About Us (continued)

Vision, mission, mandate and objectives

Vision

Provide leadership in protecting the integrity of the Canadian bankruptcy and insolvency system, a pillar of the marketplace.

Mission

Contribute to a fair and efficient marketplace by protecting the integrity of the bankruptcy and insolvency system for the benefit of investors, lenders, consumers and the public.

Mandate

Supervise the administration of all estates and matters under insolvency legislation.

Strategic Objectives

  • Maintain an efficient and effective regulatory framework;
  • Promote awareness of the rights and responsibilities of the stakeholders in the insolvency system;
  • Ensure trustee and debtor compliance with the legislative and regulatory framework; and
  • Be an integral source of information on Canadian insolvency matters.

Our areas of activity

The OSB helps ensure that bankruptcies and insolvencies are conducted in a fair and orderly manner. The Office:

  • supervises the administration of estates in bankruptcy, commercial reorganizations, consumer proposals and receiverships, under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (BIA);
  • maintains a publicly accessible record of bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings under the BIA and of proceedings under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA);
  • licenses private-sector trustees to administer estates and appoints administrators of consumer proposals;
  • records and investigates complaints from creditors, debtors, and members of the general public regarding possible wrongdoing by someone involved in the insolvency process under the BIA;
  • records and investigates complaints regarding the conduct of monitors under the CCAA;
  • sets and enforces professional standards for the administration of estates filed under the BIA; and
  • promotes awareness of the rights and responsibilities of the stakeholders in the insolvency system.

OSB Management

Superintendent of Bankruptcy
Bill James (biography)
Telephone: 613-941-1000
Fax: 613-946-9205

Deputy Superintendent
Patricia Alférez
Telephone: 613-946-2157
Fax: 613-948-6367

Director General, Program Policy and Regulatory Affairs
Elisabeth Lang
Telephone: 613-946-2166
Fax: 613-946-2168

Director General, Outreach and Services Innovation
Ginette Trahan
Telephone: 613-941-2854
Fax: 613-946-9205

Director, Corporate Services
Rita Morin
Telephone: 613-941-3471
Fax: 613-941-2862

Corporate Secretary
Joanne Boyer
Telephone: 613-941-2694
Fax: 613-952-1854

Regional Director, Western Region
Charmaine Martin
Telephone: 604-666-8045
Fax: 604-666-4610

Regional Director, Ontario Region
Jack Steinman
Telephone: 416-954-6310
Fax: 416-954-6311

Regional Director, Eastern Region
Samra Rabie
Telephone: 514-283-3422
Fax: 514-283-5130

Management Advisory Board

Mandate

The mandate of the Management Advisory Board is to provide external advice to the Superintendent of Bankruptcy and Industry Canada on the management of the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy.

By raising questions, challenging assumptions and being knowledgeable about the organization, the Board assists the OSB in addressing its management challenges and provides for increased participation of clients and stakeholders in its governance.

Membership

The Board is structured to achieve an effective balance between clients and other stakeholders and business professionals and academics. The Board comprises 7 members including the chairperson. It further includes three ex-officio members.

Joan Huzar, Chairperson
Consumer Advocate
British Columbia

Kevin Brennan
Insolvency and Restructuring Professional
British Columbia

Edward Sellers
Insolvency Lawyer
Ontario

Alban D’Amours
Credit Business Specialist
Quebec

Charles McCallister
Public Sector Professional
New Brunswick

Guylaine Belley
Business Engineer, Private Sector
Quebec

John D. Eisner
Credit Counselling Services Specialist
New Brunswick


Ex-Officio Members:

Marie-Josée Thivierge
Assistant Deputy Minister,
Small Business, Tourism and Marketplace Services, Industry Canada

Bill James
Superintendent of Bankruptcy

Patricia Alférez
Deputy Superintendent


Secretary:

Joanne Huot-Law
Corporate Secretary

To learn more, please consult the Chairman's Report.

Insolvency Research Initiative

The Insolvency Research Initiative was established to increase the body of knowledge about the Canadian insolvency system. The initiative provides research contracts to academics at Canadian universities to support multidisciplinary and comparative research on insolvency issues linked with social and public-policy environmental analysis.

Learn more about the insolvency research carried out so far.

OSB service standards

The Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy is committed to providing you with quality services and at the specified service level described below. To achieve this, we pledge to

  • be courteous by responding to your inquiries promptly and politely;
  • be just and impartial by offering a fair service; and
  • be accessible by providing information from the public record in a timely manner.

We offer bilingual services from our 15 offices across Canada from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. (See Contact Us to find the office nearest you.)

Services
Standards
If we do not meet this deadline
Bankruptcy and Insolvency Registration
Registration will be complete within two business days of receiving completed documents.
…contact the local Designated Assistant Superintendent of Bankruptcy, who will respond within one business day.
Bankruptcy Assistance Program (Learn more about the Bankruptcy Assistance Program)
Bankruptcy registration forms will be forwarded to a licensed trustee within two business days. After that, you will have access to the bankruptcy process within 30 days.
…contact your local Designated Assistant Superintendent of Bankruptcy, who will respond within three business days.
Complaints relating to BIA proceedings
We will acknowledge your written complaint by phone or in writing within three business days.
We will try to resolve the complaint and inform you about it by phone or in writing within 30 business days. Because some complaints are complicated and take more time, we will let you know if this is the case within the 30-day period.
…contact your local Designated Assistant Superintendent of Bankruptcy, who will respond within one business day.
Inquiries relating to BIA proceedings
We will answer your inquiries or refer you to someone who can within three business days.
…contact your local Designated Assistant Superintendent of Bankruptcy, who will respond within one business day.
Bankruptcy and Insolvency Records Search
(Learn more about the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Records)
If you have an account with us, we will respond to your telephone requests for search services immediately.
At your request, we will confirm these findings by fax within one business day of the search.
We will process your written request within one business day.
…contact the Manager, Information and Client Services, at 613-941-1000. Your complaint will be handled within one business day.
Inquiries relating to CCAA proceedings
We will answer your inquiries or refer you to someone who can within three business day.
… contact the Designated Assistant Superintendent, CCAA at 1-877-376-9902, by email or by fax at 1-877-827-7139.
Complaints relating to CCAA proceedings
We will acknowledge your complaint by phone or in writing within three business days.
We will try to resolve the complaint and inform you about it by phone or in writing within 30 business days. Because some complaints are complicated and take more time, we will let you know if this is the case within the 30-day period.
… contact the Designated Assistant Superintendent, CCAA at 1-877-376-9902, by email or by fax at 1-877-827-7139.

Contact information

Public Inquiries

Bankruptcy and Insolvency Records: 1-866-941-2863 (9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST)

CCAA National Team: 1-877-376-9902

For other inquiries, please contact the OSB at 1-877-376-9902.

Media Inquiries

Please contact Industry Canada's Media Relations team at 613-943-2502 or at mediarelationscontacts@ic.gc.ca. Media relations officers are available from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time), Monday to Friday.