Your Alberta Blog

I believe strongly that one of the best ways to protect consumers is ensuring that they know and understand their rights. Service Alberta investigates and enforces a number of consumer protection laws, but knowledge can be a very powerful tool against businesses that try to mislead or take advantage of people.

Service Alberta's website is packed with helpful information, including consumer tips and descriptions of Alberta's laws on a variety of topics, ranging from renting an apartment to shopping on the Internet. It's not enough, though, for us to post the information on our website; people need to know it's there. Our staff are always looking at new and better ways we can inform Albertans about their rights as consumers.

You might have noticed the Alberta government is starting to use social media more widely. This blog is only one example. I am excited to announce that Service Alberta just launched the Alberta Youth Consumer Champions page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/youthconsumerchampions.

The page is a place for young Albertans to find information about consumer issues they might encounter, such as using a credit card, buying their first car, renting an apartment and managing money. The page will highlight rotating topics, but people are encouraged to ask questions and discuss consumer matters. Service Alberta staff will answer their concerns and direct them to resources where they can find out more.

The nature of social media means that we can adapt the page to meet your needs. If a certain topic keeps arising, it lets us know we need to provide more information about it. We are also looking at how we can improve the way we alert consumers, for instance when a scam artist is known to be operating in a community. Social media might help us do that.

I would really appreciate hearing your thoughts on how we can use services such as Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and other social media to do a better job educating consumers. I also encourage you to join our Facebook page or tell a young Albertan about it.

- Hon. Heather Klimchuk