{August 27, 2010} VICTORIA, BC.  Consumer Protection BC is advising consumers that Mexicana Airlines (Grupo Mexicana) has announced that it has suspended its operations indefinitely.  Their website at www.mexicana.com states that the company is technically bankrupt.

BC's Travel Assurance Fund:

If you are unable to receive a refund from Mexicana Airlines, your travel agent or your credit card company, and you booked through a licensed BC travel agent, you may be eligible to claim against the Travel Assurance Fund.

There’s a lot to know about the fund and eligibility for both consumers and travel agents. Please visit our Travel Assurance Fund page on our website. If you have questions about the Travel Assurance Fund, please contact our Inquiry Centre toll at 1-888-564-9963 or info@consumerprotectionbc.ca This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

{August 23, 2010}  VICTORIA, BC - Consumer Protection  BC wants to hear about the issues of BC consumers.  We have just posted a consumer survey on our website that gives members of the public the opportunity to share their experiences with us.

{August 5, 2010)  VICTORIA, BC – Consumer Protection BC is advising travel consumers that Mexicana Airlines (CMA) has announced the suspension of reservations and the issuing of tickets for flights operated by Mexicana Airlines as the company has filed for bankruptcy.

{July 26, 2010}  The following are common travel-related questions that Consumer Protection BC receives from consumers through our Inquiry Centre.

{July 12, 2010} VICTORIA, BC - Consumer Protection BC is seeking industry members and consumers to serve on our industry advisory groups.

{July 5, 2010} VICTORIA, BC - Since Consumer Protection BC was established in 2004, we have led a variety of stakeholder engagement activities to obtain stakeholder input into our business processes. These have included establishing Industry Advisory Groups, holding individual meetings with key stakeholder representatives, participating in industry association meetings and consumer forums, and consulting with businesses.

{June 25, 2010} VICTORIA, BC - Consumer Protection BC is committed to improving the coordination of our stakeholder engagement activities and providing recommendations to government regarding enhancements to BC’s consumer protection laws.

{June 16, 2010} VICTORIA, BC – Following the discharge of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) as the judicial trustee, the Supreme Court of British Columbia approved Consumer Protection BC as the administrator of the C3 Leisure Limited (C3 Holidays) trust account for BC and Western Canada.

{June 8, 2010} VICTORIA, BC – Consumer Protection BC is proposing to change licence fees for several of our licensed industries and occupations.  A consultation process is underway related to these changes.  The industries considered include debt collection, travel, telemarketers, theatres, video retailers, film and video distributors, home inspectors, cemeteries, crematoria and funeral services.  New fees will not come into effect until January 1, 2011.

{May 5, 2010} VICTORIA, BC - Consumer Protection BC announces that it provided payments of $180,179 in 2009 from British Columbia’s Travel Assurance Fund.

SkyService Airlines Inc. has confirmed that they have ceased operations. Please visit the SkyService website to view their statement.

{March 31, 2010}  VICTORIA, BC - Consumer Protection BC is aware of recent media stories announcing that Skyservice Airlines Inc. has filed for receivership and shut down its operations effective Wednesday March 31, 2010. Skyservice Airlines Inc. flies on behalf of other tour operators from Canadian airports to sun destinations across the Caribbean. As of Wednesday morning Skyservice Airlines Inc. website has not confirmed or denied these media reports.

MEDIA RELEASE

{March 30, 2010} VICTORIA, BC - Summer is coming up and many BC consumers will be looking to book travel to get away from it all. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) and Consumer Protection BC are advising consumers how to spot and avoid the threat of vacation and travel-related fraud.

{February 23, 2010} VICTORIA BC – Consumer Protection BC is very pleased to announce the launch of www.travelrightsbc.ca, our new travel industry portal. This new portal, which co-exists with our larger Consumer Protection BC website, provides timely and relevant information for both travel consumers and licensed travel agents in BC.

{February 3, 2010}  VICTORIA, BC - Consumer Protection BC is advising consumers that NewWest Special Projects LP, of Alberta, has announced the cancellation of its charter of the Norwegian Star. The cancellation includes the pre cruise, scheduled for 6-10 February from LA to Vancouver, the post cruise, scheduled for 2-6 March from Vancouver to LA and Vancouver stay for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

{February 3, 2010} VICTORIA BC - Consumer Protection BC is advising licensed travel agents and wholesalers that NewWest Special Projects LP of Alberta has announced the cancellation of its charter of the Norwegian Star due to slow sales and high expenses. The cancellation includes the pre cruise, scheduled for 6-10 February from LA to Vancouver, the post cruise, scheduled for 2-6 March from Vancouver to LA and Vancouver stay for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

{November 27, 2009} VICTORIA, BC - All licensed BC travel agents and travel wholesalers are advised that the second phase of changes, announced by the Government in December 2008, to the Travel Industry Regulation under the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act become effective December 1, 2009.

[September 18, 2009] - VICTORIA, BC - Consumer Protection BC is advising consumers and travel agencies that Exclusively Canada has ceased operations, effective immediately. The agency’s travel licence has been suspended by Consumer Protection BC pending further investigation.

{April 29, 2009} VICTORIA, BC – The Business Practices & Consumer Protection Authority (BPCPA) has received inquiries from both consumers and licensed travel agents regarding travel cancellations related to the recent Swine flu epidemic in Mexico.

{April 17, 2009} -Victoria, BC - On April 15, 2009 Conquest Vacations announced the cessation of its tour operations. Conquest has been offering vacation travel to Cancun, Mexico and four destinations in Great Britain.  The notice advises that given their current situation, alterative travel arrangements will not be provided by Conquest.

{April 2, 2009 } VICTORIA, BC – The Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority (BPCPA) is reminding consumers that the revised travel regulations announced by the government in late 2008 took effect April 1, 2009.