Editorial Standards

CollectionAgencies.ca is an independent information resource. It's not a law firm or a financial advisory service. Nobody on this site is giving you legal or financial advice.

The site exists to do two things: help you verify whether a collection agency contacting you is legitimate and explain your rights in plain language.

Where our information comes from

Every collection agency listing includes provincial licensing information. These are public records maintained by the provincial government that tell you if a collection agency is legally authorized to operate there.

We pull licensing data from the major provinces. That includes the licence number, the provinces where the agency is authorized to collect, and the registered business name.

From there, we cross-reference with publicly available sources. Company registrations, Better Business Bureau profiles, court filings, consumer complaints published by provincial regulators, and the collection agency's own website.

Contact details are verified against multiple sources before they go live.

Legal information on this site comes from provincial and federal legislation, government consumer protection pages, and regulatory bodies.

Primary sources include the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, Equifax, TransUnion, the Government of Ontario, the Government of Alberta and other provincial consumer affairs offices and government sources.

Where possible, we aim to cite sources issued by a government body, a regulator, or a statute.

How listings are built

Every agency listing follows the same structure. The agency name, company information, registered business name, licence numbers, provinces of operation, contact details, known creditor clients, and consumer feedback.

No listing is prioritized, promoted, or ranked based on any commercial relationship.

How listings are updated

Agencies can verify their listing for free. Verification lets them confirm and update their operational details, including phone numbers, email addresses, physical address and website.

Verified details are labelled as agency-confirmed so visitors can see what came from us and what came from the agency itself.

Consumer submissions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. When a provincial regulator publishes new licensing data, affected listings are updated to reflect the change.

Consumer submissions

Consumer submissions fill in the gaps that official records don't cover.

When someone reports a call or letter from a collection agency, that submission is reviewed before publication.

We don't unverified claims go live without making checks. We check what we can against licensing records and public data.

What agencies can and can't control

Agencies that verify their listing can update their contact details and respond to consumer reviews.

They can't change their description. They can't change their ranking or position in search results. They can't remove or edit consumer feedback displayed on their page.

No agency can pay to influence any editorial content on this site.

What we check

Every article on this site goes through a fact-checking process before publication. Statistical claims are traced back to their original source. Legal claims are verified against current legislation. A final audit is conducted to check accuracy.

If a stat is older than two years, we look for a newer one. If we can't verify a claim from a primary source, we don't publish it.

Collection law varies by province. We don't make blanket statements about Canadian rules when the rules differ between Ontario and Alberta. Where a rule is province specific, we say so.

What we don't do

This site doesn't give legal advice. Debt collection law varies by province, and your situation has details that a website can't account for. We explain the rules. We don't tell you how to apply them to your specific case.

We don't give financial advice. We don't recommend debt repayment strategies, and we don't tell you whether to pay a debt or dispute it. That's a decision for you and, if needed, a Licensed Insolvency Trustee or a lawyer.

We don't represent collection agencies or act on behalf of creditors.

When to talk to a professional

If a collection agency is threatening legal action, talk to a lawyer or a Licensed Insolvency Trustee.

If you owe more than you can repay, a Licensed Insolvency Trustee can walk you through your options.

If you're unsure whether you owe a debt, get written verification from the collection agency and speak to a professional before paying anything.

Editorial independence

CollectionAgencies.ca doesn't accept payment from collection agencies for advertising, sponsored content or preferential placement.

Verification is free. It confirms operational details. It doesn't grant editorial control.

How this site earns money

This site earns money from affiliate links. If you click a link to a product or service and sign up, we may earn a commission.

These partnerships are clearly identified. They don't affect how agencies are described, ranked or presented. Editorial content and affiliate relationships are completely separate.

Corrections

If something on this site is wrong, we want to know. Licensing data changes. Laws get updated. Agencies move or close. If you spot an error, email info@collectionagencies.ca and we'll fix it.