from Open Media
March 7, 2013 – A study released today by non-profit organization OpenMedia.ca shows a majority of Canadian respondents report being forced into accepting poor—often disrespectful—service. The group identifies the lack of choice in the cell phone market as the cause, pointing out that nearly 94 percent of the market is controlled by three large players: Bell, Telus, and Rogers.
by Dave Coles
While most Canadians are appalled by the privately run US healthcare system we tolerate a pension system based on similar principles.
Electronic cigarettes are still so new on most markets, many languages haven't yet decided what to call the users. Should they be called "vapers," as some American smokers dub their colleagues who smoke smokeless cigarettes?
The word makes sense. If smokers are named after smoke, then "vapers" should be named after the nicotine vapor that electronic cigarettes emit instead.
from the Public Interest Advocacy Centre
Consumer rights group the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) said today that there is now real hope that a comprehensive “Wireless Code” can solve many of consumers’ most daunting problems with their wireless phone service providers.
by Marsha Friedman
What's the fastest-growing marketing trend on the Internet?
I'm sad to say it's the "fakeosphere." Yes, fake blogs (called "flogs"), fake web news sites and fake testimonials. They look like the real thing, right down to comments posted by "bloggers" and their supposed readers. Those comments appear to be written by people discussing the pros and cons of a particular product or service, and they even include some naysayers.
Thanks to the industrializers of American agriculture, we finally know why the chicken crossed the road: to run away from the factory farm.
I'm going to sell you something to eat, but I won't tell you what's in it. Trust me, the ingredients are perfectly safe — but I absolutely oppose telling you what you're eating. I also won't let independent scientists study the ingredients. And I'm making a bundle of money by selling these unlabeled products. But trust me, they are safe. Go ahead, take a bite.
from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
OTTAWA, September 22, 2012 – The public warning issued on September 21, 2012 has been expanded to include additional ground beef products because the products may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. Previously identified products included in this recall can be found on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) website.
from CARP
A hoax email has been circulating that seeks to frighten seniors with patently false information.
The email claims — falsely — that the Ontario government will cut off health care services for everyone over the age of 75 unless approved by an "Ethics Panel." This hoax email is based on a similar viral hoax message that circulated in the United States.
With so many CARP members receiving the email, CARP asked the Ontario Ministry of Health for clarification, and the ministry confirmed that the email has no basis in truth.
from the Public Interest Advocacy Centre
OTTAWA — May 1 2012 — The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) today condemned the Minister of Finance's assertion made yesterday that the federal government will not require Canada's banks to resolve banking customers' disputes with the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI). Instead the Minister has stated the government will publish rules allowing multiple consumer banking arbitration services — effectively allowing Canadian banks to choose their own judge.
