You may remember our post from the beginning of this month, which discussed Heinz’s exit from Leamington, Ontario and French’s subsequent entrance. Things were looking up for the small town in Southern Ontario as many local workers got their jobs back and support for local tomato producers increased.
Unfortunately, that’s not the end of the story. Just announced, Loblaws Canada will no longer offer French’s Ketchup on any of its stores’ shelves. For those who don’t know, Loblaws owns many banners including Superstore, Provigo, T&T, SaveEasy, SuperValu, Freshmart, No Frills, among many more which combine to represent 34.1% of the market share. The reason for the discontinuation is because of low demand for the ketchup and competition for high-demand shelf space.
What’s odd about Loblaw’s decision is that not only did it decide to remove French’s ketchup after a surge in sales but also because it came right after a promotion in their stores back in December which advertised two new flavours of French’s ketchup in Buffalo and garlic. The change in heart is quite sudden and contradictory to recent sales and media attention. This is a big blow to French’s and according to a statement by the company, “It is not our place to understand why [Loblaws] made this decision, but to say we are disappointed would be a huge understatement… .”
It’s unsure what will happen now that French’s Ketchup has lost such valuable shelf space at one of Canada’s biggest grocers, but perhaps this will force the company to rebrand and market itself as a Canadian product in order to increase the awareness of Canadian consumers.
Best Buy Canada has a program called The Baby Samplers Club where you can get the chance to receive awesome baby items for free! Best Buy carries a wide range of baby products and maternity items and if you’re selected to be part of the program, you’ll be able to test and keep the baby products in exchange for writing a review.
Parents-to-be or parents with a baby under the age of two are eligible to be part of the club.
After 21 great years, Kitchen Stuff Plus Canada at Yonge and Bloor in Toronto is closing! Their lease has expired but they plan to be back in the neighbourhood as soon a possible. As a result, Kitchen Stuff Plus at Yonge & Bloor is having a lease expiry sale. Starting today, March 14th, until March 26th 2016, save an additional 25% off.
Exclusions apply such as appliances, furniture and gift cards.
This deal is valid only at Kitchen Stuff Plus on Yonge & Bloor – 703 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON.
Best Buy Canada has a Friends & Family Sale on right now! Unbeatable deals on the hottest smartphones and accessories are available during this Best Buy Friends & Family Sale! It’s a one day only sale and valid in-store and at Best Buy Mobile stores today, Saturday, March 12, 2016.
The Big Bonus Day is back at Canadian Tire! On Saturday, March 12, 2016 you can collect 20X bonus e-Canadian Tire Money! Get this deal by simply showing your My Canadian Tire Money Card at checkout and get 8% e-CT tire money back. Plus, if you pay for your purchase with your Canadian Tire Options MasterCard or Options World MasterCard, you can collect 30X the e-Canadian Tire money (that’s 12% back)!
Nestlé Canada has issued a voluntary recall for two of its Delissio frozen pizzas due to potential pieces of small glass being found in the pizzas. The recall affects two of its pizzas: the Pizzeria Vintage Tuscan-Style Chicken Pizza and the Thin Crispy Crust Grilled Chicken Tomato & Spinach Pizza. This recall doesn’t affect other Delissio products.
Delissio Pizzeria Vintage Tuscan-Style Chicken Pizza, 547g. The code on the product is 6017525952 BB/MA 2016NO12 and the UPC is 0 71921 72358 3.
Delissio Thin Crispy Crust Grilled Chicken Tomato & Spinach Pizza, 600g. The code on the product is 53625273C1 BB/MA 2016JL25 and the UPC is 0 71921 76481 4.
The recall in Canada was issued because of a recall in America. A few American customers contacted Nestlé after finding tiny pieces of glass in their pizza; it’s believed that the glass was found in the spinach, which is on both kinds of pizza. There have been no reports of glass in Canada; however, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is conducting a thorough investigation, which could possibly lead to other recalled food products.
If you bought a Delissio pizza, please check to see if you have the recalled products. If you happen to have either one, do not consume it and contact Nestlé Canada Consumer Services for reimbursement at 1-855-395-1238.
EQ Bank Canada, the digital bank that offers a 3% interest rate, has been experiencing high levels of inquiries for the past three months and has finally decided to limit the number of sign ups so that it can process current accounts. The bank was a huge hit since January 2016 and as the number of people signing up increased, users started complaining that it sometimes took weeks for their accounts to be processed.
Some of the features from EQ Bank include no minimum balance to maintain, no monthly charges, unlimited day-to-day transactions, and 5 free Interac e-Transfers. The 3% interest rate is 3x higher than that of traditional Canadian banks but we’re unsure how long it will last as its subject to change.
“Over the next few weeks, we will be focused on bringing on new customer service staff, improving sign-up processes and making sure we are meeting every customer’s expectations. In order to deliver on this promise, we will temporarily invite a select number of new customers to sign up each week.” As EQ Bank stated on their website.
If you want to put your money into the EQ Bank, you’ll have to reserve your spot. It’s unknown how many people EQ Bank will select each week and how long this process will last but we suggest you reserve now before the list gets too long!
GoGo squeeZ is under fire since it announced this week that it was issuing a voluntary recall due to food product residue being found in two of its product pumps in its Traverse City factory. The discovery was made during an inspection by the Michigan State Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The specific product being recalled is its GoGo squeeZ Applesauce and until the food product residue issue gets fixed, the factory will not begin production. The CEO, Michel Larroche, left a lengthy post on Facebook apologizing for the recall stating, “…[O]ur team takes food safety matters very seriously, so in an abundance of caution, we are recalling products. We are so sorry that this happened. We have worked hard to earn your trust, and we are taking action to make sure we continue to deserve it. As a part of this commitment Bill Graham, our President, and I will be intimately involved in making the changes necessary to deliver on our promise.”
