International students will be allowed to work 24 hours a week starting in September
Immigration Minister Marc Miller says international students will be able to work off-campus for up to 24 hours per week starting in September.
Tim Hortons has reached a proposed settlement in multiple class action lawsuits alleging the restaurant's mobile app violated customer privacy, which would see the restaurant offer a free coffee and doughnut to affected users.
The settlement, negotiated with the legal teams involved in the lawsuits, still requires court approval.
The coffee and doughnut chain would also permanently delete any geolocation information it may have collected between April 1, 2019 and Sept. 30, 2020, and direct third-party service providers to do the same.
"We think that it's a favourable settlement because it offers compensation that has a real value," said Joey Zukran, a lawyer with the Montreal-based law firm LPC Avocat Inc., which filed the class action in Quebec.
"Privacy cases across Canada are never guaranteed a win," he said. "Here we have some form of guarantee, some form of recovery ... as opposed to uncertainty that could last."
It's unclear how many customers used the app during the 18-month period ending Sept. 30, 2020, and would be eligible to receive a free hot beverage and baked good.
Restaurant Brands International Inc., the parent company of Tim Hortons, said in an investor presentation in May that it had four million active users during the three months ended March 31, 2022.
"I think people who receive this will think it's paltry, but class action settlements are often paltry for the end consumer," said David Fraser, a privacy lawyer with McInnes Cooper in Halifax.
While the individual compensation may not seem like much, he said given the number of people potentially involved "it may be reasonable in aggregate."
Still, others may feel it's not high enough to "act as a disincentive to further mischief," Fraser said.
"Any time you settle, there's going to be a compromise," he said, adding that the case "reflects how weird privacy harms are."
"If you used that app and Tim Hortons collected your location information without your adequate, informed consent but nothing has happened with that information, you actually haven't suffered what would be considered a tangible harm," Fraser said.
"You're trying to compensate for the feeling of ickiness, the creepiness somebody might feel knowing that their information was collected without their knowledge or consent."
The proposed settlement comes after an investigation by federal and provincial privacy watchdogs found the mobile ordering app violated the law by collecting vast amounts of location information from customers.
In a report released last month, privacy commissioners said people who downloaded the Tim Hortons app had their movements tracked and recorded every few minutes -- even when the app was not open on their phones.
The investigation was launched after National Post reporter James McLeod obtained data showing the app on his phone had tracked his location more than 2,700 times in less than five months.
In a statement, Tim Hortons said it's pleased to have reached a proposed settlement in the four class action lawsuits filed in Quebec, British Columbia and Ontario.
"All parties agree this is a fair settlement and we look forward to the Superior Court of Quebec's decision on the proposal," the company said in a statement.
"We are confident that pending the Quebec court's approval of the settlement, the courts in British Columbia and Ontario will recognize the settlement."
The company said the allegations raised in the class actions were not proven in court and the settlement is not an admission of any wrongdoing.
Tim Hortons said it would be emailing customers Friday to inform them of the proposed settlement.
Tim Hortons said the retail value of a free hot beverage is $6.19 while the value of a baked good is $2.39, plus taxes, according to court documents.
Customers would be provided with a credit for the items with a coupon or through the Tim Hortons app, documents said.
Details on the distribution of the free hot beverage and baked good would be provided if the court approves the settlement, Tim Hortons said.
A hearing has been scheduled in a Quebec court on Sept. 6 to consider the proposed settlement.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2022.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller says international students will be able to work off-campus for up to 24 hours per week starting in September.
Toronto police say 12 people are facing a combined 102 charges in connection with an investigation into a major credit fraud scheme.
B.C. Premier David Eby has joined other politicians denouncing remarks at a demonstration in Vancouver where protesters chanted “long live Oct. 7,” praising that day's attacks by Hamas on Israel.
Members of Parliament are questioning why Canadian security officials did not inform them that they had been the target of Beijing-linked hackers, after learning from the FBI that the international parliamentary alliance they are a part of was in the crosshairs of the Chinese cyberattack in 2021.
Norovirus is spreading at a 'higher frequency' than expected in Canada, specifically, in Ontario and Alberta, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Moderate drinking was once thought to have benefits for the heart, but better research methods have thrown cold water on that.
Tobacco manufacturers have until Tuesday to ensure every king-size cigarette produced for sale in Canada has a health warning printed directly on it.
The clock is ticking ahead of the deadline to file a 2023 income tax return. A personal finance expert explains why you should get them done -- even if you owe more than you can pay.
Anne Hathaway first shared she lost interest in drinking after a bad hangover in 2018. She’s now five years sober.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.