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by Tod Maffin
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Loblaws has been caught.
The company that owns the Real Canadian Superstore, Shoppers Drug Mart, No Frills, Extra Foods, the President's Choice line, and a loyalty program that knows more about you than your doctor has finally been fined for passing products off as Canadian when they weren't.
Maple leaf, no receipt
There is a government department that can crack down on grocery stores that pass imported food off as Canadian. It's the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. But they rely on people like you and me to report it when grocers are doing it.
In the case of Loblaws, they were fined $10,000 for slapping maple leaves on imported cheese, and another $10,000 for claiming that broccoli slaw made in the U.S. was a product of Canada
T O D B I T
Under the Safe Food for Canadians Act, courts can impose fines up to $5 million for serious offences, but CFIA’s administrative fines for cases like this max out at $15,000.
When CBC called them for comment, here's what Loblaws said: consumers can just tell them if there's a mistake.
Cool, so it's our job now
No. Stop. You do not get to make us unpaid quality control staff for a corporation that clears two billion dollars a year, clears, in profit. You have employees. You have suppliers. You have legal obligations.
Get your shit together. You either care about this country, or you don't.
You can afford to double-check the labels.
The grace period is over
The CFIA identified 78 violations across all grocers since late 2024, and until recently, they were all getting warnings. Sounds like the grace period is over.
Good. Because so is our patience.
The Buy Canadian movement started because we needed it to. The tariffs haven't gone away. The threats to our sovereignty haven't gone away.
Check the label. If something looks wrong, report it to the CFIA at https://b.link/maplewashing
The maple leaf has to mean something. We decide that. Not Galen Weston.
T O D B I T
Assuming an average reading speed, in the time it took you to read this essay, Loblaws made $10,000 in profit — enough to pay for the fines.
Trivia
— 30 —
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The Weekly Poll
Have you changed where you shop because of Loblaw's behaviour over the past few years?
Last Week:
What You Missed This Week
The Good News ♥️
Chapman’s Ice Cream has announced a five-year funding commitment of $125,000 to The Hanley Institute to support youth aged 12 and up.
Condé Nast Traveller has named Canada one of the most beautiful countries in the world.
Heated History- Heated Rivalry creator Jacob Tierney is adapting a historical fiction novel by Vancouver author and UBC professor Annabel Lyon into a Netflix series.
SCIENCE!!!!!! 🔭
Scientists have noticed an increase in tropical fish appearing off the coast of Nova Scotia.
Try, Try Again- NASA’s Moon rocket, Artemis II, whose crew includes Canadian Jeremy Hansen, is back on the launch pad, with a potential takeoff in early April.
The federal government is putting $200 million toward a Canadian-owned launch pad to send satellites into orbit.
Université de Montréal professor and computer scientist Gilles Brassard is one of this year’s recipients of the prestigious A.M. Turing Prize.
The First Peoples 🪶
The Ahousaht First Nation will manage three new forestry areas being created on Vancouver Island.
The federal government is investing $6 million in Indigenous tourism to expand experiences rooted in Indigenous cultures, lands, and languages across Canada.
379 affordable homes will soon be built in Calgary, AB, with funding from the city’s Indigenous Housing Program.
Bilijk First Nation, in New Brunswick, has elected a new chief; at 28 years old, he is the youngest currently serving in the province.
First Nations chiefs, leaders, and supporters from across the country gathered at the Canadian Museum of History to ceremoniously uncrate artifacts returned from the Vatican.
Tla’amin Nation will control a large piece of its territory after signing a deal to take over more than 1,540 square kilometres of forest.
Wild Things 🐻❄️
Wakey Wakey-In a sign that winter might finally be coming to a close, Genie the bear, a resident of Montreal’s Ecomuseum, is coming out of hibernation.
Toronto Animal Services is waiving adoption fees for large dogs for a month.
A rare, partially white robin was spotted in Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC.
The Border Bandit-A cat in Surrey, BC, has gone viral for its disregard for international law.
Across Canada 📍
A five-year-old girl from Regina, Sask, living with a rare autoimmune disease, was named the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation Champion Child for 2026.
The Louise Riley Library in Calgary has opened a donor-funded Early Learning Centre for children ages 3-5.
First-time homebuyers can now apply for a tax rebate that could be worth thousands of dollars. .
New Ways to Celebrate- A family in St.John’s, NFLD has created new traditions to celebrate Ramadan.
Vancouver International Airport has been ranked the best airport in North America by a consumer survey.
The Windsor Residence for Young Men (WRYM) completed a two-year project, with funding from a government grant, that helped dozens find stable housing and independence.
Paralympics 🏅
The 2026 Paralympics concluded on March 15, with Team Canada earning 3 Gold, 4 Silver, and 8 Bronze medals for a total of 15 medals.
Record-breaking Gold-Team Canada won gold in Wheelchair Curling and became the first team to go through the entire Paralympic tournament undefeated.
Canadian Para ice hockey player Tyler McGregor has been elected to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Athletes’ Council.
The Academy Awards📽️
Golden-Toronto director Maggie Kang won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for KPop Demon Hunters.
Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau of Nova Scotia won Best Production Design for Frankenstein.
Amazing Makeup-Toronto duo Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey (and their British counterpart Mike Hill) won Best Makeup and Hairstyling for their work on Frankenstein.
Montreal filmmakers Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski took home the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film for The Girl Who Cried Pearls.
Canada’s Market This Week
Royal Bank | |
TD Bank | |
Enbridge | |
ScotiaBank | |
Bank of Montreal | |
CP Rail | |
Shopify | |
Canadian Tire | |
Loblaws | |
Tim Hortons (RBI) | |
Dollarama | |
Rogers |
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