The provincial government announced proposed new rules for cellphone contracts on Monday.
The plans follow on input from the public and industry that was sought earlier in the year.
"Manitobans have told us they are frustrated by high cancellation fees, unilateral changes to contract terms and prices, hidden charges and complex and unclear contracts," said Gord Mackintosh, the province's minister of family and consumer affairs, in a statement.
Seven measures would be included under the new rules, including prohibiting unreasonable cancellation fees, while still allowing cost recovery. The rules would also require companies to fully disclose and explain all charges and would require the minimum monthly cost to be included in advertisements.
In Manitoba, MTS said it's supportive of the legislation.
"We see this an opportunity to actually attract more customers," said Selena Hines of MTS.
The Consumers' Protection Association of Canada, meanwhile, said Manitoba's proposed legislation is good, but not good enough.
As it stands, it said if you try to cancel your cellphone plan the provider could take a month, even two months, to actually cancel that plan. The association said it should be capped to a week.
If approved in the legislature, the new rules proposed by the province would come into effect in 2012. The Consumer Protection Office would monitor industry to ensure compliance with the rules.
- with a report from CTV's Laura Lowe
- more information on the proposed cellphone rules is available on the province's website
