Last chance to claim part of settlement in bread price-fixing case

A worker re-stocks shelves in the bakery and bread aisle at an Atlantic Superstore grocery in Halifax, Friday, Jan. 28, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kelly Clark

It’s the last call for many Canadians to get a piece of the $500 million class-action lawsuit that accused Loblaw Cos. Ltd. and its parent company George Weston Ltd. of engaging in an industry-wide scheme to fix the price of bread.

Canadians have until Friday to submit an online claim if they bought packaged bread between January 2001 and December 2021. No proof of purchase is needed, the online page for the settlement says.

Those who file a claim could receive $25 within six to 12 months after the deadline.

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The Ontario Superior Court approved the $500-million settlement in May.

The settlement included a combined $404 million to be paid by Loblaw and George Weston. The remaining $96 million is accounted for through a gift card program Loblaw began in 2018 and ran through 2019 in hopes of making amends with customers who paid about $1.50 more per loaf of bread.

Once legal fees and other court expenses are paid off, 78 per cent of the funds are set to be allocated to shoppers in Ontario, with the remaining amount headed for people in Quebec.

Customers who previously received a Loblaw gift card will only receive compensation if there are sufficient settlement funds available.

The settlement put an end to a saga that lobbed allegations at the country’s biggest grocers, including Metro, Sobeys, Walmart Canada, Canada Bread and Giant Tiger.

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While these players have denied their participation in an alleged scheme to co-ordinate the price of bread back to 2001, Loblaw and George Weston told the Competition Bureau they were part of the practice in 2015. Their admission wasn’t publicized until 2017.

They then offered a $25 gift card to try to compensate customers, but shoppers weren’t appeased and in December 2019, a Quebec class action was filed against them and the other grocers.

In July, the Superior Court of Quebec also approved the national settlement agreement, with its deadline on Friday.

The Ontario class action was filed by Strosberg Wingfield Sasso LLP in December 2021 but only reached its $500 million settlement last year.