{"id":8683,"date":"2019-10-21T21:00:01","date_gmt":"2019-10-22T01:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/blog\/?p=8683"},"modified":"2021-01-29T02:26:22","modified_gmt":"2021-01-29T07:26:22","slug":"canadian-debt-relief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/canadian-debt-relief\/","title":{"rendered":"CANADIAN DEBT RELIEF:  WHAT ABOUT &#8220;Government Approved&#8221; GRIPPING DEBT PROGRAMS?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/place\/Ira+Smith+Trustee+%26+Receiver+Inc.\/@43.808316,-79.5366937,17z\/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x882b2f0ae005a70f:0x7fde3a2e744a0e1c!8m2!3d43.808316!4d-79.534505\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8685\" src=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/canadian-debt-relief_3.jpg\" alt=\"canadian debt relief\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/canadian-debt-relief_3.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/canadian-debt-relief_3-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/canadian-debt-relief_3-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/canadian-debt-relief_3-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/canadian-debt-relief_3-500x281.jpg 500w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/canadian-debt-relief_3-1200x675-cropped.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/a><b>If you would prefer to listen to an audio version of this <em>Canadian Debt Relief<\/em> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">Brandon\u2019s Blog, please scroll down to the bottom and click on the podcast.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<h2 id='canadian-debt-relief-what-is-debt-relief-canada'  id=\"boomdevs_1\"><strong><em>Canadian debt relief<\/em>:\u00a0 What is debt relief Canada?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><em><strong>Canadian debt relief<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0is the reconstruction of debt in any kind of form so as to give the indebted person or company a measure of breathing space.<\/p>\n<p><em>Canadian debt relief measures<\/em> can take a number of forms. It can be through an informal process or formal process (discussed below).<\/p>\n<p>I just read a recently issued <em>Scotiabank<\/em> Economics report that says\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/blog\/debt-relief-program-vs-bankruptcy-are-debt-relief-companies-scary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Canadians are going deeper into debt<\/a>. With that in mind, I believe it important to describe the Scotiabank findings and then discuss the options available for reliable <em>Canadian debt relief<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h2 id='canadian-debt-relief-the-scotiabank-findings'  id=\"boomdevs_2\"><strong><em>Canadian debt relief<\/em>:\u00a0 The Scotiabank findings<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The main Scotiabank findings are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Canadian home credit increased to a 2-year high in August 2019.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Residential mortgage growth posted a 2-year high, supported by a mid-July 2019 decrease in the mortgage rate used for qualification under the stress testing as well as a decline in posted home mortgage pricing.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consumer credit growth struck a 10-month high on the whole but the year over year pattern was the same as July 2019.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The increase in overall\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/average-household-debt-in-canada\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">household credit<\/a>\u00a0was boosted by a much easier borrowing environment. The main types of debt were fuelled by a strong acceleration in both mortgage loans as well as non-mortgage consumer liability growth. Right now Canadians&#8217; household debt-service ratio is at an all-time high. According to the Scotiabank findings, that has not stopped Canadians from continuing their borrowing binge. It seems that super-low interest rates and a strong job market are providing Canadians with either confidence or blind ignorance, to continue to borrow.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With unpredictability staying at raised levels and worldwide demand weakening, business financial investment and exports are not going to be a force to keep the Canadian economy strong.\u00a0 Therefore, it is essentially up to people buying homes primarily in the Vancouver and Toronto housing markets and general consumer credit demand, with government spending, to keep the Canadian economy strong.\u00a0 So, it seems that for the foreseeable future, the <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/blog\/bank-of-canada-canadian-household-debt\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bank of Canada<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will keep interest rates low.\u00a0 It seems that interest rates will only increase in reaction to events from outside the Canadian economy.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id='how-debt-relief-works-in-canada'  id=\"boomdevs_3\"><strong>How debt relief works in Canada<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is not that difficult to qualify for real <em>Canadian<\/em> <a href=\"http:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/seniors-in-debt-canada\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>debt relief services<\/em><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0 You need to be insolvent, or at least, be unable to pay your financial obligations as they come due.\u00a0 I am not talking about a consolidation loan that you need to apply for. If you are trying for approval from one of the debt consolidation loans providers, you also need to be able to qualify for a new loan.\u00a0 If you are applying for a <em>Canadian debt relief<\/em> program that requires you to get a consolidation loan, and you don&#8217;t qualify for the loan, then you will not qualify for that type of debt management plan.