Canadian businessman John Bennett will be extradited to the US face bid-rigging, fraud, conspiracy, and kick-back charges, the BC Court of Appeal held recently. The charges stem from a bid by the company he founded, Bennett Environmental Inc., to work on an environmental cleanup project in New Jersey. Bennett Environmental was an environmental soil remediation…
The Canadian Competition Bureau (Bureau) announced earlier today that criminal charges have been laid in a federal government IT contract-related bid-rigging case. According to the Bureau, the charges relate to allegations that an IT services company, its former owner and several former employees, as well as several former federal government employees were involved in an…
Recently I was asked why an association should have a competition compliance program. Sometimes I am asked why a company, association or other organization should have a compliance program. And others, I am asked what a “compliance program is”. These are both very valid questions. Here I thought I would write a short note on…
Earlier today I read remarks delivered by European Commission competition head Joaquin Almunia in Brussels on the topic of cartel enforcement (see: Fighting against cartels: A priority for the present and for the future). He discussed, among other things, recent European cartel cases, fines achieved, cartels in innovation and fast moving markets and recent detection…
TOP STORIES Curb Appeal As a trade association, the Toronto Real Estate Board does not compete in the real estate market and therefore cannot be liable for abuse of dominance, the Competition Tribunal held, rejecting the Commissioner of Competition’s attempt to force TREB to allow Realtors to post more information on the Internet. The Federal…
The Competition Bureau has shown a reinvigorated interest in trade associations ever since Commissioner John Pecman assumed office in June 2013. Indeed, Commissioner Pecman made it clear that trade associations were on his enforcement radar screen even while he still held the “Interim” title after former Commissioner Melanie Aitken stepped down in September 2012. Now,…
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