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Printer friendlyProvincial Regulators Responsible for Collection Agencies
If a collection agency is attempting to collect monies from you, it must be licensed as a collection agency in the province or territory in which you live.
It is illegal for a collection agency to attempt to collect monies from you unless it holds a valid collection agency license issued under the licensing statute in the province or territory in which you live. Furthermore, if you live in Ontario, the four western provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the Yukon, it is illegal for an individual employed by a collection agency to attempt to collect monies from you unless they hold a valid collector's license issued under the provincial or territorial licensing statute in which you live.
Provincial and territorial licensing administrators have two major responsibilities, licensing and enforcement of licensing statutes. The chart set out below indicates the name of the relevant licensing statute in each province and territory in Canada.
| Collection Agency Licensing Statutes in Canada | |
|---|---|
| Province or Territory | Name of Licensing Statute |
| Alberta | Alberta Fair Trading Act |
| British Columbia | BC Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act |
| Manitoba | Manitoba Consumer Protection Act |
| New Brunswick | New Brunswick Collection Agencies Act |
| Newfoundland | Newfoundland Collections Act |
| Northwest Territories | Northwest Territories Consumer Protection Act |
| Nova Scotia | Nova Scotia Collection Agencies Act |
| Nunavut | Nunavut Consumer Protection Act |
| Ontario | Ontario Collection Agencies Act |
| Prince Edward Island | Prince Edward Island Collection Agencies Act |
| Québec | An Act respecting the Collection of Certain Debts |
| Saskatchewan | Saskatchewan Collection Agents Act |
| Yukon | Yukon Consumers Protection Act |
Licensing statutes impose legal duties on collection agencies and collectors and they contain a code of prohibited collection practices, any violation of which constitutes an offence under the licensing statute. There are two reasons why you might want to contact a licensing administrator. First of all, you might want to obtain information from your licensing administrator. You might, for example, want to confirm whether or not a collection agency or a collector is licensed in your province. Secondly, you might want to file a complaint against a collection agency or a collector, or both.
Some provinces may have a special procedure for handling complaints against collection agencies. These provinces include British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. If you are a resident of one of these five provinces and you wish to make a complaint against a collection agency you should visit the government website referred to in the following pages and make a complaint using the prescribed form.
Alberta
Alberta residents who wish to obtain information about collection agencies can phone Service Alberta at either their Edmonton or Calgary office at the phone numbers listed in the chart located at the end of this paragraph. Alberta residents who wish to make a complaint against a collection agency can do so online, by mail, or by fax. To make a complaint you can go online to www.servicealberta.gov.ab.ca/1006.cfm, and in the complaint category select "collection practices". You can mail or fax a complaint to the following offices:
| For residents with a (780) area code | For residents with a (403 ) area code |
|
Service Alberta North Field Services, Licensing 3rd Floor, Commerce Place 10155 102nd Street Edmonton, AB T5J 4L4 Tel.: (780) 422-1335 Fax: (780) 422-9106 e-mail: nfs@gov.ab.ca Attn: Manager, Investigations |
Service Alberta South Field Services, Licensing 301, 7015 MacLeod Trail South Calgary, AB T2H 2K6 Tel.: (403) 297-5743 Fax: (403) 297-4270 e-mail: sfs@gov.ab.ca Attn.: Manager, Investigations |
British Columbia
Collection agencies that attempt to collect debts from residents of British Columbia must hold a valid collection agency license under the British Columbia Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act (BPCPA). Individuals employed by collection agencies attempting to collect monies from B.C. residents must hold a valid collector license issued under the BPCPA. Those provisions in the British Columbia BPCPA that regulate the conduct of collection agencies and their employees apply to anyone collecting a debt from a resident of British Columbia. Therefore, those provisions of the British Columbia BCCPA that regulate the conduct of collection agencies also apply to creditors, debt buyers and lawyers engaged in the collection of debts, as well as their employees.
To obtain information about both licensing issues and the regulation of those collecting debts from British Columbia
residents, contact the following office:
Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority
Attention: Inquiry Centre
P.O. Box 9244
Victoria, BC V8W 9J2
Tel.: (888) 564-9963
Fax: (250) 920-7181
e-mail: info@bpcpa.ca
Residents of British Columbia that wish to file a complaint to the British Columbia Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority under the British Columbia Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act should visit www.bpcpa.ca.
Manitoba
Manitoba residents who wish to obtain information about collection agencies or to file a complaint can do so at the following office, in writing by mail, by fax, or by e-mail.
Consumer's Bureau
Government of Manitoba
258 Portage, Rm. 302
Winnipeg, MB R3C 0B6
Tel.: (204) 945-3975
Fax: (204) 945-0728
e-mail: consumersbureau@gov.mb.ca
New Brunswick
New Brunswick residents who wish to obtain information about collection agencies or to file a complaint can do so at the following office, by telephone or in writing, by mail, by fax, or by e-mail.
