Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA)
July 2023
This edition of Consumer Edge features a wealth of information for consumers looking to make the most of summer. Get summer safety tips from Health Canada, information for purchasing propane and moving advice. Also featured this month is an OCA-funded report from the Automobile Consumer Coalition on the topic of online automobile shopping and consumer protection.
Summer safety tips from Health Canada
Whether you're having fun in the sun or in the shade this summer, equip yourself with the right products to protect yourself outdoors.
Before engaging in your favourite summer activities, make sure you have the essentials! Health Canada recommends wearing a hat, sun shirt and sunscreen when the UV index is 3 or higher and suggests carrying a water bottle and insect repellent when it is hot and humid outside.
Get more information on topics like sun safety, recognizing heat stroke and heat exhaustion and using personal insect repellent safely on the Health Canada website and make the most of your summer!
Buying propane for your barbecue
Grilling your dinner might be increasingly appealing with summer in full swing, but that might also mean you'll need to refill or replace your propane cylinder more frequently. Thankfully, estimating the cost is made easy with Measurement Canada's (MC) help.
You'll be sure you get what you pay for thanks to the information on MC's Buying propane for your barbecue page. Learn about how propane is sold and the various ways attendants might measure the amount of propane needed for your cylinder.
Moving advice from the OCA
Did you know that July is the most popular month for moving in Canada? Whether you are moving to a new neighbourhood or to a new city, it might feel like a challenging endeavour.
With that in mind, the OCA website offers advice to help you navigate the moving process, to help you protect your property and to ease the stress that can sometimes come with moving. Visit the Moving advice page to learn about working with a mover or broker, getting insurance for your move and more.
Top tip: The OCA's moving checklist can help you stay on top of things at every stage of your move!
The Automobile Consumer Coalition: Online Automobile Shopping and Consumer Protection
The Automobile Consumer Coalition (ACC) recently completed a research project on the increasing popularity of online car shopping and related consumer protection measures. They conducted a Canada-wide survey to learn about consumer experiences when buying vehicles online and found that many consumers who began their search online encountered issues related to fees and pricing at the dealership.
Read the ACC's research report to learn about trends in online vehicle shopping, current regulations, efforts being made to protect consumers and the ACC's associated recommendations on these topics.
The ACC received funding from the OCA's Contributions Program for Non-Profit Consumer and Voluntary Organizations to complete this research and produce the associated report. Discover other research projects funded by the OCA's Program by searching the Consumer Policy Research Database.
Consumer news spotlight:
Find more consumer-related information from the Government of Canada on the News for consumers page.
