Biology Casework Analysis Contribution Program (BCACP)

• The maximum contribution payable shall not exceed $36,702,835 per project.
• The maximum duration of any agreement is 5 years.
• Total government assistance (federal/provincial/municipal) for the same purpose and eligible expenses shall not exceed 100% of eligible expenditures.
• Payments are based on reimbursement of eligible expenditures, with progress payments following receipt and acceptance of financial and project reports.
• Advance payments may be issued in line with cash flow requirements and risk profile, as determined by the agreement.

• The applicant must be either the Province of Ontario (operating the Centre of Forensic Sciences) or the Province of Quebec (operating Laboratoire de sciences judiciaires et de médecine légale).
• The project must involve the conduct of crime scene biology casework analysis, including DNA identification analysis, in support of criminal investigations and prosecutions.
• The project must be aimed at contributing DNA profiles to the Crime Scene Index of the National DNA Data Bank.

Who is eligible?

• Governmental forensic laboratories operated by the Province of Ontario (Centre of Forensic Sciences)
• Governmental forensic laboratories operated by the Province of Quebec (Laboratoire de sciences judiciaires et de médecine légale)

Who is not eligible

• All private sector companies, businesses, and organizations not operating as the official provincial forensic laboratories of Ontario or Quebec.
• Entities not representing the provincial governments of Ontario or Quebec.
• Organizations without a mandate to conduct biology casework analysis (including DNA identification) for the purpose of supporting criminal investigations on behalf of the provinces of Ontario or Quebec.

Eligible expenses

• Salaries and wages for permanent or temporary professional, clerical, technical, and administrative staff, including employer contributions to employee benefit plans such as Employment Insurance, Canada Pension Plan, Workers' Compensation, and Provincial Pension Plans.
• Services for personnel administration, accounting, bookkeeping, and audit directly related to laboratory operations.
• Rent, utilities (electricity, heat, water, telephone), and maintenance of offices or laboratory facilities associated with the program.
• Supplies and materials required for biological casework analysis.
• Acquisition of equipment required directly to support biology casework analysis.
• Travel and living expenses related to laboratory operations.
• Training program costs for staff involved in casework analysis.
• Computer services, library expenses, research costs, and expenses for collecting and analyzing statistics relevant to laboratory operations.
• Minor capital purchases directly supporting the laboratory operations for biology casework analysis.

Eligible geographic areas

• Province of Ontario
• Province of Quebec

• Ability to increase the efficiency of biological analysis (DNA) in forensic laboratories in Ontario and Quebec.
• Reduction of processing times and backlog of cases.
• Number of DNA profiles submitted to the forensic database of the National DNA Data Bank.
• Presentation of detailed and credible financial and performance reports according to program requirements.

• Payments are based on reimbursement of eligible expenditures and progress reports must be submitted for payment processing.
• Annual financial and performance reports are required, detailing activities, expenditures, and accomplishments.
• Recipients must disclose all sources of funding for the initiative to ensure compliance with total government assistance limits.
• The maximum agreement duration is five years, and Public Safety Canada may consider reimbursement of some pre-agreement expenses on an exceptional basis.