Mosetta Ferguson says she saved up for more than a year to take her first trip to Canada to visit her daughter, a trip she says was wonderful until her flight home was cancelled as a result of a strike involving WestJet mechanics that stranded thousands of people over the long weekend.
Ferguson, who lives in the Caribbean, arrived in June for a two-week stay with her daughter in Thorold, Ont. in Niagara Region.
She was set to fly out Saturday with her 14-year-old and her five-year-old. So her daughter drove the three to the airport at 4 a.m., only to discover that the flight had been cancelled because of the short-lived 48-hour strike.
They turned around and went back to Thorold, returning to Pearson at 6 a.m. Tuesday for the rescheduled flight at 9:30 a.m.
But when they arrived, Ferguson says, they were told they didn’t have tickets for that flight.
“Why are we not on the flight? Because they did not send us a rebooking when they rescheduled the flight,” she says.
Ferguson said that her older daughter opens one restaurant early and closes another late and was not able to make another three-hour round-trip to the airport on Thursday, so the mom and her two younger children stayed at the airportwhile they waited to be rebooked on another flight.
While the airline provided her with one night at a hotel and three $15 meal vouchers to share between the three of them, she was told that they would need to pay out-of-pocket for any further expenses and seek reimbursement later.
However Ferguson says she’s already spent the extra money she saved for the trip on additional gas and food and doesn’t have anymore left to purchase extra meals and another night at a hotel after being rebooked on another flight set to depart Toronto on Thursday.
“This is now my fifth day over my time. I have already spent the extra money,” Ferguson says.
“I have a debit card that I think had a few dollars on it, but I can’t even use it because it keeps getting declined. I can’t reach the bank to find out what’s going on.”
WestJet was forced to park 130 aircraft at 13 airports across Canada as a result of the strike, resulting in hundreds of cancelled flights.
Though most passengers were rebooked after a deal was reached to end the strike on Sunday night, the airline has warned that “returning to business-as-usual flying will take time and further disruptions over the coming week are to be anticipated.”
Ferguson said that the situation has effectively left her stranded with two kids and no money to cover expenses.
“Right now, my only thing is to make sure whatever I’m able to find, I make sure my children are eating. Even if I don’t eat, I have to make sure they eat,” she says through tears.
What’s more, she said, nobody at the airline seems willing to help. While a manager spoke with her the first day and acknowledged they failed to send her confirmation of the new flight, she claims that she has been unable to reach anyone at the airline despite calling repeatedly in recent days.
“It’s just, it’s just nerve-wracking for me, because I have to be in a situation where I have to try figure out where their (her kids) next meal is coming from,” Ferguson says.
In an email to CP24, Westjet said its teams “are working diligently to support all impacted guests as we rebuild to normal operations” in the wake of the strike.
“Unfortunately, as July long weekend is a peak travel period across Canada, limited availability exists both within our network and through alternative carriers, making options for reaccommodation extremely challenging,” the airline said.
“In compliance with the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), in the event reaccommodation with WestJet or an alternative airline isn’t available within 48 hours of a guest’s scheduled departure, guests are entitled to request a refund to their original form of payment.”
The airline did not respond to the specifics of Ferguson’s situation, but said they encourage travellers to check the Canadian Transportation Agency’s website to learn about their rights.
Ferguson said while she understands the strike caused problems for the airline, it’s not her fault.
“I just, wish that they would realize, yes, you may not have been the one that caused the strike, but your customers did not cause the strike either. So why should I pick up the slack?” she said. “”When you call their phone, you get a message, and then it cuts. You can’t even speak to anybody at the airline. You can’t get them on the phone, you can’t get to the managers at the airport, you can’t reach anybody.”
Her message to the airline, she says, is a simple one: “You need to be a little more humane to people,” realizing that not all travellers might have the funds to sustain themselves through a nearly-weeklong delay.
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.
