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2010 Releases
| Credit and Debit Code of Conduct a Critical Step Towards Transparency for Consumers and Merchants Ottawa, January 18, 2010 — The Payments Accountability Council (PAC) applauds government's efforts to bring clarity, transparency and merchant choice to the debit and credit card market in Canada through the Government of Canada's Code of Conduct for Credit and Debit Card Markets. |
| Payments Accountability Council Commends Federal Government For Key Announcements In Federal Budget Merchants encouraged by steps taken to ensure credit card company practices kept in-check Ottawa, March 5, 2010 — Retail Council of Canada (RCC), The Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors (CCGD) and the Payments Accountability Council (PAC), representing more than 250,000 businesses commend Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and the Government of Canada for announcing in yesterday's budget measures to rein-in the practices of credit card companies, banks and processors as they relate to the Canadian payments market. |
| Retail Council of Canada Applauds Government Of Canada's Refusal To Extend Blank Media Levy To Other Electronic Devices Levy would put Canadian merchants at a competitive disadvantage Ottawa, March 17, 2010 — Retail Council of Canada (RCC) commends Heritage Canada Minister James Moore and Industry Canada Minister Tony Clement for rejecting an NDP proposal to extend the blank media levy to other electronic devices such as iPods and similar digital audio recorders. |
| Retail Council of Canada's Holiday Shopping Survival Tips Toronto, December 14, 2010 /CNW/ — As the 2010 holiday shopping season kicks into high-gear, so too can your stress level. To make sure you leave stores and malls with a smile on your face and your gift list crossed-off, follow just a few easy steps to make your holiday shopping experience safe, productive and stress-free. |
| Christmas Comes Early for Retailers Across the Country Retail Council of Canada commends Competition Bureau for referring card company conduct to Competition Tribunal Toronto, December 15, 2010 /CNW/ — Retail Council of Canada (RCC) applauds actions taken today by the Competition Bureau to file an application with the Competition Tribunal to strike down restrictive and anti-competitive rules that Visa and MasterCard impose on merchants who accept their credit cards. |
| Payments Accountability Council Encouraged By Federal Code Of Conduct For Canada's Debit And Credit Card Markets Code represents critical step toward fairness, transparency and choice for merchants and consumers Toronto, April 16, 2010 — The Payments Accountability Council (PAC), led by Retail Council of Canada (RCC), the Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors (CCGD) and backed by more than 250,000 Canadian merchants, applauds Finance Minister Flaherty and the Government of Canada for today's announcement of a code of conduct for the Canadian debit and credit markets. |
| Canadian Retail Industry Honours Giant Tiger Chairman and CEO Gordon Reid with Lifetime Achievement Award Toronto, May 4, 2010 — Retail Council of Canada (RCC) today announces Gordon Reid, Chairman and CEO of Giant Tiger Stores Limited, as the recipient of the 2010 Retail Lifetime Achievement Award. The award will be presented to Mr. Reid at RCC's Gala dinner on May 31 as part of the association's national STORE conference in Toronto. |
| Retail Council of Canada Names Staples Canada Inc. President Steven Matyas 2010 Distinguished Canadian Retailer of the Year Toronto, May 5, 2010 — Today, Retail Council of Canada (RCC) is proud to announce Steven Matyas, President of Staples Canada Inc., as the 2010 Distinguished Canadian Retailer of the Year. The award will be presented to Mr. Matyas at RCC's gala dinner on May 31 as part of the association's national STORE conference in Toronto. |
| Retail Council Of Canada Partners With BOMA Toronto To Help Toronto Retailers Reduce Energy Use Toronto, May 13, 2010 — Retailers with real estate portfolios larger than 25,000 square feet can access a $60 million fund managed by the BOMA Toronto Conservation and Demand Management Program, and funded by the Ontario Power Authority, to encourage businesses to undertake energy conservation projects. Cash incentives are available to tenants, store owners, corporate offices, warehouses or distribution centres within the borders of the City of Toronto. |
| Canadian Retail Industry Honours Home Hardware President and CEO Paul Straus with Retail Hall of Fame Award Toronto, May 17, 2010 — Today, Retail Council of Canada (RCC) announces Paul Straus, President and CEO of Home Hardware Stores Limited, as the recipient of the 2010 Canadian Retail Hall of Fame Award. The award will be presented to Mr. Straus at RCC's Excellence in Retailing Awards dinner on May 31, as part of the association's national STORE conference in Toronto. |
