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In Depth

Consumers

Introduction

Last Updated September 26, 2006

From retail to e-tail, it's a buyer-beware world out there. This section is a guide to news and information that savvy Canadian consumers need to know.

Browse the links in the menu to the right to find out more about the issues faced by Canadian consumers. How can you tell the knockoffs and snake oil from the real deal? Is a product safe, or has it been recalled? Is the latest thing really something worth spending your hard-earned dollars on? What do the experts recommend? Get the knowledge you need to ask the right questions, avoid the pitfalls, find the bargains and make the smartest deals when shopping around for goods and services.

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Adhesives
Airline connections
Airport security
10 tips for holiday globetrotters
Alternative gifts
Alternative winter getaways
Alternative presentation ideas for holiday gifts
Apartment hunting
Inside ARGs
Athletic shoes
Auto arbitration
Back-to-school shopping trends
Barbecue tips for food
Bargain flights
Bottled water
Carbon footprints
Minimizing a trip's CO2 impact on the planet
Cellphone breakout
The pros and cons of unlocked handsets
Cellphone chic
Phones have become a fashion accessory
Christmas tree safety
Citronella
Clear-out sales: How not to be taken
Compulsive shopping
Costly toys
Counterfeit goods
Cross-border shopping
Cruise crime
Cruise vacations
Cultural diversity
Dollar parity
Donated Clothing (Part I)
Donated Clothing (Part II)
Dropping prices?
Dryer safety
Eco-garden
Eco-friendly dying
Environmentally friendly entertaining
Father's Day
Food: Canada's cuisine comes of age
Funny fare
Hunting down Canada's national food treasures
Fireworks
Foie gras frenzy divides Chicago
Fur: sustainable resource or fashion faux pas?
Giving to charities
Going solo
Travel tips for women backpacking it alone
Green cleaning
Green gadgetry
Green packaging
Hearing Aids
Helium: A disappearing gas?
Hidden fees
Holiday feasts
Holiday shipping
Holiday planning
Home alone
Hot destinations
Year of the Asian vacation?
Hot destinations
Warm getaways that are off the beaten path
Inflatable pools
Identity theft
Kids toys
Learning toys
Legal fees
Long-distance flying
Making connections
Tips for getting online when travelling
Making connections
Phones to go
Mothers' Day
Pet food safety
Pet food, alternatives
Phone deregulation
Pickpockets
Plastic: What's in it, and is it safe?
Recalls and advisories
Redeeming rebates
Refunds: How to get your money back
Repelling mosquitoes
Santa's knee: 10 tips on preparing kids to see the man in red
Scooter sales rev up
School bus safety
School shopping
Second-hand sales
Smoke detectors
Student survival guide
Sunscreen
Sunglasses
Tips: Is your waiter playing mind games?
Toy stereotypes
Travel: Strategies to stretch your cash in Europe
Vermiculite
Water safety for kids
Winterizing your car
Year in review: Consumer Life 2006
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World »

updated Underwear bomber sentenced to life in prison
A Nigerian man who tried to blow up an international flight near Detroit on behalf of al-Qaida has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Honduras prison fire is world's deadliest video
The prisoners who died in the Honduran prison fire had been locked inside an overcrowded penitentiary where most inmates had never been charged, let alone convicted, according to an internal Honduran government report obtained by The Associated Press.
Amnesty accuses Libyan militias of unbridled torture video
Armed militia groups in Libya have turned on one another and now rule most of the country, torturing their opponents with impunity, Amnesty International says.
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Canada »

new Manitoba union loses bid to halt Phoenix Sinclair inquiry
The union representing Manitoba's child-welfare and social workers has lost a court bid to quash a public inquiry into the abuse and death of a five-year-old girl.
updated Dog kills newborn in Alberta community
Officials in Airdrie are revealing few details about the fatal mauling of an infant by a family dog in the southern Alberta city.
Refugee reforms include fingerprints, no appeals for some
New, tougher reforms to refugee legislation that hasn't yet come into force are already drawing fire from critics who say they give Canada's immigration minister too much power and risk the lives of claimants.
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Politics »

