Some high school students could be on the road legally without passing a driving test, as Manitoba Public Insurance scrambles to restore priority services while its employees are on strike.
Students who have already completed MPI’s driver education program — known as Driver Z and taken by high-schoolers at least 15 1/2 years old — will be issued a Class 5 licence (permitting operation of passenger vehicles primarily, held by most Manitoba motorists) without having to pass a road test in an attempt to prevent a backlog in testing. The seven-month program includes 20 class hours, 14 hours of in-car instruction and a minimum of 45 hours of mandatory driving practice.
Parental consent will be required for students to receive a licence without a road test, and they can request that their child be subject to one.
It’s part of a new contingency plan to restore services suspended by the walkout earlier this week of MPI’s 1,700 workers in the first strike in the Crown corporation’s 52-year history.
“I’m confident that there will be no safety concerns by taking this step.”–MPI board chair Ward Keith
While road tests have historically been used to determine driver aptitude, MPI board chair Ward Keith said students who complete the Driver Z program are more likely to pass road tests and have fewer future traffic violations than other drivers.
“I’m confident that there will be no safety concerns by taking this step,” Keith said Wednesday.
All other Class 5 drivers who were waiting for a road test before the strike began will be required to take one conducted by driver-education instructors under contract to MPI. The public insurer said 70 instructors have been contracted thus far, and they will have the ability to conduct tests in their modified training vehicles, many of which are fitted with an additional passenger-accessible brake pedal and other safety features the instructor can use to end the test safely.
Students who get licences without passing a road test could find themselves subject to taking one at a later date. Manitoba’s registrar of motor vehicles will have the discretion to require anyone licensed during the strike to pass the proficiency exam down the road, at no cost.
While road tests have historically been used to determine driver aptitude, MPI board chair Ward Keith said students who complete the Driver Z program are more likely to pass road tests and have fewer future traffic violations than other drivers.While road tests have historically been used to determine driver aptitude, MPI board chair Ward Keith said students who complete the Driver Z program are more likely to pass road tests and have fewer future traffic violations than other drivers.
Keith said while there aren’t any requirements in place yet to determine which new drivers are selected to take a test, MPI will be tracking safety stats.
“I’m not saying necessarily that anyone will need to get re-tested. I’m just saying that the registrar needs to have that discretion, if there’s a need to do so in the future. And that’s what we’ll learn from this program,” he said.
An MPI spokesperson said the corporation wasn’t able to provide the number of students who could have their road test waived, but about 12 per cent of all road tests are booked by Driver Z students.
MPI cancelled 2,048 Class 5 road tests this week. Drivers with appointments that were cancelled as a result of the strike are already being contacted, and Keith said the exams are expected to begin early next week.
“I’m hoping that actually we’ll be able to address some of the backlog that currently exists for driver testing by leveraging the driver-ed instructors throughout the province,” he said.
Some experienced driving instructors are less confident than Keith.
Lek Kinnarath, the owner of Maple Leaf Driving School, has been teaching Manitoba’s teenagers to drive for several decades. He said the Driver Z program alone isn’t sufficient to get them road-ready.
“It’s definitely unsafe for them to just get their licence without having a proper test…. I’m strongly opposed to that,” he said.
“I know for sure, most of the students that receive this course, the Drivers Z course, they usually get some basic knowledge only. They are not really in the advanced stage.”
“It’s definitely unsafe for them to just get their licence without having a proper test…. I’m strongly opposed to that.”–Lek Kinnarath, Maple Leaf Driving School
He said he has trained students who have completed the course but waited months to train for their road test, and they had retained little of what they were taught in the program.
“Let’s say, if I have 10 Driver Z students — and I’m talking from my experience of 36 years of teaching — I would say, out of 10 students, there may be only one student that (is) quite good… 90 per cent of them, they are nowhere close to be able to drive safely,” he said.
Ideally, MPI would be bringing in professional driving instructors to hold road tests for all drivers, regardless of what program they’ve completed, he said, adding he was invited by MPI Tuesday to work as a road test examiner. He won’t be crossing the picket line any time soon.
He said he knows many of the striking workers from taking students to their road tests and doesn’t want to betray them.
“They’re asking MPI for better pay, for better living and everything. And here, we, behind their back, we’re doing their job,” he said. “I would say that they would look at us as the enemy.”
Striking workers rallied at the Legislative Building Wednesday afternoon to call out Premier Heather Stefanson, who published a video on her X (formerly Twitter) account chiding the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union for calling back-to-back strikes for members from two (MPI and Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries) Crown corporations.
Striking MPI workers rallied at the Legislative Building Wednesday afternoon to call out Premier Heather Stefanson.”>
Striking MPI workers rallied at the Legislative Building Wednesday afternoon to call out Premier Heather Stefanson.
To chants of “Where is Heather?” from more than 1,000 people in attendance, MGEU president Kyle Ross joked: “She’s probably shooting a video.”
“It’s not easy to take a stand when it comes to your livelihood; going on strike is scary. Over 1,700 families here in Manitoba are putting their lives on line, their necks out and their lives on hold. And so far all they received from their employer and their government is spin, and two poorly produced videos,” Ross said, drawing a loud chorus of boos from the crowd.
Earlier this month during the now-settled MLL workers strike, Andrew Smith, the Progressive Conservative government minister responsible for liquor and lotteries, posted a video blaming the dispute on “the NDP and their union friends.”
At the rally, MPI contact centre employee Cheryl Santilli told the crowd it was time for the province to “recognize the standard of excellence we provide and pay us what we deserve.”
“Stop your war of words with propaganda and false information and get back to the table to negotiate a fair deal for the employees of MPI who make you look so good to everyone.”
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.
