Latest news with #CanadianCompetitionBureau
Edmonton Journal
11-07-2025
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
Opinion: What Canada needs right now? Free movement – on land, and in the skies
If we want to strengthen our financial systems, increase interprovincial trade, encourage tourism, and open new regions to economic development, the answer lies in the skies. Article content Recently, the Canadian Competition Bureau released its report on the state of competition within the airline industry. Eleven months in the making, the report makes 10 recommendations to governments and decision-makers, including enhancing access to airport infrastructure, increasing transparency in airline performance data, and increasing foreign ownership. Article content Article content Article content The report also notes that new airline carriers — including more affordable carriers — face more difficulties in Canada compared to other countries. For Canadians, the lack of competition in the airline industry has resulted in an increase in overcrowded flights, delays, last-minute cancellations and baggage issues. When just a few companies control most of the seats in the sky, there's little incentive to lower costs or improve service. Article content But the lack of competition not only limits mobility and passenger experience — it also limits access to economic opportunities, especially in remote and rural communities. Article content In this era of economic uncertainty, Canadian decision-makers are rightly looking to strengthen capacity and innovation within our borders. Prime Minister Mark Carney recently introduced the One Canadian Economy bill, aimed at encouraging goods and services to move freely across provincial borders. Article content Article content Creating an environment that fosters more reliable, effective, and affordable air travel is an essential piece of that equation. While the Competition Bureau report has recommended facilitating foreign ownership to increase competition, what's truly needed is for government to foster a robust, made-in-Canada solution that is not dependent on uncertain entities based beyond our own borders. Article content Opening interprovincial trade requires more movement of goods and people within Canadian borders — and without a competitive airline industry, we simply will not be able to achieve the ambitious goals the government has laid out. Article content Canada is also in dire need of stronger regulatory oversight of monopolies like Nav Canada, and Canadian airports. In Europe and other advanced markets, these agencies face efficiency targets and must consult transparently on fee hikes. In Canada, costs rise unchecked, passengers absorb the increases, and accountability is nonexistent. That needs to change.
Miami Herald
11-06-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
DoorDash Hit With Major Lawsuit Over ‘Deceptive' Pricing
DoorDash, America's premier food delivery platform, has been sued by Canada's competition authority for "allegedly advertising misleading prices and discounts." Newsweek reached out to DoorDash via email outside of regular hours for comment. This marks the second major lawsuit to face DoorDash this year, following a $17-million settlement over the misuse of driver tips in February. As well as potentially forcing the delivery firm to significantly alter its pricing practices, the latest action could force the company to pay a significantly higher penalty, as well as restitution to affected customers. On Monday, the Canadian Competition Bureau announced it would be taking legal action against the San Francisco-based company, as well as its Canadian subsidiary DoorDash Technologies Canada. The antitrust watchdog said that the company had consistently promoted its services at lower prices than customers were eventually forced to pay, in violation of the Canadian Competition Act, while also misrepresenting certain fees as taxes rather than discretionary charges. The lawsuit stems from DoorDash allegedly advertising food and other items at prices far lower than those customers eventually paid, and engaging in what the bureau refers to as "drip pricing": a sales tactic in which customers are shown an initial lower price, with additional fees added later in the purchasing process. These included delivery costs, as well as obligatory "regulatory response" and "expanded range" fees. "A bureau investigation found that consumers were unable to purchase food and other items at the advertised price on DoorDash's websites and mobile applications due to the addition of mandatory fees at checkout," the announcement read, describing the practice as "deceptive," as "consumers are not presented with an attainable price up front." The Bureau alleged that DoorDash has been engaged in this alleged conduct for "close to a decade," and has acquired nearly $1 billion in customer fees from doing so. In addition, the investigation found that the company had combined service fees and taxes into a single item on a user's bill, which it said was "false or misleading as it requires an extra click for the consumer to actually see that the 'fees and estimated taxes' are two separate charges, only one of which is imposed by the government on the purchaser and not the other." In its application with the Canadian Competition Tribunal, the bureau requested that DoorDash and its subsidiary stop engaging in the practices, pay a monetary penalty "as the tribunal deems appropriate," and to pay restitution to affected customers. The latter amount, it said, could reach "the total amounts paid to DoorDash for the products in respect of which the reviewable conduct was engaged in." Canada's competition commissioner Matthew Boswell said: "Parliament has made it clear that businesses must not engage in drip pricing by advertising unattainable prices and then adding mandatory fees. The Competition Bureau has been fighting against this misleading practice for years. "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." DoorDash denied hiding fees from or misleading customers, saying it believes the lawsuit "is an overly punitive attempt to make an example of an industry leader in local commerce," in a statement quoted by Reuters. According to the application, DoorDash has 45 days to issue a response to the Competition Tribunal. Related Articles Who Is John J. Reilly? NY Town Official Held in Shooting of DoorDash DriverWatch What DoorDasher Did for $12 Tip-'Didn't Actually Expect Him To Do It'DoorDash Payment Plan Could Make Americans' Debt Crisis Even WorseDoorDash Offering Payment Plans for Food Delivery Sparks Backlash 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
