A new B.C.-wide regulation now requires retailers to charge fees for paper and reusable bags, and a consumer advocate says it may come as a shock to shoppers.
“Where I think it will really come into focus, and we’ve already had complaints about this, is delivery orders,” said Greg Wilson with the Retail Council of Canada.
Starting Monday, B.C.’s single-use plastics ban means business operators can only sell shopping bags made of recycled paper or that are reusable. The province says shoppers must also pay at least 25 cents per paper bag, while a reusable one will cost a minimum of $2.
“If you’re reliant on (grocery) delivery, a lot of those come in reusable bags because they’re more durable. That’s $2 a bag. A woman pointed out that she had been charged $28 for 14 bags. That came as a shock,” Wilson told CHEK News.
“There are a number of retailers that will switch to cardboard boxes or reusable bins, but change takes time.”
BC United, meanwhile, says the “punitive” tax on reusable bags in B.C. requires businesses to “punish consumers in the middle of an affordability crisis.”
People living in certain municipalities, like Victoria, are likely already used to the fees. Yet, for others, Wilson says the new fees may lead to frustration at the tills.
“If you’re in Victoria, pretty much all of metro Victoria, the Capital Regional District had bag fees before. So probably not a shock to those consumers,” he said.
“But a surprise, I’d argue, to people in the Fraser Valley, interior north, some places up Island where they don’t have bag fees.”
The regulation has some exemptions, as bags available in-store for items like fruits and vegetables may be offered to customers free of charge.
Restaurants ready for plastic bag ban
The costs come as B.C. bans retailers from giving out plastic bags and certain packaging, also effective July 15 — something Ian Tostenson, president of the BC Restaurant and Foodservice Association, isn’t concerned about.
“There are really no issues at all for us,” said Tostenson.
In B.C., stores can no longer offer plastic shopping bags, and oxo-degradable plastic packaging and single-use products won’t be available for purchase.
This includes foodservice ware, like bowls and boxes, made of biodegradable plastic, polystyrene foam, polyvinyl chloride, or polyvinylidene chloride materials, as well as biodegradable plastic or PVDC film wrap and all oxo-degradable plastics.
“There are certain plastics that are banned and certain plastics that aren’t,” said Tostenson.
It’s the next phase of the CleanBC Plastics Action Plan, which aims to keep harmful waste out of landfills. Oxo-degradable plastics “contain chemicals that cause break down into microplastics and pollute the environment,” the province says.
It says an estimated 340,000 tonnes of plastic items and packaging were disposed of in B.C. in 2019, equating to more than 65 kilograms of plastic waste per person sent to the landfill in one year.
“Oxo-degradable is commonly in waste bags, so there might be some pet-waste bags that will disappear from shelves,” added Wilson.
Tostenson says restaurants, for example, “are pretty much ready to go” as business owners have already been transitioning away from such bags and packaging.
The federal government barred businesses from offering single-use plastic checkout bags, cutlery, foodservice ware, stir sticks, and straws on Dec. 20, 2023. On June 20, ring carriers, or beverage rings, were also banned federally.
And like bag fees, some municipalities, including Saanich and Victoria, previously banned plastic bags. The latter implemented the change locally in April 2021.
“We’re pretty much there. I was at a restaurant the other day, and they were using bamboo knives and forks, and they got rid of styrofoam a long time ago,” said Tostenson in an interview.
“It’s not going to affect us at all.”
However, he did voice concern for stadium venues that use plastic cups to serve beer. “What are they going to use as an alternative? But I’ve had a couple of conversations with stadiums here, and they say they have it figured out.”
What’s next?
The province announced the Single-Use and Plastic Waste Prevention Regulation last July, with changes to be rolled out through 2030, aligning with the Government of Canada’s target of zero plastic waste by the same year.
“Phasing out single-use items is part of the CleanBC Plastics Action Plan to help us move away from temporary and disposable plastics to durable and reusable products,” the province says in a news release Monday.
Come July 1, 2028, PVC film wrap, used to seal and secure food items in containers, will be banned in B.C.
“We don’t know where that’s going because we don’t have an alternative for it right now,” added Tostenson. “As far as today, no issues at all.”
By July 1, 2030, polystyrene foam trays will also be banned in the province.
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.
