{May 17, 2011}  A mail delivery service disruption may be possible due to a potential Canada Post strike on or after May 25, 2011.   Consumer Protection BC has been approached by various stakeholders from the debt collection industry for guidance due to this potential event.

Section 115(1) of the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act ("the Act") states that a collector must not attempt collection of a debt until written notification has been given to the debtor, or a “reasonable” attempt is made by the collector to notify the debtor in writing of:
(a) the name of the creditor with whom the debt was incurred;
(b) the amount of the debt;
(c) the identity and authority of the collector to collect the debt from the debtor.  

Section 183(2) of the Act sets out the methods under which notice must be given.  A debt collector must use reasonableness in following any of these methods to give notice to a debtor.  What is reasonable is up to the debt collector to determine.  If a consumer lodges a complaint that they did not receive written notification, Consumer Protection BC will request the debt collector to demonstrate how notice was given and that the method used was reasonable.  

If members of the industry have questions, please contact our licensing department at 1-888-777-4393 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .