Consumers International (CI) and the Trans Atlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD) are holding a one-day conference looking at financial consumer protection from the international perspective. Making financial services work for consumers: A global challenge, being held on June 6 in Washington, DC, will address the current and upcoming challenges facing consumers of financial services.

The province will join with community partners in June to offer a conference that will explore alternatives to payday lending for consumers who may not be able to access mainstream financial services. The conference, called Creating Community Options for Financial Services, will take place June 13 and 14 and will feature speakers with local, national and international experience in basic banking and credit alternatives as well as financial literacy programs.

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology (INDU) has released its report on the e-commerce market, titled E-Commerce in Canada: Pursuing the Promise.

In order to help creditors to provide comprehensive information to consumers (total costs of credit and APR), the European Commission has prepared a set of Guidelines which they published on May 8. The Guidelines indicate how to determine the total cost of credit and explain how to calculate the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) being charged.

The International Organization for Standardizations (ISO) Committee on consumer policy (ISO/COPOLCO) has released its' April update of ISO's activities regarding standards and consumer protection. More information on the Committee and its activities can be found at: www.iso.org/iso/resources_consumers.

Protecting Canada's natural environment reaps a world of benefits for Canadians, from strengthening the economy to enhancing health and quality of life. Canadian Environment Week is the perfect time to celebrate our achievements and initiatives in tackling climate change and reducing air pollution. Canadian Environment Week is held during the first week of June to coincide with World Environment Day (June 5).

The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) has added two new “life events” to its website. "Having Children" is a comprehensive online guide that provides tips on saving money, budgeting, applying for maternity leave and benefits, and ways to plan ahead. "Paying for Post-Secondary Education" not only provides an outline of the costs, but also suggests ways to save and find other sources of financial support.

Canadian households spent an average of $53,016 on all types of goods and services in 2010. Of this total, shelter accounted for 28.3% of spending, transportation for 20.7%, and food, 14.0%. More information can be found in the April 25, 2012 edition of Statistics Canada's official release bulletin, The Daily.

The Consumer Protection Amendment Act (Cell Phone Contracts) has been proclaimed to promote greater transparency in cell phone contracts and create fair practices for cell phone services in Manitoba. The legislation and accompanying regulation come into effect on September 15, 2012.

Take five minutes to learn how to protect yourself, your business or your organization from spam and other electronic threats. Find the quiz on Canada's anti-spam website: www.fightspam.gc.ca.

The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) has launched a new and improved version of its website, allowing site visitors improved accessibility, usability and navigation capability.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) is launching its first Pathways to Privacy Research Symposium at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa (53 Elgin Street) on May 2, 2012. The theme for this year’s event is Privacy for Everyone, which is intended to discuss results of funded research on emerging privacy issues among special communities of interest. Subthemes are: the changing landscape for youth, reaching diverse populations, cultural perspective on privacy and frontiers of identification and surveillance among different populations.

On 23 April, in Paris, the OECD Committee on Consumer Policy will hold a workshop to explore emerging consumer-related issues with governments, civil society, businesses, and academia. The workshop will be organised as part of the current review of the 1999 OECD Guidelines for Consumer Protection in the Context of Electronic Commerce. It will serve the purposes of discussing market trends, as well as opportunities and challenges for consumers.