Possible changes to Alberta's consumer protection law up for discussion at Calgary open house
'It’s important that our legislation is nimble and can respond to consumer issues as they arise'
The Alberta government is hosting a series of public information sessions to find out what changes Albertans want to see in the province's consumer protection law.
The province is planning to revamp the Fair Trading Act, which has not had major revisions for almost 20 years.
An open house Thursday evening at the Nicholls Family Library at the Westbrook LRT station gave people a chance to comment on a number of consumer topics, including door-to-door sales, ticket sales, reward points, and contract rights.
Service Alberta Minister Stephanie McLean says as business models have changed, so must consumer protection regulations.
"There's surge pricing, there's the sharing economy. These are things that this legislation never contemplated. And so, it's important that our legislation is nimble and can respond to consumer issues as they arise," she said.
The consultation is aimed at gauging how well Albertans understand current consumer rights and responsibilities as well as their level of interest and support for specific changes, the province says.
McLean says any new legislation must not only be designed to better protect consumers, but be good for business owners, too.
"They know that it's bad for business when there's bad actors out there undermining the reputable and honest businesses, which are the majority of businesses," she said.
"And so we want to make sure that those honest, reputable businesses that care about their customer are supported."
There's an online survey about the changes coming to the consumer protection law on the Service Alberta webpage.
Fifteen topics are being looked at:
- A Consumer Bill of Rights.
- Fairness between consumers and businesses.
- Door-to-door sales.
- High cost credit products.
- Automotive sector issues.
- Cancellation rights.
- Household moving services.
- Talent agencies.
- Ticket sales.
- Warranties.
- Gift cards.
- Reward points.
- Truth in pricing.
- Veterinary services billing.
- Debt collection.
The province says possible changes to condominium regulations will be addressed in a separate consultation process.
At the beginning of this year, the Fair Trading Act was amended to prohibit companies from selling furnaces, natural gas and electricity contracts, water heaters, windows, air conditioners and energy audits door-to-door.
The next public consultations are in Grande Prairie on Sept. 11, Fort McMurray on Sept. 13, Red Deer on Sept. 14, and Medicine Hat on Sept. 19.
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