Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage, seen here in Edmonton on June 18, 2019, told The Globe and Mail in an e-mail the oil sands are strategically important to Alberta and Canada, and more information on their continued operation would be released in the coming days. AMBER BRACKEN/The Canadian Press
Oil sands workers will be declared essential in Alberta as the province prepares a list of who will keep working should it need to ratchet up its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ontario and Quebec shuttered all non-essential businesses Monday in a bid to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Essential workplaces in those provinces include supermarkets, gas stations, pharmacies, takeout and delivery restaurants, hotels, and hardware, liquor, beer and cannabis stores.
An Alberta government source, not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, said their province will soon take similar action. The source said the list is currently being developed by a cross-ministry team with officials from health, labour, energy and municipal affairs under the guidance of the Provincial Operations Centre.
Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage told The Globe and Mail in an e-mail the oil sands are strategically important to Alberta and Canada, and more information on their continued operation would be released in the coming days.
She said the health and safety of the thousands of workers from across Canada who live in fly-in, fly-out oil sands camps in northern Alberta, typically for several weeks at a stretch, will be a focus for the government.
The risk is that they may then have contact with other people who are more vulnerable, such as seniors or people with underlying conditions.
Last week, a worker at Borealis Lodge, about 22 kilometres north of Fort McMurray, was taken to hospital with symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Civeo Corp., a U.S. company that operates that camp and others in the oil sands, told The Globe and Mail Tuesday the worker’s test came back negative.
Ms. Savage said camp operators are currently working with Alberta Health Services to ensure appropriate operating standards, including changes to food service operations and transportation methods, and ensuring proper social distancing protocols.
In the case of Civeo, the company said that means packaged food and reduced canteen hours, screening new arrivals for symptoms, controlled access to common areas, and banning anyone who has travelled internationally from accessing a facility for 14 days after their return.
Oil sands producers continue to operate despite oil prices battered by reduced demand because of the contagion, and a global oil-price war being waged by Saudi Arabia and Russia.
Those market conditions have led North American oil companies to slash more than US$20 billion from their capital budgets in efforts to protect their bottom lines.
The latest massive dial-down came from Suncor Energy Inc., which on Monday night announced it would trim spending by $1.5 billion this year. It also revised its crude production forecast down by 7 per cent.
A multibillion-dollar government aid package for Canada’s energy industry, expected to come from Ottawa, could be at least week away. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has said he would like to see federal cash for a program to help clean up abandoned and inactive oil and gas wells, which would create jobs and shrink company liabilities.
As the sector faces its ongoing financial woes, Alberta’s Associate Minister of Natural Gas, Dale Nally, saw his folio expanded Tuesday to include electricity.
The government said in a statement the effective operation of Alberta’s natural gas and electricity systems is critical to the province’s health response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to support much-needed economic activity.
Mr. Kenney said the change would allow Ms. Savage to focus on the “unprecedented challenges” faced by Alberta’s largest industry.
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.
