{June 25, 2010} VICTORIA, BC – Consumer Protection BC is pleased to release its 2009 Annual Report and financial statements.

Each spring, we prepare a public report that highlights the organization’s accomplishments over the past fiscal year.  This report provides statistical information, financial information and an overview of how the we met our operational goals according to our three-year Business Plan. 

“We had a busy year in 2009 with numerous operational highlights,” explains Terry Barnett, President and CEO of Consumer Protection BC.  “We appreciate the contributions over the year of our staff, Advisory Group members, licensees, government, and all of our partners.” 

The following are some statistics from 2009:

• 15,411 calls, emails and letters were received through our Inquiry Centre and 77,572 people visited our corporate website.
• 10,462 licences were processed.
• $180,179 was paid out from the Travel Assurance Fund to 182 consumers.
• 62% of licensees would prefer that we seek their input directly about their industry through surveys.
• 81% of our customers surveyed would recommend our services to others.

We also undertook some major initiatives in 2009, including the following:

• The implementation of the new travel industry regulation after several years of working together with industry, consumer and government stakeholders.
• The development of a violation risk matrix which assists in the analysis of violations of consumer law and helps us identify and address serious risk areas more effectively.
• The licensing of both home inspectors and payday lenders.
• The launch of a public awareness campaign around film classification.
• The development a stakeholder engagement program.
• The rebranding of our organization which includes a simpler name and the launch of a new corporate website.

For more details about our activities and initiatives in 2009, please view the Annual Report in full.  You can also see a copy of our financial statements for 2009.

Media Contact Only:
Tatiana Chabeaux-Smith
Manager of Public Relations
Consumer Protection BC
Ph.604-296-2856