FAQs

Autism is characterized by difficulties with social communication, sensory sensitivities and repetitive behaviour, as well as a wide range of individual strengths, interests and abilities.

In British Columbia, 1 in 32 children and youth is diagnosed with autism and there are over 19,000 children and youth with autism.

(Ministry of Children and Family Development, December 2021)

The Public Health Authority of Canada estimates 1 in 66 children has autism in Canada.

Canucks Autism Network provides programs for individuals with autism and their families, while promoting acceptance and inclusion through community engagement and training initiatives across BC and beyond.

In short, we focus on three areas: program delivery, training and community engagement.

Canucks Autism Network is a registered charity under the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). Our registered charity number is: 82247 2957 RR0001.

Canucks Autism Network (CAN) was founded by Paolo and Clara Aquilini, Co-owners of the Vancouver Canucks. In addition, CAN receives generous funding from the Canucks for Kids Fund and support from the Vancouver Canucks organization at fundraising and community engagement events throughout the year.

• An individual in the immediate family (i.e. a son or daughter, or the individual who is registering) must be diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
• Individuals and families wishing to become members and access programs and member benefits must live in British Columbia, Canada.
• Individuals across the autism spectrum are welcome to participate, regardless of the level of support they require.

Canucks Autism Network (CAN) membership includes an annual fee of $25 for each registered participant with autism.

This fee may be paid in any of the following ways:

• Through the autism funding provided by the Ministry of Children and Family Development
• Credit card through the online CAN Membership account,
• By cheque mailed to the CAN Office (1788 West 8th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6J 1V6)
• With cash at the CAN Office (1788 West 8th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6J 1V6).

When we enter new communities, we consider:

• The number of individuals with autism and their families in the area
• Potential support from community partners (recreation centres who are interested in hosting the program, organizations that can partner with us to deliver the program etc.)
• Local donor support
• Availability of staff/volunteers
• Other similar programs that are already being offered in the region

To see a full listing of programs, locations and age groups for the current season, please visit our Programs page.

The majority of our programs are included in the annual $25 membership fee, however, some of our more resource-intensive programs come with a highly subsidized fee to ensure their long-term financial sustainability.

In addition to traditional payment options, we accept payment through Autism Funding provided by the government and sporting grants, such as JumpStart and KidSport.

For details on payment options, please visit our Program Payment Options webpage.

At Canucks Autism Network, we value accessibility and strive to eliminate financial barriers to program participation. If a program fee is a barrier for your family, we encourage you to submit a request for fee reduction or a waiver through our Fee Assistance Program. Please e-mail [email protected] for more information.

Canucks Autism Network is governed by a democratically elected Board of Directors.

Canucks Autism Network’s financials are audited yearly. View our 2019 Financial Statements. To see older reports, please email: [email protected]

Interested in joining our fun and dynamic team? Learn about our current employment opportunities.

We are always looking for dedicated and passionate individuals who are looking to give back. Our volunteers collaborate with our trained and qualified staff to provide individualized and adapted support to children, youth, and adults with autism. Learn more about volunteering with Canucks Autism Network.

Canucks Autism Network delivers programs across the Lower Mainland as well as in Kamloops, Kelowna, Victoria and Nanaimo. All program locations, dates, and times, are available in our seasonal program guides. Training opportunities are available across British Columbia.

We are always looking to increase our impact across the province. When we enter new communities, we consider the following criteria:

• The number of individuals with autism and their families in the area
• Potential  support from community partners (e.g., recreation centres who are able to host the program, organizations interested in partnering with us to deliver the program)
• Local donor or funding support
• Availability of staff and volunteers
• Other similar programs that are already being offered in the region

Some programs require members to pay a highly subsidized fee as a means to ensure program sustainability. Along with traditional payment options, we accept Autism Funding and sporting grants, including JumpStart and KidSport

At Canucks Autism Network, we value accessibility and strive to eliminate financial barriers to program participation. If a program fee is a barrier for you or your family, we encourage you to submit a request for fee reduction or waiver through our Fee Assistance Program. Please e-mail [email protected] for more information.

