Re this evening's Marketplace piece on Canadian Tire funny money: I can't believe the monumental fuss and waste of time over the obvious. The customer gets the Canadian Tire "money" for buying merchandise. The coupons are not free; they are contingent on the purchase. If the purchase is annulled, so is possession of the coupons. If the customer can't pony up the coupons when she returns the merchandise, she has not fully returned all of the assets she got with the sale, and thus should expect to give the store the value of the coupons in cash. Rather acting as a ranting champion of people who haven't thought this through, Marketplace would have been better advised to consider a solution. The return policy could be clearly posted at every cash register. Then, every Canadian Tire customer could be given the option of not accepting the funny money. This would be noted on the bill so that the customer wouldn't be dinged for the coupons when returning the merchandise. Of course, she won't have coupons to apply against future purchases, but that would be her own decision. Posted by: Lee Allen | Dec 5, 07 09:14 PM

I joined viewing late but I think you missed the real issue. Can you ask the specialists how much information can be revealed from these type of DNA samples? Can they predetermine what illnesses you may get? The money these companies are getting for the tests is just chump change to what a Pharmaceutical or insurance company may pay for a well developed database full of volunteered DNA. Didn't we all read 1984 or Brave New World in school? Who cares if the companies are tricking people into purchasing information they already know. What happens to the sample? It seems to me that all of these companies are just trying to get a big database of DNA as fast as they can. I'd be interested to see if certain pharmaceutical advertisements start showing up on your test subject's email inbox. You may want to investigate who is sponsoring these companies? perhaps Pfizer or others are involved. I read in the Economist this year that the wife of a Google employee is starting up a similar site which will determine your DNA for a price. So even Google is in the race. And I can remember a documentary years ago about a company interested in obtaining data from residents of Iceland to study how certain diseases are passed in our genes. Iceland makes the perfect location since apparently many people have similar DNA to reduce "noise" in the data. Anyways, I wont be sending any of my DNA out voluntarily. Posted by: Christopher Scott | Dec 5, 07 10:16 PM

Like stated in the show, these tests provide useless filler information at an inflated price, aiming to get you interested and dig deeper into their more detailed "upgrades" at an even higher price; only to be informed months later that your DNA testing was incomplete (oh, is that really so?) and a recollection is needed at an additional cost. This company is extremely problematic in its operation and management. Just like what is stated in the video, take it with a HUGE grain of salt! Don't jump on the DNA bandwagon just yet, this holiday save your money on a more traditional gift please. Do yourself a favor and google "Genetrack" or "Genebase" and see what past customers have to say about them. Genetrack is its parent company. In summary, if they truly have nothing to hide, why not tell the entire Canada so through CBC's lens? Wouldn't that be a golden opportunity for marketing? Posted by: M. Johnson | Dec 6, 07 10:16 PM

Marketplace lost much credibility over their "expose" of Canadian Tire money. Of course this bonus is a loyalty program, what's wrong with that? All the spoiled crybabies that lost thirty cents on their return of merchandise would probably have been quite willing to receive the return of the entire purchase price, then turn around and redeem the bonus for their own profit. If they are too stupid to spend the bonus to their own advantage, they have no right to complain. Canadian Tire gave them a bonus that they could spend. It is only logical that the bonus would be recovered if and when the merchandise was returned. What difference does it make whether or not the bonus is legal tender? I'm not usually a supporter of big business, but I'm behind Canadian Tire on this one. Marketplace must be running out of relevant things to expose. Posted by: Chuck Shaw | Dec 6, 07 10:34 PM

Genealogical DNA Testing is very well explained here: http://www.dirkschweitzer.net/DNATests.html Posted by: ds | Dec 7, 07 11:34 AM

I usually really enjoy Marketplace. However, your program on Canadian Tire money does not seem right to me. I totally agree with the comments by Lee Allan above. Some other examples: If you get a "free" TV or whatever from The Brick, you must return it if you return whatever you bought to get the "free" whatever. If you get something free from Estee Lauder & return the original purchase, you must return that as well. It seems to me that Canadian Tire money is much the same. I do not understand the reasoning of Marketplace & feel that you have given Canadian Tire a reputation that is undeserved. This is not the right thing to do; you are wrong to do this! I don't have shares in Canadian Tire or work for them. Posted by: Marilyn Stewart | Dec 7, 07 02:18 PM