Ann Sparkes
Enforcement Officer
Department of Justice and Consumer Affairs
Government of New Brunswick
440 King Street, King Tower, Rm. 649
Fredericton, NB E3B 5H8
Tel.: (506) 453-2659
Fax: (506) 444-4494
e-mail: ann.sparkes@gnb.ca
Newfoundland
Newfoundland residents who wish to obtain information about collection agencies or to file a complaint can do so at the following office, in writing by mail, by fax, or by e-mail.
Terri-Lynn Taylor
Consumer Affairs Officer
Department of Consumer Affairs
Trade Practices Division
Department of Government Services
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
5 Mews Place
St. John's, NL A1B 4J6
Tel.: (709) 729-2660
Fax: (709) 729-6998
e-mail: ttaylor@gov.nl.ca
Northwest Territories
Residents of the Northwest Territories can obtain information about collection agencies or file a complaint at the following office:
Michael Gagnon
Senior Policy Advisor
Consumer Services
Department of Municipal and Community Affairs
Government of NWT
Suite 400, 5201 50th Avenue
Yellowknife, NT X1A 3S9
Tel.: (867) 873-7125
Fax: (867) 873-0609
e-mail: Michael_ Gagnon@gov.nt.ca
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia residents that wish to obtain information about collection agencies or seek assistance filing a complaint can telephone Service Nova Scotia at (902) 424-5200 or toll free at 1 (800) 670-4357.
Nova Scotia residents wishing to file a complaint can do so online at www.gov.ns.ca/snsmr/consumer/resolve.asp.
Nunavut
Residents of Nunavut who wish to obtain information about collection agencies or to file a complaint can contact the following office:
Leah Aupaluktuq
Senior Consumer Affairs Officer
Department of Community & Government Services
Government of Nunavut
267 Qaiqtuq Building
P.O. Box 440
Baker Lake, NU X0C 0A0
Tel.: (867) 793-3303
Fax: (867) 793-3321
Ontario
Ontario residents wishing to obtain information about collection agencies can contact the following office:
Ministry of Consumer Services
Consumer Protection Branch
5775 Yonge Street, Suite 1500
Toronto, ON M7A 2E5
Tel.: (800) 889-9768
Fax: (416) 326-8665
e-mail: consumer@ontario.ca
Ontario residents can visit a government website, www.consumerbeware.mgs.gov.on.ca/esearch/start.do to confirm whether or not a collection agency or a collector holds a valid license in Ontario.
Ontario residents who wish to file a complaint can do so oline at www.gov.on.ca/mgs/en/ConsProt/STEL02_168949.html. Ontario residents can file a complaint against in writing or online at www.cbs.gov.on.ca/compform/english/complaint.asp. If you are going to file a complaint in writing then you should download the Complaint Form available on this website as a pdf form and submit your completed Complaint Form, together with any supporting documentation, by fax or by mail, to the Consumer Protection Branch.
Prince Edward Island
Residents of Prince Edward Island who wish to obtain information about collection agencies or to file a complaint can contact the following office:
Linda Peters
Compliance Officer
Consumer Services Division
Office of the Attorney General
Government of PEI
Shaw Building, 95 Rochford Street
Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8
Tel.: (902) 368-5653
Fax: (902) 368-5283
e-mail: lmpeters@gov.pe.ca
Québec
Quebec residents who wish to obtain information about collection agencies or to file a complaint can contact one ` of the following phone numbers for the Consumer Protection Branch or Office de la protection du consommateur, or visit www.opc.qc.ca:
| Montréal | (514) 253-6556 |
| Québec | (418) 643-1484 |
| Trois Rivières | (819) 371-6400 |
| Saguenay | (418) 695-8427 |
| Gatineau | (819) 772-3016 |
| Sherbrooke | (819) 820-3694 |
| Saint-Jérôme | (450) 569-7585 |
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan residents who wish to obtain information about collection agencies can contact the following office:
Saskatchewan Justice
Consumer Protection Branch
1919 Saskatchewan Drive, Suite 500
Regina, SK S4P 4H2
Tel.: (306) 787-5550 and Toll Free in Saskatchewan at (888) 374-4636
Fax: (306) 787-9779
e-mail: consumerprotection@gov.sk.ca
Saskatchewan residents can file a complaint in writing by mail, fax, or e-mail. To file a complaint the Saskatchewan Consumer Protection Branch recommends that you call toll free at 1 (888) 374-4636 or in Regina at (306) 787-5550. If the staff recommends that you file a formal complaint, visit www.justice.gov.sk.ca/cpb. On the home page, under Resources, click on Forms and then Consumer Complaint Form. On the next page click on the button marked "Open Form". You can forward your completed form to the Consumer Protection Branch.
Yukon
Yukon residents who wish to obtain information about collection agencies or to file a complaint can contact the following office:
Consumer Services
Department of Community Services
Yukon Government
Andrew A. Philipsen Law Centre
Third Floor, 2130 2nd Avenue
Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 5H6
Tel.: (867) 667-5111
Fax: (867) 667-3609
e-mail: consumer@gov.yk.ca
If you phone their office, you should ask to speak to a Consumer Relations Officer.