| Canadian Retail Industry Honours Uxbridge Canadian Tire Dealer with Ambassador Award Toronto, May 20, 2010 — Today, Retail Council of Canada (RCC) announces Pat Higgins, a Canadian Tire Associate Dealer in Uxbridge, Ontario as the recipient of the 2010 Ambassador Award. The prestigious award, which recognizes the community contributions of retailers, will be presented to Mr. Higgins at RCC's gala dinner on May 31, as part of the association's national STORE conference in Toronto. |
| Retail Council of Canada Honours Retail Excellence at National Conference Toronto, June 1, 2010 — Retail Council of Canada presented 17 prestigious industry awards at the Excellence in Retail Awards Dinner yesterday. The awards recognize the retail industry's top achievers in a variety of categories and were presented as part of STORE 2010 — Canada's Retail Conference. |
| INTERAC® and Retail Council of Canada Award $5,000 to 2010 Retail as a Career Scholarship Program's Top Applicant Toronto, June 2, 2010 — INTERAC and Retail Council of Canada (RCC) are pleased to announce the top applicant of the 2010 Retail as a Career Scholarship Program, a program that honours students entering or enrolled in a business, marketing or retail-related program at a Canadian post-secondary institution. Naila Abbasova, currently enrolled at Ryerson University in Toronto, is the 2010 winner of the $5,000 scholarship, funded by INTERAC. |
| Retail Council of Canada welcomes introduction of Copyright Modernization Act Industry commends Government for rejecting calls to extend blank media levy Ottawa, June 3, 2010 — Retail Council of Canada (RCC) is encouraged by the proposed Copyright Act amendments in Bill C-32 and believes they are a positive step towards modernizing Canada's copyright laws. The draft legislation is a positive attempt to balance the interests of consumers who purchase copyrighted material and the creators of that material. |
| Retailers committed to ensuring workable waste diversion program that will benefit all Ontarians Toronto, July 20, 2010 — Retail Council of Canada (RCC) supports today's government announcement of the reversal of eco-fees and a 90-day reassessment of Phase II of the Ontario Municipal Hazardous and Special Waste program (MHSW) introduced on July 1, 2010. RCC commends Environment Minister Gerretsen and the Government of Ontario for acknowledging the confusion in the marketplace around this new program and their move to correct the issue. |
| Federal Code of Conduct For Canada's Debit And Credit Card Markets Comes Into Effect Payments Accountability Council and Financial Consumer Agency of Canada to monitor industry compliance Ottawa, August 16, 2010 — Today, the federal code of conduct for Canada's debit and credit card markets announced by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty in April came into effect. The code has been adopted by all payment card networks, including American Express Canada, THE EXCHANGE ATM network, Interac, MasterCard Canada and Visa Canada. |
| Retail Council of Canada commends government for lower EI premium increase in 2011 Ottawa, September 30, 2010 —> After raising retailers' concerns with the federal government, Retail Council of Canada (RCC) commends the Minister of Finance and the Government of Canada for limiting the 2011 employment insurance (EI) premium increase to $0.05 for employees and $0.07 for employers. This is welcome news for retailers and their employees as they anticipated much higher EI rates in 2011. |
| Retailers support the Government of Ontario's decision on MHSW Phase 2 and 3 Industry commends continued support for successful waste diversion programs already in place Toronto, October 13, 2010 — Retail Council of Canada supports yesterday's announcement by Ontario Environment Minister John Wilkinson to permanently halt Phase 2 and 3 of the Municipal Hazardous and Special Waste (MHSW) program originally implemented on July 1, 2010. |
| Why shopping local matters on Black Friday Toronto, November 25, 2010 — On the eve of 'Black Friday' in the United States, some Canadians may be thinking of heading south of the border to take advantage of sales and promotions. A number of Canadian retailers are getting in on the action themselves, offering deals of their own to keep those shopping dollars here at home. |
2009 Releases
| Federal Budget Offers A Measure Of Hope For Canadian Retailers Toronto, January 28, 2009 – Retail Council of Canada (RCC) is encouraged by a number of economic stimulus measures announced by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty in yesterday's federal budget and welcomed the government's plans in response to the global recession. |
| Retail Council Of Canada Applauds Senator's Call For Investigation Of Credit And Debit Fees Toronto, January 30, 2009 – Retail Council of Canada (RCC) applauds Senator Pierrette Ringuette for introducing a motion in the Senate this week to allow the Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce to investigate and report on the Canadian credit and debit card system. RCC encourages all Senators to support this motion and looks forward to participating in the inquiry if it is allowed to move forward. |
