Remission of Fees for 2021 BC Floods

Summary#

The Remission Order in Respect of Certain Fees for the Issuance of Identity and Travel Documents (2021 British Columbia Floods) cancels fees that were owed for some replacement identity and travel documents after the 2021 floods in British Columbia. It applies to replacement applications made between November 15, 2021 and May 31, 2022.

What it does#

• Remits fees payable under:
  • Passport and Other Travel Document Services Fees Regulations
  • Consular Services Fees Regulations
  • Citizenship Regulations
  • Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (as it relates to replacing permanent resident cards)
• Covers these documents:
  • passports
  • certificates of citizenship
  • permanent resident cards
  • certificates of identity
  • refugee travel documents
• Requires that people meet these conditions:
  • They lived in, or were in, an area of British Columbia affected by the floods sometime between November 15, 2021 and May 31, 2022.
  • A valid document was lost, damaged, destroyed, or became inaccessible because of the flooding.
  • They (or someone acting for them) applied for a replacement during the same period.
  • Their application included a declaration and either proof of residence or a declaration that they were in the affected area when the document was lost or damaged.
  • The fees were not already remitted under an existing passport regulation provision.
• Notes:
  • Replacement documents were issued with the same expiry date as the originals.
  • The legal tool used to cancel the debt is the Financial Administration Act (through this remission order).

Who's affected#

• People who lived in, or were in, flood-affected parts of British Columbia during the period November 15, 2021 to May 31, 2022, and who had one of the listed documents lost, damaged, destroyed, or made inaccessible by the floods.
• Those who applied for replacements through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) or who paid consular fees for travel documents from Global Affairs Canada (GAC) in that application window.
• If it is unclear whether an individual qualifies, the order requires the declarations or proofs listed above to confirm eligibility.

Why it matters#

• It removes the financial cost of replacing vital identity or travel documents for people hit by the 2021 BC floods. That helps reduce a practical burden during recovery.
• The total cost to the government from waiving these fees is $2,465, including $1,025 in consular fees.
• The remission order is the formal step needed to legally erase the fees, because ministers could not unilaterally cancel them.