Canadians have only days left to submit a claim in a massive class-action settlement connected to an alleged 16-year price-fixing scheme involving packaged bread.
Anyone who bought packaged bread products between 2001 and 2021—and who did not previously accept a $25 Loblaw gift card—can file an online claim before Friday’s deadline.
No proof of purchase is required, and approved applicants are expected to receive a $25 payment within six to twelve months after the claims window closes.
The settlement follows multiple lawsuits and investigations into allegations that major grocery chains coordinated bread prices for years, raising costs for customers nationwide.
The Ontario Superior Court approved the $500-million national settlement earlier this year, which includes $404 million to be paid by Loblaw Cos. Ltd. and George Weston Ltd.
The remaining $96 million comes from Loblaw’s previous gift card compensation program.
Once legal fees are deducted, 78% of the remaining funds will be distributed to shoppers in Ontario, with the rest going to claimants in Quebec.
If money remains after that distribution, gift-card recipients may also receive further compensation.
The settlement marked the end of a long-running controversy involving some of Canada’s largest grocery retailers, including Metro, Sobeys, Walmart Canada, Canada Bread and Giant Tiger—companies that have all denied wrongdoing.
Loblaw and George Weston admitted to the Competition Bureau in 2015 that they took part in the practice, but that admission did not become public until 2017, sparking consumer outrage and years of litigation.
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