Brett Favaro received an $80 ticket, right, for plugging his electric vehicle into a wall outlet at Surrey’s Central City mall where he drew 13 cents worth of electricity in one hour. The fine was later rescinded and the ticket reduced to a warning. (Submitted by Brett Favaro – image credit)
Thirteen cents worth of electricity turned into a big headache and even bigger bill for a Surrey man who was slapped with an $80 fine for charging his electric vehicle at a wall outlet in the Central City mall parking lot.
Brett Favaro was hoping to add a few kilometres of range to his Chevy Volt when he and his daughter went shopping on Wednesday.
After finding all the charging stations either occupied or out of commission, he spied an open wall socket. So he parked, plugged in, and went into the mall.
When he returned an hour later, the $80 ticket on his windshield described the violation as “using outlet to charge vehicle not allowed.”
“There was no signage anywhere that said you couldn’t do it, so I was genuinely surprised because it doesn’t seem all that far-fetched to plug your car into a wall outlet,” said Favaro. “It’s a parking lot. It’s an outlet facing the lot. I didn’t have any reason to believe it wouldn’t be allowed, especially because it’s allowed at a lot of other places.”
After posting about the ticket on social media, the company that runs the lot on behalf of the mall, Concord Parking, rescinded the fine as a “one-time courtesy” and reduced the ticket to a “warning.”
Submitted by Brett Favaro
The general manager of Central City said the mall is very supportive of electric vehicles and plans to enhance signage in the area.
“We have 40 EV charging stations at our site designed for properly charging electric vehicles,” said Daniella Leck. “The electrical wall outlets are for use by our maintenance team for things like power washers to keep our parkade clean. They are not intended or designed for electric vehicle charging.”
Most EVs can “trickle” or slow charge at a standard three pin outlet, gaining around 15 kilometres of battery range every hour.
Favaro, who is a conservation scientist and dean of the faculty of science and horticulture at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, argues making regular outlets available for charging — like those provided for block heater plug-ins in colder parts of Canada — makes sense for businesses, customers and the environment.
“It’s not unusual to shop for an hour or two,” he said. “That might be enough power to get you home without having to use fossil fuels.”
The president of the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association said the case highlights how the supply of EV charging isn’t meeting the growing demand.
“I do see it being a point of tension,” said Harry Constantine. “I always [ask] why bother putting in a power outlet if you’re not wanting people to use it? I think the better way is for people to get out in front of this and install more charging.”
Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press
Constantine said as of January 2022, businesses and multi-unit residences of five or more units can cash in on B.C.’s low carbon fuel standard by installing chargers and earning carbon credits.
“If you monitor your power usage, you can report that to the government and sell those carbon credits. And those carbon credits are then bought by oil and gas companies to offset their carbon footprint,” he said.
B.C.’s recent history of disastrous wildfires, flooding and extreme heat has put climate change front of mind and become a factor in the rapid rate of EV adoption by B.C. drivers.
According to the province, zero emission vehicles accounted for over 10 per cent of all new light-duty vehicle sales in 2021, the highest rate in North America.
And with the trend only accelerating it follows that the growing number of EV drivers will be in the market for charging options.
“I think a lot of property owners maybe just don’t understand the opportunity,” said Favaro.
“We’re in a climate crisis and we want people to adopt zero emission vehicles — whether it’s electric cars, bikes, anything else. And if you have a wall outlet in your parking lot, you have EV infrastructure, and that is actually a positive.”
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.
