You won’t find this energy drink on store shelves anymore. The highly caffeinated version of Prime Energy contains 200 milligrams of caffeine in each can. That exceeds Health Canada's limit by 20 milligrams. "As a result, it should not be sold in Canada," a Health Canada spokesperson said in an email on Tuesday. Cans of the energy drink have been seen on shelves in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta, CBC News has learned. It was not immediately clear where the stores got the product, one of two drinks made by the social media influencers Logan Paul and KSI. Their first product, a sports drink called Prime Hydration, does not contain caffeine. In an email, Prime said it follows the regulations set out by the countries it sells in. It said its Canadian version of Prime Energy has 140 milligrams of caffeine. Asked to account for the presence of the 200-milligram U.S. cans, Prime repeated that it "complies with federal regulations." The company noted that the packaging says Prime Energy is "an energy drink and is not made for anyone under the age of 18." To read more about the recall and what health experts had to say, tap the link in our bio. (Photo: Jeff Chiu/The Associated Press; Reporting: Jennifer La Grassa/CBC News) #PrimeEnergy #EnergyDrink #LoganPaul #KSI #Canada #CBC #CBCNews

General Motors (GM) is recalling SUVs ranging from the 2014 through 2017 model years. The company says the driver's air-bag inflator may explode during deployment. This follows GM’s Friday announcement that it would recall in the United States 994,763 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia vehicles from the same model years with modules produced by ARC Automotive Inc. Dealers in Canada and the U.S. will replace the driver's air-bag module. In a statement to CBC News, a spokesperson said GM is investigating the problem with help from an outside engineering firm. The recall was done "out of an abundance of caution," it said. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it was demanding the recall of 67 million ARC Automotive Inc. inflators, a request the company is resisting. (Photo: Mark Blinch/Reuters; Reporting: Reuters, CBC News) #CBC #CBCNews #GM #GeneralMotors #Recall #AirBag #Defect #GMRecall

Watch out the next time you hop on your Peloton bike. It might be on the recall list for a faulty seat that could break and injure you. The company is recalling 2.16 million exercise bikes in Canada and in the United States, involving Pelotons with model number PL01, sold from January 2018 to May 2023. The Canadian recall notice, posted Friday, doesn't say how many of the bikes have been sold in Canada. But the government says it has received one reported incident related to the defect and no reports of injury. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday that it’s received 35 reports of the seat post breaking and detaching from the bike during use. This includes 13 reports of injuries due to falling from the bike — including wrist fractures, lacerations and bruises. Peloton says it's offering its members free replacement seat posts, which can be ordered online and installed at home. (Reporting: CBC News: Photo: Scott Heins/Getty Images) #Peloton #Spin #Exercise #Bike #Gym #Fitness #Workouts #Canada #Recall #Business #CBC #CBCNews

Some seniors in Ontario, like Karl Hoffmann (shown in Pane 1), are at risk of losing their homes due to a complex scam, which involves door-to-door equipment rental contracts, questionable renovations and high-interest mortgages, a CBC Marketplace investigation has found. It isn’t clear who is responsible for orchestrating the scam provincewide or if there are multiple parties involved. “The OPP is working with different municipal police forces to investigate this and we have multiple victims across the province,” said Const. Lisa Cruz of the Ontario Provincial Police’s Serious Fraud Office. How it works is that a homeowner is approached at their door and convinced to get renovations or different home equipment rentals — such as HEPA filters, surge protectors or water softeners. The homeowner is then entered into long-term contracts and liens are placed on their home. “They're never paying out of pocket, but it's going against their home,” said OPP Const. Erin Fraser. Police say that what happens next can vary, with a grant being offered, or people being told they have won a class-action lawsuit, but that the money needs to be used for more renovations. It escalates from there when mortgages are presented. "The homeowners are basically misled and duped into signing mortgage documents" said Cruz. "They don't have any understanding of what they're actually signing and then they are in turn getting a mortgage put on their home and the equity from that home is actually being placed into their bank account, which they withdraw to pay for the renovations." The OPP wants the public to be on guard and gave Marketplace some tips and red flags to watch for. Scroll through to see what you can do to protect yourself or your loved ones. To learn more details about this scam, head to the link in our bio. (Graphics; Allison Cake and Wendy Martinez/CBC News; Video: CBC Marketplace; Reporting; Reporting: Caitlin Taylor, Stephanie Kampf, David Common and Katie Swyers/CBC Marketplace) #Tips #RedFlags #Police #Ontario #Seniors #Mortgage #Canada #CBCMarketplace #CBCNews #CBC

