Putting Our EV Charging Network To The Test; Calling All Marketplace Superfans! CBC's Marketplace Cheat Sheet | CBC News

Business·Marketplace

CBC’s Marketplace rounds up the consumer and health news you need from the week.

Consumer and health news you need from the week

Jenny Cowley · CBC News

· Posted: Jan 28, 2024 7:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

An investigation by CBC’s Marketplace has exposed a wide range in pricing as well as inconsistencies in performance and reliability at public electric vehicle charging stations. (David Donnelly/CBC)Miss something this week? Don’t panic. CBC’s Marketplace rounds up the consumer and health news you need.

Want this in your inbox? Get the Marketplace newsletter every Friday.

Same car, same charge, different prices? EV drivers have to navigate inconsistent, often unreliable charging network WATCH | Inconsistencies of the EV charging network:

Why is there no standardized pricing for electric vehicle chargers?A Marketplace investigation found some EV drivers could be paying twice as much for the same charge.

Gas-powered vehicle drivers are accustomed to relatively similar gas prices across multiple companies, but an investigation from Marketplace has found electric vehicle drivers don’t have that same luxury.

In an apples-to-apples, kilowatt-per-hour comparison, Marketplace documented the price for a 20-minute charge on a Volvo Polestar 2 and found consumers may be paying twice as much depending on where they fill up. At one station, the charge was $10.09, while a competitor charged $5.20. 

In a separate test looking at reliability, Marketplace took a Nissan Leaf to three different locations from each of the four charging companies. 

The team encountered some sort of challenge in charging up at seven of the 12 stations.

The challenges included stations that required multiple attempts to start or end a charging session, as well as failed attempts to pay through an app or credit card. At two locations, the team was unable to charge at all. 

Speaking to Marketplace, federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault pointed to the relatively small sample size of the test, but acknowledged “there are problems. And we’re working to address those problems.” Read More.

You can watch the full Marketplace episode, “Putting electric vehicles to the test: Are we ready for 2035?” tonight at 8 p.m. (8:30 in N.L.) on CBC TV and  CBC Gem. 

Interest rate cuts are coming, but the Bank of Canada won’t say when

Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem, right, and Carolyn Rogers, senior deputy governor, speak to reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday. The bank announced it was leaving its key overnight lending rate unchanged at five per cent, citing inflation and concerns it would be forced to backtrack. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)Weary Canadian households, clobbered by nearly two years of rising prices and skyrocketing interest rates, will have to wait a little longer for relief on their borrowing costs.

The Bank of Canada left its key overnight lending rate unchanged at five per cent on Wednesday, citing the persistence in underlying inflation and concerns that it might declare victory too soon and be forced to backtrack.

But the bank says it has shifted from whether rates are high enough to how long rates need to remain elevated.

“If the economy evolves broadly in line with the projection we published today, I expect future discussions will be about how long we maintain the policy rate at five per cent,” central bank governor Tiff Macklem said at a news conference in Ottawa.

The obvious question, then, is when rates might begin to fall. On that, the Bank of Canada won’t say.

“It is important that we don’t give Canadians a false sense of precision,” Macklem told reporters. Read more

Loblaw backs away from plan to end 50% discount on food nearing best-before date

Loblaw has reversed its decision to no longer discount items by 50 per cent as their best-before date approaches. (Brett Ruskin/CBC)Loblaw Companies Ltd. is backing down from its decision to nix a 50 per cent discount on food products nearing their best-before dates.

“We’ve listened to the feedback from our customers and colleagues and are reverting [where it existed before] to the 50 per cent off discounts,” the company, whose stores include Superstore and No Frills, told CBC News in an email last week.

“In the Atlantic, we had not implemented the change and will not. In the rest of the country, customers can expect to see 50 per cent stickers returning in the next few weeks.”

The decision to no longer discount foods by 50 per cent near their expiration date was widely criticized by people who rely on the discount to eat, especially as the price of groceries continues to rise. Read more

What else is going on?Your fast food may be being made by robots
Customers may not even notice them, but robots are becoming more common behind the counter at fast food kitchens.

Uniqlo is sueing Shein over an alleged copy of its popular ‘Mary Poppins bag’
The lawsuit filed in Tokyo demands more than $1 million US in damages.

The cost to taxpayers of protecting members of Parliament has hit a record high
During the first nine months of this fiscal year, the RCMP spent $2.5 million on security for MPs — and that’s not including the prime minister.

Marketplace needs your help!

(David Abrahams / CBC / Shutterstock)Calling all Marketplace superfans!  We want to know how Marketplace has changed your life. Which story has had the biggest impact on you, your health or your wallet? Send us a video message and you could appear on our show. Email your videos to marketplace@cbc.ca

(David Abrahams / CBC / Shutterstock)Do you know someone who is on the road … but shouldn’t be? Or maybe you’d like to brush up on your own driving skills. We want to hear what you think of Canada’s current driving test rules. Reach out to us, marketplace@cbc.ca

(CBC)Are you looking for the latest in business news? You’ll want to subscribe to this newsletter, too.

Mind Your Business is your weekly look at what’s happening in the worlds of economics, business and finance. Subscribe now.

Catch up on past episodes of Marketplace on CBC Gem.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jenny Cowley is an investigative journalist in Toronto. She has previously reported for CBC in Nova Scotia. You can reach her at marketplace@cbc.ca.

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