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Canada probes Nike, Dynasty Gold over alleged use of Uyghur forced labour

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Canada’s ethics watchdog has launched investigations into allegations that Nike Canada and a gold mining company benefitted from Uyghur forced labour in their China operations.

The watchdog’s probes stem from complaints filed by a coalition of human rights groups.

Nike says they no longer have ties to the companies accused of using Uyghur forced labour.

Dynasty Gold says these allegations arose after they left the region.

A United Nations report in 2022 found China had committed “serious human rights violations” against Uyghurs, an ethnic Muslim minority population living in the region of Xinjiang, that “may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity”. Beijing denies the accusations.

This is the first such investigation announced by the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (Core) since it launched its complaint mechanism in 2021.

The agency alleges that Nike Canada Corp has supply relationships with several Chinese companies that an Australian think tank identified as using or benefitting from Uyghur forced labour.

In 2020, the think tank, Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), published a report estimating that over 80,000 Uyghurs had been transferred to work in factories across China.

The report says the company has not taken “any concrete steps to ensure beyond a reasonable doubt that forced labour is not implicated in their supply chain”.

 

Uighur family pictured outside their home

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Nike says they no longer have ties with these companies and provided information on their due diligence practices.

According to the report, Nike turned down meetings with the ombudsman, but sent a letter saying “we are concerned about reports of forced labour in, and connected to, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR)”.

“Nike does not source products from the XUAR and we have confirmed with our contract suppliers that they are not using textiles or spun yarn from the region.”

The report on Dynasty Gold suggests it benefitted from the use of Uyghur forced labour at a mine in China in which the gold mining company holds a majority interest.

The mining company says it does not have operational control over the mine and that these allegations arose after it left the region.

Dynasty’s chief executive Ivy Chong told the CBC the initial report was “totally unfounded”.

The ethics watchdog has a mandate to hold Canadian garment, mining, and oil and gas companies working outside of the country accountable for possible human rights abuses that arise from their overseas operations, including in their supply chains.

“On their face, the allegations made by the complainants raise serious issues regarding the possible abuse of the internationally recognized right to be free from forced labour,” Ombudsperson Sheri Meyerhoffer said in a copy of her initial assessment, made public Tuesday.

“It is our mission to resolve human rights complaints in a fair and unbiased manner in order to help those impacted and to strengthen the responsible business practices of the companies involved.”

The watchdog looked into complaints filed by a coalition of 28 civil society organisations in June 2022.

There were 11 other complaints, besides the ones against Nike and Dynasty Gold, which the watchdog will release reports on soon.

The BBC has reached out to both companies for comment.

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Cineplex reports $24.7M Q3 loss on Competition Tribunal penalty

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TORONTO – Cineplex Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter compared with a profit a year ago as it was hit by a fine for deceptive marketing practices imposed by the Competition Tribunal.

The movie theatre company says it lost $24.7 million or 39 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a profit of $29.7 million or 40 cents per diluted share a year earlier.

The results in the most recent quarter included a $39.2-million provision related to the Competition Tribunal decision, which Cineplex is appealing.

The Competition Bureau accused the company of misleading theatregoers by not immediately presenting them with the full price of a movie ticket when they purchased seats online, a view the company has rejected.

Revenue for the quarter totalled $395.6 million, down from $414.5 million in the same quarter last year, while theatre attendance totalled 13.3 million for the quarter compared with nearly 15.7 million a year earlier.

Box office revenue per patron in the quarter climbed to $13.19 compared with $12 in the same quarter last year, while concession revenue per patron amounted to $9.85, up from $8.44 a year ago.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:CGX)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Restaurant Brands reports US$357M Q3 net income, down from US$364M a year ago

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TORONTO – Restaurant Brands International Inc. reported net income of US$357 million for its third quarter, down from US$364 million in the same quarter last year.

The company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says its profit amounted to 79 cents US per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with 79 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.

Revenue for the parent company of Tim Hortons, Burger King, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs, totalled US$2.29 billion, up from US$1.84 billion in the same quarter last year.

Consolidated comparable sales were up 0.3 per cent.

On an adjusted basis, Restaurant Brands says it earned 93 cents US per diluted share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 90 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.

The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents US per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:QSR)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Electric and gas utility Fortis reports $420M Q3 profit, up from $394M a year ago

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ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Fortis Inc. reported a third-quarter profit of $420 million, up from $394 million in the same quarter last year.

The electric and gas utility says the profit amounted to 85 cents per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, up from 81 cents per share a year earlier.

Fortis says the increase was driven by rate base growth across its utilities, and strong earnings in Arizona largely reflecting new customer rates at Tucson Electric Power.

Revenue in the quarter totalled $2.77 billion, up from $2.72 billion in the same quarter last year.

On an adjusted basis, Fortis says it earned 85 cents per share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 84 cents per share in the third quarter of 2023.

The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 82 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:FTS)

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