So far, there have been no reported cases of illness; however, if you purchased non-organic GoGo squeeZ Applesauce pouches with the Best Before Dates between December 4, 2015 and March 4, 2017 you should stop eating them and visit the GoGo squeeZ website to request a coupon voucher.
Although it isn’t known just yet what form it will eventually take or who will be eligible, a basic income “pilot project” is confirmed to be in the works for residents of Ontario. The measures, which could take effect later this year, would provide a certain amount of money to eligible citizens meant to cover monthly expenses without the added scrutiny and regulation typical of such government “handouts” in the past.
Some visions for the basic income program have it replacing welfare, unemployment insurance, and Old Age Security altogether; or, to put it more accurately, rolling them all up into one lump sum payment.
A similar program from the 1970s orchestrated in Manitoba found that, contrary to conservative doctrine on welfare and social safety nets, allowing the working poor to top off their incomes to acceptable, reasonable levels did not provide a disincentive for them to keep working, even though it included senior citizens and the disabled. In fact, any decrease in the workforce was owed to a proportional increase in the student population while poverty was virtually eliminated.
For political reasons, the experiment was shelved not long after it began. But other countries around the world have dabbled with a basic income—and succeeded.
According to Chris Weller of Tech Insider, Canada may be the perfect test subject for wide scale basic income adoption. “In a country like Canada, where healthcare and retirement savings are already highly socialized, it isn’t farfetched to think a steady income paid for by the taxpayers could roll out smoothly,” Weller notes. What do you think?
Competition is never a bad thing for consumers. And when it comes to telecom providers, the amount of choice available to consumers (and therefore competition between networks) has been woefully minimal for as long as we can remember. Well, according to this campaign from Open Media, if Rogers and other giants of the wireless spectrum have their way, that’s the way it’s going to be for a long, long time.
Open Media is a non-partisan nonprofit organization built to advocate for and protect internet-specific legislation. One of their main projects is making sure that consumers know how much better the internet can be when it is truly free: unfettered by preferential corporate backroom deals, and totally accessible by global cultures. Their Stop the Slow Down and No Fake Internet campaigns had, and continue to have, a great deal of influence on how everyday people view the policies being put into place behind the scenes. And so when it comes to their Stop Blocking New Providers initiative, we’d do well to listen up.
The cellular network industry can be complex, with infrastructure and carrier agreements requiring a few law degrees to get through in one piece, but here’s the short version: Sugar Mobile is an upstart cell service provider that uses a combination of Wi-Fi and roaming on a variety of other carriers to provide a network to its customers. Byzantine agreements between large carriers and MVNOs (smaller companies, like Sugar, that merely “rent” space off of other companies’ towers) stipulate, well, lots of things that we are simply not privy to. In this case, Rogers (and now Bell) are stamping their feet about letting this particular little guy play on their network. According to Open Media, the reasoning for that is absurd.
In a country whose buffet of cellular options just got a little bit smaller, critics of Rogers see this stand as a way of further decreasing affordable competition in the mobile space. (Sugar Mobile has plans for just $19/mo.) Even proponents of the major telecom’s position would admit that using Sugar’s unique Wi-Fi concept (thus being even less burdensome to the network, by the way) to disqualify them from the rules already set out by CRTC allowing “legitimate MVNOs” is, at best, exploiting a technicality.
Whatever the CRTC decides, though, the chances are good that Rogers and the other big boys won’t come out smelling like a rose. They never seem to.
OpenMedia’s deadline to submit a policy recommendation is March 17. You can find out more here.
Groupe Marcelle Inc. recalls Marcelle Instant Eye Makeup Remover Pads. Quality control inspections discovered that some Marcelle instant eye makeup remover pads may be contaminated with mould. There have been no reports of injuries or incidents.
If you have this product (lot numbers (L)15J1394, (L)15K1394 and (L)15L1394) you can return or exchange it by contacting Groupe Marcelle Inc. Approximately 23,050 were sold in Canada between December 9, 2015 and February 15, 2016.
Recall from L’Oréal! L’Oréal’s recalls Ideal Moisture Dry and Sensitive Day cream with the lot number 20K609. It was recalled due to risks of allergic reactions & skin irritation as a result of high concentration level of methylisothiazolinone (MI). This product has been in the market for approximately three years between July 2013 and February 2016 and 57,447 products were sold. There were no reported injuries but if you have this item, stop using it and return it to the place of purchase for a refund.
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled cosmetics and return it to the place of purchase for a refund.
Its been a long (and snowy) week but I’ve got something to make you feel better: Cinnabon Canada’s awesome coupons are back! Coupons for FREE Minibon made with Nutella with any drink purchase as well as 50% off of Large Take Home CinnaPacks.
Coupons will be posted on March 7th 2016 and expire on April 3rd 2016. They are valid at all Canadian locations except OnRoute & Flying J Highway Travel Centres. Printed coupons are required to receive offers.
Nestlé Canada has issued a voluntary recall for two of its 
Groupe Marcelle Inc. recalls 
Recall from L’Oréal! L’Oréal’s recalls 
Its been a long (and snowy) week but I’ve got something to make you feel better: 
