Published
October 3, 2026
People placed in separate confinement or segregation in a British Columbia correctional centre between April 18, 2005 and October 22, 2025, either for 15 or more consecutive days or while B.C. Corrections knew or ought to have known they had a mental illness, may qualify to claim up to $91,000 CAD from the British Columbia solitary confinement class action settlement. Claims close January 11, 2027, under a settlement worth up to $60 million CAD that the Supreme Court of British Columbia approved on October 22, 2025.
Current Status
Claims are open. The claims period opened January 10, 2026 and closes January 11, 2027; the notice says claim forms must be submitted before January 11, 2027 and does not give a time of day or time zone. The Supreme Court of British Columbia approved the settlement on October 22, 2025. The administrator says payments will go out only after all claims are processed and that no payments are expected before 2027.Free settlement alerts
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Status
Claims Open
Claim Deadline
January 11, 2027
Online, by email or by Canada Post postmark
Estimated Payout
Up to $91,000 CAD
$3,000 or $6,000 CAD base · up to $85,000 CAD more for serious harms
Proof Required
Yes
Eligibility verified against B.C. Corrections records · signed records-release authorization required
What Changed Recently?
The claims process launched on January 10, 2026, after the court approved a settlement in North v. British Columbia, a class action filed in November 2018 and certified on December 22, 2020. The case concerns the use of separate confinement and segregation, meaning placement apart from the general population under sections 17, 18, 24 or 27(1)(d) of the Correction Act Regulation, in provincial correctional centres.The lawsuit alleges that British Columbia improperly subjected inmates to separate confinement and segregation, and that this amounted to breaches of fiduciary duty, systemic negligence and breaches of inmates’ rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. British Columbia denies these claims. The court approved the settlement without deciding them.
A final opt-out window for people placed in separate confinement or segregation between July 19 and October 22, 2025 closed on February 24, 2026. Everyone else in the class could no longer opt out by then.
Who Qualifies?
The class covers people who, between April 18, 2005 and October 22, 2025, were involuntarily placed in separate confinement or segregation in a B.C. correctional centre and fall into one of two groups:- Prolonged Class: the placement lasted 15 or more consecutive days.
- SMI Class: the placement lasted at least 22 consecutive hours, and B.C. Corrections knew or ought to have known the person had a Mental Illness, as shown by records under the criteria in the claims process.
Mental Illness has a defined meaning: a diagnosed condition from a list of DSM disorders that includes schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders, major depressive disorders, bipolar I and II, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, borderline personality disorder and neurocognitive disorders such as dementia.
The administrator lists ten covered centres: Alouette Correctional Centre for Women, Ford Mountain, Fraser Regional, Kamloops Regional, Nanaimo, North Fraser Pretrial, Okanagan, Prince George Regional, Surrey Pretrial Services and Vancouver Island Regional. People who opted out earlier, people who already settled similar claims with British Columbia and signed a release, and placements made because of COVID-19 protocols are not eligible.
Timing also matters. If a person’s only placements ended before November 26, 2016, or happened between December 23, 2020 and July 30, 2022, those placements can be considered only through the Statute-Barred Claims Process. That process requires showing the claimant was a person under a disability for long enough that the claim is not time-barred.
How Much Can Class Members Receive?
The settlement is worth up to $60 million CAD. Court-approved legal fees, disbursements, the honorarium, administration expenses and taxes come out of it first. The administrator describes two funds: a $30 million CAD Common Experience Fund and a Serious Harms Fund of $25 million to $30 million CAD.Common Experience Payments go to every eligible claimant and are paid first:
- Up to $3,000 CAD for Prolonged Class members.
- Up to $6,000 CAD for SMI Class members.
A Serious Harms Award can be added for claimants with lengthy and repeated placements or with specific harms recorded in their files. For cumulative placements, the grid runs from $8,000 CAD (SMI Class, 30 to 44 days) or $5,000 CAD (Prolonged Class, 45 to 74 days) up to $30,000 CAD and $25,000 CAD respectively for 200 or more days. The recorded-harm amounts are $35,000 CAD for a new Mental Illness diagnosis within 90 days of a placement or a qualifying transfer to a designated mental health facility within 60 days, $10,000 CAD for self-injurious behaviour within 60 days, and $40,000 CAD for a suicide attempt within 60 days.