Since its inception in 2008, Canucks Autism Network has been dedicated to providing  programs that have been specifically designed and adapted for individuals living with autism. In addition, much of the funding we receive is specific to autism programming.

Absolutely! We welcome individuals across the autism spectrum and utilize a variety of strategies and a range of supports including visual schedules, first-then boards, token systems and social stories, to ensure that every participant is successful on their own terms. We can also adjust our ratio of staffing to ensure that your child is well supported.

Of course. Be assured that with parent collaboration and open communication, our experienced support team and highly trained staff are equipped to manage manage types of challenging behaviours.

Most programs are catered to the following age groups:

• Early years: Ages 3-6
• Children: Ages 7-12
• Youth: Ages 13-17
• Adults: Ages 18+

Registration decisions are based on a variety of factors including the overall demand for a program, a participant’s registration history, and a family’s ability to access programming.

Demand for most programs is quite high, therefore, participants will not be accommodated into every program they wish to attend. At Canucks Autism Network, our goal is to accommodate as many unique individuals into programs as possible, and registration decisions are made with this objective in mind.

If you are experiencing difficulties with the online registration process, please see our Frequently Asked Questions – Registration.

If you still cannot find the answer you are looking for, please contact the office by email at [email protected], or by phone at 604-685-4049. Our helpful team will be able to look into the issues that you are experiencing, and help answer your questions.

We do our best to accommodate all requests, however, we ask that families be flexible. Participants are placed into specific time slots in order to accommodate as many unique individuals as possible. Families are welcome to request a program time change by emailing [email protected], however, not all requests will be accommodated.

At times, Vancouver Canucks players may be present at CAN programs or events, however, we ask that families allow the players to participate in the activity and do not ask for photos or autographs.

At times, Vancouver Canucks players may be present at CAN programs or events, however, we ask that families allow the players to participate in the activity and do not ask for photos or autographs.

A CAN membership provides individuals on the spectrum living in British Columbia, and their families, the opportunity to register for CAN programs, including children, youth, and adult programming, as well as family experiences. 

CAN memberships are for individuals with an autism diagnosis living in British Columbia, Canada.

To sign up as a CAN member, you must first create an online membership account, accessible through www.canucksautism.ca. If you are a parent/guardian, you will create the account under your name, and then add your additional family members, including the individual(s) with autism. If you are an adult with autism registering themselves, you will create the account under your own name.

After you create your online account, you will then submit the following three items:

1. Proof of autism diagnosis – any physician signed document that clearly states the individual is on the autism spectrum,
2. Photos of the family members listed in your online account – for internal purposes only, for example we use them as a point of reference to help us identify who is in photos taken at programs,
3. Annual $25 membership fee – may be processed through online account.

Items may be emailed to [email protected], or sent by post to Canucks Autism Network, 1788 W 8^th Ave, Vancouver, BC, V6Y 1V6.

Online registration for programs takes place throughout the year. To help members stay informed about upcoming programs and registration dates we use:

• Monthly email newsletter – this newsletter is sent at the start of each month, and lists registrations taking place that month
• Seasonal Program Guides – these seasonal guides lists program details, including registration information, for programs taking place during that season

Recent email newsletters and seasonal program guides are accessible through canucksautism.ca.

CAN members register for programs through their online account while registration is open. After registration closes, participants may submit a late registration request at canucksautism.ca/late, and they will be put on the waitlist for the program.

For our programs, we use a registration process we call Pending Enrolment Only, where there are no spots allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis. Rather, we have registration open for four days (Monday at noon to Friday at noon), and everyone who submits a request during this period will have their requests Pending. After registration closes, we review all requests received, make enrolment decisions, and follow up with all participants within a week following registration closing.

We use the Pending Enrolment Only process for registration for a few reasons:

• It allows us to accommodate as many individuals with autism as possible into our programs. For example, it avoids those who are quick on the computer securing multiple program spots, while someone who is not able to register right when registration opens missing the opportunity to access any programs.
• It helps to decrease members’ stress of signing up right when registration opens. This is helpful for those not comfortable with the computer, those who experience technical difficulties, or those who are unable to register right when registration opens because of work or other commitments.

Registration is open for a short period because we use the Pending Enrolment Only process. With all requests pending, we like to follow up with our members as soon as possible regarding the status of their requests, so that they have time to begin planning their upcoming schedules.

