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Trudeau Buys Weston Family $12 million worth of Refrigerators

Fishbone Jones

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Somehow, I don't think they needed any help with renovations.

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/george-weston-limited

George Weston Limited is one of North America’s largest processors and distributors of food. The company operates three subsidiaries: Loblaw Companies Limited, a grocery, drugstore and general retailer; Weston Foods, a baking company; and Choice Properties, a real estate investment trust. George Weston Ltd. owns a variety of brands and retail banners. Weston Foods includes Wonder, D’Italiano and Country Harvest and Loblaw brands include No Name, President’s Choice, Life Brand and Joe Fresh. Loblaw stores include Loblaws, Zehrs, Your Independent Grocer, Provigo, Atlantic Superstore, Fortinos, Dominion, Independent City Market, Valu-mart, ARZ Bakery, Wholesale Club, T&T Supermarket, Real Canadian Liquorstore, Real Canadian Superstore, No Frills, Maxi, Extra Foods and Shoppers Drug Mart. In 2018, George Weston Ltd. registered $48.6 billion in revenue and $530 million in profit and held assets valued at $43.8 billion. George Weston Ltd. is the country’s largest private-sector employer, with 203,238 full- and part-time employees as of 2018. It is a public company headquartered in Toronto and listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol WN.

- mod edit to fix spelling in thread title -
 
I found this piece by Don Martin interesting this morning.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/don-martin-s-blog/don-martin-loblaws-refrigerators-the-wrong-place-to-shop-for-votes-1.4375979

Overlooking a Loblaws Superstore in Ottawa this week, Environment Minister Catherine McKenna seemed blissfully unaware she was hosting a communications disaster.

She was in happy handout mode, shelling out a $12-million subsidy to induce the extremely profitable supermarket giant to spend $36 million of its own money on carbon-cutting refrigeration upgrades. An equally oblivious pair of Liberal MPs stood beside her as the show's potted plants, nodding admiration for a move which immediately attracted scathing public criticism as a government feed streamed the announcement live.

As day-after condemnation of the billionaire-bailout rang out in the House of Commons, government flacks must have realized they had made a huge mistake, particularly given the recipient of taxpayer largesse had been found guilty of price-fixing bread just last year.


I agree with his asesment that the LPC is pushing the wrong things into the light, but having build their current brand on virtue signalling they likely fear losing "progressive" support to the NDP more than they worry about picking up votes in the centre/right.
 
Fishbone Jones said:
Somehow, I don't think they needed any help with renovations.

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/george-weston-limited

Didn't they apply for some kind of energy saving subsidy program, which is open to everyone? Not trying to save Liberal face here, just looking at the facts....
 
daftandbarmy said:
Didn't they apply for some kind of energy saving subsidy program, which is open to everyone? Not trying to save Liberal face here, just looking at the facts....

I believe you are correct, I think the issue is the Minister making a big announcement out of it trying to show Canadian's how much they care, and that the carbon tax is good. They likely would have gotten more mileage by doing the announcement with a group of small businesses. It would be much easier to sell that to the average Canadian, and harder for the opposition to turn on them.
 
daftandbarmy said:
Didn't they apply for some kind of energy saving subsidy program, which is open to everyone? Not trying to save Liberal face here, just looking at the facts....

No doubt. There has also been a number of small business owners who have been interviewed. All have stated they were turned down.

I saw one, don't know where now, where a small grocery owner, supplier for the town and area, whose unit had broken down. They could not afford the $40,000 or so to replace it. Because of the carbon hoax stuff, the price had move out of their reach, by about 10-12 grand. They were rejected, under the same project, that the Westons won. The dollars might be off a tad. I wasn't glued to the story.

Granted, there's probably all kinds of hidden agendas and clauses that will show they were given reasonable consideration, under the liberal rules.

The idea that Canada's second richest family and liberal supporter, beat out little Joe Canadian, for a grant just really, really pushes the arrogance envelope of the the trudeau grits.  The Weston's didn't need it. An organization like theirs has built in contingencies for modernization with millions sitting, earmarked for these types of things.

Watching the reactions on social media, it is turning south faster than a guardsman marching in on charge. This will be seen as another, In & Out, ADSCAM, fundraising scheme whereby Weston receives it and spins it right back in donations to the liberals. Not to ever be investigated. Trudeau did the same as Obama, in the eyes of many. He's weaponized the Ethics Commissioners Office, with cronies. Many feel the RCMP, Privy Council and others departments have also been given the same treatment.

The 12 mil is a mere pittance of what this government pissed away. A paltry tithe, to wealthy supporters, considering the unaccounted billions trudeau has shipped off shore.

No, it's not the money. It's the immense favoritism of the self appointed elite class that has the peasants in revolt.

Let them eat cake, indeed.
 
Far be it for me to defend the Liberals or the Weston family. If a grant is available it should fairly be available to all.The Westons' didn't get rich by being stupid.

I wonder how many small businesses (or grocery stores) are aware of the funding availability. This is the job of each MP and their staff to make businesses in their constituency aware of what the gov't can help with. Big business like the Weston Group have large executive staffs with experts in their fields (lawyers/accountants/tax/gov't Ln) whose job is to get whatever advantage they can.