| Retail Council of Canada applauds decision of House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry to review proposed restructure of Interac Toronto, March 5, 2009 – Today's announcement by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry that a review of the proposed restructuring of Interac will be undertaken, is being applauded by Retail Council of Canada (RCC) and heralded as a victory for Canadian retailers and their customers. |
| Retail Council of Canada applauds Senate for initiating credit card industry investigation Ottawa, March 5, 2009 – Retail Council of Canada (RCC) and the "Stop Sticking It To Us" coalition, representing over 200,000 small and large businesses, applauds the Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce for announcing today that it will move forward with an investigation of Canada's credit and debit card system. The announcement follows the introduction of a motion for an investigation by Senator Pierrette Ringuette in January this year. RCC, the association that speaks for and represents the merchant community in Canada, has been at the forefront of this issue and looks forward to actively participating in this important inquiry and working with the Committee to determine the impact of the fees charged to Canadian merchants and consumers by credit card companies and banks issuing their cards. |
| Retail Council of Canada and the StopStickingItToUs Coalition Commends Competition Bureau Investigation of Credit Card Companies Abusive dominance inquiry response to increase in complaints Ottawa, March 25, 2009 – Diane J. Brisebois, Chair of the StopStickingItToUs Coalition and President and CEO of Retail Council of Canada commends the Competition Bureau for investigating Visa and MasterCard under the "abuse of dominance" rules of the Canadian Competition Act. The public announcement of the investigation came from Bureau Deputy Commissioner, Richard Taylor today at the opening session of Senate Banking Committee hearings that will "study the credit and debit card systems in Canada and their relative rates and fees, in particular for businesses and consumers." |
| StopStickingItToUs Coalition Commends Parliamentary Scrutiny of Credit Card Companies Unprecedented number of government inquiries seek justification of fee practices Ottawa, April 21, 2009 – This week, members of the StopStickingItToUs Coalition will appear before the Senate Banking Committee in Ottawa on behalf of more than 200,000 Canadian businesses to expose the skyrocketing fees merchants pay to accept credit cards and the negative impacts these fees have on businesses and consumers alike. The Coalition's testimony will also address dangers posed by the impending introduction of VISA and MasterCard debit schemes to the Canadian market, which could spell the end of our country's current low-cost, efficient debit service. |
| House Of Commons Begins Historic Credit And Debit Card Inquiry StopStickingItToUs Coalition asks Parliamentary Committee to reject U.S-style financial deregulation Ottawa, May 11, 2009 – This week, representatives of hundreds of thousands of Canadian businesses will descend on Ottawa for the start of House of Commons Committee hearings focused on the runaway fees merchants are forced to pay to accept credit cards. The joint House Finance/Industry Committee inquiry, which begins tomorrow, comes on the heels of hearings held on the issue by the Senate Banking Committee that concluded last week. The hearings signal the first time that credit and debit card issues have been examined by Parliament. |
| Costco's Louise Wendling Named 2009 Distinguished Canadian Retailer of the Year by Retail Council of Canada Toronto, May 21, 2009 – Today, Retail Council of Canada (RCC) is proud to announce Louise Wendling, Senior Vice President and Country Manager for Costco Wholesale Canada as the 2009 Distinguished Canadian Retailer of the Year. The award will be presented to Ms. Wendling at RCC's Gala dinner on June 1, as part of their national STORE conference in Toronto. |
| Canadian Retail Industry Honours Aldo Groupe's Réjean Dionne with Lifetime Achievement Award Toronto, May 21, 2009 – Today, Retail Council of Canada (RCC) announced Réjean Dionne, President of ALDO Groupe, as the recipient of the 2009 Retail Lifetime Achievement Award. The award will be presented to Mr. Dionne at RCC's Gala dinner on June 1, as part of their national STORE conference in Toronto. |
| Merchants Respond To Flaherty Announcement Of New Rules For Credit Card Companies Toronto, May 21, 2009 – New credit card rules announced today by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty are an important first step to confronting the power of the credit card companies, but the federal government will also need to address the concerns of Canadian merchants, says Diane Brisebois, President of the Retail Council of Canada and Chair of the StopStickingItToUs coalition, representing over 250,000 Canadian businesses. |
| Canadian Retail Industry Honours Henry Singer Fashion Group's Fred Singer with Retail Hall of Fame Award Toronto, May 22, 2009 – Today, Retail Council of Canada (RCC) announced Fred Singer, President of Henry Singer Fashion Group, as the recipient of the 2009 Canadian Retail Hall of Fame Award. The award will be presented to Mr. Singer at RCC's Gala dinner on June 1, as part of their national STORE conference in Toronto. Mr. Singer was nominated and selected for the award by a distinguished panel of retail executives, as well as representatives from the financial, academic and consulting communities. |
