Below is a searchable table listing all cartel cases since 2014 and their outcomes. For more information on a case, click the link in the table.
To view earlier Bureau's announcements, please visit our News releases section.
-
What is a consent agreement
To resolve non-compliance in a civil case, we may negotiate a settlement with a business or individual. This negotiated settlement can take the form of a consent agreement registered with the Competition Tribunal. Once registered, consent agreements have the force of a court order.
The Competition Tribunal is a quasi-judicial body that has the power to hear and dispose of matters involving non-compliance with various sections of the Competition Act.
Further reading:
- How we foster competition: Compliance and enforcement
If you cannot find the case you're looking for, you may also consult the following lists:
- Cases of deceptive marketing practices
- Cases of restrictive trade practices
- Records of concluded merger reviews
| Date | Product/service | Offence/issue | Outcome | Hidden Search Terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-01-15 January 15, 2024 | Public road and culvert work | Bid-rigging |
Road construction company Construction DJL Inc. has been ordered to pay $1.5 million in connection with bid rigging for ministère des Transports du Québec paving contracts in the Granby region of Québec. |
road construction company; bid rigging; settlement; Public Prosecution Service of Canada; Superior Court of Québec; Government of Québec’s Voluntary Reimbursement Program |
| 2023-11-14 November 14, 2023 | Municipal infrastructure contracts | Conspiracy to rig-bids and commit fraud, and Fraud over $5,000 (Criminal Code) |
Criminal charges were laid before the Court of Québec against Patrice Mathieu and André Côté in connection with an alleged conspiracy to rig bids for Québec City infrastructure contracts. |
conspiracy, bid-rigging, criminal charges, Court of Québec, Patrice Mathieu, André Côté, Québec City, infrastructure contracts, fraud over $5,000, Tecsult inc., Consultants AECOM Inc., Roche ltée, Groupe-conseil, Norda & Stelo Inc. |
| 2023-10-24 October 24, 2023 | Public road and culvert work | Bid-rigging |
Criminal charges were laid before the Court of Quebec against two individuals in connection with alleged bid-rigging for public road and culvert work contracts awarded by the ministère des Transports du Québec (MTQ) for the Gatineau region. |
conspiracy, bid-rigging, public contracts, Coco Asphalt, Coco Paving Inc., Richard Dionne, Richard Labelle, public road, culvert work, Highway 50, Guy‑Lafleur, Gatineau, ministère des Transports du Québec |
| 2023-10-20 October 20, 2023 | Paving contracts | Bid-rigging |
Inter-Cité Construction Ltée will pay $150,000 for arranging with a competitor to allocate territories for paving contracts awarded by the ministère des Transports du Québec. |
Competition Bureau, Inter-Cité Construction, territory allocation, settlement, bid-rigging, ministère des Transports du Québec |
| 2023-10-20 October 20, 2023 | Municipal infrastructure contracts | Bid-rigging |
Engineering firm Teknika HBA Inc. (now Les Services EXP Inc.) has been ordered to pay $200,000 for bid-rigging on municipal infrastructure contracts in Québec. The firms involved in this bid-rigging scheme will have paid over $12.7 million as a result of settlement agreements. |
Competition Bureau, Teknika HBA Inc., settlement, bid-rigging, municipal contracts, Québec |
| 2023-10-18 October 18, 2023 | Condo refurbishment contracts in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) | Conspiracy to rig-bids and commit fraud, and Fraud (Criminal Code), and Conspiracy (Competition Act) | TRI-CAN Contract Incorporated, Bob Vlahopoulos, JCO & Associates, Jose De Olivieira, LAR Condominium Refurbishment Specialists, and Tony Romanin: Stay of proceedings | |
| 2023-09-19 September 19, 2023 | Paving contracts | Bid-rigging |
Criminal charges were laid before the Court of Quebec against two individuals in connection with alleged bid-rigging for paving contracts awarded by the ministère des Transports du Québec (MTQ) for the Montérégie region. |
criminal charges, Court of Quebec, bid-rigging, Transports du Québec; dictate prices; Immunity and Leniency Programs; Whistleblowing Initiative; Competition Act; |
| 2023-08-17 August 17, 2023 | Shipment of vehicles to Canada | Conspiracy |
Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) was fined $1.5 million by the Ontario Superior Court for its role in an international conspiracy that reduced competition for the shipment of vehicles to Canada. |
Japanese; shipping; shipping companies; Ontario Superior Court; fined; conspiracy; international conspiracy; freight; General Motors Company; Public Prosecution Service of Canada; Competition Bureau Canada; |
| 2023-08-17 August 17, 2023 | Shipment of vehicles to Canada | Bid-rigging and Conspiracy |
Japanese shipping company Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” Line) was fined $460,000 by the Ontario Superior Court for its role in an international conspiracy that reduced competition for the shipment of vehicles to Canada. |
Japanese; shipping; shipping companies; Ontario Superior Court; fined; conspiracy; international conspiracy; freight; General Motors Company; Public Prosecution Service of Canada; Competition Bureau Canada; |
| 2023-06-21 June 21, 2023 | Wholesale price of fresh commercial bread | Price-fixing | Canada Bread Company, Limited pleading guilty for its role in a criminal price-fixing arrangement that raised the wholesale price of fresh commercial bread. The guilty plea is the result of an ongoing investigation by the Bureau into alleged price-fixing between producers to raise wholesale bread prices, as well as alleged price-fixing between grocery stores to raise retail prices. |
Canada Bread Company, criminal price-fixing arrangement, Weston Foods (Canada) Inc., Leniency Program, Loblaw, Metro, Sobeys, Wal-Mart Canada, Giant Tiger, Overwaitea Food Group Limited, and Maple Leaf Foods Inc., criminal offence, investigation |
| 2023-04-28 April 28, 2023 | Online business directories | Deceptive telemarketing | Terry Croteau pleaded guilty in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to fraud over $5000, using a forged document, and deceptive telemarketing. Mr. Croteau was sentenced to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay $1.28M in restitution for defrauding Canadian businesses in an online directory scam |
Deceptive telemarketing, fraud, forged document, Online business directories, Terry Croteau |
| 2023-03-23 March 23, 2023 | Municipal infrastructure contracts for engineering services in the province of Québec | Bid-rigging | BPR-Infrastructure Inc. has been ordered to pay $485,000 for bid-rigging BPR and six other engineering firms have been ordered to pay a total of $12,535,000 for their respective roles in the bid-rigging scheme |
|
| 2022-10-14 October 14, 2022 | Municipal infrastructure contracts for engineering services in Gatineau, Quebec | Bid-rigging | Francois Paulhus pleaded guilty and was sentenced to pay a $25,000 fine, in addition to a 15% surcharge on that amount. | |
| 2022-01-17 January 17, 2022 | Condo refurbishment contracts in the Greater Toronto Area | Bid-rigging | CPL Interiors Ltd. pleaded guilty under the conspiracy provision of the Competition Act and was fined $761,967 by the Ontario Superior Court. | Condo refurbishment, Condo, refurbishment, Condo refurbishment contracts, CPL Interiors |
| 2021-01-07 January 7, 2021 | Community and daily newspapers in Ontario | Conspiracy | The Competition Bureau closes investigation of Postmedia and Torstar. | |
| 2020-12-08 December 8, 2020 | Municipal infrastructure contracts for engineering services in Quebec City, Montreal, Laval, St-Eustache and Gatineau | Bid-rigging | CIMA+ pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay $3.2 million as part of a settlement. The company also reimbursed overpayments related to the bid-rigging. | |
| 2020-06-19 June 19, 2020 | Municipal infrastructure contracts for engineering services in Montreal and the Quebec city area | Bid-rigging | SNC-Lavalin pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay $1.9 million as part of a settlement. The company also reimbursed overpayments related to the bid-rigging. | |
| 2020-06-19 June 19, 2020 | Municipal infrastructure contracts for engineering services in Montreal and North Shore municipalities | Bid-rigging | Génius Conseil Inc. ordered to pay $300,000 as part of a settlement. The company also reimbursed overpayments related to the bid-rigging. | |
| 2020-03-05 March 5, 2020 | Municipal infrastructure contracts for engineering services in Quebec City and Levis | Bid-rigging | Roche ltée (now Norda Stelo Inc.) pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay $750,000 as part of a settlement. The company also reimbursed overpayments related to the bid-rigging. | |
