Reconsiderations for rating decisions

You must submit your reconsideration request within 30 days of the original classification decision. We can’t accept your request until we receive the reconsideration fee. If your request is denied, we will not process your fee.

Send your fee by cheque or credit card to:

Consumer Protection BC
#200 – 4946 Canada Way, Burnaby, BC V5G 4H7
or classadmin@consumerprotectionbc.ca
or by fax to 604.320.1663

Fill out a credit card authorization form.

You will need to submit a relevant, valid and reasonable argument.

Using specific and concrete examples to support your argument, explain, in detail, how we did one or more of the following:

• failed to comply with the principles of procedural fairness by basing our classification decision on irrelevant information
• misinterpreted and misapplied the Act
• did not have the relevant information required to make an accurate classification decision

We classify each movie on a case-by-case basis, using the law as our guide.

We may refuse to reconsider a classification decision if we believe that the request for reconsideration is, in the words of the Motion Picture Regulation, “frivolous, vexatious or made in bad faith”. Some common examples of reconsideration requests that may be considered frivolous, vexatious or made in bad faith could be:

• the movie/trailer was classified differently in another jurisdiction
• the movie/trailer was classified differently than other films
• the movie/trailer is marketed to a specific group of people
• more people should be able to access the movie/trailer, and
• the movie/trailer is based on other sources such as a book or television show

You will need to provide us with a new copy of your movie or trailer for us to view. The screening copy must be identical to what we originally classified.

Send your DCP, DVD, Blu-ray or online link to:

Consumer Protection BC
#200 – 4946 Canada Way, Burnaby, BC V5G 4H7
or classadmin@consumerprotectionbc.ca

A new decision maker will consider your arguments and review the movie or trailer. Your argument will also be provided to the original decision maker(s) who will have an opportunity to respond.

We will provide the final decision in writing. If we overturn the original classification decision we will not process your fee.

The reconsideration process may take one to four weeks. We can’t guarantee that the process will be completed prior to your movie’s release date.

Please submit your motion pictures for their original classification as early as possible. This gives us more time should you then request a reconsideration of our decision.