Debt Collection Rules in Canada: What Collectors Can Do

Getting a call from a collection agency does not mean the caller can do whatever it takes to get paid. In Canada, collection agencies are licensed and regulated at the provincial level, not under a single national debt-collection law, so the specific limits on notice, calling hours, and conduct are set by each province rather than by Ottawa.

This article uses Ontario as the anchor, since its Collection and Debt Settlement Services Act is one of the more detailed collection regimes in the country, and compares Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec. If your province is not covered here, the general pattern, licensing, a notice period, restricted hours, and a ban on harassment, is common across the country, so check with your provincial regulator for exact figures. For related topics, see Canada consumer protection.

How Debt Collection Is Regulated in Canada

A creditor, a bank, a landlord, a phone company, a hospital, can collect a debt itself, hire a third-party collection agency, or sell the debt outright. A third-party agency generally must be licensed in the debtor's province, and its conduct is governed by that province's consumer protection statute, not a single federal act.

Ontario's regime is the Collection and Debt Settlement Services Act (CDSSA), administered through Consumer Protection Ontario. Alberta licenses collectors under the Collection and Debt Repayment Practices Regulation. British Columbia's rules sit inside the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act, with Consumer Protection BC handling licensing and complaints. Quebec licenses agents under the Act respecting the collection of certain debts, enforced by the Office de la protection du consommateur (OPC). Each regulator can suspend or revoke a licence, and some can also fine an agency, for breaking these rules.

Written Notice Before the First Call

Several provinces require a collector to put the debt in writing before phoning to demand payment, rather than calling out of nowhere.

In Ontario, an agency generally must mail or email a written notice, creditor's name, amount claimed, agency registration, and a statement of rights, then wait 6 days before calling to demand payment. A collector who reaches the debtor sooner may only confirm identity and say a letter is coming.

Quebec's Act respecting the collection of certain debts works the same way in substance: a collection agent must send a written notice of claim and wait 5 days before telephoning.

British Columbia generally expects written notice first too, with narrow exceptions, such as one call to confirm contact information, or a debt buyer that has become the creditor itself. Alberta's regulation has no equivalent written-notice-first requirement, so a licensed Alberta collector can generally telephone without a preceding letter, within the calling-hours and frequency limits below.

Calling Hours and How Often a Collector Can Call

Ontario: barred before 7 a.m. or after 9 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, restricted to 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays, barred entirely on statutory holidays. After first contact, no more than 3 attempts in any 7-day period about the same debt, unless the debtor agrees to more.

Alberta: the same 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. window applies, and the same weekly cap, no more than 3 unsolicited contacts (calls, voicemails, texts, or emails) in 7 consecutive days, covers the debtor and household members, relatives, friends, and the employer.

British Columbia: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays, and no contact at all with the debtor, a family member, or a friend on a statutory holiday.

Quebec: contact only Monday to Saturday, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., never on Sundays or statutory holidays.

Across all four, the pattern repeats: a fixed daily window, a weekly cap on repeat attempts, and no contact on the day of rest.

Can a Debt Collector Call Me at Work?

This depends on who the collector is trying to reach, the debtor personally or the employer.

Calling the debtor's own number, even one answered at a workplace, is generally allowed within the calling-hours limits above, unless the debtor asks the collector to stop and gives another reasonable way to be reached; Ontario and Alberta generally require that request to be honoured.

Contacting the employer itself is far more restricted. Ontario and Alberta both limit an agency to contacting an employer once, only to confirm employment status, job title, and address; discussing the actual debt needs the employer's guarantee or a court order, such as a wage garnishment. For what happens after a judgment, see wage garnishment in Canada.

Contacting Family, Friends, and Other Third Parties

A collector's default position should be that the debt is a matter between it and the debtor. Family members, roommates, neighbours, and friends can generally be contacted for one purpose only, to obtain or confirm the debtor's address or phone number, unless that person personally guaranteed the debt.

