What is Credit Bureau Services Canada?
Credit Bureau Services Canada (CBS Canada) is a collection agency that recovers unpaid debts on behalf of creditors, including municipalities, universities and national retailers.
The company's legal name is St. Catharines Credit Corporation Limited. CBS Canada is headquartered in St. Catharines, Ontario, with a second office in Montreal, Quebec. The agency has been in business since 1932.
CBS Canada is not a credit bureau. Canada's credit bureaus are Equifax Canada and TransUnion Canada.
Why is Credit Bureau Services Canada calling me?
If Credit Bureau Services Canada contacts you, it means a creditor has referred an unpaid account to them for collection.
This could be an old debt you've forgotten, an account mistakenly sent to CBS Canada, or a scam that uses their name.
Ask for written proof of the debt before you confirm any personal details or agree to pay.
Who does Credit Bureau Services Canada collect for?
Credit Bureau Services Canada collects debts for a variety of creditors, including municipalities, public institutions, universities, and retailers like Canadian Tire.
CBS Canada's own website describes the agency as working with small, medium and enterprise-sized businesses across Canada.
The client testimonials they collect for universities and national retailers.
Companies that use Credit Bureau Services Canada for debt collection
Submitted by consumers. We try to verify these reports but cannot always confirm them.
Know another company Credit Bureau Services Canada collects for?
Is Credit Bureau Services Canada legitimate?
St. Catharines Credit Corporation Limited, operating as Credit Bureau Services Canada, has been in business since 1932. As of 2026, CBS Canada has been operating for 93 years.
CBS Canada is a member of the Canadian Society of Collection Agencies and RMA Canada.
Credit Bureau Services Canada has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau but is not BBB-accredited.
The BBB also lists the company under the alternate name St. Catharines Credit Corporation Canada.
Source: BBB – Credit Bureau Services Canada
Some scammers pretend to be collection agencies. If someone claims to represent Credit Bureau Services Canada, ask for written proof of the debt before paying.
Will Credit Bureau Services Canada affect my credit score?
A collection account from Credit Bureau Services Canada will severely damage your credit score once it's reported to Equifax or TransUnion.
It stays on your credit report for 6 years from the date of your first missed payment, known as the date of first delinquency. Paying it won't remove the mark from your credit file but updates the status to paid, which looks better to future lenders.
Source: Equifax Canada – How long does information stay on my credit report
What to do if Credit Bureau Services Canada calls you (step by step)
What if the debt is old?
Every province has a time limit on how long a collection agency like Credit Bureau Services Canada can sue you for an unpaid debt.
Ontario, BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia
Quebec
Newfoundland and Labrador, PEI, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon
Once the limitation period expires, Credit Bureau Services Canada can still sue you, but you can raise the expired limitation period as a complete defence. The defence isn't automatic. You have to file a defence in court and plead the expired limitation period. If you don't, the court will grant default judgment as if the limitation didn't apply.
Making a payment or acknowledging the debt in writing restarts the limitation period, but only if it hasn't already expired.
These limitation periods apply to most consumer debts like credit cards, lines of credit, and personal loans. Different rules may apply to government debts, court judgments, or secured debts like mortgages.
For more information, read our guide about debt statute of limitations.
How to stop calls from Credit Bureau Services Canada
Sometimes, you can stop collection calls from a collection agency by sending a cease and desist letter. Once Credit Bureau Services Canada receive it, they have to stop calling. The debt doesn't go away, and they can still take legal action. You can use our cease and desist letter templates.
Provincial law doesn't give you this right in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island or the Yukon.
Regardless of province, if the debt's on a loan, line of credit, or credit card, send the letter by registered mail under federal law. Federal law is the only law in Canada that also stops an original creditor's in-house collectors, not just a collection agency. You can send it to your original creditor and its collection agent, a collection agency or a law firm.
If Credit Bureau Services Canada is making collection calls to you from its Ontario location, then you can send a cease and desist letter available under Ontario's law.
Restrictions on calls to your workplace
Many provinces and territories place restrictions on collection agencies when they attempt to call you at your workplace.
How to file a complaint about Credit Bureau Services Canada
In Canada, debt collection is regulated province by province, not federally. The rules ban harassment, calling outside set hours, discussing your debt with your family or employer, and threatening legal action they have no intention of taking.
Source: Government of Canada (FCAC) – Debt collection: know your rights
If you think Credit Bureau Services Canada is breaking any debt collection or privacy laws, contact the consumer protection authority in your province.
Before making a written complaint, document the dates and times of contact, the phone number used, what was said, and copies of any emails, letters or texts.
Some consumer protection agencies regulating the conduct of collection agencies will not process your complaint unless you first send a written complaint to the collection agency summarizing the conduct in question and making a request for remedial action.
For contact details and links to your provincial office, visit the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Consumer Affairs Offices directory.
