News release: How to exercise your fitness contract cancelation rights

SAANICH, BC – October 1, 2025 – Consumer Protection BC wants British Columbians to exercise their rights if they need to cancel a fitness contract.

Whether it’s kids’ soccer or gymnastics, a gym membership or a punch pass for personal training sessions, you can cancel if things don’t go as planned.

By law, you have the right to cancel a fitness contract if one of the following applies to you:

• It’s been 10 days or less since you got a copy of your contract
• You are mentally or physically unable to participate in the activity
• You move more than 30 km away
• The business changes the services offered
• Certain information is missing in the contract

In a recent Consumer Protection BC survey of more than 1,100 people, more than a third had issues cancelling or getting a refund for a fitness contract.

“We have self-help tools available on our website to walk consumers through the process of cancelling their fitness contracts in these scenarios. They’re easy to use and they work,” says Louise Hartland, director of public relations for Consumer Protection BC.

The cancellation rules apply to memberships; punch passes and most physical activities that last more than a day.

“We encourage consumers who want to cancel a fitness contract to start by talking directly to the business. In most cases, business owners are more than willing to help. Not everyone knows about the laws in BC, and most businesses are happy to comply once they know about it,” says Hartland. “If that still doesn’t work, submit a complaint to Consumer Protection BC, so we can assess the situation and try to help.”

For more information and to see our latest campaign on fitness contracts, visit consumerprotectionbc.ca.

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For media inquiries, please contact: 
Louise Hartland 
Director of Public Relations 
media@consumerprotectionbc.ca 
236-664-1626

About Consumer Protection BC

Consumer Protection BC is a not-for-profit regulator responsible for overseeing specific industries and consumer transactions in British Columbia. The organization’s mandate includes licensing and inspecting regulated businesses, responding to consumer inquiries, investigating alleged violations of consumer protection laws, and classifying all general release motion pictures.

With a focus on fairness and accountability, Consumer Protection BC works to ensure consumers are informed and protected. For more information, including recent enforcement actions and details about inspection and complaint-handling processes, visit www.consumerprotectionbc.ca. The organization also shares valuable consumer tips and resources through its blog and social media channels on Facebook and Instagram.