Credit Counselling Society
Providing Free Debt and Credit Help to Martensville, Saskatchewan

Credit counselling can be highly successful when you choose the right kind of organization to help you. The ones with the best track records usually share these qualities:

• They belong to Credit Counselling Canada, a nationwide network of non-profit agencies that follow rigorous standards of transparency and service quality.
• They will take the time to go over your complete financial situation, help you create a realistic budget, and then objectively look at all your options to resolve your financial challenges and get you back on track.
• Their staff members aren’t paid commissions or given incentives tied to the recommendations they make, so they are able to provide you with objective guidance.
• Roughly 95% of people who reach out for help don’t pay anything, and only about 20% go on to join the organization’s repayment program. The rest either receive advice they can follow on their own or are referred to another professional for a more specialized kind of help.
• If you choose to enroll in their repayment plan—known as a Debt Management Program—you learn practical money management skills that last a lifetime. Consequently, the relapse rate is under 1%. This compares to roughly 20% of people who file for bankruptcy or a consumer proposal needing to redo the process again at some point in the future.

On the other hand, organizations with lower success rates often operate very differently. Here’s how things tend to look there:

• You may feel that you’re talking to a sales person rather than a credit counsellor.
• These “credit counsellors” often lack professional certification, aren’t accountable to an oversight body, and may not follow a strict code of ethics. Credit Counselling Canada is the only national credit counselling association in Canada that does not allow it’s members to take advantage of trusting consumers by double charging them for consumer proposals (only a Licensed Insolvency Trustee should charge you money for a consumer proposal).
• They often steer clients toward a Licensed Insolvency Trustee (bankruptcy trustee) for a consumer proposal because this is more profitable for them. Tragically many will effectively double charge their clients when they do this by charging them thousands for a consumer proposal before then referring them to a bankruptcy trustee who by law is the only one allowed to charge for a consumer proposal.
• These “credit counsellors” tend to earn commissions on specific “solutions” they sell. This naturally influences their recommendations and may result in certain viable options never being mentioned. Some of these salespeople also call themselves “debt consultants” and will charge hefty upfront fees before passing you on to a less than reputable bankruptcy trustee. Reputable non-profits never do this. If it looks like either a consumer proposal or bankruptcy are your best option, they’ll simply offer you a list of trustworthy trustees for free.
• Their “solution” to your financial problems will probably be a consumer proposal, which sounds more appealing than bankruptcy but pays them more (both are legal options governed by the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act). If they’re not members of Credit Counselling Canada, there’s probably around an 80% chance that you won’t leave their office without being convinced to sign up for a “solution” that earns them money.
• With consumer proposals and bankruptcies, about 20% of people end up having to file for one of these again in the future. One of the reasons why this can happen is because the underlying causes of financial trouble are never addressed. Quality credit counselling organizations tackle these root issues, which is a big part of why they see better long-term outcomes.

To wrap up this up, not all credit counselling is the same. Some providers focus more on generating revenue than helping people, while reputable non-profits—often members of Credit Counselling Canada—put individuals first, even if that means they don’t earn anything. In fact, about 95% of people who call us for help of some kind end up receiving it completely free without ever paying a thing. It’s easy to see why profit-driven counsellors wouldn’t be interested in offering this kind of support – it doesn’t generate the profits they’re looking for.

You can speak with a credit counsellor as many times as you like, and it will never show up on your credit report. However, if you choose to work with your credit counsellor to enter into a Debt Management Program through a non-profit such as the Credit Counselling Society, then this will show up on your credit report. A Debt Management Program typically stays on your credit report for two years after the program is completed. This is much shorter than the six year record left by a bankruptcy, making it a less damaging alternative for many individuals. It also comes off your credit report about a year sooner than a consumer proposal, but leaves no permanent record with the courts like a consumer proposal does.

Just talking to a credit counsellor won’t impact your credit score—it’s completely private and isn’t reported to anyone. But if you enroll in a Debt Management Program, then this may impact your credit score. Sometimes it affects your score, and sometimes it doesn’t, but it’s safer to assume that it will. That said, the impact only lasts until two years after you finish the program. At that point, the credit agency removes the program from your credit report, and with the right steps, your credit score can recover quickly. Your counsellor can let you know what to do to rebuilding your credit score. A credit rebuilding program is actually a part of our Debt Management Program.

In the big picture, any negative effects of a Debt Management Program (DMP) on your credit report are very short term compared to the alternatives. The alternatives could be:

• Repaying your debt on your own. If you’re really struggling to pay your bills, then your credit has likely already been dramatically impacted so going on a DMP will only help you fix your credit sooner. Continuing on your own at this point would likely drag things out for an extended period of time and just keep your credit in the ditch for a longer period of time.
• Trying to qualify for a debt consolidation loan if your credit cards are maxed out and you don’t have some good collateral to offer such as a newer vehicle (without a loan or lease) or real estate probably isn’t going to work out great, and if you end up getting a loan with an interest rate near 30% or higher, you’ll have difficulty paying it off and improving your credit any time soon.
• Getting rid of your debt faster by filing for insolvency through either bankruptcy or a consumer proposal. One of the downsides of this approach is that it destroys your credit for a minimum of 6 years and leaves you with a permanent legal record.

We don’t share all of this to discourage you, but rather to point out that a DMP can be a very helpful and effective tool when used in the right set of circumstances. These other options can also be viable when used in the right set of circumstances. Feel free to speak with one of our credit counsellors to see what options might work best for your financial situation.

