1974 Valcartier Grenade Incident Program

On March 9, 2017, Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan announced a comprehensive program of financial recognition and health care support for the victims of the 1974 accidental grenade explosion at the Canadian Forces Base Valcartier cadet camp.

Program eligibility

Cadets who were in the room at the time of the explosion and those non-professional first responders who came to their assistance immediately following the incident and were not Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members at the time (affected individuals) are eligible for the program.* Estates of the 6 cadets who tragically perished in this incident and of the victims who have passed away since are also eligible to apply for elements of the program.

*Note: Individuals affected by this tragedy who were members of the CAF at the time of the incident may apply for support through Veterans Affairs Canada.

Financial recognition

In recognition of their pain and suffering, a universal benevolent payment of $42,000 will be awarded to affected individuals, specifically, each cadet who was in the room when the explosion occurred and to non-professional first responders involved immediately following the explosion. The estates of the 6 cadets who tragically perished in this incident and of the victims who have passed away since are also eligible to apply for this payment.

In recognition of loss, an additional benevolent payment of $58,000 will also be available to the estates of the 6 deceased cadets. This payment would be in addition to the universal benevolent payment of $42,000, for a total of $100,000 for each of the 6 estates.

Affected individuals may also apply for an individualized benevolent payment for both physical and mental injuries sustained as a result of the incident. The maximum amount awarded would be $310,000, including the universal benevolent payment. The estates of former cadets who have passed away in the years since the incident are also eligible to apply for this payment.

These benevolent payments will not be subject to Canadian income tax deductions.

Health care support

The Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) are covering all incident-related health care costs incurred by affected individuals, not funded by provincial health care systems, for the remainder of their lifetime. This means that medical treatment, prescription medications, physiotherapy, psychological care, prosthetics, medical accessories, or other required health-related equipment that have been identified in the affected individual’s health care plan and pre-approved by CAF medical personnel, now or at a later point in time, will be funded for as long as they are needed.

Peer support and resiliency training will also be made available to affected individuals and to their spouses and children, if required. Reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed in the event that travel is required to take part in these sessions.

For more information

The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces continue to urge former cadets who were in the room at the time of the explosion and non-professional first responders involved immediately after the explosion to contact us at 1-844-800-8566 or 1974@forces.gc.ca.