Built by survivors, for survivors.
Burn survivors, firefighters, burn-unit staff, and advisors, together we make sure no one recovers alone.
Offer support and education to anyone affected by burns.
CBSC connects members and is the conduit for the burn community, survivors, firefighters, health care professionals, and anyone affected by the trauma of burns, enabling people to draw on one another's strengths and experiences on the journey to becoming survivors.
Our objectives are to support the psychological well-being of burn survivors in Canada, to share materials and programs that educate on burn prevention, and to encourage the professional development of firefighters, health care providers, and everyone touched by burns. A volunteer-run registered charity governed by a 14-member board, we've offered support to survivors and their families since 2006 — first as a group of people who kept showing up for each other, and since 2008 as a national organisation. The Canada Revenue Agency registers us as a charitable organization under other purposes beneficial to the community, in the category of supportive health care. That is the work: supporting recovery, not funding treatment.
What we stand for
Belonging
Always together, never alone. Everyone touched by burns has a place here.
Education
Knowledge shared by professionals and peers who've walked the path.
Dignity
A proud member of the FEI Alliance, championing face equality for all.
The people behind all of this
Survivors, families, firefighters and burn-unit staff. Some of us have been here since 2007; some joined last year. From the National Forum in Calgary and Vancouver.
A community that grew from care.
The Canadian Burn Survivors Community was officially established in 2008 by a dedicated group of burn survivors, caregivers, burn unit staff, and firefighters from across the country, but the story began a few years earlier, as a group of people who simply kept showing up for each other.
The Mamingwey Burn Survivor Society hosted the first-ever Canadian Burn Survivors Conference in Manitoba. Over 150 people attended, nearly a third from outside the province.
The Nova Scotia Firefighters Burn Treatment Society hosted the second conference in Halifax. Attendees saw the need for a national organization to connect support groups across Canada.
At the Phoenix Society's World Burn Congress in Vancouver, a meeting of interested Canadians finalised the decision to start a national umbrella organisation, and to hold a Forum every second year. An eight-person steering committee began the work — the founding members.
CBSC was founded by that group of survivors, caregivers, burn unit staff and firefighters. A national in-person event followed every two years across the country, from Toronto to Winnipeg, Calgary, Victoria, and Halifax (the 2020 Vancouver conference was cancelled due to COVID-19).
CBSC launched a quarterly newsletter, now distributed electronically to over 400 people.
Online support groups began every second Wednesday, keeping the community connected through the pandemic and beyond.
CBSC incorporated federally on 20 July 2021 under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act, giving the community a formal structure for the first time.
CBSC became a registered Canadian charity on 22 July 2026, five years after incorporating. Donations are now tax-deductible, and charitable status opens grant funding that was closed to us before.
Proudly run by volunteers, CBSC hosts The National Forum in person every two years, next in Winnipeg in October 2026, then Halifax in 2028, with virtual gatherings in between, and remains true to its original mandate. We're an affiliate member of the Canadian Skin Patient Alliance and a member of Face Equality International.
Find your people.
Our peer support groups are the fastest way to feel connected. Free, virtual, and facilitated by professionals.
Join a peer support group →