Your experience will depend on the type of organization you choose. If it’s a for-profit company, their priority may be enrolling you in a program that earns them money. But if it’s a non-profit like one accredited by Credit Counselling Canada, the session will be very different.

You’ll likely spend close to an hour with a counsellor who listens to your concerns, learns about your situation and goals, and then helps you build a realistic budget that works. From there, you’ll review all the options that might help, weighing the pros and cons of each. The goal is to find a solution that fits your situation, helps you get out of debt within a reasonable time, and stays within your budget.

Quality credit counsellors are budgeting experts. As part of the process, they will likely help you find ways to optimize your budget and get the most out of it.

By the end of the session, you’ll probably have a plan of action and a clear sense of your next steps. If you need more help later, a follow-up session can be scheduled—also free of charge.

If a Debt Management Program seems like your best option, they’ll encourage you to take time to decide and even run it by someone you trust.

If you end up deciding that a consumer proposal or bankruptcy is your best option, then the credit counsellor will refer you to a Licensed Insolvency Trustee that they trust. They may even provide you with a number of names for you to choose from.

Whether you’re simply looking for credit counselling near me or need more structured guidance, the goal of the session is to give you clarity and a way forward.

Yes. We provide credit counselling across Saskatchewan. We used to serve the province from our offices in Regina and Saskatoon, but during the pandemic we switched to serving people over the phone and virtually. So many people preferred this that we continued providing our service this way.

Often, yes. Many people use a Debt Management Program from a non-profit as an alternative to bankruptcy or a consumer proposal. A credit counsellor can review your finances in detail and help you determine if this is a realistic solution for you.

Yes. We offer no-cost credit counselling, financial education, and other free resources. More than half of our clients ultimately choose a self-managed plan that costs them nothing. In these cases, we create a personalized action plan and invite you to check in with your counsellor—at no charge—whenever you want advice, encouragement, or help tackling new challenges. When it comes to our debt repayment program, if we believe that someone truly can’t afford the fees, we waive them.

Yes. The Canadian Credit Counselling Society provides free counselling appointments with certified professionals, complimentary financial education webinars, and a wide range of online tools and resources at no cost. A fee only applies if you decide to participate in one of their debt repayment programs. Even then, the costs are minimal, and in some cases, fees can be waived if someone is unable to pay.

The Credit Counselling Society is well known for the top quality, free help it provides. In fact, it’s been providing free help ever since starting out as the Credit Counselling Society of BC in 1996. Now we provide services across the country from BC to Quebec, which is why we are sometimes called the Credit Counselling Society of Canada.

We provide professional, non-profit support to individuals across the province and throughout Canada. For those seeking the best credit counselling Martensville can provide, our team is recognized for being dependable, accredited, and highly recommended.

Not anymore. The Saskatchewan government once offered credit counselling and a program called Orderly Payment of Debts. But in 2012, after seeing the results delivered by the Credit Counselling Society (CCS), the government closed its own program and began referring people to CCS instead. So while government credit counselling Martensville doesn’t exist anymore, CCS is the recommended provider.

Yes, the Credit Counselling Society (CCS) is a legitimate and highly respected non-profit organization that’s been helping Canadians manage their money and debt for nearly 30 years.

At one time, many provincial governments offered their own credit counselling services. But over time, they found that non-profit organizations like ours were able to provide better service at a lower cost—without relying on government funding. As a result, most provinces now refer people to trusted non-profits like us instead.

It just so happens now that a lot of the people we help are referred to us by various government bodies from across the country. Some government departments and agencies are even regular users our educational resources and often invite us to provide financial literacy training for their employees.

Over the years, we’ve helped over a million Canadians one-on-one—and have reached millions more through our websites. We have more offices than any other non-profit credit counselling organization in Canada, and our team is frequently featured in the news offering expert advice and insights on financial issues that impact Canadians.

We also contribute weekly and bi-weekly articles to two major Canadian publications, The Province and the Financial Post, which are often re-published by media outlets nationwide.

Education is central to our mission, with a team of full-time educators on staff, multiple awards for excellence in financial literacy, and a self-help educational website that has helped millions.

The work we do has resulted in the organization winning more than 80 awards and receiving over 1,500 online reviews on Google, Yelp, and Facebook. These reviews have an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars. We also survey more than 10,000 of our clients every year, and for many years now, over 98% have responded saying they would recommend our service to others.

The organization is also known as a great place to work, with multiple recognitions from Great Place to Work Canada® for supporting young professionals and women, giving back, fairness, including others, and overall employee satisfaction.

When it comes to trust and accountability, we go the extra mile:

• Our organization is governed by a diverse board of directors who serve as volunteers and come from many different financial and professional backgrounds across Canada.
• Our finances are independently audited every year by an external accounting firm—something no other credit counselling organization in Canada does.
• We operate as a non-profit registered with the Government of Canada.
• We’re accredited by Credit Counselling Canada (CCC), our industry’s national association with the highest standards of transparency and accountability, and the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
• We were the first Canadian credit counselling agency to become an international affiliate of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC)—the largest and most trusted non-profit credit counselling association in North America.

Finally, we’re convinced that commission based compensation is not the best way to serve those who look to us for help and guidance. Unlike many organizations you’ll find out there, our staff are never paid any kind of commission – only a straight, competitive salary. This makes sure that every individual we help receives objective, unbiased advice that’s truly in their best interest.