Putting illegal recruitment fees in writing 'takes a lot of courage,' says immigration lawyer
Toronto-based immigration lawyer Lou Janssen Dangzalan says The Promise Land Consultancy could face 'triple jeopardy' for illegally recovering recruitment fees from migrant workers. Fees for Labour Market Impact Assessments, or LMIAs, should only be paid by employers, not the foreign nationals they hire.
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National Post
2 hours ago
- National Post
Delivery services under legal scrutiny for alleged 'drip pricing'
The practice known as 'drip pricing' is front and centre again in an action by the federal Competition Bureau against DoorDash and in a proposed class-action lawsuit brought by a Toronto law firm against Uber Eats. Article content Drip pricing generally involves enticing customers by advertising low prices, but charging extra mandatory fees, usually when they are checking out. Article content Article content It continues to come under fire because 'disclosure around pricing and fees in various consumer transactions is, at times, less than thorough and transparent,' says Mike Robb, partner with London, Ontario-based law firm, Siskinds. Article content Article content Canada's competition watchdog is hauling DoorDash Inc. and its Canadian subsidiary before the Competition Tribunal, accusing them of portraying the online cost of delivery as lower than the price consumers ultimately pay. Article content The Competition Bureau says it investigated and is alleging DoorDash customers paid more, due to mandatory fees, added during checkout. Article content The extra fees, the bureau says, include charges such as extra amounts for delivering items a further distance and for placing smaller orders. The bureau alleges the discretionary charges were sometimes framed as taxes. Article content Article content Article content The bureau is asking the Competition Tribunal to order the company to stop the practice, cease portraying fees as taxes, pay a penalty and issue restitution to affected consumers. Article content Still, the bureau is standing its ground. 'Our litigation against DoorDash is another example of our efforts to ensure consumers are not misled and can trust the prices they see online. We urge all businesses to review their pricing practices and make sure they comply with the law,' said Matthew Boswell, commissioner of competition in a press release.
Vancouver Sun
2 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Delivery services under legal scrutiny for alleged 'drip pricing'
The practice known as 'drip pricing' is front and centre again in an action by the federal Competition Bureau against DoorDash and in a proposed class-action lawsuit brought by a Toronto law firm against Uber Eats. Drip pricing generally involves enticing customers by advertising low prices, but charging extra mandatory fees, usually when they are checking out. It continues to come under fire because 'disclosure around pricing and fees in various consumer transactions is, at times, less than thorough and transparent,' says Mike Robb, partner with London, Ontario-based law firm, Siskinds. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The Competition Bureau says w hen 'the represented price is inaccurate, it makes it more difficult for consumers to comparison shop and result(s) in unfair outcomes for honest competitors.' Canada's competition watchdog is hauling DoorDash Inc. and its Canadian subsidiary before the Competition Tribunal, accusing them of portraying the online cost of delivery as lower than the price consumers ultimately pay. The Competition Bureau says it investigated and is alleging DoorDash customers paid more, due to mandatory fees, added during checkout. The extra fees, the bureau says, include charges such as extra amounts for delivering items a further distance and for placing smaller orders. The bureau alleges the discretionary charges were sometimes framed as taxes. The bureau alleges DoorDash may have used drip pricing for close to a decade to make nearly $1 billion from mandatory fees, according to the Canadian Press . The bureau is asking the Competition Tribunal to order the company to stop the practice, cease portraying fees as taxes, pay a penalty and issue restitution to affected consumers. However, DoorDash is pushing back. 'This application is a misguided and excessive attempt to target one of Canada's leading local commerce platforms,' DoorDash spokesperson Trent Hodson told CP . 'It unfairly singles out DoorDash, and we intend to vigorously defend ourselves against these claims.' Still, the bureau is standing its ground. 