Her daughter is only 14. But Air Canada still left her to fend for herself at the airport
Diomerys O’Leary wants Air Canada to change its policies after the airline cancelled Eva’s flight and left the unaccompanied girl in Toronto’s airport, without food or a place to sleep. (Ted Dillon/CBC)
Diomerys O’Leary was already nervous about letting her daughter fly alone, but she never imagined Air Canada would abandon the girl in Canada’s biggest airport after cancelling the last leg of her trip home.
An email on Jan. 18 notified O’Leary that her daughter Eva’s flight from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport to St. John’s was cancelled due to a labour disruption at the Newfoundland and Labrador airport, and rescheduled for two days later.
Then came the flood of texts from her panicked daughter, saying Air Canada told her she was on her own to find a place to sleep, food and transportation.
“She was crying and desperate, asking me ‘What do I do?’ … I just couldn’t believe it,” O’Leary told Go Public.
Like other airlines — WestJet and Air Transat among them — Air Canada offers a for-fee service subject to certain conditions, where staff help kids flying on their own. But that service is not available for multi-leg trips such as Eva’s.
That meant O’Leary was forced to try to get Eva’s travel plans sorted remotely, as her daughter worried about where she would stay that night, how she would afford dinner, and when she would be able to get home.
But even though her daughter’s now back home in St. John’s, O’Leary said she still isn’t satisfied.
After hearing from Go Public, Air Canada offered her a $500 travel coupon “as a goodwill gesture,” which O’Leary says she declined, saying, “it was never about the money.” Read more
Why are plastic bags from Canada ending up as litter in India?
A wrapper from a package of soft drinks sold in Canada has made its way to India. (Gil Shochat/Radio-Canada)
A new investigation by Radio-Canada’s Enquête shows that while Canada has become one of the biggest exporters of recyclable paper to India, that’s not all we’re sending there.
Journalists found that much of what is supposed to be paper being sent to the country actually contains tonnes of plastic bags, some of which litter the Indian landscape. They are often burned as a fuel source.
The city of Montreal is considered among the worst offenders when it comes to shipping off contaminated bales of paper. Read more
Much ado about mittens as Team Canada fans call out high prices for Lululemon’s Olympic gear
Lululemon is facing some criticism for its Olympic gear pricing this year, which includes the pair on the left, which sell for $68 a pair. The mittens on the right were a viral hit for HBC in 2010, when they sold like hotcakes for $10 a pair. (Lululemon.com/Larry MacDougal/The Canadian Press)
A pair of red mittens emblazoned with the letters CAN over the fingers selling for $68 is drawing ire from some Canadians who are upset about the high cost of official Olympic merchandise at Lululemon.
The company purchased the exclusive rights to sell the official swag last fall, but many Canadians have taken their griping online, complaining the prices are well above what average Canadians can afford.
The mittens in particular are drawing unfavourable comparisons with the iconic red and white maple leaf mittens that were a runaway hit for previous Olympic sponsor HBC. They sold for $10 a pair during the 2010 Games in Vancouver.
In a statement, Lululemon told CBC News the higher prices are due to their commitment to making the “highest-quality products.” Read more
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TORONTO – Canada Goose Holdings Inc. says it has signed a deal that will result in the creation of its first eyewear collection.
The deal announced on Thursday by the Toronto-based luxury apparel company comes in the form of an exclusive, long-term global licensing agreement with Marchon Eyewear Inc.
The terms and value of the agreement were not disclosed, but Marchon produces eyewear for brands including Lacoste, Nike, Calvin Klein, Ferragamo, Longchamp and Zeiss.
Marchon plans to roll out both sunglasses and optical wear under the Canada Goose name next spring, starting in North America.
Canada Goose says the eyewear will be sold through optical retailers, department stores, Canada Goose shops and its website.
Canada Goose CEO Dani Reiss told The Canadian Press in August that he envisioned his company eventually expanding into eyewear and luggage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Almost seven years since news broke of an alleged conspiracy to fix the price of packaged bread across Canada, the saga isn’t over: the Competition Bureau continues to investigate the companies that may have been involved, and two class-action lawsuits continue to work their way through the courts.
Here’s a timeline of key events in the bread price-fixing case.
Oct. 31, 2017: The Competition Bureau says it’s investigating allegations of bread price-fixing and that it was granted search warrants in the case. Several grocers confirm they are co-operating in the probe.
Dec. 19, 2017: Loblaw and George Weston say they participated in an “industry-wide price-fixing arrangement” to raise the price of packaged bread. The companies say they have been co-operating in the Competition Bureau’s investigation since March 2015, when they self-reported to the bureau upon discovering anti-competitive behaviour, and are receiving immunity from prosecution. They announce they are offering $25 gift cards to customers amid the ongoing investigation into alleged bread price-fixing.
Jan. 31, 2018: In court documents, the Competition Bureau says at least $1.50 was added to the price of a loaf of bread between about 2001 and 2016.
Dec. 20, 2019: A class-action lawsuit in a Quebec court against multiple grocers and food companies is certified against a number of companies allegedly involved in bread price-fixing, including Loblaw, George Weston, Metro, Sobeys, Walmart Canada, Canada Bread and Giant Tiger (which have all denied involvement, except for Loblaw and George Weston, which later settled with the plaintiffs).
Dec. 31, 2021: A class-action lawsuit in an Ontario court covering all Canadian residents except those in Quebec who bought packaged bread from a company named in the suit is certified against roughly the same group of companies.
June 21, 2023: Bakery giant Canada Bread Co. is fined $50 million after pleading guilty to four counts of price-fixing under the Competition Act as part of the Competition Bureau’s ongoing investigation.
Oct. 25 2023: Canada Bread files a statement of defence in the Ontario class action denying participating in the alleged conspiracy and saying any anti-competitive behaviour it participated in was at the direction and to the benefit of its then-majority owner Maple Leaf Foods, which is not a defendant in the case (neither is its current owner Grupo Bimbo). Maple Leaf calls Canada Bread’s accusations “baseless.”
Dec. 20, 2023: Metro files new documents in the Ontario class action accusing Loblaw and its parent company George Weston of conspiring to implicate it in the alleged scheme, denying involvement. Sobeys has made a similar claim. The two companies deny the allegations.
July 25, 2024: Loblaw and George Weston say they agreed to pay a combined $500 million to settle both the Ontario and Quebec class-action lawsuits. Loblaw’s share of the settlement includes a $96-million credit for the gift cards it gave out years earlier.
Sept. 12, 2024: Canada Bread files new documents in Ontario court as part of the class action, claiming Maple Leaf used it as a “shield” to avoid liability in the alleged scheme. Maple Leaf was a majority shareholder of Canada Bread until 2014, and the company claims it’s liable for any price-fixing activity. Maple Leaf refutes the claims.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:L, TSX:MFI, TSX:MRU, TSX:EMP.A, TSX:WN)
TORONTO – TD Bank Group, which is mired in a money laundering scandal in the U.S., says chief executive Bharat Masrani will retire next year.
Masrani, who will retire officially on April 10, 2025, says the bank’s, “anti-money laundering challenges,” took place on his watch and he takes full responsibility.
The bank named Raymond Chun, TD’s group head, Canadian personal banking, as his successor.
As part of a transition plan, Chun will become chief operating officer on Nov. 1 before taking over the top job when Masrani steps down at the bank’s annual meeting next year.
TD also announced that Riaz Ahmed, group head, wholesale banking and president and CEO of TD Securities, will retire at the end of January 2025.
TD has taken billions in charges related to ongoing U.S. investigations into the failure of its anti-money laundering program.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
