Home & Country (Spring 2008)

              Home and Country Spring 2008

Citizenship & Legislation Report
Darlene Wicks, Convener

Pen Pals Wanted
Titia Piera

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he value of gift cards can decrease with dormancy fees and other hidden charges. "If you buy a $50 gift card, at what point is it not worth $50? We think you should get the same value as cash," said Eoin Kenny, spokesman for Service Alberta, who adds that the government will likely propose legislation in the spring that outlaws gift card expiry dates and limits the fees retailers can charge to maintain the card's balance. The Consumer Services Branch monitors consumer trade and this is certainly an area that causes concern in Alberta and across Canada. A number of Canadian jurisdictions either have, or are moving toward putting legislation in place to protect consumers. In the meantime, Service Alberta has decided to warn consumers that there are problems with the cards, given that they have become a very popular gift with Canadians spending $1.5 billion last year on them. It speaks to the convenience of the cards. No worries about size, color, they're easy to mail and most major retailers participate in gift card programs. Kenny says Service Alberta is currently engaged in consultations with the Retail Council of Canada whose members issue the cards. Large retail outlets such as Walmart have already responded by eliminating expiry dates and fees that reduce or eliminate the value of the card, says Kenny. It's the smaller businesses that tend to attach conditions to the cards, says Kenny, such as inactive or dormancy fees. As well, large malls may issue multi-retailer gift cards, which their retailers are required to sell. To balance their having made this request of the tenants, mall management then has an end date placed on the card, so their retailers have some finality to the program. These are the cards on which it is important to read the fine print, ensuring the gift card recipient gets what the purchaser intended. Another area of concern with gift cards that Service Alberta has identified relates to the purchase of the cards from large gift card displays, like those seen in much larger malls in Calgary and Edmonton. Kenny says a con artist may have taken down information off the freely accessible cards, like an identification number and then used the info to shop online. An innocent consumer later purchases that same card, only to find its value no longer exits. Kenny says consumers need to treat gift cards like cash or a credit card, because if the card is lost, someone else can and will likely use it and consumers have little or no recourse. The legislation designed to protect consumers will probably come in as an amendment to the Fair Trade Act, says Kenny, as that's the premier piece of consumer legislation in the province. If the legislation isn't completed by spring then it will certainly be in place by the fall. Kenny adds, even if there's an election.
Taken from Prairie Post

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he Bowen Road WI in Ontario which is 100 years old, is looking for WI members to correspond with them in hand written letters. If you are interested please contact: Darlene Levere, 361 Grandview Road, Fort Erie, Ontario L2A 4T3 or E-mail to darlene677@hotmail.com ACWW Letter Friends are wanted for contact between societies, branches or individuals. This is a world wide project. The following information is needed on the application: complete name and address, E-mail address if available, Country desired (first and second choice). The coordinator is Debbie Czarnopys-White, ACWW Letter Friends, 27284 South Dakota Road, Dubois, Illinois, USA 62831-1622. E-mail is bobdebcw@midwest.net her telephone is 1-618-787-2929. It would help Debbie in her matching if you can mention your interests, hobbies, talents, and other personal information like job, family, and a telephone number.

Pen Pals in Prince Edward Island
Brenda Willsie

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have been in contact with Marie Kenny the Provincial President for Prince Edward Island in regards to setting up pen pals between the two provinces. I have received little response from the Alberta members. In total I have received 6 names. These names along with a short biography have been forwarded to Marie Kenny so she can find pen pals for these ladies.

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