Canadian Competition Bureau

Competition Bureau preserves competition in supply of retail fuel in western Canada* The Competition Bureau has reached an agreement with Shell Canada Limited and its affiliates, including Canadian Mobility Services Limited, to resolve competition concerns related to its proposed acquisition (...)

Competition Bureau makes recommendations to promote competition in Canada’s grocery industry* News release Grocery prices have increased at their fastest rate in more than 40 years, and Canadians are feeling the pinch. Today, the Competition Bureau has published its market study report ꟷ (...)

The Competition Bureau advises the CRTC on promoting wholesale internet competition* Today, the Competition Bureau provided a submission to the CRTC for its Review of the wholesale high-speed access service framework. Wholesale access promotes competition for vital telecommunications (...)

Canada Bread sentenced to $50 million fine after pleading guilty to fixing wholesale bread prices* Canada Bread Company, Limited was fined $50 million today by the Ontario Superior Court after pleading guilty for its role in a criminal price-fixing arrangement that raised the wholesale price (...)

Canadian Digital Regulators Forum established to better serve Canadians in the digital era* The Competition Bureau (Bureau), the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) are joining forces to strengthen (...)

Competition Bureau reaches agreement with Superior to preserve competition in Canada’s portable heating fuels market* News release The Competition Bureau has entered into a consent agreement with Superior Plus Corp. to address competition concerns with its acquisition of Certarus Ltd. A (...)

Competition Bureau publishes wage-fixing and no-poaching enforcement guidelines* Wage-fixing and no-poaching agreements will be illegal beginning on June 23, 2023. Today, the Competition Bureau published its wage-fixing and no-poaching enforcement guidelines. The guidelines provide (...)

Competition Bureau provides recommendations to improve competition in the cannabis industry* The Competition Bureau presents its submission to Health Canada and the Expert Panel in response to their legislative review of the Cannabis Act. The Bureau believes that stronger competition in (...)

Competition Bureau obtains court order to advance an investigation of Dominion Lending Centres* News release The Competition Bureau has obtained a court order to advance a civil investigation into alleged anti-competitive conduct by Dominion Lending Centres Inc. (DLC). The Bureau (...)

Competition Bureau seeks information from market participants to advance investigation of RBC’s proposed acquisition of HSBC Canada* Request for Information highlights areas under investigation The Competition Bureau has issued a request for information (RFI) to help gather facts about (...)

Competition Bureau reaches agreement with Isologic to protect competition in healthcare* The Competition Bureau announced today that it has entered into a consent agreement with Isologic Innovative Radiopharmaceuticals Inc. (Isologic) to address competition concerns with its contracting (...)

BPR to pay $485,000 following seventh Québec bid-rigging settlement* Engineering firm BPR-Infrastructure Inc. has been ordered to pay $485,000 for bid-rigging related to consulting engineering services for municipal infrastructure contracts in the province of Québec. The payment is part of (...)

Competition Bureau provides recommendations to improve competition law in Canada* Bureau recommends strengthening laws based on enforcement experience The Competition Bureau is pleased to present its submission in response to the Government of Canada’s ongoing consultation on the future (...)

Competition Bureau successful in challenge of Secure and Tervita merger* News release Competition Tribunal orders Secure to sell 29 facilities to resolve ongoing harm to competition in Western Canada On March 3, 2023, the Competition Tribunal ruled in favour of the Commissioner of (...)

Competition Bureau reaches agreement with Sika AG to preserve competition in Canada’s admixture systems market* News release The Competition Bureau has entered into a consent agreement with Sika AG to address competition concerns with its acquisition of MBCC Group. A Bureau review (...)

Competition Bureau obtains court order to advance an investigation of competition in the Quebec real estate services market* News release The Competition Bureau has obtained a court order to advance an investigation into conduct by the Quebec Professional Association for Real Estate (...)

Pre-merger notification transaction-size threshold to remain at $93M in 2023* The Competition Bureau confirmed today that in 2023 the pre-merger notification threshold relating to transaction size will remain unchanged following a decision by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry (...)

Statement from the Commissioner of Competition on the Federal Court of Appeal’s decision regarding the Rogers-Shaw merger* Matthew Boswell, Commissioner of Competition, issued the following statement about the Federal Court of Appeal’s ruling to dismiss the Competition Bureau’s appeal in the (...)