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, for financial relief that does not involve you borrowing money, the bar to qualify is set very low.\u00a0 All you need is to admit that you have a debt problem. Once you do that, you can certainly get help from one of the <em>Canadian debt relief<\/em> alternatives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I will describe the various levels of <em>Canadian debt relief<\/em> programs, but first, I want to answer a question I am asked regularly.\u00a0 The question is: Can you get credit card debt forgiven?<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10278\" src=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/canadian-debt-relief_3-1.jpg\" alt=\"canadian debt relief\" width=\"768\" height=\"432\" data-wp-pid=\"10278\" data-pin-nopin=\"nopin\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/canadian-debt-relief_3-1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/canadian-debt-relief_3-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/canadian-debt-relief_3-1-150x84.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id='canadian-debt-relief-do-credit-card-companies-ever-forgive-debts'  id=\"boomdevs_4\"><strong><em>Canadian debt relief<\/em>:\u00a0 Do credit card companies ever forgive debts?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I have never seen complete and full credit card forgiveness given by a credit card company (except for two situations described in this section).\u00a0 It is possible, to achieve partial credit card forgiveness, but it is not easy. Credit card companies generally will not give any form of forgiveness.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>If you stop making your minimum payments, the credit card company will ultimately \u201c\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/blog\/credit-reporting-body-debt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">charge off\u00a0<\/a>\u201d a person&#8217;s credit card amount owing after giving them an R9 rating on their credit report. A charge-off takes place when an account is seriously overdue for credit card\u00a0bills. That will be after 180 days of not making the minimum repayment.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Charging off the amount owing on the credit card is not writing it off or forgiving it.\u00a0 It is just a way for the credit card issuer to mark it as uncollectible and eliminate the debt from their active books.\u00a0 What is done when the debt is charged off, is that it is either given or sold to a collection agent. You may be able to make a deal with the collection agency to pay less than the full amount you owe.\u00a0 However, it will still be a substantial sum and has to be paid all at once.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are only two exceptions to this I ever heard.\u00a0 One is a recent feel-good story. In August 2019, it was reported that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2019\/aug\/09\/chase-bank-cancels-all-credit-card-debt-for-canadian-customers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chase Bank announced that it was leaving Canada<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0 Chase Bank issued and administered the Amazon.ca Rewards Visa and the Marriott Rewards Premier Visa in Canada. In order to exit Canada quickly, Chase Bank announced that it was forgiving all credit card amounts owed by clients of its two Canadian charge cards.\u00a0 Highly unusual.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The only other exception is not such a feel-good story.\u00a0 If a person dies and the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.probateinontario.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">deceased Estate<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has no cash available after the funeral and testamentary costs or worse, has no assets including cash, then the credit card company is going to have no choice but to <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/what-happens-to-debt-when-you-die-canada-are-you-free-of-debt\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">write off the liability<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0 The <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/blog\/probate-in-ontario-smith-estate-trustee-ontario\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Estate Trustee<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will, of course, have to provide proof that there are no funds available.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id='canadian-debt-relief-informal-options'  id=\"boomdevs_5\"><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\"><b><em>Canadian debt relief<\/em>:\u00a0 Informal options<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are various informal debt-relief options available in Canada.\u00a0 The most common options are:<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 id='debt-consolidation'  id=\"boomdevs_6\"><em><b>Debt consolidation<\/b><\/em><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When when we hear the words <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/blog\/debt-consolidation-in-canada\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">debt consolidation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> we understand that it is the process of qualifying for and taking on a brand-new loan, in order to repay many or numerous smaller debt obligations.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/blog\/consumer-proposal-vs-bankruptcy\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consolidating debt<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> involves borrowing money. The concept is that either:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">your credit rating is good enough so that you can take on the new unsecured debt; or<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">you have decided to offer security for the loan.