Dozens of people who purchased prefabricated pools made of metal shipping containers from Kurt Wittin say they never received their orders and some are out tens of thousands of dollars. Tim and Chantelle Delion of Kelowna, B.C., wanted a backyard pool in 2020 for their three children while Chantelle faced multiple cancer surgeries. The family negotiated a price with Wittin of $45,000, including delivery, and took out a line of credit to pay for it. The pool still hasn’t arrived. “I cringe every time I hear his name, to be honest, just because I don't think anything he told us was truthful,” Tim said. The family sued Wittin to recoup the cost of the pool and won, but he has paid them back only about $1,000. In signing contracts and emails, Wittin, who is from Winnipeg, has used slight variations of his name: Kurt Wittin, Kurt Witten and Kurt Witton. Doing so has made it harder for customers to locate reviews about Wittin and his company, Seventeen Pools. CBC News spoke to Wittin, and when asked how much he owed customers, he said he didn’t know. However, multiple legal claims against him in Manitoba alone total more than $500,000. Wittin said business factors, including COVID-19 and raw materials, have delayed his customers’ builds, but he’s still taking orders. "Moving forward, I have to make it right," Wittin said. "I just fell. And I got back up and now I gotta make it right. I'm hoping this year will be that year so I can clear everything ’cause it has been bothering me." To see what his other customers had to say, head to the link in our bio. (Photos: Marnie Luke/CBC News; Video: CBC News; Reporting: David Common, Marnie Luke and Dexter McMillan/CBC News) #Pool #Business #Money #Metal #Winnipeg #Canada #CBCMarketplace #CBCNews #CBC

Shoppers Drug Mart has lowered the prices of two menstrual pain medications after a CBC Marketplace investigation on pricing inequalities found they cost more than their general pain relief counterparts. The drugstore’s parent company, Loblaw, said it “recognizes the importance of equity and access and will align the price of these products within a week.” As of March 24, prices online were aligned but inconsistent across stores in the Greater Toronto Area. Marketplace found two different versions of Life Brand naproxen sodium tablets, one labelled “naproxen menstrual pain relief,” which cost $7.49, and the other simply “naproxen,” priced at $6.99. Both are now $6.99 online. Bayer’s Maxidol was located in the feminine hygiene aisle for $16.99, marketed as “fast relief from menstrual cramps, headaches, backache” and other pains. Aleve, also made by Bayer, was located in the pain relief aisle regularly priced at $13.99. Both are now $14.49 online. The Life Brand medications both have 220 milligrams of naproxen sodium, a non-steroid pain reliever. Each package also contains 24 caplets, identical inactive ingredients and claims up to 12 hours of relief for menstrual cramps, with the general version having that information on the back of the box. Both Maxidol and Aleve contain 220 milligrams of naproxen sodium, have near-identical inactive ingredients, come in liquid gel capsules and contain the same number of caplets. Shoppers Drug Mart attributed the initial price difference between the Life Brand painkillers to manufacturers charging more for the product advertising menstrual pain relief on the front. Loblaw said the price difference for Bayer’s Maxidol and Aleve were because two different departments purchased the products and hadn’t done a pricing review between them. Marketplace also found pricing inequalities at other major retailers. Go to our link in bio for more. (Photos: David MacIntosh and Michael Wilson/CBC News, Rodrigo Pons; Graphics: Allison Cake/CBC News; Reporting; Jenny Cowley, Charlsie Agro and Katie Pedersen/CBC Marketplace) #PriceChange #Money #Medicine #Shopping #GTA #Canada #CBCMarketplace #CBCNews #CBC

Curious about your dog’s breed? Marilyn Burbidge thought her dog Molly, a five-year-old rescue from Kuwait, might be a cross between a Saluki and Anatolian shepherd. To get some answers, Marketplace sent Molly’s DNA to four companies that promise to identify your dog’s breed: Accu-Metrics, DNA My Dog, Embark and Wisdom Panel. The results for Molly were all different, despite all of the companies claiming nearly 100 per cent accuracy in identifying the breed(s). Accu-Metrics suggested one side of Molly’s lineage is purebred cocker spaniel. DNA My Dog identified Molly’s DNA as having “Level 4” bulldog, flat-coated retriever and German shepherd. They said the breeds at this level are likely passed down from the genetics of grandparents and up to great-great grandparents. Embark only identified one breed in Molly, an Arabian village dog, a breed not recognized by the Canadian kennel club. They said they’re proud to be the only company that specializes in village dogs, and if other companies identify a breed, it doesn’t reflect the dogs actual ancestry. Wisdom Panel gave the greatest detail on Molly’s breed make up, saying it detected 19 breeds in her DNA including pit bull, chihuahua, German shepherd, Segugio Italiano and xoloitzcuintli. The company said their error rates are lower than the industry standard. “I was hoping for a lot of clarity, but I’m more confused now,” said Burbidge. All companies told Marketplace they stood behind the science of their tests. Accu-Metrics adds with any lab testing you should expect a margin of error, and theirs is at the industry standard. DNA My Dog says that since Marketplace sent in samples, they’ve upgraded their breed database and science, but their old test was still “highly accurate.” To learn the results of other dogs we tested, and what happened when we sent in a human's DNA, go to the link in our bio. (Graphics: David Abrahams/CBC Marketplace, Allison Cake/CBC News; Photos: Jenny Cowley and Michael Cole/CBC Marketplace; Reporting: Travis Dhanraj and Jenny Cowley/CBC Marketplace) #Dog #DogDNA #Science #DNATest #DNA #Pets #CBC #CBCNews #CBCMarketplace

