December 6, 2021 – GATINEAU, QC – Competition Bureau
The Competition Bureau has obtained court orders from the Federal Court of Canada to advance an investigation into PSA Canada Ventures Ltd.’s proposed acquisition of Ceres Halifax Inc. The orders require the two parties to produce records and written information relevant to the Bureau’s investigation.
PSA and Ceres Halifax are the only two container terminal operators at the Port of Halifax. The Bureau is investigating whether the proposed transaction is likely to result in a substantial lessening or prevention of competition for marine carriers that make port calls at the Port of Halifax. Specifically, the Bureau is investigating whether this potential loss of competition may provide PSA with the ability to impose a material price increase or service level decrease on the services offered to these marine carriers.
If the Bureau determines that a merger is likely to substantially lessen or prevent competition, it may apply to the Competition Tribunal for an order under section 92 of the Competition Act to prevent, dissolve or alter the merger.

December 3, 2021 – Washington, D.C. – Global Affairs Canada
Canada and the United States have one of the closest trade relationships in the world, built on shared values and deeply integrated supply chains that support hundreds of thousands of jobs and opportunities on both sides of the border.
Today, the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, concluded a visit to Washington, D.C., where she was joined by Canadian consuls general from across the U.S. and members of Parliament from both sides of the House of Commons.
Over 3 days, the Team Canada delegation emphasized the importance of the Canada-U.S. secure and resilient supply chain and the key role it will play in the post-pandemic economic recovery.
The Team convened more than 50 meetings with U.S. presidential administration officials, including Katherine Tai, United States Trade Representative, members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives from both parties, representatives of binational labour unions, and automotive industry and business leaders to advocate for the future of industries and workers on both sides of the border who would be seriously affected by the proposed electric vehicle tax credits in the Build Back Better Act.
Minister Ng also raised Canada-U.S. trade issues of serious concern for Canada and Canadians, including protectionist Buy America provisions in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. She reiterated that Canada is disappointed by the doubling of U.S. duties on Canadian softwood lumber and reaffirmed that Canada is committed to working collaboratively on the scientific and technical aspects of exports of fresh potatoes from the province of Prince Edward Island to the U.S.
As laid out in the Road Map for a Renewed Canada-U.S. Partnership, which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Joe Biden agreed to on February 23 and to which they reaffirmed their commitment at the North American Leaders’ Summit on November 18, the success of the shared Canada-U.S. manufacturing supply chains will be crucial to supporting North American competitiveness, and the two countries are committed to a strong, sustainable, and inclusive shared recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

December 3, 2021 – Drummondville, Quebec – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
This week, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, highlighted an investment of up to $78,338 to Maison Francine Leroux under the Local Food Infrastructure Fund’s second phase.
Established in 2020, Maison Francine Leroux is a non-profit organization that promotes intergenerational sharing through textile arts, reading and cooking in the community. The Maison Francine Leroux building contains three large rooms, including a collective kitchen, where community members of all ages can safely meet to socialize, share ideas, enjoy coffee or a meal together, and lessen the feeling of isolation.
The announcement supports the installation of a new kitchen space at Maison Francine Leroux. Additionally, this LFIF funding is supporting the purchase of new kitchen appliances and equipment (including dishwasher, stove, refrigerator, freezer and hood), as well as tables, chairs and countertop benches for the shared space. The project will enable a fully-functional collective kitchen to address food security needs of community members and provide opportunities to learn about food preparation and preservation.
The Local Food Infrastructure Fund (LFIF), originally a five-year, $50-million program under the Food Policy for Canada, is aimed at community-based, not-for-profit organizations. The mission of the program is to reduce food insecurity by establishing and/or strengthening local food systems in the medium to longer term. Additionally, Budget 2021 included a $10-million top-up for LFIF, which is supporting rapid-response grants to help prevent hunger through investments in infrastructure needs.
The application intake for the second phase of the program ended on February 12, 2021. This phase supports community-based, not-for-profit organizations to improve their food systems through investments in infrastructure that are directly related to addressing food insecurities and increasing the accessibility of healthy, nutritious and local foods within their community.

