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How Debt Advisors Canada Works(3 Steps, Plain English)

Working with DACL is three steps: a free assessment, a plain-English review of your options with an advisor, and clear guidance on your next step. We assess your situation and refer you to the right professional. We do not file anything ourselves.

Free · Confidential · No credit check · No obligation

What DACL Does, and What It Does Not Do

DACL assesses your situation, explains your options, and refers you to the right professional when a formal solution is involved. Only a Licensed Insolvency Trustee can file a consumer proposal or a bankruptcy, under the federal Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act. We are not a Licensed Insolvency Trustee, a lender, a law firm, or a government program.

DACL is NOT:

  • A Lender:We do not offer loans or credit products of any kind.
  • A Licensed Insolvency Trustee:Only an LIT can file a consumer proposal or bankruptcy. We refer you to one when that is the right fit.
  • A Law Firm:We are debt advisors, not lawyers.
  • A Government Program:We are an independent debt advisory service.

The 3-Step Process

1

Your Free Assessment

What Happens:

You share a rough picture of what you owe, your income, and what is worrying you. It is free, it does not require a credit check, and it commits you to nothing.

What You Get:

  • • A clear picture of your situation
  • • No credit check, no pressure
  • • Starting does not lock you into anything
Time Required15-30 minutes
Cost$0. Completely free. No obligation.

Remote Friendly: Phone, online, or in-person.

2

Review Your Options with an Advisor

An advisor walks you through the options that may fit your situation. That might include debt consolidation, a consumer proposal, a debt management plan, debt settlement, or bankruptcy. We explain each as education, not as a sale, and we are clear about who actually administers the formal ones.

Plain English, No Pressure

For example, if you owe about $30,000 across credit cards and a line of credit, your advisor would look at your income, what you owe, and what you want to happen, then explain which routes could realistically apply and who administers each one.

  • Debt consolidation
  • Consumer proposal (via LIT)
  • Debt management plan
  • Bankruptcy (via LIT)
3

Your Next Step

You get clear guidance on what to do next. If a simpler route fits, we point you to it. If a consumer proposal or bankruptcy is the right fit, a Licensed Insolvency Trustee handles the filing, and we refer you to one. We do not file proposals or bankruptcies ourselves. You decide what happens next, with a clear picture of your options and no obligation.

What a referral looks like:
  • Simpler route fits We point you to it
  • Consumer proposal fits Referred to an LIT
  • Bankruptcy fits Referred to an LIT

Only a Licensed Insolvency Trustee can file a consumer proposal or bankruptcy under the BIA.

*DACL assesses and refers. The LIT files and administers the formal process.

What Debts Can Be Included?

If a consumer proposal turns out to be your route, here is what it generally covers. This describes the option, not a DACL outcome. A Licensed Insolvency Trustee confirms what applies in your situation.

Generally Can Be Included

  • Credit cards
  • Lines of credit
  • Payday loans
  • Certain tax debts
  • Older student loans (where eligible)

Generally Excluded

  • Secured debts (mortgage, car loan)
  • Child or spousal support
  • Debts from fraud

A consumer proposal is a legally binding agreement under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act. A Licensed Insolvency Trustee files and administers it. You repay a portion of what you owe, over a term of up to five years (60 months). For a full explanation, read what a consumer proposal is, or compare it with alternatives to bankruptcy.

Are You Likely a Fit?

You may benefit from talking to us if:

  • You are using credit to cover essentials
  • Minimum payments never seem to reduce the balance
  • You are juggling several debts at high interest
  • Your debt feels no longer manageable on your own

Not a Guarantee

This is a rough self-check, not a guarantee of eligibility. A free assessment is the only way to know for sure. If any of the above sounds familiar, an assessment can help you see your options.

Common Questions

There are three. You complete a free assessment. You review your options with an advisor. You get guidance on your next step, including a referral to a Licensed Insolvency Trustee if a consumer proposal or bankruptcy fits. DACL assesses and refers; it does not file.
No. Only a Licensed Insolvency Trustee can file a consumer proposal or a bankruptcy. DACL assesses your situation and refers you to a trustee when that is the right fit.
Under the federal Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, a consumer proposal runs for a term of up to five years (60 months). A Licensed Insolvency Trustee files and administers it.
No. The assessment is free and confidential, and it does not require a credit check. It is a conversation about your situation, not a credit application.
Generally unsecured debts like credit cards and payday loans, and certain tax and older student-loan debts. A Licensed Insolvency Trustee confirms what qualifies in your situation.

Start with a Free Assessment

The simplest way to understand your options is to start the free, confidential assessment. There is no cost and no pressure, and you decide what happens next.

Start Your Free Assessment