'Our litigation against DoorDash is another example of our efforts to ensure consumers are not misled and can trust the prices they see online. We urge all businesses to review their pricing practices and make sure they comply with the law,' said Matthew Boswell, commissioner of competition in a press release . The Competition Bureau has been more aggressive of late in battling drip pricing. Last fall, the bureau won a deceptive marketing case against Cineplex Inc. , noted Robb. It had been adding a mandatory $1.50 online booking fee. The company was ordered to pay a financial penalty of almost $39 million. Last summer, says Robb, the bureau reached an agreement with SiriusXM Canada . In that case, the company was ordered to pay a $3.3 million penalty over adding a fee on subscription plans that increased the monthly cost. Meanwhile, legal action against drip pricing is not exclusive to public regulators. Law firms that navigate class actions are getting in on the act too. Toronto firm, Koskie Minsky filed a statement of claim against Uber Eats with the Ontario Superior Court Justice last month. It alleges Uber Eats has been hiding an additional service fee within its overall delivery costs. The proposed class action alleges that Uber misrepresented the true cost of delivery by not disclosing the service fee until the final stage of the transaction, 'often obscured under a 'Taxes & Other Fees' line item, a practice known as drip pricing,' says the law firm on its website. The action has been brought on behalf of Canadian residents who on or after May 16, 2023, placed a delivery order using Uber Eats and paid a service fee. Further, the lawsuit alleges Uber One members, who are supposed to enjoy benefits such as no delivery fees on eligible orders, have been paying the service fee. It's 'really a delivery fee as it only applies to delivery orders' and it 'constitutes a breach of contract and negates the advertised benefit of the subscription.' Robb says 'the existence of parallel proceedings in these cases is not necessarily surprising or unusual.' He explains that the Competition Bureau has a statutory mandate to protect Canadian consumers and businesses from allegedly unfair business practices. In its case against DoorDash , it is asking the Competition Tribunal to provide restitution to consumers, though that's somewhat unusual, he says. 'It may or may not be equipped to negotiate and deliver remedies to consumers.' However, he points out that class actions always focus on recovery for consumers, 'even when the amounts are individually minimal. It is common in our cases that when they resolve, an administration mechanism is established to facilitate an accessible distribution of modest amount to individual consumers.' A recent example would be a payout website established for the bread-fixing class-action settlement. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Several killed as separatists clash with Malian army, Russian allies in the conflict-hit north
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Malian security forces clashed with members of an armed separatist group over two days, resulting in the deaths of 10 separatists, the Malian army said Friday. The Azawad separatists said it killed dozens of Malian soldiers and members of a Kremlin-controlled armed force. The clashes began with a military offensive in the northern Kidal region on Thursday, the Malian army said in a statement. On Friday, the Malian military's logistics convoy was ambushed before the attack was repelled, it added. The separatists reported they killed 'dozens' of Malian soldiers and fighters with the Kremlin-controlled African Corps in the ambush. The Azawad separatist movement has been fighting for years to create the state of Azawad in northern Mali. They once drove security forces out of the region before a 2015 peace deal that has since collapsed was signed to pave the way for some ex-rebels to be integrated into the Malian military. 'We recovered 12 trucks loaded with cereals, tankers full of diesel, one military pickup, and one armored vehicles from the 30 vehicles in the convoy,' Mohamed Maouloud Ramadan, spokesman for the Azawad separatists, said in a statement that acknowledged the death of three of their members. Viral videos shared by the separatists showed military trucks on fire in a large swathe of desert land amid gunfire as gun-wielding hooded young men posed in front of the trucks. The videos also showed bodies with uniforms that resemble those of the Malian army. The Associated Press could not independently verify the videos. The latest clashes show how difficult it is for security forces in Mali to operate in difficult terrains like Kidal, according to Rida Lyammouri, a Sahel expert at the Morocco-based Policy Center for the New South think tank. 'It's difficult to gather actionable intelligence to protect their convoys, and this gives a significant advantage to armed and jihadist groups', said Lyammouri. The latest attack occurred days after Russia's mercenary group Wagner – which for more than three years helped Malian security forces in the fight against armed groups – announced it was leaving the country. The Africa Corps, under the direct command of the Russian defense ministry, said it will remain in Mali. There are around 2,000 mercenaries in Mali, according to U.S. officials. It is unclear how many are with Wagner and how many are part of the Africa Corps.
