Do Not Pass Go with Peter Nowak

Your very own survival guide for our monopolized times. Do Not Pass Go is a weekly podcast and newsletter from veteran journalist Peter Nowak, reporting on and exposing corporate concentration and monopoly issues in Canada. www.donotpassgo.ca

Do Not Pass Go with Peter Nowak is a news podcast hosted by Peter Nowak, with 53 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Peter Nowak hosts Do Not Pass Go with Peter Nowak, a news show with 53 episodes published.

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  Episode #38

  When Algorithms Set the Price: The Future of Consumer Deception

  Jun 2, 202635 minS1

  <p>Many of us see supposed discounts every day – products in flyers or on websites where the “regular” price is crossed out and replaced by a supposed sale price: a vacuum that is normally $599 is now $499, or a pair of pants that usually sells for $99, now only $49!</p><p>Sometimes the deals are legitimate, but often they’re fake discounts meant to mislead consumers into thinking they’re getting a bargain.</p><p>These fake discounts aren’t just marketing gimmicks, they’re illegal – running afoul of Canada’s “ordinary selling price” laws, which require listed regular prices to be legitimate. Products m...

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  Episode #37

  The Bread Price-Fixing Scandal is Far From Over

  May 26, 202632 minS1

  <p>Payouts in the class-action lawsuit against Loblaw for its role in the Great Canadian Bread Price-Fixing Scandal are now going out, which is great news… but also not.</p><p>The $49.11 deposits, being paid out to those who registered for the lawsuit, are a drop in the bucket compared to what the scandal has cumulatively cost Canadian households – and a reminder of the big competitive problems plaguing the industry. </p><p>For 15 years, Loblaw and its fellow large grocers – including Metro, Sobeys, Walmart and Giant Tiger – conspired to raise the price of bread. While Loblaw is finally paying something for its...

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  Episode #36

  Inside the Elevator Oligopoly Reshaping Canadian Cities

  May 19, 202624 minS1

  <p>Canada has some of the most expensive elevators in the world — and as a result, we have far fewer of them per capita than most countries in the world. </p><p>It’s a symptom of a much larger problem involving regulation, competition, housing affordability and Canada’s relationship with the United States.</p><p>The two countries have effectively isolated themselves from the global elevator market by maintaining their own unique technical standards. While most of the world follows European regulations, North America requires different testing, sizing and certification rules that make it harder for international competitors to enter...

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  Episode #35

  The Hidden Real Estate Tactic Driving Up Grocery Prices

  May 12, 202636 minS1

  <p>Industry concentration, supply problems and the war in Iran are all contributing to ever-escalating grocery prices for Canadians, but there’s also a serious anti-competitive issue behind them: restrictive real-estate covenants.</p><p>These secretive real-estate deals, signed by Loblaws, Sobeys and others when they open stores, are keeping competitors away and funnelling consumers toward existing stores. They’re prevalent across Canada and, in some cases, their terms are egregious – would you believe that Loblaw’s typically blocks billiard halls from malls?</p><p>Once used to prevent specific minorities from living in certain areas, grocery chains have discovered and depl...

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  Episode #34

  The Competition Act Turns 40: What Canada Has Right – and Wrong

  May 5, 202637 minS1

  <p>Fun fact: Canada once led the world in fighting monopolies.</p><p>With the Anti-Combines Act of 1889, we became the first country in the world to enact pro-competition laws, designed to bust monopolies and protect consumers. But, as the saying goes, being first doesn’t always mean being best.</p><p>The Competition Act, which took effect on June 19, 1986, was an attempt to fix the problems with its predecessor. It’s been revised several times since.</p><p>As the Act turns 40, we’re joined by its chief architect, Lawson Hunter, to assess how it has evolved and performed, and wh...

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