Canada’s bread price-fixing scandal stands as one of the most damaging and far-reaching corporate breaches of trust in the country’s food retail history. The recent approval of a $500-million class-action settlement by an Ontario court marks a significant, if partial, step toward accountability. But the story is far from over.

The scheme, which ran from 2001 to 2015, involved deliberate coordination between retailers and suppliers to raise the price of packaged bread — a basic household staple. Companies named in the lawsuit include Loblaw, its parent company George Weston Ltd., Metro, Sobeys, Walmart, and Giant Tiger.

The impact on consumers was severe. Some estimates suggest Canadians were overcharged by more than $5 billion over the 14-year period. The cost was buried in weekly grocery bills, unnoticed by many, but cumulatively staggering — especially for lower-income households who spend a greater share of their income on food.

The Competition Bureau launched its investigation in 2015 when Loblaw came forward as a whistleblower under its Immunity and Leniency Program. In........

© Castanet