| 2019-11-22 November 22, 2019 | Municipal infrastructure contracts for engineering services in Gatineau, Quebec | Bid-rigging | Claude Marquis, formerly from Genivar received a sentence of 19 months (6 months house arrest, 13 months under curfew) and 120 hours of community service. | |
| 2019-07-25 July 25, 2019 | Municipal infrastructure contracts for engineering services in Gatineau, Quebec | Bid-rigging | André Mathieu, formerly from Cima+, pleaded guilty and received a sentence of 22 months (7 months of house arrest and 15 months under curfew) and 140 hours of community service. | bid-rigging, Gatineau, Cima+, Genivar, Mathieu, municipal infrastructure contracts, engineering services |
| 2019-07-25 July 25, 2019 | Municipal infrastructure contracts for engineering services in Gatineau, Quebec | Bid-rigging | Claude Marquis, formerly from Genivar, pleaded guilty (sentencing took place November 22, 2019). | bid-rigging, Gatineau, Cima+, Genivar, Mathieu, municipal infrastructure contracts, engineering services |
| 2019-06-20 June 20, 2019 | Municipal infrastructure contracts for engineering services in Gatineau, Quebec | Bid-rigging | Michel Famery, formerly from Dessau, pleaded guilty and received a sentence of 18 months (9 months of house arrest and 9 months under curfew). | bid-rigging, Dessau, Superior Court of Quebec, Gatineau, Famery |
| 2019-03-13 March 13, 2019 | Municipal infrastructure contracts for engineering services in the City of Québec, Laval, and Gatineau, Quebec | Bid-rigging | Genivar (now WSP Canada) was ordered to pay $4 million as part of a settlement. WSP Canada has also reimbursed overpayments related to the bid-rigging. | bid-rigging, Genivar, WSP Canada, infrastructure |
| 2019-02-19 February 19, 2019 | Municipal infrastructure contracts for engineering services in the City of Québec, Laval, and Gatineau, Quebec and some municipalities in the Montreal region | Bid-rigging | Dessau, which is no longer in operation, was ordered to pay $1.9 million as part of a settlement. The company also reimbursed overpayments related to the bid-rigging. | bid-rigging, Dessau, infrastructure |
| 2019-01-17 January 17, 2019 | Municipal infrastructure contracts for engineering services in Gatineau, Quebec | Bid-rigging | Dave Boulay pleaded guilty and received a 12-month sentence (6 months of house arrest and 6 months under curfew). | bid, rigging, Dessau, Boulay, Gatineau |
| 2018-10-19 October 19, 2018 | Auto parts (plastic interior parts) | Bid-rigging | INOAC Corporation pleaded guilty. The company was fined $1.13 million plus a victim surcharge of $169,500 and required to implement a corporate compliance program. | bid-rigging, Japanese car parts, INOAC, Yazaki, Mitsubishi, Showa |
| 2018-07-30 July 30, 2018 | Federal government contract for IT Services for Library and Archives Canada | Bid-rigging | Microtime Inc. and John Cassandra: Stay of proceedings. | Bid-rigging, Microtime, John Cassandra, Federal government contract |
| 2018-06-26 June 26, 2018 | Municipal infrastructure contracts for engineering services in Gatineau, Quebec | Bid-rigging | Charges were laid against André Mathieu, Claude Marquis, Michel Famery and Dave Boulay. | bid-rigging, Gatineau, infrastructure, contracts, Mathieu, Marquis, Famery, Boulay |
| 2018-06-11 June 11, 2018 | Federal government contract for IT Services for Library and Archives Canada | Permitting the opportunity for another person to defraud the government (Financial Administration Act) | Barney Shun was found not guilty. | CanLII, Shum, Federal government contract, Superior Court of Justice, Financial Administration Act |
| 2018-05-31 May 31, 2018 | Federal government contract for IT Services for Library and Archives Canada | Permitting the opportunity for another person to defraud the government (Financial Administration Act) | Marie-Claude Renaud: Stay of proceedings. | Renaud, Federal government contract, Stay of proceedings, Financial Administration Act |
| 2017-12-13 December 13, 2017 | Auto parts (spark plugs) | Bid-rigging | NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd pleaded guilty and was fined $550,000. | bid-rigging, auto parts, NGK Spark Plug, guilty |