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The primary purpose of resolving your debt via this type of borrowing is to lower the overall interest costs you are currently paying across many credit cards and other debt.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 id='credit-counselling'  id=\"boomdevs_7\"><em><b>Credit counselling<\/b><\/em><\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/bankruptcy_services-personal_credit_counselling.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Credit counselling<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can solve debt problems and supplies you with the skills to live debt-free. <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/blog\/credit-counseling\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Credit counselling<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> solutions consist of teaching proper budgeting, how to use debt sensibly, rebuilding credit and debt management programs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>A word of caution. Please make sure that if you want a credit counselling program that has a qualified and licensed non-profit credit counsellor, you reach out to a real <em>Canadian debt relief<\/em> provider such as a credit counselling agency and not a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/blog\/debt-settlement-or-consumer-proposal-canada-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">debt settlement company<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/financial-consumer-agency\/services\/debt\/debt-settlement-company.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Financial Consumer Agency of Canada<\/a> has provided a stern warning for consumers to be careful when considering using a debt settlement company.\u00a0\u00a0Do not be pulled into what looks like the cheapest <em>Canadian debt relief<\/em> company. The danger signals and warning signs that the Agency warns consumers about are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High-pressure sales<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unrealistic assurances<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High costs<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Companies collecting monthly payments from you to pay to your creditors supposedly for an agreed-upon settlement amount but postponing repayments to the creditors and never coming up with a real <em>Canadian debt relief<\/em> plan.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4 id='debt-settlement'  id=\"boomdevs_8\"><em><b>Debt settlement<\/b><\/em><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I have also written about the dangers of debt settlement companies.\u00a0 In 2017, I wrote about the study by the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy (OSB) on <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/blog\/debt-settlement-or-consumer-proposal-canada-2\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">debt settlement companies<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0 The main findings of the <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ic.gc.ca\/eic\/site\/bsf-osb.nsf\/eng\/br03754.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">OSB report<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> were that in 2016:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The OSB record indicates that in 2016:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">17 % of all consumer proposal filings, the customer reported having spent first for debt counselling from a debt settlement firm before being directed to a Licensed Insolvency Trustee (LIT) (formerly called a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bankruptcy trustee<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">57 % of the consumer proposal filings for which earlier debt settlement guidance was obtained, the LITs had connections with 2 large-volume debt settlement businesses. These 2 companies stood for 64 % of the total LIT fees reported in 2016 consumer insolvency filings for debt settlement advice before submitting to an insolvency proceeding with a LIT.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thirteen LIT firms, that included one national-level business, were discovered to have numerous LITs operating in regular partnership with large-volume debt settlement firms.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For about 50 individual LITs within these 13 firms, better than 40% of their <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/blog\/consumer-proposal-faq\/\">consumer proposal<\/a><\/em> filings were sourced from these debt settlement organizations. For about 20 of those LITs, more than 90% of their consumer proposal work originates from these 2 businesses.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Debt settlement companies have long used scare tactics with consumers to attract business.\u00a0 They tell consumers that all a LIT wants to do is put them into bankruptcy. Nothing could be further from the truth.\u00a0 As seen by the OSB study results, consumers were paying debt settlement firms fees with money they could not afford to pay.\u00a0 When they could not pay any longer, the <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/blog\/debt-helpers-debt-consultants\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">debt settlement company<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> then referred the people to their favourite LITs!\u00a0 Now that is the pot calling the kettle black. The OSB was also concerned about the business arrangements being made between debt settlement outfits and LITs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since then, the OSB has introduced amendments to practices that LITs must follow concerning credit counsellors and business arrangements with a view to curb this behaviour.\u00a0 For the record, I and my Firm have no relationship with any debt settlement company.