Orderly Payment of Debts
A government-approved program that consolidates your unsecured debts into one affordable monthly payment at a fixed low interest rate, often around 5%.
What an Orderly Payment of Debts is
An Orderly Payment of Debts, or OPD, is a government-approved debt repayment program that consolidates your unsecured debts into one affordable monthly payment at a fixed low interest rate. It is a legal process set out under the federal Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and administered through the provincial court system.
It lets you repay what you owe in full over time while receiving protection from most collection actions. It is sometimes called a consolidation order.
Full repayment, lower interest
If you qualify, the program combines your eligible unsecured debts, fixes the interest rate at a relatively low level, often around 5% per year, and sets a repayment schedule of typically up to five years based on what you can reasonably afford.
In Alberta, OPD is delivered through a provincially designated organisation that administers the program, works with your creditors and collects your payments.
Available in four provinces
Orderly Payment of Debts is not a Canada-wide solution. It is offered only in these provinces.
- Alberta
- Saskatchewan
- Nova Scotia
- Prince Edward Island
Residents of other provinces may have access to similar but not identical programs through their local courts or credit-counselling agencies. If you live elsewhere, a consumer proposal is usually the closest equivalent, and we can walk you through it.
Who can qualify
Each province sets its own detailed criteria, but the typical requirements look like this.
This is a general guide, not a determination. Only a Licensed Insolvency Trustee can confirm whether you qualify and file on your behalf.
- You live in a province where OPD is available: Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia or Prince Edward Island.
- You have unsecured debts you cannot manage at current interest rates or payment schedules.
- You have a steady enough income to support a consolidated monthly payment over several years.
- You are unable to obtain an affordable consolidation loan through a bank or credit union.
- Your debts are unsecured, such as credit cards, lines of credit, personal loans and certain government debts. Mortgages and car loans are not included and continue to be paid separately.
How the program works
An OPD functions like a structured, court-sanctioned consolidation plan.
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01
Contact a local OPD administrator
If you live in a province where OPD is offered, you start with the approved organisation that runs the program. They review your income, debts and budget to determine whether OPD suits your situation.
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Application to the court
The administrator files an application with the provincial court for a consolidation order on your behalf. If granted, the order consolidates your eligible unsecured debts into one balance and fixes your interest rate, typically at around 5% per year.
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Stay of proceedings and creditor notification
Once the order is in place, most collection actions such as wage garnishments and lawsuits must stop. Your creditors are notified that you are under a court-ordered repayment plan and that all payments will be handled through the program.
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One single monthly payment
The court or administrator sets a monthly amount based on your income, household size and essential living expenses. You make that one payment to the administrator, who distributes the funds to your creditors on a regular schedule.
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Completion of the program
You keep paying until the consolidated balance plus the fixed interest is fully repaid, usually over three to five years. Once complete, your included unsecured debts are paid in full and the OPD notation eventually falls off your credit report.
Advantages and trade-offs
OPD is a full-repayment program, so it works best for people who are cash-flow constrained but could pay their debts over time if interest were reduced and payments simplified.
Advantages
- Combines most unsecured debts into one predictable monthly payment.
- Reduces interest to a fixed low rate, often around 5%.
- Provides legal protection from most collection actions and wage garnishments.
- Lets you keep your assets as long as you maintain payments on secured debts.
- Offers a clear timeline to becoming debt-free, usually within three to five years.
Trade-offs
- Requires enough income to repay your debts in full, plus the fixed interest.
- Available in certain provinces only, so not everyone in Canada can access it.
- You generally cannot take on new credit while you are in the program.
- Does not reduce the principal you owe. It restructures the debt and lowers the interest.
- Still has a negative effect on your credit report for a period of time.
Because OPD requires repaying the full balance plus interest, it is not automatically the best choice even where it is available. We compare it against the alternatives side by side before you decide.
How Wizdom Financial helps
OPD can be an excellent alternative to a consumer proposal or bankruptcy, especially for Albertans and others in eligible provinces. It is not automatically the best choice for everyone, which is where we come in.
We review your full financial picture, including income, debts, assets and monthly obligations, to see whether OPD is realistic. We compare scenarios side by side: OPD, consumer proposal, bankruptcy and traditional consolidation.
The goal is for you to understand how each option affects your monthly payments, total cost, credit and long-term goals, so the decision is genuinely informed.
If OPD looks like the best path, we get you application-ready by:
- Organising your list of creditors, balances and interest rates
- Building a detailed budget showing what you can reasonably afford each month
- Identifying debts that may or may not be eligible for the program
That preparation lets the administrator and the court review your case quickly and accurately.
In provinces like Alberta, OPD is administered through specific provincially approved organisations. We help you connect with the correct administrator for your region, understand the documents they require, and navigate the court application and consolidation order.
Throughout, we make sure instructions from the administrator are clear and that you always know what happens next.
Once your consolidation order is granted, staying consistent is what matters. We support you by:
- Fine-tuning your budget as circumstances change
- Planning for irregular or seasonal expenses without missing payments
- Suggesting systems such as automatic transfers and dedicated account structures
With the right support the program becomes a predictable part of your routine rather than a constant source of stress.
When the final payment is made, your included debts are fully repaid. We help you:
- Rebuild your credit profile through intentional, responsible use of new credit
- Redirect the cash flow you were putting into OPD into savings, investments or other goals
- Create a longer-term plan that reduces the risk of falling back into unmanageable debt
How this differs from the other two
OPD is the middle ground: full repayment, lower interest, lighter credit mark. The other two reduce or clear what you owe instead.
Consumer proposal
Repays only a portion of what you owe, commonly 30% to 70%, and stops interest entirely on the included debts. Available across Canada, with a heavier credit mark than OPD.
How a proposal worksBankruptcy
Eliminates most unsecured debts rather than repaying them. The fastest route through, and the most severe on your credit and certain assets.
How bankruptcy worksOPD questions
Yes. OPD is a full-repayment program. It does not reduce the principal you owe. What it changes is the interest rate, which is fixed at a relatively low level, often around 5%, and the fact that everything becomes one manageable monthly payment.
OPD would not be available to you. Other provinces may offer similar but not identical programs through local courts or credit-counselling agencies, and a consumer proposal is usually the closest nationwide equivalent. We will walk you through what applies where you live.
Generally yes, as long as you stay current on those secured loans. Mortgages and car loans are not included in the OPD, so you continue paying them separately in order to keep the asset.
Generally no. You usually cannot take on new credit while you are in an OPD, and the program appears on your credit report for a period after completion.
Usually three to five years, depending on your balance and what you can afford each month. Once the consolidated balance plus fixed interest is repaid, the program is complete.
No questions match that search. Try a different word, or just ask us directly.
Find out if OPD is open to you
A free 30-minute conversation. We will confirm whether your province offers it and whether it beats the alternatives for your situation.
Mon to Fri 8:00am to 8:30pm, and Saturdays