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 – 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.
