What are your rights when a collection agency calls?
In short
Collection agencies are licensed and regulated province by province. Every province restricts when and how often an agency may contact you, requires written notice before calling, and bars harassment or misrepresentation. Complaints go to the provincial regulator that issued the agency its licence.
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What is generally restricted?
Provinces commonly require a written notice before telephone contact begins, restrict calls to certain hours and days, limit contact with your employer or family to confirming employment or obtaining an address, and prohibit threatening or misleading statements.
This is general information about how the regimes are structured, not advice about your situation. The precise rules, hours and notice periods differ by province and change over time — read your own province's regulator page before relying on a specific number.
Where do you complain?
To the provincial body that licenses collection agencies where you live: Consumer Protection Ontario, Consumer Protection BC, Service Alberta, Manitoba's Consumer Protection Office, Saskatchewan's Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority, Service Nova Scotia, or the Office de la protection du consommateur in Quebec.
Does the debt go away if you ignore it?
No. Ignoring collection activity does not remove the obligation, and it can lead to legal action. Provinces do set limitation periods for suing on a debt, but acknowledging or paying can restart the clock — which is why this is a question for a trustee or a lawyer, not for us.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a collection agency call my employer?
- Provinces generally allow contact with an employer only to confirm employment or obtain an address, not to discuss the debt. The exact limits are provincial — check your own regulator's page.
- Can I ask them to contact me in writing only?
- Several provinces provide a mechanism to require written contact or to direct the agency to your lawyer. The mechanism and its form differ by province, so check the regulator's guidance for yours.
- Does filing with a trustee stop the calls?
- Filing a consumer proposal or bankruptcy triggers a stay of proceedings that stops most unsecured collection activity. That follows from the filing itself and is handled by the trustee.