Where to Get Help for Consumer Law Essentials

Access Pro Bono	Offers clinics where lawyers provide free legal advice to people who cannot afford a lawyer and who cannot get legal aid. Call 604-878-7400 in Greater Vancouver or toll-free at 1-877-762-6664 from anywhere in the province. www.accessprobono.ca
Better Business Bureau	Assists people dealing with consumer problems. Call 604-682-2711 in Greater Vancouver, 1-250-386-6348 on Vancouver Island, or 1-888-803-1222 in the interior of the province. www.mbc.bbb.org/consumers
ConsumerInformation.ca	An online gateway that explains how to make a consumer complaint. www.consumerinformation.ca
Canadian Home Builders Association of BC	Helps consumers plan their renovation and explains what to do when there are problems. Call toll-free 1-800-933-6777. www.gvhba.org
Consumer Protection BC	Provides protections for BC consumers. Call toll-free 1-888-564-9963 and ask them to direct you to the right place. www.consumerprotectionbc.ca; go to "Help for Consumers" and select "How Can We Help?"
Clicklaw	A portal for public legal information and education in British Columbia. www.clicklaw.bc.ca
Credit Counseling Society	The Credit Counseling Society can help you manage your finances and deal with your debt problems. Call toll-free 1-888-527-8999, or email info@nomoredebts.org. www.nomoredebts.org
Dial-A-Law	Provides legal information in English, Chinese, and Punjabi, from the Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch. www.cba.org/bc/public_media/dal; select “Credit, Debt and Consumer” for information about consumer and debt issues.
Lawyer Referral	Offers advice and information from a lawyer for a fee of $25 plus taxes for the first 30 minutes. Call 604-687-3221 in Greater Vancouver or toll-free 1-800-663-1919 from anywhere else in the province. www.cba.org/bc/initiatives/main/lawyer_referral.aspx
People's Law School	View the online animations "You Owe Money" and "Someone Owes You Money". www.publiclegaled.bc.ca; click on "Media" and then "Videos".
Mediate BC	Mediate BC specializes in a wide variety of dispute resolution tools and processes. www.mediatebc.com

A person licensed to practice law in a particular jurisdiction by that jurisdiction's law society. See "barrister and solicitor."

A sum of money or an obligation owed by one person to another. A "debtor" is a person responsible for paying a debt; a "creditor" is the person to whom the debt is owed.

Processes used to resolve legal disputes, including negotiation, collaborative settlement processes, mediation, arbitration and litigation.