Debt news, explained by people who deal with it every day.

What we cover

Each week we publish short, plain-language stories on the numbers and decisions that move Canadian debt: insolvency statistics from the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy, Bank of Canada rate decisions, credit bureau delinquency data, changes to insolvency law and CRA collections, and the pressures facing small businesses. Every story links to its primary sources.

Contributors

• Jay Harris FCPA, CIRP, LIT · Managing Partner, Harris & Partners Inc.
• Joshua Harris BComm, MIB, CIRP, LIT · CEO, Harris & Partners Inc.
• Kyle Harris LL.B., CIRP, LIT · Chief Legal Officer, Harris & Partners Inc.
• Adam Fisher CPA, CIRP, LIT · Chief Information Officer, Harris & Partners Inc.

Disclosure

The Paydown is published by contributors who are Licensed Insolvency Trustees at Harris & Partners Inc., a federally licensed insolvency firm. Harris & Partners supports the cost of running this site. Where a story mentions where to get help, we may link to Harris & Partners alongside the federal directory of all Licensed Insolvency Trustees, so you can choose any licensed professional.

Licensed Insolvency Trustees are regulated by the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy and bound by a Code of Ethics under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act. Nothing on this site is a solicitation to file, and nothing here is legal or financial advice for your specific situation.

Editorial standards

• Primary sources first. Statistics come from the OSB, Statistics Canada, the Bank of Canada, the credit bureaus or the organisation that published them, and are linked at the end of every story.
• Approved by the trustee in the byline. Stories are researched and drafted with AI assistance, then reviewed, edited and approved by the Licensed Insolvency Trustee named in the byline before they are published.
• Our own words. We write every story ourselves. Short quotations are always attributed and footnoted, data comes from the original publisher and is credited, and photos are used under free licences with the photographer named.
• Professional standards. Our contributors are Licensed Insolvency Trustees and follow the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy's rules on trustee communications (Directive No. 33): no claims we can't verify, no "specialist" labels, and nothing that reflects unfavourably on any other licensed trustee.
• Plain language. We explain terms like "consumer proposal" and "Division 1 proposal" in everyday words.
• Corrections. If we get something wrong we fix it and note the update date on the story. Email editor@thepaydown.ca.