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id='canadian-debt-relief-what-about-government-approved-debt-programs'  id=\"boomdevs_9\"><strong><em>Canadian debt relief<\/em>:\u00a0 What about &#8220;Government Approved&#8221; debt programs?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>There are only 2\u00a0Canadian government debt relief\u00a0programs in our\u00a0country: (i)\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/bankruptcy_services-personal_consumer-proposal.html\">consumer proposal<\/a>; and (ii)\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/bankruptcy_services-personal_personal-bankruptcy.html\">bankruptcy<\/a>, which is the most drastic one.<\/p>\n<p>I have written about consumer proposals many times. A consumer proposal is the only structured formal procedure sanctioned by the Government of Canada under the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/laws-lois.justice.gc.ca\/eng\/acts\/b-3\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act<\/em><\/a>\u00a0(R.S.C., 1985, c. B-3) (BIA). This process permits insolvent people to make an official offer\u00a0with specific terms, to pay their creditors less than the full amount owing in full settlement of all debts. This federal government authorized debt settlement strategy is to pay back only a portion of what you owe and you can take as long as 5 years of routine monthly payments to do so.<\/p>\n<p>To qualify, a person must be insolvent and owe $250,000 or less to all creditors, other than for any financial debts protected security against their principal home. The most common examples are either a home mortgage or home equity line of credit registered against the real estate.\u00a0\u00a0The consumer proposal process provides protection from creditors.\u00a0 It is aimed at compromising unsecured consumer debts, including income tax debt, while the debtor makes regular payments. The end result of a successfully completed consumer proposal is debt cancellation of your remaining outstanding debts.<\/p>\n<p>A consumer proposal is a streamlined process meant to either reduce or totally eliminate the need to go to Court. A successful consumer proposal allows the person to avoid bankruptcy while ultimately discharging all of his or her debts for an amount much less than the total amount owed.<\/p>\n<h2 id='canadian-debt-relief-summary'  id=\"boomdevs_10\"><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\"><b><em>Canadian debt relief<\/em> summary<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since the purpose of this Brandon\u2019s Blog is about eliminating your\u00a0burden of debt before having to consider bankruptcy, I won\u2019t discuss the bankruptcy topic here.\u00a0 Of course, anyone wanting to find out more about either a consumer proposal or bankruptcy can always call me.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do you have way too much debt? Prior to you getting to the phase where you can\u2019t make ends meet and your credit report looks awful, reach out to a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">licensed insolvency trustee<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (previously called a bankruptcy trustee). In fact, if you understand that you can\u2019t pay your financial debts, contact us.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>We understand the pain and stress excessive financial debt can trigger. We can aid you to get rid of that discomfort as well as address your financial problems\u00a0by offering\u00a0prompt action and the ideal plan to give you\u00a0freedom from debt.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Call <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/contact_us.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ira Smith Trustee &amp; Receiver Inc.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> today.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make an appointment with one of the <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/contact_us.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ira Smith Team<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for a free, no-obligation consultation and you can be on your way to enjoying a carefree retirement\u00a0 Starting Over, Starting Now. <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.irasmithinc.com\/contact_us.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Give us a call today<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> so that we can help you get back to a stress and pain-free life, Starting Over, Starting Now.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Kf32ocUj7HY\" width=\"789\" height=\"444\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you would prefer to listen to an audio version of this Canadian Debt Relief Brandon\u2019s Blog, please scroll down to the bottom and click on the podcast. Canadian debt relief:\u00a0 What is debt relief Canada? Canadian debt relief\u00a0is the reconstruction of debt in any kind of form so as to give the indebted person [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_citewp_aiso_exclude_from_llms":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[5,34,3949,3946,6,25,20,21,1501,7,3950,4685,3948,863,990,4686,4684],"class_list":["post-8683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-brandon-blog-post","tag-bankruptcy","tag-bankruptcy-trustee","tag-can-you-get-credit-card-debt-forgiven","tag-canadian-debt-relief","tag-consumer-proposal","tag-credit-counselling","tag-debt-consolidation","tag-debt-relief","tag-debt-relief-companies","tag-debt-settlement","tag-government-debt-relief-programs","tag-how-debt-relief-works-in-canada","tag-how-do-you-qualify-for-debt-relief","tag-ira-smith-trustee","tag-licensed-insolvency-trustee","tag-scotiabank-consumer-proposal","tag-what-is-debt-relief-canada"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8683"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8683\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10283,"href":"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8683\/revisions\/10283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/irasmithinc.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}