The Canadian Competition Bureau is investigating the egg
industry, according to a brief response letter to an application under the
Access to Information Act.
The Bureau is refusing to release anything, which is in
keeping with the confidentiality it maintains about all of its investigations
until charges are filed.
In this case it’s clear that the Competition Bureau is
closely examining Burnbrae Farms Ltd. and L.H. Gray and Sons Ltd. which control
more than 90 per cent of the Ontario egg market, have nation-wide operations
and were revealed to be engaging in many e-mail exchanges about pricing and
customers.
The
person responding to the Access-to-Information request wrote that “Competition Bureau officials have
confirmed that a mass volume of documents exist relevant to your
request (in excess 28,800 pages).
"These documents were obtained and prepared as
a result of
the Bureau's investigation into the Canadian Egg Industry.”
Whistleblower
Norman Bourdeau, who was fired by Gray, has taken electronic files that include
hundreds of e-mail messages among Bill Gray, owner of L.H. Gray and Sons Ltd., senior
officials of Burnbrae and Harry Pelissero, general manager of the Egg Farmers
of Ontario marketing board.
The
Bureau also has a judge’s decision in a lawsuit between Burnbrae and an Ottawa
Valley businessman indicating there was an agreement to limit competition for
the Giant Tiger egg account.
