New Ontario Consumer Protection law comes into effect

New consumer protection legislation comes into effect in Ontario today. The Consumer Protection Act,2002 and associated regulations provide consumers with special rights regarding purchases made over the Internet, as well as in other contexts. Under the new law, consumers will not be liable for unsolicited goods and services, and consumer rights to sue under the Act cannot be blocked by mandatory arbitration clauses. The Ontario government claims that this new law makes it a leader in consumer protection. Ontario Ministry of Consumer and Business Services news release and backgrounder CIPPIC submission on draft regs (Feb 2004)