December 3, 2021 – Ottawa, ON – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Marie-Claude Bibeau, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, and Lana Popham, British Columbia’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries held a virtual roundtable with B.C.’s agricultural sector yesterday to listen to their concerns following the devastating floods and landslides and to discuss both immediate and long-term support for the B.C. agriculture and agri-food industry.
Extreme weather events in B.C. have caused many agricultural producers and their families to struggle in extremely challenging circumstances as they deal with the loss of businesses, homes, livestock, crops and livelihoods. With over 800 farms in British Columbia currently under evacuation orders, the ministers recognized the producers’ courage and perseverance and indicated they are working together to make sure that producers have the resources they need to maintain their mental health and help rebuild their operations.
These events are indicative of climate change. As Canada works to meet its climate change goals, it will also work with the sector to ensure that it is better prepared and more resilient when these types of events happen.
The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and the Premier of British Columbia, John Horgan, recently announced a committee of federal and provincial ministers who will work together and with Indigenous leadership to guide immediate and ongoing support to British Columbia families, businesses, farmers and communities affected by the extreme weather events. The committee will also collaborate on recovery and rebuilding efforts, including by providing support to the sectors that have been most affected by the crisis.
The federal and provincial governments are taking concrete action to respond, including the recent provincial request to launch a joint assessment under the AgriRecovery Framework, which provides federal and provincial funding to help producers recover from natural disasters.
Federal and provincial officials are working with the utmost urgency to complete the joint assessment and help producers with their extraordinary costs. Outreach is already underway to specific provincial commodity groups to determine these costs and replacement values. Programming under AgriRecovery will roll out as soon as those assessments and the program design are completed.
Minister Bibeau also highlighted the work of Canadian Armed Forces personnel, who have been on the ground since mid-November to help farmers rescue livestock, resupply food to isolated communities, help repair critical infrastructure and assist with supply chain movement. The Government of Canada will continue to monitor the situation and will continue working with the province and industry to reduce impacts on food security, local food supply chains, animal welfare, as well as related producer operations. 

Association des Pêcheurs Professionnels Crabiers Acadiens, Inc. (APPCA)
Reducing Impact of ALDFG* Interactions with Marine Mammals in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence
Gulf of St. Lawrence, N.B.
$400,000.00

Association des Pêcheurs Professionnels Crabiers Acadiens, Inc. (APPCA)
Industry Led Large-Scale Mapping and Retrieval of ALDFG* in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence to decrease possible Interactions with Marine Mammals and to reduce the presence of Plastic in the Ocean.
Gulf of St. Lawrence, N.B.
$285,000.00

Blue Ocean Gear Inc.
Gear Tracking Technology Deployment to Prevent Gear Loss in Multiple Canadian Fisheries: A Large-Scale Effort to Reduce Ghost Fishing
Gulf of St. Lawrence, N.B.
$150,000.00

Cape Breton Fish Harvesters Association
Ghost Gear Removal in LFA 27
Cape Breton, N.S.
$20,000.00

Centre de recherche sur les milieux insulaires et maritimes (CERMIM)
Locating, retrieval and re-purposing of ghost fishing gear off the Magdalen Islands
Magdalen Islands, Que.
$407,030.00

Comité ZIP Côte-Nord du Golfe
Identification and retrieval of fishing gear lost in the coastal waters near Sept-Îles
Sept-Îles, Que.
$41,005.00

Comité ZIP des Îles-de-la-Madeleine
Retrieval of fishing gear lost or abandoned at sea in areas of high ecological value of the Magdalen Shallows Slope
Magdalen Islands, Que.
$204,457.50

Coastal Restoration Society
ALDFG* Retrieval (and safe disposal) from First Nation Territorial Waters – Pacific Region
Tofino, B.C.
$700,000.00

Coopérative des Capitaines Propriétaires de la Gaspésie (APCG)
Manufacturing and acquisition of a Reid’s Grapnel to retrieve abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded commercial fishing gear (ALDFG) in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
Rivière-au-Renard, Que.
$350,000.00

CSR GeoSurveys Ltd.
LFA 36-38 ALDFG* Survey, Retrieval and Disposal
Bay of Fundy, N.S.
$300,000.00

CSR GeoSurveys Ltd.
LFA 26A ALDFG* Survey, Retrieval and Disposal
Northumberland Strait, N.S.
$250,000.00

Emerald Sea Protection Society
Restoring the Emerald Sea: Collaboratively tackling lost fishing gear in the Canadian Salish Sea
Salish Sea, B.C.
$235,000.00

Esgenoôpetitj First Nation
Miramichi Bay Fishing Gear Retrieval & Disposal
Miramichi Bay, N.B.
$120,000.00

Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society
Lower Fraser River Ghost Gear Removal and Community Outreach Initiative
Lower Fraser River, B.C.
$95,844.00

Friends of McNabs Island Society
McNabs and Lawlor Islands Cleanup – Education and Awareness Initiative
McNab Island, N.S.
$21,000.00

Fundy North Fisherman’s Association
Responsible Disposal of End of Life Lobster Traps
St. Andrews, N.B.
$106,670.00

