Loblaws boycott arrives in Winnipeg
Fed up with the ever rising price of food, an online movement has sprung up to fight back in the form of a boycott.
The group has turned its sights squarely on one target –- Loblaws -- the company that owns Superstore and No Frills here in Winnipeg, along with Shoppers Drug Mart.
According to organizers, the plan is to boycott the Loblaws-owned stores for the entire month of May. They're asking for prices to be reduced by 15 per cent.
Loblaw chairman Galen Weston called the boycott "misguided criticism,” saying his company alone can't be blamed for rising costs because inflation is a global issue.
"The real problem to me has always been up the supply chain with vendors. That's really where the problem is,” said Sylvain Charlebois, the director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University
Charlebois explained that vendors have to negotiate a price with the grocery chains like Loblaw to get their products on the shelves.
When those fees go up, the price of the food goes up too.
"Is Loblaws part of the problem? Absolutely, but the boycott is aiming at the wrong problem,” Charlebois said.
Charlebois said that vendor fees are partly due to low competition in the Canadian grocery sector.
He believes if consumers want to make a difference they should boycott all big box stores and shop instead at independent grocers as much as possible.
Ed Cantor from the independently-owned Cantor's Quality Meats and Groceries doesn't know if he will benefit from the boycott
He says they're always trying their best to give customers a good deal.
"You try and give the best customer experience and price for the consumer at the end of the day. That's all you try,” he said.
Food prices are still going up, but not as fast as they once were.
According to Statistics Canada, the food inflation rate in March was up 1.9 per cent compared to the year before.
In late 2022 and early 2023, grocery inflation peaked at 11.4 per cent.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada to see warm summer, wildfire risks loom for some regions: forecast
Get ready to feel the heat, Canada. Weather experts are predicting more sunshine and warmer temperatures for the summer.
Gaza ministry calls for safe pathways for fuel and medical aid
The Gaza health ministry called on Wednesday for ensuring safe pathways for the immediate entry of fuel and medical aid to Rafah and northern Gaza, according to a statement carried by Hamas media quoting spokesperson Ashraf Al-Qudra.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.
Black bear kebabs make family sick with parasitic worms
It was supposed to be a celebration, but one family’s unique meal of black bear meat sent several members to the hospital instead.
Introducing peanut butter during infancy can help protect against a peanut allergy later on, new study finds
New evidence suggests that feeding children smooth peanut butter during infancy and early childhood can help reduce their risk of developing a peanut allergy even years later.
The double-level airplane seat is back. This time, there's a first-class version
It’s the airplane seat design that launched a thousand memes and kickstarted a media storm. And now the double-level seat is back – only this time, with a twist.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
NEW Oilers superfan hopeful Edmonton wins so he can get his massive Stanley Cup tattoo retouched
It's been a long time coming, but one Oilers superfan is hoping this will be the year he gets to touch up his massive Stanley Cup back tattoo.