OTTAWA – Two companies have been fined over $40,000 for making non-compliant telemarketing calls to Canadians, the CRTC said Wednesday.
In the first of two compliance and enforcement decisions, the CRTC fined Toronto Breeze Air Duct Cleaning Services Inc. $18,000 for telemarketing telecommunications initiated on its behalf to consumers whose telecommunications numbers were registered on the National Do Not Call List (DNCL), while it was not registered with the National DNCL operator, and while it was not a registered subscriber of the National DNCL, in violation of the Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules.
The company was originally fined last year and was given until until May 6, 2017 to pay up or to make representations to the Commission regarding the violations, however it did not respond to the April 5, 2017 notice of violation, according to the decision. Therefore, Toronto Breeze is deemed to have committed the six violations and must pay the penalty by January 18, 2019, the CRTC said Wednesday. It added that it may continue to impose larger AMPs for any subsequent violations.
In the second decision, the CRTC slapped a total administrative monetary penalty of $23,050.65 on Bouchard Parent Associés Inc., operating as Royal LePage Tendance, for initiating telemarketing telecommunications to consumers whose telecommunications numbers were registered on the DNCL, and for doing so while it was not registered with the National DNCL operator and was not a registered subscriber of the National DNCL, in violation of the Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules.
The real estate agency was first fined $55,000 in August 2017 for 1,806 violations at $30.45 per violation. In its representations, Royal LePage Tendance argued, among other things, that a majority of the 1,806 alleged violations are not founded or supported by sufficient evidence. The CRTC revised its AMP to $23,050.65 for 757 violations at $30.45 per violation which is due by January 18, 2019.
