders and people who work for the CRT. We received a lot of helpful feedback and made further changes in response. The rules are better as a result. Thank you to everyone who took the time to comment on the draft rules.

 

What are the CRT Rules?

Courts and tribunals usually have rules. Rules are a bit like a complete instruction guide. They can also restrict parties and the court or tribunal from doing certain things.

Under the Civil Resolution Tribunal Act, we’re required to have a set of rules. The CRT Rules help to make it a fair, transparent, and consistent forum for resolving disputes. The CRT Rules have been in place since we started accepting strata property disputes for resolution in July 2016.

The Tribunal Chair sets the CRT Rules, but we think they belong to all British Columbians. Because of that, we want the rules to be as accessible and understandable as possible.

If you’re familiar with court rules, you’ll probably find the CRT’s rules to be shorter and simpler. We think long, complicated rules are just too confusing for most people to use. We’re trying to take a ‘less is more’ approach with our rules and focus on the information that will be most useful to people.

 

How do people use the CRT Rules?

We hope people using the CRT don’t actually have to read the CRT Rules! We try to build processes and guides that speak for themselves, and give you the information you need, when you need it. But when people need or want to read our complete rules, they’re available.

 

Have questions, or want to give feedback on the CRT Rules?

Please contact us. We’ll forward your questions and feedback to our CRT Rules team.