Competition Bureau reaches agreement with Domtar Corporation to preserve competition in Canada’s pulp and paper industry* The Competition Bureau has entered into a consent agreement with Domtar Corporation to address competition concerns with its acquisition of Resolute Forest Products Inc. (...)

Statement from the Commissioner of Competition on the Competition Tribunal’s Information Note regarding the Rogers-Shaw merger* Matthew Boswell, Commissioner of Competition, issued the following statement regarding the Competition Tribunal’s Information Note indicating it intends to dismiss (...)

Contractors in Brandon, Manitoba, charged with conspiracy related to social housing projects* News release The Competition Bureau announced today that the Public Prosecution Service of Canada filed a preferred indictment against five contractors in Brandon, Manitoba, for alleged conspiracy (...)

Competition Bureau rescinds temporary guidance on competitor collaborations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic* Effective today, the Competition Bureau has rescinded the temporary guidance on competitor collaborations provided to businesses to support crisis response efforts during the (...)

Competition Bureau to review Tribunal ruling on its challenge of P&H’s acquisition of grain elevator in Virden, MB* The Competition Tribunal issued a decision dismissing the Competition Bureau’s challenge of Parrish & Heimbecker’s (P&H) acquisition of one primary grain elevator (...)

Competition Bureau releases report identifying competition concerns with WestJet’s proposed acquisition of Sunwing* The Competition Bureau has concluded that WestJet’s proposed acquisition of Sunwing Vacations and Sunwing Airlines is likely to result in a substantial lessening or prevention (...)

Competition Bureau publishes a new Information Bulletin on Transparency* News release The Competition Bureau published its new Information Bulletin on Transparency, a resource that explains the approach the Bureau takes in communicating with different groups of people during its (...)

Competition Bureau to study competition in Canada’s grocery sector* Study to examine how governments may combat grocery price increases through greater competition The Competition Bureau is launching a study of grocery store competition in Canada. The study will examine various issues with (...)

$25,000 sentence for fifth engineering executive to plead guilty in Gatineau bid-rigging case* Francois Paulhus, a former executive of engineering firm Genivar (now WSP Canada), has pleaded guilty in the Court of Quebec to conspiring to rig bids for City of Gatineau infrastructure contracts, (...)

Competition Bureau resolves competition issues with Couche-Tard’s acquisition of Wilsons gas stations in Atlantic Canada* The Competition Bureau announced today that it reached an agreement with Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. and its affiliates related to their proposed acquisition of (...)

Competition Bureau completes preliminary investigation of relabelled biologic drugs* The Competition Bureau has completed its preliminary investigation into potential anti-competitive harm from relabelled biologic drugs. Relabelled biologic drugs are identical to originator biologic drugs (...)

Important amendments to the Competition Act come into effect* Competition Bureau will host public information sessions and publish updated guidance for businesses Important amendments to the Competition Act became law on June 23, 2022, strengthening the Competition Bureau’s ability to (...)

Competition Bureau preserves competition in supply of pharmacy products and services in Saskatchewan* The Competition Bureau announced today that it has reached an agreement with Neighbourly Pharmacy Inc. to resolve competition concerns related to its proposed acquisition of Rubicon (...)

Competition Bureau approves Kruger as buyer of Paper Excellence’s pulp mill in Kamloops, B.C* The Competition Bureau has approved Kruger Specialty Papers Holding L.P., an affiliate of Kruger Inc., as the purchaser of Paper Excellence’s pulp mill in Kamloops, British Columbia, as required by (...)

Competition Bureau closes two investigations into pharmaceutical patent litigation settlements* Bureau proactively monitors settlements between drug manufacturers to identify potentially illegal agreements The investigations were launched as a result of the Bureau’s proactive monitoring of (...)

Competition Bureau takes action to protect competition for car sharing services in Canada* Car sharing platform Turo terminates problematic exclusivity policy in Canada in response to Bureau investigation The Competition Bureau announced today that following an investigation, Turo Inc. has (...)

Competition Bureau seeks full block of Rogers’ proposed acquisition of Shaw* Bureau files court applications to prevent the merger of two of Canada’s largest telecommunications companies The Competition Bureau is seeking to block Rogers proposed $26 billion acquisition of Shaw in an effort (...)

