Grocers Overcharge on Meat, PM Suspends Fuel Tax

0:00It's April 19, I'm Cory with the story, this is Canada News today, driven by AI. CBC Marketplace dropped a bombshell this week with a secret shopping probe into Canada's big grocers. Low-blown so-based stores got caught overcharging on fresh meat by tacking the packaging weight into the price, even after swearing they'd fixed it last year. They hit 17 stores across Toronto, Vancouver, and Halifax, finding 32 underway packs. The overcharges hid from 2 to 16.7 percent. Picture this, organic chicken breasts at Farm Boy costing an extra $1.35 on a $9.42 pack or thighs up $1.37 on $12.32. Federal rules say packaging weight stays out of the net total, but these spots ignore that. A retired Canadian food inspection agency vet with 24 years in called his straight ripping off millions from shoppers yearly. Low-blown owned up to issues at a few stores, apologized, and said their retraining staff.

1:01So-Bays didn't deny it outright, just promised to investigate errors. Shifting gears to travel, fuel shocks from the Middle East War are jacking up air fares with surcharges, and Europe might see jet fuel shortages soon. Prime Minister Carney stepping in, suspending the federal excise tax on gas and diesel from April 20 to September 7. Since a leader on gas, four cents on diesel, and the same for aviation fuel, WestJet's fighting a court case over denying compensation on a cancel flight they rerouted minutes before. Plus, air Canada's testing complaint fixes a mid-95,000 backlogs and health Canada greenlit a needle-free allergy spray. Consumers, keep your eyes peeled. These hits add up quick.