Goodwood Plastics Products
Maximizing Recycling Efficiency and Value of End-of-Life Plastic Fishing Gear in Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada
$237,000.00

Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute
Reducing Fishing Gear Loss and the impacts of ALDFG* into the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region
Caribbean Sea
$100,000.00

Les Pecheries Shipek
Retrieval of lost gear in the area off the western tip of Anticosti Island
Anticosti, Que.
$14,700.00

Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance
LFFA and FVAFS Ghost Net Retrieval Program
Fraser River, B.C.
$61,526.00

Malahat Nation
Mapping and Improving High-Value Habitat influenced by Derelict Fishing Gear in the Salish Sea
Salish Sea, B.C.
$336,750.00

Maliseet Nation Conservation Council
Using diving to remove ghost-gear and other marine debris from the Bay of Fundy
Bay of Fundy, N.B.
$140,224.00

Marine Thinking
Lobster trap tracking, monitoring, and retrieval system
Lobster Fishing Area 33, N.S.
$120,000.00

Maritime Fishermen’s Union
Clean Oceans, fishermen taking action in LFA 26 : Ghost Gear retrieval effort.
Lobster Fishing Area 26, N.S.
$110,000.00

Merinov
Abandoned or lost fishing gear: introduction to repurposing
Gaspé, Que.
$300,000.00

Natural Resources Consultants
Newly Lost Net Response and ALDFG* Removal Diver Training
Campbell River, B.C.
$149,673.00

Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association
Removal of Plastic Equipment (from Abandoned Mussel Aquaculture Sites) (ROPE) Project
N.L.
$199,251.95

Ocean Conservancy (Global Ghost Gear Initiative®) 
Driving Policy Change to Catalyze Reductions in Ghost Gear
Washington, D.C.
$225,000.00

Petty Harbour Fisherman’s Cooperative
Petty Harbour Fishermen’s Co-operative – Eastern Avalon Ghost Fishing Gear Retrieval Project
Petty Harbour, N.L.
$134,038.00

Prince Edward Island Fishermen’s Association
PEI Modified Grapnel Trialling and Wide Scale Gear Retrieval Project
Gulf of St. Lawrence, N.B.
$75,583.75

Richmond County Inshore Fishermen’s Association
Ghost Gear retrieval of St. Peter’s Bay, Richmond County, Nova Scotia
St. Peter’s Bay, N.S.
$37,000.00

Shift Environmental Technologies Ltd.
Rural First Nations ALDFG* Training Collection and Recycling Pilot
Prince Rupert, B.C.
$400,000.00

Stand Out For Environment Restoration Initiative
Fishing Net Gains West Africa (FNG – WA)
Nigeria
$200,000.00

The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’Kmaq
Keskaqowey Apuktuk Memjewey Mi’kma’ki (Ghost Gear in Mi’kma’ki)
Digby, N.S.Northumberland Strait, N.S.
$250,000.00

The Ocean Legacy Foundation
Strategic Collection and Processing of Abandoned, Lost and Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG) Resources in Pacific Canada
Ucluelet, B.C.
$800,000.00

Titan Maritime Ltd.
Titan Maritime Proposal to DFO for SFSRSCP Funding
Southern Shore, N.S.
$204,000.00

Torngat Joint Fisheries Board (TJFB)
ALDFG* retrieval and disposal initiative– Nunatsiavut waters (NAFO 2GH, 2Jnorth)
Labrador, N.L.
$265,000.00

December 1, 2021 – GATINEAU, QC – Competition Bureau
To protect competition for customers of industrial waste services (IWS) and oil recycling services (ORS) in Western Canada, the Competition Bureau is challenging GFL Environmental Inc.’s recent purchase of Terrapure Environmental Inc.
Prior to the transaction, Terrapure was GFL’s closest competitor in many IWS and ORS markets in Western Canada. A Bureau review found that the elimination of this rivalry is likely to result in increased prices and reduced service quality for customers.
The Bureau concluded that the transaction has likely substantially lessened competition in the collection and processing of industrial waste on Vancouver Island, in the British Columbia Interior and in Central Alberta.
The Bureau also determined that the transaction is likely to cause a substantial lessening of competition in the provision of ORS in eight regions across British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan.
As such, on November 30, 2021, the Bureau filed an application with the Competition Tribunal for a court order requiring GFL to sell any assets necessary to remedy the likely substantial lessening of competition resulting from the acquisition.
The complete agreement will be available on the website of the Competition Tribunal shortly.

Despite a better-than-expected jobs report, administration officials stressed that millions of workers still needed help from a proposed $1.9 trillion stimulus package.

Investors appear to be reconsidering the electric carmaker’s high share price as other automakers gain market share.