Loblaw CEO Weston deserves no thanks

A thank you to Galen Weston, CEO of Loblaw Companies Ltd.

Thank you for increasing awareness of our local food banks. Thank you for increasing use of these local resources.

And thank you for seeing that the average Canadian has considered whether or not they’d qualify for the food bank while standing in the grocery store looking at the price of staple products.

Having just spent the holiday season volunteering in the Downtown Mission food bank it has been an honour to accept donations from school groups, community groups, local residents and even a young lady who, instead of accepting gifts for her birthday, asked for donations to be made to said food bank.

You have made every Canadian who shopped in your store acutely aware of the plight of the hungry. You in turn have made wonderful donations to the arts and youth scholarships. These donations paid for unwittingly by people who choose between such things as food and housing; between contributing to their children’s RESP’s and buying enough food to make sure their children don’t go to school on an empty stomach.

You’ve been clear in continuing your contribution to local food banks by saying that when minimum wage increases you will be forced to make cuts to employment in your profitable company.

I do, very much appreciate your honesty in this matter and your bravery in coming forward admitting to this recent price-fixing issue.

The offer of a $25 gift card must be a hardship for you and your business structure. How many will be laid off to accommodate this rebate? How many more people will we be seeing at the food bank after their $25 gift card has been spent?

Thank goodness you’ll avoid any kind of prosecution by admitting this indecency before being caught. I’d hate to have seen how much the price of bread would have increased in order to cover that penalty. Dianna Moody, Windsor