CRTC or CCTS? Where to File Your Complaint
Most problems with your bill go to the CCTS. Problems with what is on TV go to the CRTC. Pick the line below that sounds like yours.
- I was charged for something I did not orderCCTS →
- My bill went up, or I cannot cancelCCTS →
- My service does not work as soldCCTS →
- The commercials are much louder than the showCRTC →
- I saw something offensive on TVCBSC →
- An ad made a claim that was not trueAd Standards →
Not sure which is yours? Answer two questions →
Or go straight to your provider
A discount brand runs on its parent's network but usually has its own complaint process — and each is listed with the CCTS in its own right.
Filing with the CCTS — bills, contracts, service
The CCTS handles money and service problems. Wrong charges, things you never ordered, contract disputes, service that does not work as sold, and add-ons your provider will not take off. It is free, and it is independent of your provider. It can order your money back, up to $5,000 in proven losses. Once it takes your complaint, your provider has 20 days to fix it.
Reach the CCTS at 1-888-221-1687.
There is a one-year deadline. The CCTS will not act on a complaint brought more than one year after you knew, or ought to have known, the facts behind it.
What the CCTS can actually order
It can require a provider to correct a bill, refund or credit improper charges, remove a service, release you from a contract, and reimburse proven financial losses up to $5,000. It cannot fine a provider, and it cannot force a price reduction where an increase was lawful.
If any part of your complaint is about unpaid charges, your provider must stop trying to collect them until the complaint closes — how to use that.
The process, step by step
Contact your provider first and keep the date, the representative and a reference number — the CCTS expects you to have tried. Then file online, describe what happened and what you want, and attach the bills. The provider reports back within 20 days.
Our full CCTS guide walks through each stage, including what happens if the provider refuses the recommendation.
What to write, with a template
Factual and specific beats long and angry: who you are, what happened and when, what you already tried, and the exact resolution you want. Copy the CCTS template.
How do I file a complaint with the CRTC?
Only for what is on air. The CRTC is the regulator: it does not settle your individual bill. It handles what gets broadcast and how the rules are set. That covers commercials far louder than the show around them, missing closed captioning, and conduct that breaks a broadcaster's licence conditions. Your complaint joins the compliance record that broadcaster is judged on at licence renewal.
Where is the CRTC complaint form?
On crtc.gc.ca, under "Make a complaint, ask a question or provide feedback". There is one online form for every kind of complaint; CRTC Client Services reads it and routes it.
The form, step by step
- Contact the broadcaster or your provider first, and keep the date, who you spoke with and what they said. The CRTC expects you to have tried.
- Gather the channel or service name, the dates and times, and any recording, screenshot or bill that shows the problem.
- Open the form, choose the type of complaint, and describe what happened in plain words: what you saw or heard, when, and what you want done about it.
- Keep it factual. If you know which rule was broken, say so; if you do not, the facts are enough.
- Save the confirmation. The CRTC may come back to you for more detail.
What the CRTC form is really doing
It is a sorting desk. You describe your problem, staff read it, and it goes to whichever office can act — the CRTC, the CCTS, or the CBSC. Someone from that office then contacts you.
That takes time. If your problem is a bill, going straight to the CCTS is faster.
There is a four-week window on broadcast content
Broadcasters keep recordings of what they air for a limited period. File within four weeks of the broadcast while the recording still exists, or there may be nothing left to check your complaint against.
Your name is shared with the broadcaster
Complaints filed with the CRTC are generally shared with the company you are complaining about, including your name, so it can respond. Some complaints form part of a public record. If that matters to you, decide before you file rather than after.
Free complaint templates
Copy the one that matches your issue, fill in the bracketed details, and paste it into the form. Keep it factual — dates, names and specifics carry more weight than frustration.
Loud commercials (CRTC)
"On [date] at approximately [time], while watching [channel] on [provider], commercials aired at a noticeably louder volume than the surrounding programming. The program was [program name] and the commercials included [advertiser, if known]. CRTC rules require commercials to be broadcast at a similar volume to the programming around them. I am reporting this so it can be added to the compliance record for this broadcaster, and I would like to know what follow-up occurs."
Broadcast content (CRTC or CBSC)
"On [date] at [time], [station/channel] broadcast [describe the program or segment]. I believe this content [describe the concern — e.g. was inaccurate, discriminatory, inappropriate for the time slot]. I am filing within four weeks of the broadcast so the station's recording of it is still available. I request that this complaint be reviewed against the applicable broadcasting standards and added to the broadcaster's file."
Billing or service dispute (CCTS)
Billing disputes go to the CCTS, not the CRTC. Copy the CCTS billing template — it covers wrong charges, unapplied credits and service that never worked.
What happens after you file
How long it takes
The CCTS acknowledges a complaint quickly and the provider must report back within 20 days; straightforward billing disputes often resolve inside a month. CRTC complaints are slower and are not designed to give you an individual remedy — they build a record.
Why one complaint still matters
Individual complaints are counted, categorised and cited. They shape what the Commission examines at licence renewal and what it opens proceedings about. The reason there is anything on this page to tell you is that enough people complained about the same things for the pattern to become visible.
When it is none of these
- CBSC — programming standards on private broadcasters: offensive content, journalistic ethics, and the broadcaster codes.
- Ad Standards — advertising that is misleading, rather than merely loud.
- Competition Bureau — false or misleading marketing claims.
- Office of the Privacy Commissioner — how a provider handled your personal information.
Guides for specific problems
Last updated: September 2026