Corporate Governance

Burger King is staging an intervention with its cows.

StatsCan confirmed what most of us already know: Canada is becoming a hungrier place.According to a survey conducted by the federal agency in May, almost one in seven (14.6%) Canadians indicated they lived in a household where there was food insecurity in the past month.

LAVAL, Quebec — Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., parent company of Circle K, reported a relatively strong fourth quarter for its 2020 fiscal year despite grappling with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic."Our agile, decentralized model, as well as the advancements we made in operational excellence this past year, helped us to face the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19 and I'm proud to say, I think we've emerged from this historic year a better and stronger company, both financially and culturally," president and CEO Brian Hannasch stated during the company's Q4 earnings call on June 30."We ended the fourth quarter with strong top-line trends, including 12 weeks of positive traffic, before we endured a significant decline in traffic and fuel volumes with the pandemic stay-at-home orders implemented across our global footprint," he added.Looking at the fourth-quarter numbers, same-store merchandise revenue decreased by 0.5 percent in the United States and 6.5 percent in Europe, while increasing 4.7 percent in Canada compared to the same quarter last year.From a fuels perspective, volumes declined sharply during the first weeks following the stay-at-home orders.

Quebec has become the first Canadian province to make mask-wearing mandatory in all indoor public places for people aged 12 years and older.Premier Francois Legault said the new directive enters into effect Saturday - just in time for the province's annual construction holiday.Businesses will be expected to enforce the new rules and are subject to fines of between $400 and $6,000 if their customers are caught violating the health directive, Legault told reporters Monday in Montreal.He said the government is considering imposing fines on individuals beginning in August.

Executives from three of Canada's largest grocery chains were in communication before launching and ending temporary wage increases for grocery store workers during COVID-19, but maintain their decisions were not co-ordinated.Metro Inc.

Last March Shell announced it would hold off on its turnaround work at its Scotford refinery, a facility located about 50kms north of Edmonton.

Ottawa's new rules restricting the promotion of vaping products in places young people can access are set to come into effect next month.Health Canada published regulations July 8 prohibiting vaping advertisements in public spaces where youth may be exposed to them.The ban applies to all retail locations and online stores that sell e-cigarettes, except for adult-only establishments.The measures are set to take effect on Aug.

C-stores not in compliance run the risk of being chargedIt's fair to say the messaging around Ontario's new vaping regulations is confusing for operators and other industry stakeholders.

Like all convenience store retailers, Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

The first shipment of Alberta crude from British Columbia tidewater is on its way to the Irving Oil refining facility in Saint John.