ACTA’s Meetings with BC Regulators | May 26, 2023

Consumer Protection BC

ACTA’s advocacy team and ACTA Board Member and BC regional advisory council member Liz Fleming, met recently with Consumer Protection BC.

CPBC regulates a variety of sectors (travel agencies, home inspectors, telemarketing, pay day lending) and consumer transactions. They license and inspect regulated businesses and educate businesses about their responsibilities.

Through recent inspections of travel agencies, CPBC auditors found that over 90% of the client invoices agencies produced were missing basic information (including: dates, names, and proper descriptions of products to be sold).

This is a problem for two reasons: 1) Travel agencies are in non-compliance with legal requirements, and 2) the missing information represents a risk in that it allows clients a path to get out of the contracts.

To help travel agencies avoid “non-compliance”, CPBC launched their “Know Your Contracts” awareness campaign. Activities include a series of email communications to travel agencies (began this month), the launch of a “self-assessment tool” pilot targeting 20% of industry (mandatory if selected) beginning in June, and a possible education “webinar with an auditor.”

The regulator’s actions are proactive in nature. ACTA is in close contact with CPBC and will continue to monitor activities, advocate, and report to industry.

Insurance Council of BC

ACTA’s advocacy team also met with the Insurance Council of BC. There are new insurance regulations that will be introduced in BC however at this time, it is early stages with discussions. We will continue to share more information as we work through the regulatory process in the months ahead.

As always, when ACTA works with regulators, we are advocating for reasonableness - to reduce red-tape, and administrative and financial burden.