| 2017-11-29 November 29, 2017 | Municipal contracts for sewer services in Quebec | Bid-rigging | Kelly Sani-Vac Inc. pleaded guilty and was fined $85,000. | bid-rigging, municipal, contracts, sewer, services, Quebec, Kelly Sani-Vac |
| 2017-11-06 November 6, 2017 | Retail gas price in Thetford Mines and Sherbrooke, Quebec | Retail price maintenance (repealed) | Irving Oil pleaded guilty and was fined $287,583. | retail, price, gas, Thetford Mines, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Irving Oil, guilty |
| 2017-10-27 October 27, 2017 | Residential construction (ventilation services) in Montreal, Quebec | Bid-rigging | Cardinal Ventilation Inc. pleaded guilty and was fined $375,000. | bid-rigging, Cardinal Ventilation, Montreal |
| 2017-10-10 October 10, 2017 | Residential construction (ventilation services) in Montreal, Quebec | Bid-rigging | Houmam Al Nashar pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 50 hours of community service and was required to collaborate with the Bureau. | bid-rigging, ventilation services, Montreal, Al Nashar |
| 2017-06-20 June 20, 2017 | Residential construction (ventilation services) in Montreal, Quebec | Bid-rigging | 9201-2640 Québec Inc. pleaded guilty and was fined $140,000. | bid-rigging, ventilation services, Tour St-Antoine, Quebec Superior Court |
| 2017-04-25 April 25, 2017 | Auto parts (alternators and ignition coils) | Bid-rigging | Mitsubishi Electric pleaded guilty and was fined $13.4 million. | bid-rigging, auto parts, alternators, ignition coils, Mitsubishi Electric |
| 2017-02-17 February 17, 2017 | Municipal water services in Gatineau, Rosemère, and Boucherville, Quebec | Bid-rigging | Aquaréhab Eau Potable pleaded guilty and was fined $160,000. | bid-rigging, municipal, water services, Gatineau, Rosemère, Boucherville, Quebec |
| 2016-12-02 December 2, 2016 | Federal government contract for IT Services for Library and Archives Canada | Permitting the opportunity for another person to defraud the government (Financial Administration Act) | Sylvie Béland pleaded guilty and received a conditional discharge, including 15 months’ probation and 100 hours of community service. | federal government contract, IT services, Livrary and Archives Canada, defraud, Financial Administration Act |
| 2016-10-11 October 11, 2016 | Construction in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec | Bid-rigging | Construction Benvas pleaded guilty and was fined $100,000. | bid-rigging, construction, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Construction Benvas |
| 2016-08-24 August 24, 2016 | Federal government contract for IT Services for Library and Archives Canada | Bid-rigging | Linda Graham pleaded guilty. She received an 18-month conditional sentence, 90 hours of community service, and was fined $20,000. | bid-rigging, federal government contract, IT Services, Graham |
| 2016-07-20 July 20, 2016 | Auto parts (body sealing products) | Bid-rigging | Nishikawa Rubber Co., Ltd pleaded guilty in the U.S. and was fined US$130 million. | bid-rigging, auto parts, body sealing products, Nishikawa Rubber Company |
| 2016-04-01 April 1, 2016 | Auto parts (electric power steering gears) | Bid-rigging | Showa Corporation pleaded guilty and was fined $13 million. | bid-rigging, auto parts, electric power steering gears, Showa Corporation |
| 2016-03-14 March 14, 2016 | Residential construction (ventilation services) in Montreal, Quebec | Bid-rigging | Les Entreprises de ventilation Climasol Inc. pleaded guilty and was fined $130,000. | bid-rigging, residential construction, ventilation services, Montreal, Quebec, Les Entreprises de ventilation Climasol Inc. |
| 2016-03-14 March 14, 2016 | Residential construction (ventilation services) in Montreal, Quebec | Bid-rigging | Roch Raby, president of Les Entreprises de ventilation Climasol Inc., pleaded guilty and was fined $10,000. | bid-rigging, residential construction, ventilation services, Montreal, Quebec, Les Entreprises de ventilation Climasol Inc. |
| 2016-02-08 February 8, 2016 | Municipal contracts for sewer services in Quebec | Bid-rigging | Chalifoux Sani Laurentides Inc. pleaded guilty and was fined $118,000. Michel Chalifoux: Stay of proceedings. |
bid-rigging, municipal contracts, sewer services, Quebec, Chalifoux Sani Laurentides Inc., Chalifoux |
| 2015-12-17 December 17, 2015 | Municipal contracts for sewer services in Quebec | Bid-rigging | Groupe Esthétix pleaded guilty and was fined $10,000. | bid-rigging, municipal contracts, sewer services, Quebec |
