About this guide

Consumer Protection Ontario is an awareness program of the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement.

The ministry administers and enforces various consumer protection statutes, notably the Consumer Protection Act, 2002 (CPA).

For your awareness, in 2023, the Ontario government introduced a new Consumer Protection Act, which when it comes into effect, will renew and update Ontario’s consumer protection laws. Until then, the existing Consumer Protection Act, 2002 (CPA), remains in effect.

This Business Guide to Consumer Protection is offered to help your business understand how to comply with the Consumer Protection Act, 2002 (CPA). We also will refer to this piece of legislation throughout the guide as the "CPA".

The CPA governs most personal and household transactions between consumers and businesses, including buying furniture in a store, shopping for clothes online, buying goods and services sold door-to-door, and renovating homes.

As a business, you must fulfill certain obligations and requirements when engaging in consumer transactions under the CPA. We hope this compliance guide can help you achieve that.

This guide will also help you avoid consumer complaints, the risk of penalties, and ensure that your business complies with its statutory requirements.

For specific consumer-protection related questions:

Disclaimer: This guide does not constitute or provide legal advice. You may wish to seek independent legal advice to address compliance obligations specific to your circumstances.

Note: The ministry also appoints, licenses, and registers the following “regulated-sector” businesses: bailiffs; collection agencies and debt settlement; consumer reporting; and payday loans. The Consumer Protection Act, 2002, applies to these businesses, but they also have their own sector-specific statutes. This document is only for information about the CPA. Read more sector-specific information.

Did you know?

The Consumer Protection Act, 2002 requires that any uncertainty in a consumer agreement must be interpreted in favour of the consumer.