Reimbursement amounts
You can ask to be reimbursed for your travel, parking, meal and accommodation expenses.
The maximum reimbursement amount is $2,000/applicant for a legal proceeding, including appeal proceedings. In the event there is a new legal proceeding or if there are several accused with different trials, additional amounts will be added to the initial allowance.
Note that all the amounts listed below are effective starting April 1st 2024 and are subject to change.
Important: Reimbursement of a companion’s expenses (if applicable) will be deducted from your maximum amount.
Transportation
You may claim the cost of public transport used to travel between your residence and the courthouse.
If you travel by car, you are entitled to $0.620 for every kilometer travelled as well your parking expenses.
You will be asked to provide supporting documents, so be sure to keep all your bills and receipts.
You will be entitled to an additional $0.155/km in any of the following circumstances:
- if you have to travel on forest roads or gravel roads
- if you have to travel in a personal camper vehicle, or with a camper-trailer (or similar equipment) attached to your car
If you travel by personal snowmobile, all-terrain vehicle (ATV) or other recreational vehicle, you will be reimbursed $40,30 for every half-day of use.
Travel by personal motorcycle is reimbursed at the rate of $0.310 every kilometer travelled.
Traffic/parking tickets will not be reimbursed.
Meals
You are entitled to reimbursement of up to $65,40/day for meals during each full day of travel, including tips and taxes.
You will be asked to provide supporting documents, so be sure to keep all your bills and receipts.
If a trip requires you to eat more than three consecutive meals away from home, you may claim the cost of your meals up to the following amounts:
- $14.70 for breakfast (breakfast is covered if your trip required you to leave your home before 7:30 in the morning).
- $20.20 for lunch (lunch is covered if you are away from home after 1:00 p.m. or, if the hearing is in the afternoon, you have to leave your home before 11:30 a.m.).
- $30.50 for dinner or evening meal (dinner is covered if you are away from home after 7:00 p.m.).
These amounts include taxes and tips.
The above amounts are increased by 30% for meals eaten in establishments between the 49th and 50th parallel, and by 50% for meals north of the 50th parallel. These increases do not apply, however, to the cities of Baie-Comeau, Port-Cartier, Sept-Îles or any of the cities and municipalities on the Gaspé peninsula.
Accommodation
You are entitled to compensation for accommodation if your home is at a considerable distance from the courthouse or if the legal proceedings extend over several days and you decide to sleep at a hotel. This allowance varies from between $101 and $177 for one night’s stay at a hotel establishment, as explained in the following table:
Low season
|
High season
|
|
|
a) In a hotel establishment located on the territory of the City of Montréal |
$161 |
$177 |
|
b) In a hotel establishment located on the territory of the City of Québec (Quebec City) |
$135 |
|
|
c) In a hotel establishment located in the city of Laval, Gatineau, Longueuil, Lac-Beauport or Lac-Delage |
$130 |
$140 |
| d) In a hotel establishment located elsewhere in the province of Québec |
$106 |
$111 |
|
e) In any other type of accommodation |
$101 |
|
|
f) At the home of family or friends |
$22,25 |
|
These maximum amounts do not include GST (Goods and Services Tax), QST (Québec Sales Tax) or the tax on lodging. If any or all of these taxes are applied to the bill for accommodation, they must be reimbursed in addition to the amounts specified above.
You will be asked to provide supporting documents, so be sure to keep all your bills and receipts.
You are also entitled to the fixed amount of $7.75/day to defray expenses while staying in a hotel establishment or other accommodation.