By Sherry MacLennan
BC Unclaimed Executive Director

When you think of ‘lost and found’ items, clothing or small easily dropped trinkets come to mind.

Most of us certainly do not consider these could include hundreds, thousands, or even millions of dollars.

Yet, that is the reality of the ‘items’ currently being held at British Columbia Unclaimed Property Society.

As the Province of British Columbia’s primary caretaker of unclaimed funds under the Unclaimed Property Act, BC Unclaimed keeps unclaimed money safe until rightful owners can be located. Data from 2025 confirms that there is over $222 million dollars in unclaimed funds belonging to more than 185,716 BC, or former BC, residents and organizations in the BC Unclaimed database.

Few British Columbians know about unclaimed property programs, or that unclaimed funds exist. Recent polling indicates that less than 10% of BC residents are aware of BC Unclaimed.

But in 2025 alone, BC Unclaimed returned close to $3.8 million to 638 owners, and since the society started in 2003, $36.9 million has been returned to residents.

Upon learning of this program, the first question many ask is how that much money can be left behind?

Not realizing you have unclaimed funds, or not being made aware of it, can happen for a variety of reasons and is more common than you may think.

Often, money sits in old credit union accounts, in the court system, or with insurance or debt collection companies, eventually becoming dormant and sent to BC Unclaimed.

It is also common for pension plans to close, or wages and benefits to be left behind with an employer. When you do not provide a follow-up address when you are moving on from a workplace, these funds may sit waiting for you, eventually being turned over to the society.

Occasionally, BC residents may not know they are next to inherit from a distant relative.

With the high cost of living in BC, finding that you have money you were unaware of can be wonderful, or even life-changing news. In 2024, Vancouver resident Hassan El Masri heard about BC Unclaimed from a colleague and found that he had $1,100 in unpaid wages being held for him from prior employment.

Abbotsford resident Pieter Dippenaar was thrilled to receive a letter from us in 2025, notifying him that he had $12,000 in unclaimed funds that had been left in the court system!

This year, Nanaimo resident Charlotte Creed was informed she had $1,075 left in an old credit union account when she received correspondence from BC Unclaimed.

There are no fees to search names on BCUnclaimed.ca, and inquiries can be made directly from the website for more information about how to claim. BC Unclaimed does not charge for services.

This lost and found is worth keeping track of, as it may result in a financial win that you don’t want to miss.