No one can receive more than $85,000 CAD from the Serious Harms Fund, which puts the overall maximum at $91,000 CAD. Common Experience Payments are stated as “up to” amounts, so the final figure for each claimant is not guaranteed.
What Proof or Notice ID Is Required?
Proof is required, but it comes mainly from government records rather than from the claimant. Every claim is checked against British Columbia’s correctional services records, and a claim the records do not support can be denied. No notice ID, claim number or PIN is needed, and the claim form does not ask claimants filing for themselves to attach documents. It asks for a name, date of birth, contact details, the correctional services number if known, and a list of B.C. correctional centres and dates since 2016 to the best of the claimant’s knowledge. Claimants tick statements describing their placements and any recorded harms.A signed authorization is mandatory: by signing, the claimant authorizes British Columbia to release their correctional services records to the administrator, class counsel, the adjudicator and the court. Claimants in the SMI Class or claiming a recorded harm also consent to release of their correctional health records from the Provincial Health Services Authority. Class counsel or the administrator may follow up with questions or ask for more records. A legally authorized representative, such as a guardian or an estate, must attach documents confirming that authority.
What Is the Deadline?
Class counsel and the administrator list January 11, 2027 as the end of the claims period, and the notice says a completed claim form must be submitted before January 11, 2027. No time of day or time zone is stated. For paper claim forms, the Canada Post postmark date counts as the submission date. The notice warns that class members who miss the deadline cannot receive money and still release their claims against the province.How to File a Claim
The claim form can be completed on the online claims portal. A fillable copy is posted on the administrator’s case page, and completed digital or paper forms can be returned by email or mail using the contact details there.According to the notice, people currently held in a B.C. correctional centre can ask for a claim form and a prepaid return envelope on their living unit, and probation and parole offices in British Columbia also have copies. Class counsel, Koskie Minsky LLP and McEwan Partners LLP, offer help completing the form.
What Happens Next?
Proactio, the claims administrator, or a claims adjudicator where the process calls for one, decides eligibility for the Common Experience Fund, the Serious Harms Fund or both. Common Experience Payments are distributed first. The administrator says payments will be issued only once all claims have been processed and approved, with none expected before 2027; no specific payment date had been announced as of October 3, 2026.Sources and Verification
- British Columbia Solitary Confinement — Proactio administrator page
- Long Form Notice of Settlement Approval
- Claim Form
- Koskie Minsky LLP class counsel case page
- Certification reasons for judgment (December 22, 2020)
This page is informational and is not legal advice.
Questions
Which correctional centres are covered?
The administrator lists ten B.C. provincial correctional centres: Alouette Correctional Centre for Women, Ford Mountain, Fraser Regional, Kamloops Regional, Nanaimo, North Fraser Pretrial, Okanagan, Prince George Regional, Surrey Pretrial Services and Vancouver Island Regional. The class is limited to B.C. Correctional Centres as defined in the provincial Correction Act.
Are segregation placements made under COVID-19 protocols covered?
The administrator says placements made because of COVID-19 protocols are not eligible. Separately, placements that occurred between December 23, 2020 and July 30, 2022 can be considered only through the Statute-Barred Claims Process.
What is the Statute-Barred Claims Process?
It applies when a person’s only placements ended before November 26, 2016 or happened between December 23, 2020 and July 30, 2022. Those placements count only if the claimant shows they were a person under a disability for long enough that the claim is not time-barred. The notice directs these class members to file the regular Claim Form and tick the statute-barred box; the administrator or class counsel then contacts them.
When are payments expected?
The administrator, Proactio, says payments will be issued only after all claims have been processed and approved, and that no payments are expected before 2027. Common Experience Payments are distributed before Serious Harms Awards.
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Settlement Amount
Up to $60 million CAD
Case Title
North v. His Majesty the King in Right of the Province of British Columbia
Case Number
S1812656
Court
Supreme Court of British Columbia
Final Approval Hearing
October 22, 2025
Settlement approved that day
Administrator
Proactio
Official Website
Proactio BC Segregation Settlement
