Program for Non-profit Consumer and Voluntary Organizations – 2010/11 Potential Areas of Interest

Below are potential areas of interest for the Office of Consumer Affairs' (OCA) Contributions Program for 2010/11. Eligible applicants are encouraged to submit proposals on any consumer issue that they demonstrate is relevant, not only those listed below. The suggested topics are not listed in any order of priority.

When you are considering your project ideas this year, please refer to our Consumer Policy Research Database to see what projects were funded in the previous years and to avoid duplication.

Research projects

Digital Economy and Consumers

• Electronic Transactions – What are the emerging consumer issues, challenges, concerns or opportunities with the new electronic transaction technologies such as mobile banking, instant money transfers, CHIP/PIN technology, etc? Is the process of redress and complaint handling for financial institutions adequate for the evolving electronic transaction landscape?
• Telecommunications: What are the issues for consumers when contracting for mobile services?
• Knowledge transfer, social network marketing and consumers: What types of social network marketing practices are being employed? What types of consumers are being targeted? How do consumers use that information? What are the emerging consumer protection issues in consequence?

Financial Services and Consumers

• Dispute Resolution – Are the processes (internal & external) and/or governance structure of the complaints regime for consumer financial services appropriate? Are there lessons to be learned in complaint handing from other sectors or jurisdictions?
• Disclosure of Information – Are the level of detail, the timing and the content of the disclosures of information in financial services appropriate? Is there additional information that should be disclosed to consumers?
• Financial literacy and consumer representation: From a consumer issue perspective, what should be brought to existing literacy forums such as task forces or other committees? Are there consumer attitudes and behaviours which affect the literacy among specific vulnerable groups?
• Credit Scores – Do consumers know what factors affect their creditworthiness? Are consumers familiar with the concept of a credit score? Do they know how a credit score is created in Canada, how they can obtain their own credit score (and under what circumstances they may not obtain one), and how a credit score impacts them?
• Credit Counselling – How do the options available for consumer budgeting and debt management advice compare one with another, e.g. not-for-profit organizations, registered counsellors, professional advisors, internal institutional solutions, etc.? What is the capacity for NGOs and other organizations to provide budget counselling during/after an economic slowdown?  What are the trends in the demand for budget counselling?
• Savings, Debt and Investing – What are the saving strategies used by different demographic groups in this economy? What savings vehicles are Canadians using and what are the consumer issues arising from those vehicles? Are there consumer protection issues arising from mortgage broker services? How can consumers better choose a financial advisor?
• Financial Fraud and Consumer Awareness – Are the tools that financial institutions have to prevent fraud being effectively used to protect consumers e.g. internal employment practices, auditing measures, customer notifications and education, etc.? What remedies are available to consumers who have experienced financial fraud, and are they effective?

Responsible Consumption and Consumers

• Utilities:  Is there evidence that consumers are having difficulties in the deregulated or newly competitive utilities markets, and if so, what is the nature of these difficulties?
• Social responsibility and consumers: With respect to values-based consumption, do Canadian consumers exhibit behaviours different from consumers elsewhere, and what would this mean for consumer protection?
• Sustainable consumption: Do different demographic groupings of Canadians make "green" choices differently? Are there barriers in the marketplace to greener consumption by various groups – e.g. seniors, children, newcomers, rural residents, etc.?

Vulnerable Consumers

• Debt management: Are the legislative protections available to consumers with respect to collection agencies adequate in today's marketplace?
• Knowledge transfer to consumers: What are the most effective mechanisms for transferring knowledge to consumers (e.g. various target audiences such as young consumers, seniors, etc.)?
• Challenges for consumer advocacy NGOs in an economic downturn: Are there changes in the nature of the complaints received by consumer organizations?  Are consumer representation efforts and approaches different from previous years? What operational and program changes emerge for consumer NGOs during a downturn?
• Demographics: Looking forward, does the demographic makeup of the population suggest changes in focus for consumer protection in Canada?

Miscellaneous

• Consumer warranties: What is the legislative framework regarding warranties in Canada, and how well is it understood by consumers and retailers?
• The role of consumers in standards development: What tools and research resources are available to consumer volunteers, and are they sufficient, to ensure their interventions are effective and representative of Canadian consumer needs and concerns when participating in standards development processes? 
• Consumer movement and volunteering: Do Canadian consumer groups use volunteers effectively? What is the potential for growing volunteering in this sector?
• Consumer movement and consultation processes: How can the demand for consumer organization input into various multi-jurisdictional committees, task forces, standards development processes, consultations, etc. be measured? Are there barriers to the provision of credible consumer input into policy and regulatory processes and how can they be overcome?

Organizational Development Projects

1. A feasibility study on how to use social media as an outreach strategy for existing and potential consumer group members or volunteers;
2. A feasibility study on the need for a consumer magazine in English Canada;
3. A feasibility study on the need for a North American non-profit consumer alliance/cooperation strategy.