e28: Canned Goods and more Rogers/Shaw madness

Monopolies Killed My Hometown

e28: In this episode we're looking at two topics - the Canning Industry in the 1930's and more on the Rogers/Shaw merger. We're going to start with the investigation the Price Spreads Commission did into the canning industry in the 1930s. This section has everything we've looked at so far in this podcast - mass buyers, high shipping costs, vertical integration, secret rebates, side deals, people and farmers getting screwed. All of it seems to come together in the canning industry.

The second half we're going to look at the Rogers/Shaw merger again. Turns out that Videotron has gone back to the Federal government to ask Rogers to fulfill their obligations from the divestiture. We're not even 6 months out from the merger! Second, the Competition Tribunal has awarded Rogers/Shaw about $13 million in costs. We need to pay Rogers/Shaw $13 million. WOW! The Tribunal also said Commissioner Matthew Boswell was unreasonable. I have many thoughts on the Tribunal's ruling.

Links:

• Timeline of Rogers-Shaw deal
• Quebecor asks industry minister to intervene in dispute with Rogers over MVNO rates
• Tribunal's cost ruling in Rogers-Shaw case