Databases
Full text of Consumer Reports magazine, from 1985 to the present. Consumer Reports is a non-profit organization that conducts rigorous, independent testing and research to review and rate products, including appliances, cars, electronics, household items and more. The magazine also features articles on health, public safety, marketplace economics and legal issues that affect consumers.
In the library and at home with your library card.
Full text of the Consumer Reports Buying Guide, from 1999 to present. Consumer Reports is a non-profit organization that conducts rigorous, independent testing and research to review and rate products. The Buying Guide includes the results of tests on products ranging from major purchases such as automobiles & appliances to everyday items such as food & cleaning products.
In the library and at home with your library card.
Recommended websites
Consumer awareness | Product recalls | Personal finance skills | Scams to avoid
Consumer awareness
Contains extensive information on the most popular frauds and scams currently being used, identity theft, buyers' tips, and help organisations for consumers of all kinds. Search for a report on a company before dealing with them, or file a complaint afterwards.
Aiming to ensure a fair and efficient marketplace that supports and advances the interests of all Canadians, the OCA publishes the Handbook annually and it pools information from all federal, provincial and territorial governments on consumer rights, problems, and helpful contacts into one easy-to-use volume.
The Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority (BPCPA) is BC's primary consumer education and protection agency. Get consumer tips and know your rights, find a licensed business, learn how to file a complaint and the different dispute resolution options available, and how to enforce a decision.
Product recalls
Health Canada provides advisories and warnings to help educate the Canadian public about potential health risks associated with the unsafe use of certain consumer products.
Personal finance skills
Gives extensive information on the banking industry and financial issues, including service fees, banks and privacy, fraud and security, and resolving problems with your bank.
A debtor education program run by the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy (OSB) Canada. Not just for students, describes how to evaluate your financial health and investment options, provides basic banking and tax information, and gives advice on how to choose the best hosuing and transportation options given your budget, and how to avoid scams.
Comprehensive guide to banking basics, how to determine your financial health, and how to best manage and safeguard your money.
A youth advocacy television program that aired on the CBC. Includes a checklist that will let you know if you are doing a good job protecting your money, or if you should seriously think about protecting yourself better.
Partnership of Canadian financial institutions and service companies, led by the Canadian Bankers Association (CBA), whose goal is to imrpove the financial literacy of young Canadians by creating the most comprehensive non-commercial online resource of Canadian financial information.
Scams to avoid
Quick reference site about what to do when you lose your wallet, or you are the victim of identity theft. Includes direct links to each of the federa; and provincial departments you you need to contact in order to replace key documents and pieces of identification.
National taskforce established by the RCMP to combat telemarketing fraud.
Learn about the latest and the most fraud schemes here in Canada and in the US, and who to turn to for help.
Industry-funded service that reviews investor complaints about a bank, member firm of the IDA, MFDA or Investment Funds Institute of Canada, as well as most federally-regulated trust and loan companies.
Lists and briefly describes the financial frauds that are currently the most prevalent in BC.
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