FORT CHIPEWYAN, ALTA. —
As the deadlock between a group of Indigenous chiefs and a northern B.C. pipeline brings rail traffic to a standstill, the future of another energy project in northern Alberta is hanging in the balance.
The proposed Teck Frontier oil sands mine project, estimated at $20 billion, would be about twice the size of Vancouver. It is expected to create 7,000 construction jobs and 2,500 permanent positions.
A federal-provincial joint review panel found last July that the project would be in the public interest, even though it would likely harm wetlands, old growth forests and wildlife.
The project, if approved, would be capable of producing more than a quarter-million barrels of oil each day and roughly four million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year for over 40 years.
Ottawa is expected to decide next week whether to approve or reject the project.
Fourteen Indigenous groups in the area have signed benefits agreements with the company. But some Indigenous elders say the project would be catastrophic for the environment and would cause irreversible damage to the land.
Kevin Weidlich is among the project’s supporters. He says the mine would spur an economic boost to his community.
“We want to be champions of an evolution of our Indigenous people to be able to have a balance between development as well as the traditional aspects of life,” said Weidlich, who is CEO of the Wood Buffalo Economic Development Corporation.
Bill Loutitt, CEO for the McMurray Metis, echoed those feelings.
“We want to ensure that our elders and youth are taken care of, just like everybody else, and the only way to do that is by being involved,” said Loutitt.
But Alice Rigney, a Dene elder in Fort Chipewyan – the community closest to the proposed mine site — says none of that matters if the environment is destroyed.
“Teck Frontier is going to destroy this land completely. And when I say the land, everything that goes with it, including the people, the birds, the animals, the fish, the water,” she said.
Fred “Jumbo” Fraser, an 82-year-old Metis elder, has lived in the community for his entire life. He says he’s already seen a dramatic difference in the land, even without the mine.
“We don’t have any water in our delta anymore. Everything has dried up, so we’re not trapping … We don’t have hardly any wildlife, there’s no rabbits,” he said.
Even so, Fraser says rejecting the mine won’t bring back that lost wildlife.
Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation says he understands the environmental concerns, but he still supports Teck Frontier.
“Better to be on the inside than the outside because when you’re on the outside, you’re always barking up a tree that you’ll never get anywhere,” Adam said.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney supports the mine and has urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to approve it, warning that a rejection could bring Western alienation to a “boiling point.”
Earlier this month, Kenney sent a letter to Trudeau hailing the project as the “model of environmental and social responsibility.”
“[Teck Frontier’s] rejection would have devastating impacts on Alberta and Canada’s economy and federal-provincial relations,” Kenney wrote in his letter to Trudeau.
“It would be interpreted as a rejection of our most important industry and could raise roiling Western alienation to a boiling point – something I know your government has been attentive to since the election.”
The Liberal government has vowed to reach net-zero emissions for Canada by 2050. In late January, Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said the decision over whether to approve the project will include considerations as to what Alberta is doing to help reach that goal.
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.
