How to File a Complaint Against a Debt Collector in Canada (Province by Province)

You file a complaint against a debt collector with your provincial consumer protection regulator. Debt collection practices are governed by provincial law — not federal — so each province has its own process. Filing creates an official record, triggers a regulator investigation, and can result in fines, licence suspensions, or cancellations for the agency. Before you file, spend 15 minutes documenting what happened. That record is what drives enforcement.

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Step 1: Document Every Violation

Before you touch a complaint form, write everything down. Regulators need specifics — not impressions.

For every contact from the collector, record:

• The date and time of the call or message
• What was said, as close to verbatim as you can manage
• The name of the caller and the company they identified (if they gave one)
• Whether you asked them to stop, and what they said in response

Save every voicemail. Screenshot every text. If they emailed you, forward those to a separate folder. These records are your evidence. Without them, it’s your word against theirs, and regulators struggle to act.

Common violations worth documenting:

• Calling before 7–8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. (exact restricted hours vary by province)
• Contacting your employer, family, or neighbours to discuss your debt
• Threatening legal action they have no intention or ability to take
• Misrepresenting the amount you owe
• Using abusive, threatening, or profane language
• Continuing to contact you after you’ve sent a written request to stop

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Step 2: Send a Written Cease-and-Desist Letter

While you’re gathering evidence, send a cease-and-desist letter to the collection agency. Do this by registered mail so you have a tracking number proving delivery.

Under provincial collection law, once a collector receives your written request to stop contact, they must comply — with narrow exceptions (such as notifying you of legal action they’re actually taking).

Your letter doesn’t need to be complicated. State your name, your account number if known, and that you demand all contact stop immediately under the relevant provincial legislation. Keep a copy. Keep the Canada Post tracking number.

This letter serves two purposes: it immediately reduces the harassment, and it becomes evidence in your complaint if they continue calling anyway.

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Step 3: File Your Complaint with the Right Regulator

Once you have your documentation and your cease letter sent, file your complaint. Every province has a free process — no lawyer required.

Ontario

Regulator: Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery — Consumer Protection Ontario
Governing law: Collection and Debt Settlement Services Act (CDSSA)
Where to complain: ontario.ca/consumerprotection — online complaint form available

Ontario’s CDSSA is one of the more detailed provincial frameworks. Violations can result in fines up to $50,000 for individuals and $250,000 for corporations, plus licence suspension or revocation.

British Columbia

Regulator: Consumer Protection BC
Governing law: Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act
Where to complain: cpbc.ca

Consumer Protection BC licenses and audits collection agencies. They investigate complaints and can pull a licence. BC also allows consumers to sue for damages under the legislation.

Alberta

Regulator: Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction
Governing law: Fair Trading Act / Collection and Debt Repayment Practices Regulation
Where to complain: alberta.ca/file-consumer-complaint

Alberta’s Fair Trading Act covers both the agency and individual collectors. Service Alberta can issue compliance orders and seek injunctions in serious cases.

Quebec

Regulator: Office de la protection du consommateur (OPC)
Governing law: Consumer Protection Act (Quebec)
Where to complain: opc.gouv.qc.ca

Quebec operates separately and bilingually. The OPC investigates complaints and can refer cases for prosecution. Collection agencies must hold a permit from the OPC to operate in Quebec.

Manitoba

Regulator: Consumer Protection Office, Manitoba Justice
Governing law: Consumer Protection Act (Manitoba)
Where to complain: gov.mb.ca/consumerinfo

Manitoba’s process includes a mediation component. The Consumer Protection Office contacts the agency first; many complaints resolve at that stage.

Saskatchewan

Regulator: Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority (FCAA)
Governing law: Collection Agents Act
Where to complain: fcaa.gov.sk.ca

The FCAA licenses collection agents in Saskatchewan. Complaints are reviewed and can lead to conditions on a licence, suspension, or cancellation.

Nova Scotia

Regulator: Service Nova Scotia
Governing law: Collection Agencies Act (NS)
Where to complain: novascotia.ca/sns

New Brunswick

Regulator: Financial and Consumer Services Commission (FCNB)
Governing law: Collection Agents Act (NB)
Where to complain: fcnb.ca

Prince Edward Island

Regulator: Consumer, Labour and Financial Services Division
Governing law: Collection Agencies Act (PEI)
Where to complain: Contact the Division through the PEI Government website

Newfoundland and Labrador

Regulator: Consumer Protection, Government of NL
Governing law: Collection Agencies Act (NL)
Where to complain: Contact through the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador consumer services page

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Province-by-Province Complaint Table

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What Happens After You File

Regulators follow a standard process:

1. Acknowledgement — you’ll hear back within 5–10 business days confirming your complaint was received.
2. Review — the regulator reviews your documentation and the complaint details.
3. Investigation — the regulator contacts the agency for their response. This stage takes 4–12 weeks for most complaints.
4. Outcome — the regulator notifies you of the result. Outcomes range from a warning letter to fines, licence conditions, or cancellation.

You may not receive a detailed account of what happened with the agency — regulators don’t always disclose enforcement specifics. But violations go on the agency’s record, and patterns of complaints drive the most serious enforcement action.

A Real Example

Priya Mehta in Mississauga was dealing with a payday loan debt that had gone to collections. The agency started calling her at 6:45 a.m. — before Ontario’s permitted calling hours. Two weeks later, a collector called her workplace directly and told her manager she had an outstanding debt. Priya felt humiliated and anxious about her job.

She documented each call with dates and times, sent a cease-and-desist letter by registered mail, then filed a complaint with Consumer Protection Ontario. She included her call log, her cease letter, and a written account of the workplace call. Within eight weeks, Consumer Protection Ontario completed its investigation. The agency received a formal warning and was required to complete a compliance audit. The calls stopped the day the cease letter was delivered.

Priya’s debt didn’t disappear — the complaint doesn’t work that way. But the illegal behaviour stopped, and the agency now has a complaint on file with the regulator.

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What a Complaint Can and Cannot Do

Be clear with yourself about what you’re filing and why.

A complaint CAN:

• Trigger a regulator investigation
• Result in a warning, fine, licence condition, or cancellation for the agency
• Stop ongoing illegal behaviour faster than a lawsuit
• Create an official record if the violations continue

A complaint CANNOT:

• Eliminate or reduce the debt
• Stop the creditor from suing you (if they have grounds to)
• Undo damage already done to your credit report
• Get you money back (unless you pursue a civil claim separately)

If the collector’s behaviour also involved false or misleading representations — such as falsely claiming to be law enforcement or misrepresenting the legal status of the debt — the federal Competition Bureau has jurisdiction too. That path is rarely used for individual consumer complaints, but it’s available.

If you want civil damages, some provinces (notably Ontario and BC) explicitly allow you to sue for violations of collection law. For small amounts, the complaint process is usually faster and costs nothing. For larger damages, speak to a consumer lawyer.

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