Understanding the changes to BC’s consumer protection laws

The new changes to the law will affect you if your business takes part in any of the following practices.

Does your business do any of the following?

• Sell goods or services online, over the phone, or by email or fax
• Sell goods or services that your customers don’t get right away or don’t pay in full upfront
• Enter contracts for the supply of goods or services in person at a place other than your permanent place of business, such as the customer’s home
• Provide services geared toward flexibility, strength, aerobic capacity, or physical fitness, such as gym memberships, ski passes, sports camps, personal training, self-defense, dance lessons, etc.
• Sell goods or services on a continuing basis, like a subscription
• Enter timeshare contracts where consumers acquire the right to use property for periods of time along with other participating consumers

If the answer is ‘yes’ to any of the situations above, upcoming changes to the law are likely to have implications for your contracts and business practices.

This information is intended to provide a high‑level, plain‑language summary of the changes to help you understand what is changing and what to expect as a business.

Additional resources will be released in June before the changes come into effect on August 1, 2026.

This material is not a legal interpretation and should not be relied upon as legal advice. We encourage any businesses who may be impacted by the changes to seek professional legal advice to ensure compliance with the laws.

Pre-contract disclosures

• Before a consumer agrees to a contract, businesses must clearly share key information upfront. 
  • This includes cancellation, refund, exchange, and renewal policies. 
• Consumers must be given a clear opportunity to review the full contract before committing. 
• If required information isn’t provided or doesn’t match the final contract, the consumer may have the right to cancel. 

Read section 18.3 of the amended Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act (unofficial) for more information

More consistent contract requirements 

• Consumer contracts will follow more consistent rules across different types of transactions. 
• Contracts must clearly describe the goods or services, delivery details, and any promotional offers. 
• Businesses must clearly state their return, refund, and cancellation policies, even if they don’t offer them. 

Read sections 18.1 and 18.2 of the amended Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act (unofficial) for more information

New rules for subscription contracts

• Businesses must give advance notice before a subscription automatically renews if the renewal is for more than 60 days. 
• Businesses must notify consumers before making changes to a subscription. 
• If subscription changes negatively affect the consumer, the changes are void and consumer cancellation rights apply. 

Read sections 25.1 and 25.2 of the amended Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act (unofficial) for more information

Ban on high pressure door-to-door sales of certain products

• High‑pressure door‑to‑door sales are banned for certain household products and services. 
• This includes items and services related to furnaces, water heaters, home security systems, heat pumps, and solar panels. 
• There are some exceptions to this. For example, if a consumer invites a salesperson to their home.
• Businesses can’t offer or arrange financing as part of any door‑to‑door sale. 
• If a prohibited door‑to‑door sale occurs, the contract isn’t binding on the consumer. 

Read sections 18.1, 18.2, 18.3, 20(1), 20.1 and 21 of the amended Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act (unofficial) and Divisions 2 and 3 of the amended Consumer Contracts Regulation (unofficial) for more information

New rules for fitness contracts

• Contracts for services such as gym memberships, ski passes, sports camps, fitness classes, and personal training are now referred to as fitness or personal services contracts.
• Most existing rules stay the same, but there are:
  • New pre-purchase disclosure requirements
  • Minor updates to cancellation rights

Read sections 24 and 25 of the amended Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act (unofficial) and sections 2, 2.1, 3 and 7 of the amended Consumer Contracts Regulation (unofficial) for more information

Prohibited unfair contract terms

• Certain unfair contract terms are already prohibited and cannot be used in consumer contracts. These include terms that:
  • Prevent consumers from joining class action lawsuits
  • Stop consumers from posting reviews
  • Include mandatory dispute resolution mechanisms to resolve disputes
• In contracts between businesses, the rules are different. Dispute resolution and class action clauses are only effective in claims over $5,000. While a contract cannot force dispute resolution for smaller claims, both businesses can still agree to use it once a dispute arises.

Read sections 14.1, 14.2 and 14.3 of the amended Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act (unofficial) for more information

Consumer contracts

Most of the changes to the law take effect on August 1, 2026. These updates affect the consumer contracts covered above such as purchases made online or over the phone, subscriptions, door-to-door sales, in-person contracts for goods or services to be supplied in the future, and timeshares.

Which rules apply depends on when the contract was signed.

• Contracts signed or renewed on or after August 1, 2026 must follow the updated law.
• Contracts signed before that date follow the rules that were in place at the time.

The contract date is what matters, not when services are provided, payments are made, or a complaint is filed. For businesses, this means the changes apply after August 1, 2026. Existing contracts do not need to be updated just because of the changes. However, any new contracts entered or renewed on or after August 1, 2026 must meet the new requirements.

Unfair contract terms

Some unfair contract terms are already prohibited. For example, rules about unfair contract terms have been in place since March 31, 2025, which means:

• Contracts signed on or after March 31, 2025 must follow the updated law.
• Contracts signed before that date follow the rules that were in place at the time.

Read sections 203.001, 203.002 and 203.003 of the amended Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act (unofficial) for more information.

Our role

Our role is to administer, enforce, and provide education on the law. We focus on helping businesses and consumers understand their rights and responsibilities and supporting compliance with the updated requirements. Decisions about changes to the law, including policy intent and timelines, are made by government.

Compliance and enforcement

We are a risked-based regulator. We typically focus first on education and voluntary compliance. Generally, when we receive a complaint or identify an issue, we will start by working with the business to explain the requirements and give them an opportunity to fix the problem. If a business does not come into compliance, we may take further enforcement action, depending on the situation.

Support for businesses

We will continue to share guidance and updates, so businesses understand what’s required. Additional resources will be released in June before the changes come into effect August 1, 2026

Businesses can start preparing by:

• Reviewing contracts and key disclosures
• Checking renewal, cancellation, and refund processes
• Making sure relevant staff understand the new rules

Read the amendments in full

For a full and complete understanding of the law, businesses should review the unofficial consolidations of the amendments. These consolidations combine the changes to the legislation and related regulations into a single, updated, and more readable version of the law. This is the best place to review the amendments in their complete form:

• Bill 4 – Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act (unofficial)
• Business Practices and Consumer Protection Regulation (unofficial)
• Consumer Contracts Regulation (unofficial)
• Debt Collection and Repayment Regulation (unofficial)
• Home Inspector Licensing Regulation (unofficial)

Read the Notice of Amendments for additional background and a summary of the changes.