People often assume that getting help means paying someone. For most of what you need early on, it does not.
Who to call
Legal Aid Alberta — 1-866-845-3425; Money Mentors — 1-888-294-0076; 211 Alberta — 211.
These are independent organisations. We are not connected to them, we are not paid to list them, and several of them help with things we do not touch at all.
For insolvency questions
A Licensed Insolvency Trustee is the only person licensed to advise on consumer proposals and bankruptcy in Canada. An initial consultation is usually free. If your difficulty is broader than the mortgage, that is the right first call — not us.
What free legal help can and cannot do
Duty counsel and clinic lawyers can explain your position, read what you have been served with, and tell you what your realistic options are. They generally cannot run a full defence for you. Even so, thirty minutes with someone who can read your documents is worth more than a fortnight of searching online.
About Fort McMurray
Fort McMurray knows sudden upheaval better than most places in Canada. The 2016 wildfire forced out upwards of 88,000 people — the largest wildfire evacuation in Canadian history — and destroyed roughly a fifth of the homes here. A community that rebuilt from that does not need lecturing about hard years. What it does need is straight information, because household finances here move with the oil price whether anyone plans for it or not.
Where your Fort McMurray file sits
the Court of King's Bench in Fort McMurray — the judicial centre is here in town, so your file does not travel. Title work goes through Alberta Land Titles, North district (Edmonton office).
One thing that is never free
Anyone charging an upfront fee to stop a foreclosure. That is the clearest warning sign in this business, and the people who can actually help are paid differently or not at all.
General information about the Alberta foreclosure process — not legal or financial advice, and nothing here guarantees an outcome. Every file is different.