Victims of crime in Quebec denounce government's three-year cap

Natalie Kurkcuoglu from Montreal-West found her brother with a severed ear and a broken jaw, and his teeth bashed in on July 3, 2019.

She said he was on his way to work when he was beaten with a metal rod.

Years later, some wounds haven't healed. Kurkcuoglu's brother does not want to be identified as he is still dealing with it all.

She said that along with the physical injuries, he has post-traumatic stress, severe agoraphobia, anxiety and outbursts. He was put on different medications, but Kurkcuoglu said none of them worked for him.

Like thousands of other victims of crimes, he received income replacement benefits from Quebec's IVAC program. But now there's confusion about whether those benefits will continue.

Sophie Mongeon, the family's lawyer, said they received a letter last month saying the benefits would stop in September. Then they were told it would be in October.

"But still, since then, no news, nothing," said Mongeon.

"They don't know if they're going to be extended. Will it be stopped? Fortunately for this man, he lives with his parents. But if he didn't, and he was living alone, then at this time, how can these people live in this kind of without knowing?"

In 2023, the Quebec government paid out $320 million to victims of crime after expanding eligibility requirements for the program.

Mongeon said that expansion came with the tradeoff of a three-year ceiling.

"I understand that three years is a certain time for people to recuperate, but when you have trauma, it's not sufficient," she said.

Mongeon said victims like Kurkcuoglu who made their claims before 2021 will likely get an extension of three years. But Kurkcuoglu, who cares for her brother daily, is still waiting for that confirmation.

"I don't know if he's going to be OK for another three years, but even another three years and he still has these mental issues. And he's mentally unstable, what is that going to do?" she said.