Canada’s grocery business is controlled by large players and needs government assistance to encourage new entrants to bring down prices, a report from Canada’s Competition Bureau says.

  • Rob Bos@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    Much cheaper to break up the monopolies and change the system to prevent them forming in the first place. Subsidizing new entrants without changing the environment that creates monopolies will just feed the beasts with fresh meat.

    • Cyborganism@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      Exactly. The big corps will just buy the new players and everything will go back to the way it was.

      This government has no vision.

  • KingPyrox@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    5 companies for food is not enough competition but somehow 3 telecom providers is 🤔

  • AlternateRoute@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    Don’t see how this will work? Walmart entered Canada many years ago and does groceries yet pricing all settled out. If Walmart isn’t driving competition and pricing down what will?

    • Storksforlegs@beehaw.org
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      1 year ago

      I dont know, more competitors would still be better.

      Ive seen my local no frills lower prices to match Walmart sales.

    • LostWon@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      I’ve seen a couple of (very limited) examples of restaurants using their contracts with suppliers to open small local grocery stores near their restaurants, that undercut the big grocery chains. If anything was possible, I’d prefer more local neighbourhood stores for packaged foods and community garden co-ops combined with farmer’s markets for fresh foods.

  • CoffeeBot@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    The Weston’s own most of the pharmacy, the grocery, food supply chain, and are moving into healthcare at breakneck pace. No shit it’s too concentrated. We need actual antitrust laws.

  • juusukun@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    In other news, water is wet!

    We used to have laws and regulations in place for stuff like this, same with the USA. As years passed they lost their teeth

    • Thalestr@beehaw.org
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      1 year ago

      Canada’s regulatory agencies feel so incredibly spineless. So many industries here are unchecked oligopolies with skyrocketing prices.

      My American friends are jawdropped when I tell them how much food, internet, and cell plans cost here.

  • RandAlThor@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    No crap! Duhhh. Finally competition bureau is doing some of their home work. And new entrant encouragement isn’t the only action that’s available. And that’s not the only sector that’s been consolidated either. Someone needs to kick the behind of these bureaucrats.