How to File a Complaint Against a Collection Agency

Before you complain

Keep a record of every contact. Note the date, time, phone number, the collector's name and what was said, and keep copies of letters, emails and texts.

Write to the agency first, saying what it did and what you want, and keep a copy. Ontario and Nova Scotia expect you to have raised it with the agency before they act, and most regulators recommend it.

If that doesn't fix it, complain to your regulator using the table below. Attach your letter, any reply and your record of calls.

Where to complain in each province and territory

Use the regulator for the province or territory where you live. The link goes to its complaint page or form. To check whether the agency is licensed there, see licensed collection agencies by province.

Province or territory	Regulator	How to complain
Ontario	Consumer Protection Ontario	Write to the agency first, then file online, by email or by mail. How to file or call 1-800-889-9768. The ministry may not be able to help with events more than two years old.
Quebec	Office de la protection du consommateur (OPC)	Call, use the online request form, or visit a regional office. How to complain or call 1-888-672-2556.
British Columbia	Consumer Protection BC	Online form (choose Debt collection and bailiffs). Complaint form or call 1-888-564-9963. The phone line is voicemail only (press 1).
Alberta	Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction	Call or email cs@gov.ab.ca for a complaint ID, then file in the online portal. How to complain or call 1-877-427-4088.
Manitoba	Consumer Protection Office	Phone, email consumers@gov.mb.ca or mail (no online form). How to complain or call 1-800-782-0067. Toll-free within Manitoba. Winnipeg 204-945-3800.
Saskatchewan	Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority (FCAA)	Raise it with the agency through the Consumer Rights pathway, then file in Resolve My Consumer Dispute. Consumer Rights or call 1-877-880-5550.
Nova Scotia	Service Nova Scotia	Online form, after trying to settle it with the agency. Complaint form or call 1-800-670-4357.
New Brunswick	Financial and Consumer Services Commission (FCNB)	Online form, or mail, fax or email the printable form. Complaint form or call 1-866-933-2222.
Newfoundland and Labrador	Digital Government and Service NL	Complaint form by email to consumeraffairs@gov.nl.ca or by mail. Collection agencies or call 1-877-968-2600.
Prince Edward Island	Financial and Consumer Services Division	Written complaint by email or mail, with a copy of your letter to the agency and any reply. Email ccs@gov.pe.ca or call 902-368-4550.
Northwest Territories	Consumer Affairs, Municipal and Community Affairs	Online or printable complaint form. Complaint form or call 867-767-9161 ext. 21022.
Yukon	Professional Licensing and Regulatory Affairs	Email complaints.plra@yukon.ca, or mail or deliver it. How to complain or call 867-667-5798. For questions only. Complaints must be in writing. Toll-free in Yukon 1-800-661-0408, ext. 5798.
Nunavut	Consumer Affairs, Department of Community Services	Written complaint form by email to ConsumerProtection@gov.nu.ca. How to complain or call 1-866-223-8139.

What the regulator can do

Regulators review complaints and can investigate, and most can act against an agency's licence. Consumer Protection BC, for example, can issue compliance orders, accept undertakings that include refunds, and impose penalties of up to $50,000 on a company. Not every complaint becomes a case.

Your complaint is usually shared with the agency so it can respond. In Manitoba, mediation is voluntary and either side can still go to court.

A complaint deals with how the agency behaved. It doesn't cancel the debt.

Complaints that go somewhere else

A bank, or an agency collecting for a bank. Complain to the bank first, preferably in writing. It must give you a written response within 56 days. If you're not satisfied, or 56 days pass without a response, you can take it to the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments. After a final response from the bank, you have 180 days to do that. The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada explains the process. If the bank sold the debt, use your province's route.
A law firm or paralegal firm. Complaints go to the law society that licenses it, such as the Law Society of Ontario.
A mistake on your credit report. Dispute it directly with Equifax and TransUnion. See how long collections stay on your credit report.

If the calls don't stop

A cease and desist letter makes a collection agency stop calling you. Provincial law gives you this right in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. For a loan, line of credit or credit card, federal law gives you the right anywhere in Canada, and it also covers the original creditor. The debt doesn't go away.

Use our cease and desist letter templates, and read what a collection agency can and can't do.

Frequently asked questions

Who regulates collection agencies in Canada?

Each province and territory licenses and regulates the collection agencies working there. There is no federal regulator for them. A bank's own collectors, and agencies collecting for a bank, follow the bank's federal complaint process.

Do I have to contact the collection agency before I complain?

Ontario and Nova Scotia expect you to have tried to settle it with the agency first, and most other regulators recommend it. Writing is safest, because you can attach the letter and any reply to your complaint.

Is there a deadline to complain about a collection agency?

Most regulators don't state one. Ontario says it may not be able to help if the events happened more than two years ago, so complain while the details are fresh.

Will a complaint stop the agency collecting the debt?

No. The regulator looks at how the agency behaved, and the debt still stands. To stop the calls, see how to stop collection calls in Canada.

How to file a complaint against a collection agency