Release of the CGC Complaints Mechanism

Montreal, June 4th, 2010

The Canadian GeoExchange Coalition (CGC) today announced the publication of the CGC Complaints Mechanism. This formal process will be used to handle complaints filed by customers, qualified companies and other industry stakeholders. The complaints mechanism will also play an important role for CGC in its ongoing regular interaction with provincial authorities as the industry representative.

Self-regulation adds to and complements existing municipal, provincial and federal regulations. While the industry’s newly formalized complaint process does not substitute for existing regulatory, enforcement or legal mechanisms in Canada’s various jurisdictions, it will help CGC staff analyse and manage complaints of all sorts. CGC intends that costly legal procedures may be avoided through mediation and other informal approaches.

“Within a market transformation process, stakeholder visions of conflict resolution and association roles can vary widely, as can areas of conflict” said Denis Tanguay, CGC president & CEO. “For example, a distributor may cope with a problem dealer by refusing to sell him more product and / or delisting him. Assuming the dealer really is at fault, the distributor fixes no problem but only dumps his individual problem on the rest of the industry and market. This is not a very responsible way to resolve problematic cases and to help grow the industry in a professional manner” he added.

As the quality program has grown, this complaints mechanism will become an essential component of CGC’s national program. Although the number of complaints within the quality program is less than 0.5% of all Certified Systems, CGC now has a tool to manage complaints in a structured manner and systematically guide them toward resolution.

The publication and deployment of the CGC Complaints Mechanism was approved by the CGC Board of Directors on April 16, 2010. A sub-committee of the Board of Directors was mandated to fine-tune the document in cooperation with CGC staff and proceed with today’s publication.
As of today, all complaints filed with the CGC will be dealt with under this structured process. To learn more about this process, please consult the document titled “CGC Complaints Mechanism” available at www.geoexchange.ca.

The Canadian GeoExchangeTM Coalition acts as the industry catalyst to unite private and public sector stakeholders, and to expand the market for geoexchangeTM technology in Canada. As the nexus of information, training, certification, industry standards and public awareness, CGC works with stakeholders to build the necessary infrastructure to foster the growth of the Canadian geoexchangeTM industry. For more information, visit www.geoexchange.ca

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For inquiries please contact: Denis Tanguay (514) 807-7559, extension 24

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