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More action needed to address grocery store sticker shock, expert says

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Photo by Clark Young via Unsplash

THUNDER BAY — Since details of the federal government’s meetings were released with grocery store CEOs regarding the astounding cost of food across the country, the question looms on what this will mean for consumers right now.

Charles Levkoe, a Canada Research Chair in sustainable food systems and an associate professor at Lakehead University, said there are other issues at play when it comes to food security and sustainability, even though the “Big 5” grocery retailers (Loblaw, Metro, Empire, Walmart and Costco) came to an agreement with Ottawa to stabilize prices for consumers.

Many Canadians are very critical of grocery stores right now, Levkoe said.

“A recent study showed that over 80 per cent of Canadians are feeling a lack of trust in the grocery stores. Feeling that while, again, we are all being pinched, that profiteering is happening,” he said in an interview on Friday.

Levkoe co-authored a recent paper titled, Civil society engagement in food systems governance in Canada: Experiences, gaps, and possibilities. In the paper, he said food systems have much of their power concentrated in large corporations and governments, which leads to decision-making focused on profits and efficiency rather than food provisioning and sustainability.

“A lot of the real concerns that people are facing here in Thunder Bay are not necessarily just about the price in the grocery store, but it’s a whole range of issues that have not been addressed by the federal government or by the provincial governments,” Levkoe said, adding that food producers are experiencing higher costs and trouble selling their product.

When comparing August 2023 to the same time last year, Statistics Canada reports that the cost of groceries has gone up by 6.9 per cent. When compared to two years previous, prices increased by over 17 per cent.

He noted people living in remote communities either have minimal access to stores and might have to travel outside of their community for food, or where there is access, the price is exorbitant.

Each time the minimum wage is increased, the topic of providing a living wage and/or providing a basic income. Levkoe said if the government wants to make an impact for residents in the region, there are underlying issues that need to be addressed.

“There’s been lots of research that has shown a basic income can be a really important way for people to survive, especially in northern communities where, you know, work is maybe not as stable, or they can’t find jobs as easily as they would in other places.”

He believes communities will help drive this change.

“If we look at food insecurity, not having enough food really as a product of income or inequality, we have to address those issues of, of inequality and poverty,” he said.

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Federal $500M bailout for Muskrat Falls power delays to keep N.S. rate hikes in check

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HALIFAX – Ottawa is negotiating a $500-million bailout for Nova Scotia’s privately owned electric utility, saying the money will be used to prevent a big spike in electricity rates.

Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson made the announcement today in Halifax, saying Nova Scotia Power Inc. needs the money to cover higher costs resulting from the delayed delivery of electricity from the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric plant in Labrador.

Wilkinson says that without the money, the subsidiary of Emera Inc. would have had to increase rates by 19 per cent over “the short term.”

Nova Scotia Power CEO Peter Gregg says the deal, once approved by the province’s energy regulator, will keep rate increases limited “to be around the rate of inflation,” as costs are spread over a number of years.

The utility helped pay for construction of an underwater transmission link between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, but the Muskrat Falls project has not been consistent in delivering electricity over the past five years.

Those delays forced Nova Scotia Power to spend more on generating its own electricity.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Roots sees room for expansion in activewear, reports $5.2M Q2 loss and sales drop

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TORONTO – Roots Corp. may have built its brand on all things comfy and cosy, but its CEO says activewear is now “really becoming a core part” of the brand.

The category, which at Roots spans leggings, tracksuits, sports bras and bike shorts, has seen such sustained double-digit growth that Meghan Roach plans to make it a key part of the business’ future.

“It’s an area … you will see us continue to expand upon,” she told analysts on a Friday call.

The Toronto-based retailer’s push into activewear has taken shape over many years and included several turns as the official designer and supplier of Team Canada’s Olympic uniform.

But consumers have had plenty of choice when it comes to workout gear and other apparel suited to their sporting needs. On top of the slew of athletic brands like Nike and Adidas, shoppers have also gravitated toward Lululemon Athletica Inc., Alo and Vuori, ramping up competition in the activewear category.

Roach feels Roots’ toehold in the category stems from the fit, feel and following its merchandise has cultivated.

“Our product really resonates with (shoppers) because you can wear it through multiple different use cases and occasions,” she said.

“We’ve been seeing customers come back again and again for some of these core products in our activewear collection.”

Her remarks came the same day as Roots revealed it lost $5.2 million in its latest quarter compared with a loss of $5.3 million in the same quarter last year.

The company said the second-quarter loss amounted to 13 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Aug. 3, the same as a year earlier.

In presenting the results, Roach reminded analysts that the first half of the year is usually “seasonally small,” representing just 30 per cent of the company’s annual sales.

Sales for the second quarter totalled $47.7 million, down from $49.4 million in the same quarter last year.

The move lower came as direct-to-consumer sales amounted to $36.4 million, down from $37.1 million a year earlier, as comparable sales edged down 0.2 per cent.

The numbers reflect the fact that Roots continued to grapple with inventory challenges in the company’s Cooper fleece line that first cropped up in its previous quarter.

Roots recently began to use artificial intelligence to assist with daily inventory replenishments and said more tools helping with allocation will go live in the next quarter.

Beyond that time period, the company intends to keep exploring AI and renovate more of its stores.

It will also re-evaluate its design ranks.

Roots announced Friday that chief product officer Karuna Scheinfeld has stepped down.

Rather than fill the role, the company plans to hire senior level design talent with international experience in the outdoor and activewear sectors who will take on tasks previously done by the chief product officer.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:ROOT)

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Talks on today over HandyDART strike affecting vulnerable people in Metro Vancouver

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VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, are set to resume today as a strike that has stopped most services drags into a second week.

No timeline has been set for the length of the negotiations, but Joe McCann, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they are willing to stay there as long as it takes, even if talks drag on all night.

About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people unable to navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last Tuesday, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.

Hundreds of drivers rallied outside TransLink’s head office earlier this week, calling for the transportation provider to intervene in the dispute with Transdev, which was contracted to oversee HandyDART service.

Transdev said earlier this week that it will provide a reply to the union’s latest proposal on Thursday.

A statement from the company said it “strongly believes” that their employees deserve fair wages, and that a fair contract “must balance the needs of their employees, clients and taxpayers.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

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