Competition Bureau reaches agreement with GFL to preserve competition for industrial waste and oil recycling services in western Canada* The Competition Bureau announced today that it has reached an agreement with GFL Environmental Inc. to resolve litigation related to its purchase of (...)

2022 Adjustment to filing fees for Competition Bureau merger reviews will come into effect on April 1* The Competition Bureau announced today that the filing fee for merger reviews is set to increase from $74,905.57 to $77,452.36 pursuant to a required annual adjustment set out in the (...)

Competition Bureau will review the proposed acquisition of Sunwing by WestJet* The Competition Bureau acknowledges today’s announcement of the proposed acquisition of Sunwing Airlines Inc. and Sunwing Vacations Inc. by the WestJet Group. The Bureau will review the proposed transaction. (...)

International working group targets potential collusion by competitors in supply and distribution of goods* The Competition Bureau has joined the competition authorities of the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom in a new working group focussed on sharing (...)

Federal Court of Appeal confirms that the Competition Tribunal has the power to temporarily block mergers* Court grants Commissioner’s appeal following Tribunal decision which concluded the contrary The Commissioner of Competition welcomes a recent ruling from the Federal Court of Appeal (...)

Pre-merger notification transaction-size threshold to remain at $93M in 2022* The Competition Bureau confirmed today that in 2022 the pre-merger notification threshold relating to transaction size will remain unchanged following a decision by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry (...)

CPL Interiors fined $761,967 after pleading guilty in GTA condo refurbishment bid-rigging scheme* Construction company CPL Interiors Ltd. was fined $761,967 today after pleading guilty before the Ontario Superior Court for its role in a criminal bid-rigging conspiracy. The bid-rigging scheme (...)

Competition Bureau reaches agreement with S&P Global related to its acquisition of IHS Markit* The Competition Bureau announced on the 21st December 2021 that it has reached an agreement with S&P Global Inc. to resolve competition concerns related to its proposed acquisition of IHS (...)

Competition Bureau obtains court orders to advance an investigation of a proposed transaction between the only two container terminal operators at the Port of Halifax* The Competition Bureau has obtained court orders from the Federal Court of Canada to advance an investigation into PSA (...)

Competition Bureau challenges GFL’s acquisition of industrial waste management and environmental services company Terrapure* To protect competition for customers of industrial waste services (IWS) and oil recycling services (ORS) in Western Canada, the Competition Bureau is challenging GFL (...)

Competition Bureau preserves competition in supply of retail gasoline in Kemptville, Ontario* The Competition Bureau has approved Centex Petroleum as the purchaser of the Quickie gas station in Kemptville, Ontario. The Bureau, MacEwen Petroleum Inc. and Grant Castle Corp had entered into a (...)

Competition Bureau reaches agreement with Paper Excellence to preserve competition in British Columbia’s pulp and paper industry* The Competition Bureau announced today that it has reached an agreement to address competition concerns with the merger of two of Canada’s largest pulp and paper (...)

Competition Bureau obtains court orders related to its challenge of Secure’s acquisition of Tervita* The Competition Bureau has obtained court orders to further inform its challenge of Secure Energy Services Inc.’s acquisition of Tervita Corporation before the Competition Tribunal. The (...)

Competition Bureau reaches agreement with Federated Co-operatives Limited and Blair’s on their proposed joint venture* The Competition Bureau announced today that it has reached an agreement with Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL) and Blair’s Family of Companies related to their proposed (...)

Competition Bureau challenges proposed merger of rival oil and gas waste service providers Secure and Tervita* The Competition Bureau is seeking to block Secure Energy Services Inc.’s proposed acquisition of Tervita Corporation to protect competition for customers of oil and gas waste (...)

Fifth engineering executive charged in Gatineau bid-rigging case* The Competition Bureau announced today that it has laid criminal charges against a fifth person in connection with a conspiracy to rig bids for City of Gatineau infrastructure contracts. François Paulhus is accused of (...)

Interested parties encouraged to share views with task force examining effects of pharmaceutical mergers* Through its participation in the Multilateral Pharmaceutical Merger Task Force, the Competition Bureau, with its counterparts in the U.S., the European Union and the U.K., is reviewing (...)

