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4w ago

Ontario court approves $500 million settlement in Canada’s bread price-fixing case

Ongoing investigations are prompting calls for stronger competition laws to restore consumer trust

Fixing the price of bread is costing George Weston Ltd. and the Loblaw Companies a lot of dough.
Various brands of bread sit on shelves in a grocery store in Toronto in this file photo. A $500-million settlement in the long-running Loblaw bread-fixing case was approved by Ontario Superior Court Judge Ed Morgan on May 7.
Sliced white bread.
An Ontario judge has approved a half-billion-dollar settlement in the years-long price-fixing scandal that saw Canadian consumers pay excessively for bread.

Overview

  • The price-fixing scheme spanned 2001 to 2015 and is estimated to have overcharged Canadians by about $5 billion.
  • In May, an Ontario judge certified a $500 million class-action settlement with Loblaw and George Weston contributing $404 million and a prior $96 million gift card program covering the rest.
  • After fees, claimants will receive roughly $13 per adult, with distribution outside Quebec set to begin pending a June 16 hearing on the province’s share.
  • Loblaw and George Weston secured immunity from prosecution for cooperating with the Competition Bureau, and Canada Bread pleaded guilty in 2023 and paid a $50 million fine.
  • Retailers including Walmart, Metro, Sobeys and Giant Tiger deny wrongdoing and remain under scrutiny as experts urge tougher antitrust enforcement