Ontario's regulation is explicit that a collector cannot discuss debt details with a third party or repeatedly contact one once the debtor's whereabouts are known. Alberta and Quebec apply the same restriction: third parties are for locating the debtor, not for pressure.

Harassment, Threats, and Other Prohibited Tactics

Every province covered here bans the same broad conduct, whatever the local statute is called:

• Threatening, profane, intimidating, or coercive language
• Contact so frequent, or at such odd hours, that it amounts to harassment
• False statements, including suggesting non-payment of an ordinary debt is a crime or could lead to arrest
• Threatening a lawsuit, garnishment, or seizure the creditor has not authorized or does not genuinely intend to pursue
• Publishing, or threatening to publish, a debtor's name as a defaulter without legal authority

A debtor who experiences this can complain to the relevant regulator (Consumer Protection Ontario, Alberta's consumer protection office, Consumer Protection BC, or Quebec's OPC), which can investigate and, in serious cases, suspend or revoke the agency's licence.

Requiring Written Communication Only

In several provinces, a debtor can put a collector on notice that further contact must happen a specific way.

Quebec's rule is the most direct: once a debtor notifies a collection agent in writing to deal only with a legal representative, the agent must comply. British Columbia similarly lets a debtor request written-only contact, or contact through a lawyer, generally by registered mail, fax, or email, though the collector needs a short window to act on it.

Ontario differs. Simply asking to communicate in writing only does not, by itself, stop phone calls under the CDSSA. What does stop them is a notice, sent through a lawyer or licensed paralegal, directing the agency to deal only with that representative, or a notice disputing the debt and requesting court action; either legally requires the agency to stop contacting the debtor directly. Confirm the current process with your provincial regulator.

What These Rules Do Not Change

None of the contact rules above make a genuine debt disappear. A collector that follows every rule on notice, hours, and conduct can still keep asking for payment, and a creditor that is not paid can still sue, provided it acts within the applicable limitation period. Once that period passes, a creditor generally cannot successfully sue for the debt, but the debt itself is not automatically erased and can, in some provinces, be revived if the debtor later makes a payment or acknowledges it in writing. For the specific time limits, see statute of limitations in Canada, and for rules by province generally, see Canadian law by province.

Comparing the Provinces

Disclaimer

This article provides general information about debt collection rules in Canada. It is not legal advice. Collection agency regulation is set provincially, and the notice periods, calling hours, and contact limits described here can change; the specifics were last verified in July 2026. Anyone dealing with a collection agency, disputing a debt, or facing legal action should confirm current rules with their provincial consumer protection office or a lawyer or licensed paralegal in their jurisdiction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a debt collector call me at work in Canada?

Generally yes, calling the debtor's own number is allowed within the province's calling-hours limits, even if it happens to be answered at a workplace, but a debtor can ask the collector to stop calling at work and give another way to be reached. Contacting the employer itself is far more restricted, usually limited to confirming employment details once.

How many times can a debt collector call me in a week?

In Ontario and Alberta, a collector is generally limited to 3 contact attempts in any 7-day period for the same debt once it has reached the debtor. British Columbia and Quebec do not set an exact number but prohibit contact frequent enough to amount to harassment.

Does a debt collector have to send something in writing before calling me?

In Ontario and Quebec, yes, with a 6-day and 5-day wait after the notice respectively. British Columbia generally expects notice first too, with narrow exceptions, while Alberta does not require written notice before the first call.

Can a collection agency contact my family or employer about my debt?

Only in narrow circumstances. Family, friends, and neighbours can generally be contacted just to confirm the debtor's address or phone number, and an employer can generally be contacted once to confirm employment details, but discussing the actual debt with either needs a guarantee or a court order.

If I ignore a debt collector, does the debt go away?

No. Ignoring calls does not erase the debt, and a creditor can still sue within the province's limitation period. These contact rules limit how a collector can pursue payment, not whether the debt is owed.