Featured VideoWith phrases like ‘less waste in the world’ recycled clothing sounds like a great idea. But the latest CBC Marketplace investigation reveals that might not be the case.
Retail brands have gone to great lengths to satisfy growing consumer demand for sustainable clothing, but many of the companies’ labels and claims do not stand up to scrutiny, particularly when it comes to recycled materials.
CBC’s Marketplace found a number of products labelled as recycled or made with recycled materials selling at five top Canadian retailers in the Toronto area. The items were available in-store and online across the country.
While clever marketing may lead consumers to believe their new shoes or clothes are made entirely from old ones, that’s simply not the case, says George Harding-Rolls, advocacy director for Eco-Age, a U.K.-based sustainability agency.
“We’re awash in a sea of green claims that are incredibly difficult to decipher,” said Harding-Rolls. In a report for the Changing Markets Foundation called Synthetic Anonymous, he reviewed some 4,000 products from 12 online brands and found that 59 per cent of green claims are unsubstantiated or misleading. Many of those claims were tied to recycled polyester.
Experts say less than one per cent of the world’s fashion waste is currently recycled in the truest sense of the word and almost all of the recycled polyester fashion brands use is made from old plastic bottles.
“If you’re using plastic bottles, you’re actually taking bottles out of a potentially closed-loop recycling system, and then giving them a one-way ticket to a landfill disposal,” Harding-Rolls said. Read more
You can watch Marketplace’s latest investigation, “Exposing the Secrets of Sustainable Fashion,” anytime on CBC Gem.
$950 for an apartment? A steal if it’s real, but an Ontario man is now just one of the latest scam victims
Chris Norris said he thought he found an affordable rental on Facebook marketplace, but it turned out to be a scam. (Marc Doucette/CBC)
Chris Norris is running out of time to find somewhere to live.
He needs to be out of his rental in Thunder Bay, Ont., by the end of October, and being on long-term disability means his budget is tight. It’s even tighter now, after falling prey to a scammer who took a $400 deposit from him for an apartment that wasn’t real.
“It was very defeating — you’re out that money, you’re not going to get that money back, there’s no recourse,” Norris said.
Rental scams are becoming more common across Canada, according to anti-fraud interests, and scammers are rarely held accountable.
The scam against Norris took place on Facebook, when someone responded to his ad looking for a rental. They offered a unit for $950 a month all inclusive, which is a good deal in Thunder Bay’s rental market, so Norris felt he needed to do whatever it took to sign that lease.
“I got to jump the gun and make sure I’m doing everything I can to secure a place,” said Norris. “I desperately need a place because my landlord is selling where I am right now.”
After paying the $400 deposit, the person started asking for more money, which made Norris suspicious. When he went to the house for a viewing, he found someone living there who said the apartment was definitely not for rent. When Norris tried to contact the person offering the unit, they blocked him on Facebook, leaving him out $400.
If you are looking for an apartment, here are some helpful tips from the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario and Interac’s Cyber Market Intelligence and Financial Crimes centre.
Red flags to look for in rental ads:
Seems “too good to be true” (i.e., below market rent, low price for a “luxury” unit).
Ad lacks specific information about the location or seems generic.
Advertiser is unable to show apartment in person, provides excuses.
Advertiser tries to create sense of urgency and requests money before showing the unit.
Requests payment by wire transfer, bitcoin.
Resources if you’ve been the victim of a rental scam:
Report fraud to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre on their website or by calling 1‑888-495-8501.
Contact your bank or the vendor you used to send the money.
Alert Service Canada to ensure personal information provided such as SIN aren’t used fraudulently at 1-866-274-6627. Read more
She worked full time and after monthly bills, there was $9 left for food
Steph Finlayson posted on TikTok about her struggles to cover monthly expenses, even with a decent job and while living frugally. (Submitted)
It was a selfie video recorded and posted in a moment of extreme frustration.
Stephanie Finlayson of Woodstock, Ont., had been going over her monthly budget, trying to find a way to cover costs from food and insurance to fixing or replacing her 2005 Honda Accord.
The car, which she’s still driving, has a leaky radiator and 377,000 kilometres on the odometer. It needs more work, but her mechanic doesn’t recommend she put more money into it. He was also worried its creaky frame might not survive another trip up the hoist at his shop.
After running some numbers and having a conversation with her father about her financial situation, Finlayson put the phone on the dash and pushed record.
“I worked eight and a half hours today, knowing that it’s not enough. It won’t be enough,” she said in the video while fighting back tears.
Finlayson posted the video in September. It now has more than 9,100 shares, 64,000 likes and almost 18,000 comments.
“I posted it on TikTok but I didn’t think anybody would see it,” she said.
In the video, Finlayson, 42, tearfully explains that her fixed monthly bills are $2,701 against an income of $2,710.
“Do the math,” she said on the video. “Nine dollars a month before I pay for food.”
She feels her video surfaced a situation many Canadians are dealing with, but few are willing to speak about.
“People can relate,” she said. “People are afraid to speak up and say ‘Hey, I’m struggling.'” Read more
TORONTO – Cineplex Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter compared with a profit a year ago as it was hit by a fine for deceptive marketing practices imposed by the Competition Tribunal.
The movie theatre company says it lost $24.7 million or 39 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a profit of $29.7 million or 40 cents per diluted share a year earlier.
The results in the most recent quarter included a $39.2-million provision related to the Competition Tribunal decision, which Cineplex is appealing.
The Competition Bureau accused the company of misleading theatregoers by not immediately presenting them with the full price of a movie ticket when they purchased seats online, a view the company has rejected.
Revenue for the quarter totalled $395.6 million, down from $414.5 million in the same quarter last year, while theatre attendance totalled 13.3 million for the quarter compared with nearly 15.7 million a year earlier.
Box office revenue per patron in the quarter climbed to $13.19 compared with $12 in the same quarter last year, while concession revenue per patron amounted to $9.85, up from $8.44 a year ago.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
TORONTO – Restaurant Brands International Inc. reported net income of US$357 million for its third quarter, down from US$364 million in the same quarter last year.
The company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says its profit amounted to 79 cents US per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with 79 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue for the parent company of Tim Hortons, Burger King, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs, totalled US$2.29 billion, up from US$1.84 billion in the same quarter last year.
Consolidated comparable sales were up 0.3 per cent.
On an adjusted basis, Restaurant Brands says it earned 93 cents US per diluted share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 90 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents US per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Fortis Inc. reported a third-quarter profit of $420 million, up from $394 million in the same quarter last year.
The electric and gas utility says the profit amounted to 85 cents per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, up from 81 cents per share a year earlier.
Fortis says the increase was driven by rate base growth across its utilities, and strong earnings in Arizona largely reflecting new customer rates at Tucson Electric Power.
Revenue in the quarter totalled $2.77 billion, up from $2.72 billion in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Fortis says it earned 85 cents per share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 84 cents per share in the third quarter of 2023.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 82 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