Competition Bureau releases updated guidelines regarding collaborations between competitors* Today, the Competition Bureau published the final version of its revised Competitor Collaboration Guidelines. These updates are intended to provide clarity to the business and legal communities on (...)

Multiple companies and their owners charged with conspiracy to commit fraud and rig bids for condo refurbishment contracts in the GTA* The Competition Bureau announced today that it has laid multiple criminal charges against four companies and three individuals in connection with an alleged (...)

Competition Bureau closes investigation of Postmedia and Torstar* The Competition Bureau announced today that it has closed its investigation into allegations that Postmedia and Torstar reached an agreement contrary to the conspiracy provisions of the Competition Act. The Bureau began (...)

CIMA+ to pay $3.2 million in latest Québec bid-rigging settlement* Competition Bureau investigation has led to more than $12M in payments by six colluding firms Engineering firm CIMA+ has been ordered to pay $3.2 million over the next four years for bid-rigging on municipal infrastructure (...)

Competition Bureau seeking input on Canadians’ experiences accessing and using digital health services* Today, the Competition Bureau launched a short online survey to learn about Canadians’ experiences accessing and using digital health care services. By filling out this short 5-minute (...)

Competition Bureau strengthens relationship with five foreign counterparts to enhance cross-border enforcement* News release Today, the Competition Bureau signed a new competition enforcement framework with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the New Zealand Commerce (...)

Competition Bureau launches toolkit to help policymakers strengthen competition in Canada’s economy* Competitive markets are more important than ever to Canada’s economic prosperity The Competition Bureau released a toolkit today to help policymakers across the country promote competition (...)

Competition Bureau seeks input from market participants to inform an ongoing investigation of Amazon* Bureau investigating whether Amazon’s conduct on Amazon.ca is impacting competition The Competition Bureau is inviting market participants to provide input to inform its civil (...)

Competition Bureau safeguards competition in markets essential to the delivery of electricity and internet to Canadians* Today, the Competition Bureau registered a consent agreement with the Competition Tribunal to address its concerns related to WESCO International Inc.’s $6.1B acquisition (...)

Canada’s health care sector: have a say on how to support innovation and choice* The Competition Bureau is inviting Canadians to share their views on factors that may be impeding access to digital health care, or limiting innovation and choice in Canada’s health care sector. This feedback (...)

Competition Bureau invites feedback on updated Competitor Collaboration Guidelines* The Competition Bureau has published a draft version of its revised Competitor Collaboration Guidelines and invites interested parties to provide their comments no later than September 28, 2020. In today’s (...)

Competition Bureau resolves concerns related to Elanco’s acquisition of Bayer Animal Health* The Competition Bureau announced today that it has entered into a consent agreement with Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (Elanco) to address concerns related to the company’s proposed acquisition (...)

Facebook to pay $9 million penalty to settle Competition Bureau concerns about misleading privacy claims* Facebook Inc. will pay a $9 million penalty after the Competition Bureau concluded that the company made false or misleading claims about the privacy of Canadians’ personal information (...)

Letter from the Commissioner to the Canadian Bar Association regarding impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic* GATINEAU, March 18, 2020 – Today, the Commissioner of Competition issued an open letter to executive members of the Canadian Bar Association’s Competition Law Section providing (...)

Competition Bureau calls for businesses to report potentially anti-competitive conduct in the digital economy* The Competition Bureau has published a call-out for information from Canada’s business community about conduct in the digital economy that may be harmful to competition. The (...)

The Competition Bureau released its updated Abuse of Dominance Enforcement Guidelines. The guidelines provide an overview of the Bureau’s approach to enforcing the abuse of dominance provisions of the Competition Act. In March 2018, the Bureau released a draft copy of the guidelines for (...)

Court order upheld requiring TREB to stop restricting its members’ use of real estate data* The Competition Bureau today welcomes the Supreme Court of Canada’s (SCC) dismissal of the Toronto Real Estate Board’s (TREB) application seeking leave to appeal a December 2017 decision from the (...)

Competition Bureau Reaches Agreement with Canada Pipe Company Ltd.* The Competition Bureau announced today that it has filed a consent agreement with the Competition Tribunal in the Canada Pipe Company Ltd. case. Under the terms of the agreement, Canada Pipe has agreed to implement a new (...)