Want a slice of the $500M bread price-fixing settlement? The claims process is now open
It might be the best thing since the alleged artificial price increase on sliced bread.
As of Thursday, the claims process is now open for Canadians seeking their share of a $500-million settlement in a class-action lawsuit related to the alleged industry-wide price fixing of bread.
Any eligible Canadian resident who purchased packaged bread for their personal use — including bagged bread, buns, rolls, bagels, naan, English muffins, wraps, pita and tortillas — between 2001 and 2021 can claim compensation from the national settlement reached with Loblaw Companies Limited, and parent company George Weston Ltd.
Forms can be found online at CanadianBreadSettlement.ca for those living anywhere in Canada outside of Quebec as of Dec. 31, 2021, and at QuebecBreadSettlement.ca for those living within that province on that date. Claims have to be submitted by Dec. 12, 2025, both websites note.
About the class action
The class-action lawsuit accused Loblaw Companies Limited and its parent company, George Weston, of engaging in an industry-wide scheme to fix the price of bread. The plaintiffs alleged companies participated in a 14-year industry-wide price-fixing conspiracy between 2001 and 2015, leading to an artificial increase in packaged bread prices.
There are two settlement classes: one in Ontario, for all of Canada outside Quebec, and one in Quebec for Quebec residents only.
The settlement was subject to court approval in both Ontario and Quebec and would only become effective if approved by both courts, notes law firm Strosberg Wingfield Sasso LLP on its own bread class action website.
WATCH | About Canada Bread's role:
In May, Ontario Superior Court Judge Ed Morgan approved the $500-million settlement in the case, which includes a combined $404 million to be paid by Loblaw and George Weston after they were accused of engaging in an industry-wide scheme to fix the price of bread.
The remaining $96 million is accounted for through a gift card program Loblaw began in 2018 and ran through 2019 in hopes of making amends with customers who paid about $1.50 more per loaf of bread.
The Superior Court of Quebec approved the settlement in July and issued its judgment on Aug. 11. Now that the 30-day appeal period expired, people can make claims, Strosberg explained.
Strosberg added it's the largest price-fixing class action in Canadian history.
Home cafés are a budget-friendly TikTok trend — here's how to host one
With all this expert advice, I was confident I could set up my own home café, and started with the basics: menu planning and ingredient sourcing.
I settled on a menu of five baked goods featuring seasonal ingredients I knew would be available at the farmers' market — haskaps, red currants, basil and blueberries — and spent $35 to get all the ingredients I didn't already have.
Thankfully, everything came together relatively easily. This was no doubt because I picked simple recipes that required minimal prep, outsourced one baked good to a guest and picked up another pre-made.
It's no secret that life is expensive these days. Hosting a dinner party can feel out of reach, but setting up your own home café is an easy, budget-friendly alternative.
You might be asking yourself: what's a home café? This viral social media trend is all about transforming your space into a coffee shop for pals by outfitting it with all the essentials, like freshly brewed coffee and, of course, freshly made pastries. The goal is to foster community — without all the cost. So, I decided to host one for my friends instead of splurging on brunch.
To get the idea off the ground, and make sure it was a success, I knew I had to tap a few other creatives. So I reached out to three hosting and pastry pros to get their tips on setup, budgeting and baking.
Here's what I served:
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Haskap and dark chocolate cookies
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Red currant bread pudding
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Basil and lemon magdalenas
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Blueberry and rosemary lemon loaf made by a friend
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Wild blueberry pie from the farmers' market
As for supplies, I decided I'd make use of mugs, forks, plates and kraft paper that I already owned. But I also ordered a few compostable treat bags, priced at $16, to give my setup that coffee-shop look.