Retail workers say the refusal by Canada’s grocers to reinstate “hero pay” has left them feeling forgotten and unappreciated as the Omicron wave leaves many stores short-staffed and shoppers stocking up.
Multiple grocery store workers say they are busier than ever with more staff calling in sick in the last two weeks than during the entire pandemic.
They say customers are also once again “clearing the shelves” and stocking up on food, which increases the workload in stores.
Tammy Laporte, a full-time grocery store worker, says the last two years have been the hardest of her 23-year career.
She says it’s a “never-ending struggle” to keep the store running smoothly while adhering to increased cleaning requirements and enforcing public health measures.
Laporte says the decision by grocery chains not to bring back the $2-an-hour pay bump is “insulting.”
“It made us feel appreciated,” she said of the pay premium Loblaws, Metro and Sobeys offered workers during the first wave of COVID-19.
“It made us feel like the employer cared, and like they understood the risks we were facing.”
Despite working with a major grocer for more than two decades as a full-time employee, Laporte says the pandemic bonus brought her pay “to the edge of a living wage” for the first time.
“The $2-an-hour increase may not seem like a lot but at the end of the day, it made a big difference.”
Meanwhile, Laporte says gift cards weren’t as helpful, as they were taxable and ended up actually reducing paycheques.
Loblaws, Metro and Sobeys did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
While the grocers did offer a mix of bonuses, gift cards or other benefits during subsequent waves of the pandemic, none appear to be offering any additional pay as a result of the Omicron surge.
However, Sobeys has committed to reinstating its “hero pay” when regions or provinces go back into lockdowns that close all non-essential retail.
Karen Lobb, who has worked at a grocery store for 27 years, said workers would appreciate an acknowledgment of the risks they face going into work every day.
“They took the bonus away but COVID never went way,” she said. “We’ve never closed, we haven’t stopped.”
Lobb added: “We’re short-staffed and some of us are working longer hours to make up for it. Some recognition would be nice.”
CALGARY – TC Energy Corp. has lowered the estimated cost of its Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico.
It says it now expects the project to cost between US$3.9 billion and US$4.1 billion compared with its original estimate of US$4.5 billion.
The change came as the company reported a third-quarter profit attributable to common shareholders of C$1.46 billion or $1.40 per share compared with a loss of C$197 million or 19 cents per share in the same quarter last year.
Revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30 totalled C$4.08 billion, up from C$3.94 billion in the third quarter of 2023.
TC Energy says its comparable earnings for its latest quarter amounted to C$1.03 per share compared with C$1.00 per share a year earlier.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
BCE Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter as it recorded $2.11 billion in asset impairment charges, mainly related to Bell Media’s TV and radio properties.
The company says its net loss attributable to common shareholders amounted to $1.24 billion or $1.36 per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a profit of $640 million or 70 cents per share a year earlier.
On an adjusted basis, BCE says it earned 75 cents per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of 81 cents per share in the same quarter last year.
“Bell’s results for the third quarter demonstrate that we are disciplined in our pursuit of profitable growth in an intensely competitive environment,” BCE chief executive Mirko Bibic said in a statement.
“Our focus this quarter, and throughout 2024, has been to attract higher-margin subscribers and reduce costs to help offset short-term revenue impacts from sustained competitive pricing pressures, slow economic growth and a media advertising market that is in transition.”
Operating revenue for the quarter totalled $5.97 billion, down from $6.08 billion in its third quarter of 2023.
BCE also said it now expects its revenue for 2024 to fall about 1.5 per cent compared with earlier guidance for an increase of zero to four per cent.
The company says the change comes as it faces lower-than-anticipated wireless product revenue and sustained pressure on wireless prices.
BCE added 33,111 net postpaid mobile phone subscribers, down 76.8 per cent from the same period last year, which was the company’s second-best performance on the metric since 2010.
It says the drop was driven by higher customer churn — a measure of subscribers who cancelled their service — amid greater competitive activity and promotional offer intensity. BCE’s monthly churn rate for the category was 1.28 per cent, up from 1.1 per cent during its previous third quarter.
The company also saw 11.6 per cent fewer gross subscriber activations “due to more targeted promotional offers and mobile device discounting compared to last year.”
Bell’s wireless mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.26, down 3.4 per cent from $60.28 in the third quarter of the prior year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada Goose Holdings Inc. trimmed its financial guidance as it reported its second-quarter revenue fell compared with a year ago.
The luxury clothing company says revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 29 totalled $267.8 million, down from $281.1 million in the same quarter last year.
Net income attributable to shareholders amounted to $5.4 million or six cents per diluted share, up from $3.9 million or four cents per diluted share a year earlier.
On an adjusted basis, Canada Goose says it earned five cents per diluted share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of 16 cents per diluted share a year earlier.
In its outlook, Canada Goose says it now expects total revenue for its full financial year to show a low-single-digit percentage decrease to low-single-digit percentage increase compared with earlier guidance for a low-single-digit increase.
It also says it now expects its adjusted net income per diluted share to show a mid-single-digit percentage increase compared with earlier guidance for a percentage increase in the mid-teens.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