DNA testing through National Geographic or other testing companies has very clear advantages. We discovered a branch of our family that moved to the US in the 1800's was never actually related to us and came from a different lineage with the same surname. There were errors in their genealogical records that they likely would not have found without DNA testing and comparing. We also, for a mere $100, found the route of our paternal line out of Africa, discovered our Y DNA type was very different from other French-Canadians, which did not come as a complete surprise, but offered possible explanations to some long standing questions in our family. DNA testing is an emerging science. It would be quite simple to point out the unknowns or problems with the field. But within 20-30 years, the answers provided from a simple DNA test will provide more precise answers and help genealogists break through the brick wall they encounter when they reach the end of their paper trail. All told, the best $ 100 I ever spent. Posted by: David Dugas | Dec 8, 07 01:00 PM

I have been involved in genetic genealogy for over 5 years now. I have never heard of anyone having a problem with privacy issues. I can speak with some expertise on one of the companies because I have known the principals well. If anyone is bankrolling them, they sure played the "all hours of the day and night, 24/7 starting a new business" any entrepreneur recognizes. I got emails at 3 am. Someone answered the phone at 8 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Not signs of a pharmaceutical company bankrolling a company "on the sly" for nefarious purposes. The Professor from McMaster is mistaken - an H is not an H. I can forgive his error, since his expertise is in ancient DNA, and probably only with damaged or time-decayed portions of one of three segments of mtDNA. mtDNA of living people is turning out to be even more complex now that whole genome sequences are available than it was two years ago. There are sub-clades of H, and subclades of sub-clades. An H5a1 like one of my cousins has a different migration history and geographic spread than the H1a1 or H2a2 or the H5* of my friends. Two new entries to the market, including the Google magnate's wife's, can scan large portions of your DNA, from all 23 chromosomes and your mitochondrial DNA. Some of this will duplicate what the genetic genealogy companies offer, some of it will look at portions of the DNA where genes for certain illnesses have shown up or been suspected. I freely admit to being a DNA junkie. I have spent $1000s testing my relatives. It's a fascinating journey through humankind's past. I've read archeology reports, history books, linguistics texts, and anthropology papers, studied geology, meteorology, as well as genetics texts. I have corresponded with people from all over the world in professions related to this field. It's a fabulous education. Just the kind of thing you wouldn't want your kids involved in ::wink:: Posted by: Anne Nelson | Dec 8, 07 11:00 PM

I think Canadian Tire Funny money was a waste of time and I fail to see it as an issue, and by the way I am not a big fan of Canadian Tire. They are a typical big box store which does not like to give you service. Posted by: GORD | Dec 10, 07 08:06 PM

Give me a break - this is hardly good journalism. Why would they be foolish enough to trap themselves into an interview from hell? Any one who knows anything about business would not involved themselves with Marketplace --- it's like the kiss of death. Posted by: John Y | Dec 12, 07 12:33 AM

Bad timing and programing. My brother was going to give me some DNA for a test to find our ancestors, but he saw the ridiculous show on CBC and now he won't. I have had my dna test matches for my mothers side and had great results. I was excited to learn about the science and the reality of this great discovery. What your show did was create more skeptics and showed views from people who don't really know what they are talking about. There are great companies in the USA who are doing good work with the testing and don't give any hocus pocus to their findings. Your show reminds me of those non believers who tell someone who had a great experience that "oh sorry maybe you are just imagining things" Posted by: f.hones | Dec 12, 07 11:16 PM

Congrats to Wendy and the Marketeers. I've written to Loblaws before about mislabelling of the country of origin for their products. It is still common to see "product of Canada or Mexico" Unfortunately I did not get all of your latest program, but I ask myself how it is that Loblaw's can sell large quantities of "Fresh Cod" when our Cod fishery has been shut down for a decade. Are they poached? Are they from the North Sea? I buy local products when I can but how am I to know? Posted by: Dan Farrell | Dec 15, 07 04:05 PM