| Canadian Retail Industry Honours Grassroots Environmental Products and Robert Simmonds Inc. with Ambassador Awards Toronto, May 22, 2009 – Today, Retail Council of Canada (RCC) announced Grassroots Environmental Products and Robert Simmonds Inc. as the recipients of the 2009 Ambassador Awards, sponsored by Chase Paymentech Solutions. The awards will be presented to at RCC's Gala dinner on June 1, as part of their national STORE conference in Toronto. The organizations were nominated and selected for the award by a distinguished panel of retail executives, as well as representatives from the financial, academic and consulting communities. |
| Retail Council of Canada Announces the 2009 Retail as a Career Scholarship Recipients $5,000 Top Prize To Be Awarded At National Conference Next Week Toronto, May 27, 2009 – The future of retail is in good hands, as 28 high school and post-secondary students from across the country will each receive a $1,000 scholarship to assist in their pursuit of retail as a career. This year, for the first time, Interac Association will award a $5,000 scholarship to the top applicant in the program. |
| INTERAC® and Retail Council of Canada Announce Top Applicant of 2009 Retail as a Career Scholarship Program Toronto, June 2, 2009 – INTERAC and Retail Council of Canada (RCC) are pleased to announce the name of the top applicant of the 2009 Retail as a Career Scholarship Program, a program that honours students entering or enrolled in a business, marketing or retail-related program at a Canadian post-secondary institution. |
| Retail Council of Canada Honours Excellence at National Conference Toronto, June 4, 2009 – Retail Council of Canada presented 12 prestigious industry awards at the Excellence in Retail Awards Dinner earlier this week. The awards recognize the retail industry's top achievers in a variety of categories and were presented as part of STORE 2009 — Canada's Retail Conference. |
| Upping the "WOW-factor" Builds Brand Loyalty New Retail Study Reveals Retail Council of Canada partners with Verde Group and Wharton School of Business to examine what makes a memorable shopping experience Toronto, June 22, 2009 – At a time when Canadian retailers are challenged to attract increasingly cautious consumers to their stores, a new survey by Retail Council of Canada, Verde Group and the Baker Retailing Initiative at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania reveals that meeting this challenge may not be as complicated and expensive you might think. |
| Committee Report Supports Stopstickingittous Coalition's Call For Oversight And Rules For Credit And Debit Card Fees Senate Recognizes Need for Greater Transparency and Accountability in Canadian Debit and Credit Markets Ottawa, June 30, 2009 – The StopStickingItToUs Coalition, representing over 250,000 Canadian merchant businesses, commends the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce for its report released today recommending fundamental changes to the way credit card companies, banks and payment processors operate in Canada. The unanimous report, focusing on the fees and rates charged to merchants and consumers, follows months of testimony from key players in the payments market, including merchant and consumer groups, credit card companies and Canada's largest financial institutions, among others. |
| Retail Council of Canada applauds B.C. Government's announcement on Tax Harmonization Vancouver, July 27, 2009 – Retail Council of Canada (RCC) applauds the British Columbia government for taking the bold step to harmonize the provincial sales tax (PST) with the federal Goods and Services tax (GST). RCC believes that tax harmonization will decrease the administrative burden on retailers in the province, allowing them to be more competitive. |
| Canada's Independent Retailers — Significant Contributors to the National Economy Retailers Shine During Small Business Week Toronto, October 19, 2009 — In celebration of Small Business Week, Retail Council of Canada's Independent Retailer Task Force released the results of a year-long research initiative into small business retailing in Canada. The Task Force, made up of independent retailers from coast-to-coast held town hall meetings in all regions of the country. |
| Retailers Commend Government Code of Conduct for Debit and Credit Cards Merchants Establish Watchdog to Monitor the Payments Marketplace Ottawa, November 19 — Retail Council of Canada (RCC), The Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors (CCGD) and the StopStickingItToUs Coalition, representing more than 250,000 businesses commend Finance Minister Flaherty and the Government of Canada for today's introduction of a Code of Conduct to govern the Canadian debit and credit card markets. The announcement of the Code is an important step toward ensuring merchant choice, enhanced competition and greater transparency in a marketplace dominated by only a few large companies. |
