Lawyers representing the plaintiffs said the class-action payout is the largest antitrust settlement in Canadian history

Loblaw, George Weston to pay $500 million in bread price-fixing suit

Lawyers representing the plaintiffs said the class-action payout is the largest antitrust settlement in Canadian history

At least $1.50 was added to the price of a loaf of bread during the 16-year conspiracy, the bureau alleged in court documents in 2018. In June 2023, Canada Bread was fined $50 million after pleading guilty to four counts of price-fixing bread products under the Competition Act. The Competition Bureau called it the highest price-fixing fine ever imposed by a Canadian court. In its statement of defence in the class-action file last October, Canada Bread denied participating in a wide-ranging conspiracy to fix the price of bread, and denied profiting from the alleged conspiracy or from the price increases it admitted to. Metro submitted a statement of defence and cross-claim to the Ontario Superior Court late last year accusing Loblaw and George Weston of conspiring to implicate the rival grocer. Metro denied being involved in bread price-fixing and accused the companies of trying to spread the blame across the industry and avoid public perception that Loblaw was the sole retailer involved in price-fixing. Sobeys also filed a statement of defence and cross-claim in the class action and has said it was falsely implicated. Walmart Canada has also denied conspiring to fix the price of bread or violating the Competition Act, while Giant Tiger said it did not participate or know about the alleged conspiracy. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.