Where to Get Help for Consumer Law Essentials

Here are options for further information and assistance with consumer problems.

Access Pro Bono	Offers clinics where lawyers provide free legal advice to people who cannot afford a lawyer and who cannot get legal aid.	Website: www.accessprobono.ca Phone: 604-878-7400 (Greater Vancouver) Phone toll-free: 1-877-762-6664
Better Business Bureau of Mainland BC	Assists British Columbians (except on Vancouver Island; see below) in dealing with consumer problems.	Website: www.mbc.bbb.org Phone: 604-682-2711 Phone toll-free: 1-888-803-1222 Office hours: 9:00am – 3:00pm Fax: 604-681-1544 Email: contactus@mbc.bbb.org
Better Business Bureau of Victoria	Assists people on Vancouver Island in dealing with consumer problems.	Website: www.vi.bbb.org Phone: 250-386-6348 Phone toll-free: 1-877-826-4222 Office hours: 9:00am – 4:00pm Fax: 250-386-2367
Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC)	The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre investigates reports of scams whether by telephone, facsimile, postal mail or the internet. You can report fraud to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.	Website: www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca Phone toll-free: 1-888-495-8501 Phone from overseas: 1-705-495-8501 Fax: 1-888-654-9426 Mail: Box 686 North Bay, Ontario P1B 8J8 E-mail: info@antifraudcentre.ca
Canadian Home Builders Association of BC	Helps consumers plan their renovation and explains what to do when there are problems.	Website: www.gvhba.org Phone toll-free: 1-800-933-6777
Clicklaw	An Internet portal for public legal information and education in British Columbia.	Website: www.clicklaw.bc.ca
ConsumerInformation.ca	An Internet portal site from Industry Canada’s Office of Consumer Affairs. It provides useful information about how to protect yourself from scams, including identity theft, advance fee loan scams, telephone scams and more.	Website: www.consumerinformation.ca E-mail: consumer.information@ic.gc.ca
Competition Bureau	The Competition Bureau deals with complaints about scams in the marketplace.	Website: www.competitionbureau.gc.ca Phone: 819-997-4282 Phone toll-free: 1-800-348-5358 Phone toll-free TTY: 1-800-642-3844 (for hearing-impaired only)
Consumer Protection BC	Information about how to prevent consumer problems and what to do if you have a problem.	Website: www.consumerprotectionbc.ca Phone: 604-320-1667 Phone toll-free: 1-888-564-9963 Email: info@consumerprotectionbc.ca
Credit Counseling Society of BC	Provides assistance with debt problems.	Website: www.nomoredebts.org Phone toll-free: 1-888-527-8999 Email: info@nomoredebts.org
Dial-A-Law	Dial-A-Law is a library of practical legal information. It is operated by the BC Branch of the Canadian Bar Association. You can listen to the Dial-A-Law scripts over the phone, or read them on the website. The scripts are available in English, Chinese and Punjabi.	Website: www.dialalaw.org Phone: 604-687-4680 Phone toll-free: 1-800-565-5297
Lawyer Referral	Offers advice and information from a lawyer for a fee of $25 plus taxes for the first 30 minutes.	Website: www.cba.org/bc/initiatives/main/lawyer_referral.aspx Phone: 604-687-3221 (Greater Vancouver) Phone toll-free: 1-800-663-1919 from anywhere else in the province.
People's Law School	View the online animations "You Owe Money" and "Someone Owes You Money".	Website: 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.	Website: www.mediatebc.com

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

In family law, this usually refers to one party obtaining a part of any property at issue before the property has been finally divided by court order or the parties' agreement, usually in order to help pay for that person's legal fees.

In law, any proceeding before a judicial official to determine questions of law and questions of fact, including the hearing of an application and the hearing of a trial. See "decision."

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.