| 2015-12-09 December 9, 2015 | Auto parts (anti-vibration components) | Bid-rigging | Toyo Tire pleaded guilty and was fined $1.7 million. | bid-rigging, auto parts, anti-vibration components, Toyo Tire |
| 2015-11-18 November 18, 2015 | Chocolate confectionery products | Price-fixing | Nestlé Canada Inc. and Robert Leonidas: Stay of proceedings. | price-fixing, chocolate confectionery products, Nestlé Canada Inc., Robert Leonidas |
| 2015-09-10 September 10, 2015 | Chocolate confectionery products | Price-fixing | ITWAL Ltd, Mars Canada Inc., Sandra Martinez and David Glenn Stevens: Stay of proceedings. | price-fixing, chocolate confectionery products, ITWAL Ltd, Mars Canada Inc., Sandra Martinez, David Glenn Stevens |
| 2015-06-23 June 23, 2015 | Municipal water services in Gatineau, Rosemère, and Boucherville, Quebec | Bid-rigging | Charges were laid against Claudio Grilli, 9083-0126 Québec, Mario Richard and Sylvain Lortie, and Gestion Muni-Max Inc. and Alain Chabot. | bid-rigging, municipal water services, Gatineau, Rosemère, Boucherville, Quebec, Claudio Grilli, 9083-0126 Québec, Mario Richard, Sylvain Lortie, Gestion Muni-Max Inc., Alain Chabot |
| 2015-06-23 June 23, 2015 | Municipal water services in Gatineau, Rosemère, and Boucherville, Quebec | Bid-rigging | Les Entreprises Paysagistes Gaspard inc. pleaded guilty and was fined $117,000. | bid-rigging, municipal water services, Gatineau, Rosemère, Boucherville, Quebec, Les Entreprises Paysagistes Gaspard inc. |
| 2015-05-21 May 21, 2015 | Federal government contract for IT Services for Library and Archives Canada | Bid-rigging | Stephen Forgie pleaded guilty. He received an 18month conditional sentence and 60 hours of community service and was fined $23,000. | bid-rigging, federal government contract, IT Services, Stephen Forgie |
| 2015-04-27 April 27, 2015 | Federal government contracts for IT services for Canada Border Services Agency, Transport Canada, and Public Works and Government Services Canada | Bid-rigging | Parties found not guilty | bid-rigging, federal government contract, IT Services, Canada Border Services Agency, Transport Canada, Public Works and Government Services Canada |
| 2015-04-17 April 17, 2015 | Retail gas prices in Victoriaville, Sherbrooke, and Magog, Quebec | Price-fixing | Les Pétroles Global Inc. was fined $1 million. | price-fixing, retail gas prices, Victoriaville, Sherbrooke, Magog, Quebec, Les Pétroles Global Inc |
| 2014-12-11 December 11, 2014 | Auto parts (anti-vibration components) | Bid-rigging | Yamashita Rubber Co., Ltd. pleaded guilty and was fined $4.5 million. | bid-rigging, auto parts, anti-vibration components, Yamashita Rubber Co. |
| 2014-08-20 August 20, 2014 | Auto parts (electronic control units) | Bid-rigging | DENSO Corporation pleaded guilty and was fined $2.45 million. | bid-rigging, auto parts, electronic control units, DENSO Corporation |
| 2014-04-09 April 9, 2014 | Ocean Freight Services | Price-fixing | Overseas Container Forwarding, Inc. pleaded guilty. It was fined $675,000 and required to implement a corporate compliance program. | price-fixing, ocean freight services, Overseas Container Forwarding |
| 2014-04-08 April 8, 2014 | Ocean Freight Services | Price-fixing | ECU Line Canada Inc. pleaded guilty. It was fined $1 million and ordered to implement a corporate compliance program. | price-fixing, ocean freight services, ECU Line Canada Inc. |
| 2014-04-08 April 8, 2014 | Ocean Freight Services | Price-fixing | Elvio Lancione pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to 2 concurrent conditional sentences of 4 months and 30 hours of community service. | price-fixing, ocean freight services, Elvio Lancione |
| 2014-04-08 April 8, 2014 | Ocean Freight Services | Price-fixing | Michael Teixeira pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to 2 concurrent conditional sentences of 3 months and 20 hours of community service. | price-fixing, ocean freight services, Michael Teixeira |
| 2014-02-20 February 20, 2014 | Auto parts (switches and sensors) | Bid-rigging | Panasonic Corporation pleaded guilty and was fined $4.7 million. | auto parts, switches and sensors, Panasonic Corporation |
| 2014-01-30 January 30, 2014 | Auto parts (bearings) | Bid-rigging | NSK Ltd. pleaded guilty and was fined $4.5 million. | bid-rigging, auto parts, bearings, NSK Ltd. |