'Tell Vic Everything' tweets protest online surveillance
Twitter users upset about a new bill that would force internet service providers to turn over information to police are swamping Public Safety Minister Vic Toews with tweets to keep him up to date on everything in their lives.
Refugee reforms include fingerprints, no appeals for some
New, tougher reforms to refugee legislation that hasn't yet come into force are already drawing fire from critics who say they give Canada's immigration minister too much power and risk the lives of claimants.
7 MPs and their fiery quotes
The election of a majority government was seen by some as a chance for less acrimonious politics on Parliament Hill. But the past week has seen its fair share of inflammatory rhetoric on both sides of the House.
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Health »

Chronic fatigue may be reversed with exercise
Taking it easy is not the best treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome, rather exercise and behaviour therapy are, a large study finds.
AT&T buys T-Mobile USA for $39B US
AT&T Inc. said Sunday it will buy T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom AG in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $39 billion US, becoming the largest cellphone company in the U.S.
Milky Way home to 50 billion planets: NASA
Scientists have compiled the first cosmic census of planets in our galaxy: at least 50 billion planets are estimated to call the Milky Way home.
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Arts & Entertainment»

Amanda Knox gets book deal
Amanda Knox, the U.S. exchange student who was acquitted of murdering her roommate last year after four years in jail for the crime, has a book deal.
Degrassi's Wheels death announced, 5 years later
Actor Neil Hope, who played Derek "Wheels" Wheeler on the long-running Degrassi series, died five years ago, it was confirmed publicly for the first time on Thursday.
Canadian book count tracks increase in reading
A recent snapshot of national reading habits shows that Canadians continue to be avid readers, whether they're consuming print books or e-books.
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Technology & Science »

'Tell Vic Everything' tweets protest online surveillance
Twitter users upset about a new bill that would force internet service providers to turn over information to police are swamping Public Safety Minister Vic Toews with tweets to keep him up to date on everything in their lives.
new Apple to stop apps from stealing smartphone contacts
Apple says it is making policy changes to stop iPhone apps from copying contacts in users' address books without permission.
Moore defends Canada's 'different path' on copyright bill
Heritage Minister James Moore says Canada's copyright legislation is taking a very different path from a controversial U.S. piracy bill that drew widespread protests.
more »

Money »

GM posts record $7.6B profit in 2011
General Motors earned the highest profit in its history last year, earning $7.6 billion US in 2011, despite heavy losses in its European division.
Euro rises on report ECB will help Greece
The euro rose Thursday on a report that the European Central Bank is providing Greece with debt relief.
Oliver calls European oilsands threat grandstanding
Federal Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver is calling a European effort to bar oil imports from Alberta's oilsands nothing more than grandstanding
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Consumer Life »

Honda recalls Fit subcompacts
Honda Canada says it will recall 14,640 of its 2009 and 2010 Fit subcompact cars to replace lost motion springs.
U.S. travel fee proposal criticized by Harper
Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he doesn't think much of a new border tax that's being proposed by the United States, calling it a cash grab designed to help a budget crisis.
Bell class action suit approved by Que. court
A Quebec Superior Court judge has authorized a class action lawsuit to go ahead against Bell Mobility.
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Sports »

Scores: NHL NBA

preview Flames look to pick up ground in Dallas
The Calgary Flames will try for a fifth consecutive victory Thursday night over the Dallas Stars in the first of four meetings between the Western Conference rivals over the next 20 games.
Roughriders land free-agent OL LaBatte
Brendon LaBatte is returning home. The Saskatchewan native agreed to terms Wednesday with the hometown Roughriders. Contract details weren't immediately divulged but LaBatte's deal will reportedly pay him in the neighbourhood of $200,000 annually.
Lightning await trade for blue-liner Kubina
Pavel Kubina appears to have played his final game for the Tampa Bay Lightning. General manager Steve Yzerman says the NHL team has decided to keep the veteran defenceman off the ice until a trade can be completed.
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Diversions »

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