When submitting two or more registration requests for weekly programs, participants are able to rank their requests in order of preference. When reviewing requests after registration closes, we take into consideration these rankings.

The level of interest in a program is the impactful factor for enrolment decisions. Other factors include past registration history of participants, and the rankings provided by participants.

Since registration is not on a first-come, first-serve basis, we do not assign numbers to participants on program waitlists. If a spot becomes available for you, we will follow up with you through email.

If you are on the waitlist for a program it is because the program is at capacity. This means that for spot to open up for you it will require a confirmed participant to withdraw from the program. Unfortunately, we do not know the likelihood of a confirmed participant withdrawing. If a spot does become available for you, we will follow up with you through email to see if you are still interested in the program.

No. Participants who are not confirmed for a program are not covered by our insurance and are therefore not able to attend the program.

As well, the staff and volunteers at our programs are there to support those participants who are confirmed to attend, and we do not want them to be pulled away from providing this support.

If you have been confirmed for a program with a program fee, you will be informed in your registration update email of when to expect an invoice for payment. Once you receive notice that the invoice is available for payment, you may process payment by credit card through your online account, or we also have the following options:

• Autism Funding (for participants ages 6+yrs)
• Cash or Cheque
• CAN’s Fee Assistance Program
• Community Grants
• Open to other options – contact [email protected] if you have any questions

If you are going to miss a class (for whatever reason), please submit notice through the Report an Absence form. If we require additional information, we will follow up with you.

To withdraw from a program, you will email [email protected] with the participant’s first and last name, as well as the program name, location, and time.

Our team is working hard to ensure that all in-person program delivery is in line with ongoing and rapidly changing provincial health orders.

We began reintroducing in-person programs this past summer 2020. Our Safety Plan is updated with each season and with each major update from provincial health authorities.

You can view our Safety Plan, Restart Plan and all program updates at canucksautism.ca/health.

As the scale of programming will be small, we anticipate the demand will far exceed the available spaces. While we wish we could accommodate more members at this time, we strongly believe in piloting the enhanced safety procedures with a limited number of participants to ensure we get it right.

Like other program providers, we plan to expand our offerings by gradually adding more in-person programs in more locations throughout the year — as allowable by provincial health orders.

Our goal is to reintroduce in-person programming at a rate of 25% each season — provincial health orders permitting. You can view our Restart Plan at canucksautism.ca/health.

Our members should be aware that even come fall we will be facing challenges with access to facilities as well as budget constraints due to cancelled fundraising events and the overall economic impact of the pandemic. Our goal will always be to continue to serve our members with the greatest number of programs we are able to offer safely while ensuring CAN’s long-term sustainability.

Many contributions that were made at the onset of COVID-19 have since been directed to our online stream of programming that has greatly benefited many individuals with autism and their families during this challenging time. A tremendous amount of time and resources went into the development and dissemination of CAN’s new online stream of programming and content. Resources were also allocated to the research and planning that went into CAN’s in-person programming Restart Plan.

Virtual programming allows our coaches to interact with participants in real-time, while teaching lessons in a fun, new, digital environment. It also allows individuals with autism and their families to continue to benefit from the support, connection, routine and respite that our programs provide, while staying safe at home.

Furthermore, by offering programs in a digital environment, we are able to reach individuals with autism in all corners of the province, where CAN’s in-person programs are not delivered.

We have developed weekly virtual programs that participants can access in real-time for all age groups.

Activities include arts and crafts, sports and rec, movies, social meet ups and employment skills. All sessions use the free Zoom app (an online meeting platform) and are facilitated by CAN staff who are able to connect with participants in real-time, teaching lessons in a fun, new and digital environment.

You can view them all at canucksautism.ca/online.

We surveyed our members to find out what kinds of activities they wanted to see in virtual programs and to confirm times of day that work best for families. Families indicated they were interested in physical activity programs, arts and crafts activities and social groups/clubs. Members showed interest in both program series (e.g., 6 sessions across 6 weeks) as well as one-time events.

We are currently working with a number of our partners to add new and exciting programming for our members. Stay tuned!