is not made by the debtor, an agency payment does not extend the statute of limitations beyond the last date when the debtor personally made a payment on the debt, and will likely be disregarded by a court when a debtor claims that the debt is expired under an applicable statute of limitations. Regulation Canada In Canada, regulation is provided by the province or territory in which they operate. The law is typically called the Collection Agencies Act and usually affords a government ministry power to make regulations as needed. Regulations include calling times, frequency of calls and requirements for mailing correspondence prior to making telephone contact. Most debts in Ontario and Alberta are subject to a limitation period of two years. In most other provinces the limitation period is six years. After the corresponding (two or six, depending on province) anniversary of the last formal intention to pay the debt, neither the collection agency nor anyone else has legal authority to collect it. Credit bureaus will retain both the debt and collection history on the debtor's credit file for 6–7 years, depending on province. Although the collection agency can continue to collect or attempt to collect the debt, they cannot garnish or place a lien on the debtor past the limitation period unless the court upholds a new date of last activity on the account based on other factors. Further information may be found in the regulations for the Province of Ontario relating to on prohibited debt collection practices. In Manitoba, the governing document is the Manitoba Consumer Protection Act. Complaints regarding violations of the Act should be directed to the Manitoba Consumer Protection Board who will either mediate or enforce the act when it is broken. Province-specific statutes: Alberta – Collection Practices Act British Columbia – Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act Manitoba – Consumer Protection Act New Brunswick – Collection Agencies Act Newfoundland and Labrador – Collections Act Nova Scotia – Collection Agencies Act Ontario – Collection Agencies Act and Debt Collectors Act Prince Edward Island – Collection Agencies Act Quebec – Act Respecting the Collection of Certain Debts Saskatchewan – Collection Agents Act Spain If talking to the debtor is unfruitful, a creditor can write a letter to the debtor outlining the following details: the holder of the debt the amount of the debt the purpose of the debt previous steps taken to recover the debt