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CRTC Continues Crackdown On Telemarketing Violations

CRTC [1]The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission [1] (CRTC) announced today that GoodLife Fitness Centres has paid a penalty of $300,000 to the Receiver General for Canada as part of a settlement over its telemarketing practices. The CRTC issued a notice of violation [2] after its investigation found that GoodLife had used automated calling devices (robocalls) to solicit its members without obtaining their prior express consent.

“We appreciate GoodLife’s cooperation during our investigation,” said Andrea Rosen, the CRTC’s Chief Compliance and Enforcement Officer. “Telemarketers that inundate Canadians with unwanted phone calls are not engaging in a legitimate marketing practice. We expect the business community to follow the rules at all times, and we will vigorously investigate breaches.”

GoodLife was making robocalls to inform its members of new club openings and invite them to grand opening events. In addition to paying an administrative monetary penalty, GoodLife has agreed to:

The CRTC applies the Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules [3] in order to reduce unwanted calls to Canadians. According to its enforcement process, the CRTC can discuss corrective actions with telemarketers, which may lead to a settlement that includes a monetary penalty or monetary payment.

To date, the CRTC’s enforcement actions have resulted in over $2.1 million in penalties collected on behalf of the Receiver General for Canada and $740,000 in payments made to post-secondary institutions.

Reference documents:

Key facts for consumers [4]

Key facts for telemarketers [5]

How does the CRTC enforce the Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules? [6]

Consumers may register on the National Do Not Call List [7] or file a complaint about a telemarketer by calling 1-866-580-DNCL (3625).