The story FJ may be referring to is https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/loblaws-rebate-conservatives-1.5091753 listing other big company's that got the funding and:

Extract: Calgary MP Michelle Rempel posted a video to her YouTube page Monday in which she chats with a Manitoba grocery-store owner who is not happy a major grocery chain is getting $12 million. Amanda Stevenson, who owns Stevenson's Foods in Lundar, Man., told Rempel her own store had a dairy cooler break this week and while the new one she will get is more efficient she isn't getting any money from Ottawa to help pay for it. (Was she aware of the program, did she apply or not, if she did, was she refused? If refused then Remple has a reason to bark)
 
Putting the poor optics and inevitable partisan ranting aside, the funding grant was made under the Low Carbon Economy Challenge.  As much as opposition politicians may want to link themselves to the woes of some local grocer who now has to replace a crapped out freezer for $40k, the scale of the projects looked at under this initiative wouldn't have provided any relief to him, even if he had applied.  I assume he would fall into the "small business" category and therefore under the "Partnership" stream.  As such the minimum project scale would be $2,000,000  - 75% funded by the business, 25% by the Federal Government.

How much is the Government of Canada going to contribute to individual projects?

The minimum federal contribution to any project funded through the Low Carbon Economy Challenge is $1 million through the Champions stream and $500,000 through the Partnership stream. The maximum contribution to any project funded through the Champions stream will be $50 million, while the maximum contribution to a project funded through the Partnerships stream will be $10 million.

For the Partnership stream, federal grants of no less than $100,000 and no more than $500,000 per project and per recipient are available for First Nations, Métis and Inuit governments, communities and organizations. This does not include Indigenous-owned or operated businesses or not-for-profit non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Additionally, the maximum percentage of total project costs the federal government can contribute toward a project varies depending on the recipient of the funding. The maximum federal share for specific recipients is as follows:

•25% for businesses
•40% for municipalities
•40% for not-for-profit organizations
•50% for provincial governments
•75% for territorial governments
•75% for Indigenous communities and organizations

It is important to note that this program will fund the best projects and most cost-effective projects that reduce as many greenhouse gas emissions as possible. In other words, the smaller the federal contribution, the greater the chance a project has of being selected.
 
Blackadder1916 said:
Putting the poor optics and inevitable partisan ranting aside, the funding grant was made under the Low Carbon Economy Challenge.  As much as opposition politicians may want to link themselves to the woes of some local grocer who now has to replace a crapped out freezer for $40k, the scale of the projects looked at under this initiative wouldn't have provided any relief to him, even if he had applied.  I assume he would fall into the "small business" category and therefore under the "Partnership" stream.  As such the minimum project scale would be $2,000,000  - 75% funded by the business, 25% by the Federal Government.

A real benefit to small business (operating one myself) would be a tax break to incent desired behaviour and, of course, we know how much traction that would get with the current, Golden Goose Killing, political climate.
 
Rex Murphy weighs in.

Poignant, truthful and as cynical and disgusted as the rest of Canadians.

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/rex-murphy-apocalypse-in-aisle-3-climate-change-comes-to-your-grocery-store?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1555089771
 
A disgusting display. The corporation should decline the money but I feel they won’t.
 
Loblaws embroiled in tax dodge scam, may owe Canadians $400M

https://north99.org/2018/01/18/loblaws-embroiled-in-tax-dodge-scam-may-owe-canadians-400m/?fbclid=IwAR0dMIhC4sIoUtWxRZukvAAvT0yhjMjeA649RUbg5q4Vjlah4wbdz0XiKag

The Canada Revenue Agency has alleged Loblaws used Barbados banks and shell companies to dodge millions of dollars in corporate taxes.

In an ongoing court fight, the CRA has documented how Loblaws setup an offshore company, Glenhuron Bank Ltd., and obtained a Barbados banking license.

Using cash funnelled from other parts of its grocery business, Loblaws then used the money to invest in financial derivatives, raking in hundreds of millions of dollars in the process.

Loblaws thought they could avoid paying taxes on this income. But the CRA claims that the income is in fact taxable, and Loblaws may owe Canadians as much as $400 million in unpaid taxes and penalties.

Last year, Loblaws Chairman Galen Weston attacked the minimum wage and the company admitted to fixing bread prices for over a decade. Now it’s revealed they are using offshore banks to avoid paying their fair share of corporate taxes.

Big corporations like Loblaws think they can play by a different set of rules than everyone else. They use their money and influence to rig the system for themselves and their rich owners. And usually they get away with it. We hope this time is different, and the CRA gets back all the money they owe Canadians
 
Rifleman62 said:
Far be it for me to defend the Liberals or the Weston family. If a grant is available it should fairly be available to all.The Westons' didn't get rich by being stupid.

I wonder how many small businesses (or grocery stores) are aware of the funding availability. This is the job of each MP and their staff to make businesses in their constituency aware of what the gov't can help with. Big business like the Weston Group have large executive staffs with experts in their fields (lawyers/accountants/tax/gov't Ln) whose job is to get whatever advantage they can.

Here's the problem: The Liberal government campaigned that the Harper Tories were giving tax breaks to their "rich friends" because they applied things like child fitness and arts, as well as I believe the Canada child benefit equally regardless of your income level. Thats why the Liberal UCCB is now means tested, and gets reduced as you make more money. This Loblaws thing is just another hypocritical action exposed.
 
I like how the CRA says Loblaws might owe "Canadians" money. Because the average Canadian will either see the money or how a say in how it gets spent lol

 
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