Many consumer products that you use every day might contain palm oil — but you won’t know that by reading the ingredients label. Health Canada doesn’t require manufacturers of non-food items to list if derivatives in their products are sourced from palm oil. Palm oil consumption has been linked by the World Wildlife Fund among several others to deforestation and other environmental abuses. Hundreds of ingredients can be derived from palm oil, but go by different names. Some commonly used ingredients include glycerin and sodium lauryl sulfate. “If you are coming to the store expecting to walk through here and just make informed choices by looking at the ingredients and staying away from palm … good luck,” said Adria Vasil, an environmental journalist and author. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) requires palm oil and its derivatives to be clearly labelled on food products. However, there is no such requirement in Canada for consumer goods, such as personal care products. When CBC Marketplace asked Health Canada if it plans to change its labelling for non-food products, it said it “does not plan to establish health or safety regulatory requirements for companies to list where their ingredient derivatives come from.” For more on the specific products we looked at and what their manufacturers had to say, go to the link in our bio. (Graphics: David Abrahams/CBC Marketplace, Allison Cake/CBC News; Photos: Michelle McCann/CBC Marketplace, Lim Huey Teng/Reuters and Rich Carey/Shutterstock; Reporting: Charlsie Agro, Michelle McCann and Jenny Cowley/CBC Marketplace) #PalmOil #Products #Food #Deforestation #Environment #Rainforests #Trees #CBC #CBCNews #CBCMarketplace

Securing a safe and affordable rental is a challenge for many Canadians. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) says that affordable shelter should cost no more than 30 per cent of a person’s pre-tax income. With the average yearly salary in Canada just slightly below $60,000, that leaves a budget of $1,500 monthly for rent. According to a recent 2023 Rentals.ca report, the highest rent in the country for a one-bedroom apartment is in Vancouver, with an average rent of $2,730, followed by Toronto at $2,458. Some cities come in under the $1,500 budget, including Winnipeg, Edmonton and Regina. Canada declared housing a human right in 2019, but many people are struggling. Lisa Rupert has seen this first-hand. She’s the vice president of housing and violence prevention at the YWCA in Metro Vancouver. “We have had people apply who are living in tents, who are living in their cars, many of them are couch surfing,” Rupert said. One potential solution to the current crisis could be co-operative housing. “Someone who moves into a co-op is both a landlord and a tenant at the same time, because they own the association that owns the housing,” said Thom Armstrong, CEO of the Co-operative Housing Federation of BC. Armstrong said provincial investment in co-ops differs in each province, with some like B.C. investing more than others to help provide secure, safe, affordable housing over the long term. “We have to change the dynamics of the rental market in Canada so that it serves people and not investors,” he said. (Photos: PopTika/Shutterstock, Yan Theoret and Gian Paolo Mendoza/CBC; Video: CBC Marketplace; Reporting: Travis Dhanraj, Anu Singh and Tyana Grundig) #Rent #Housing #Home #Canada #CBCMarketplace #CBCNews

Cosori is recalling more than two million air fryers sold in the United States, Canada and Mexico because their wire connections can overheat and cause a fire risk. Health Canada announced the recall Thursday and said 252,828 of the two million affected units were sold in Canada. The agency said consumers should stop using the air fryers immediately. "As of February 2023, the company has received 205 reports globally, including 56 reports in Canada of the air fryers catching fire, burning, melting, overheating and smoking," Health Canada noted in the recall. "There have been 23 reports of minor property damage globally and 10 reports of minor, superficial burn injuries, including four reports in Canada." The recall involves multiple model numbers in 3.7- and 5.8-quart sizes. All of the units have the Cosori brand name on the front. The air fryers were sold from March 2019 to December 2022, Health Canada said. For more on how to receive a replacement, you can tap on our link in bio. (Photo: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Graphics: Allison Cake/CBC News) | #Recall #Fire #Cosori #AirFryer #CBC #CBCNews #Canada

Michael Regan says his calls for repairs to his rental apartment went unanswered from building management for almost two years. Tenants in his building held a rally with ACORN Canada, an independent organization that helps low- and moderate-income people. Regan spoke out about his living conditions. He took Marketplace on a tour of his home, showing the water damage, mould and pests. “I did everything and everything I could to not be in here. I would just go to the mall and just stay in the mall, and try and just come here just to try and sleep — if I was getting any sleep,” Regan said. “I had friends that would — they didn’t want to come here because they were afraid of the bedbugs.” He kept his belongings in the centre of the apartment’s rooms in hopes of repairs. Regan says he felt trapped. His depression and living on social assistance makes moving difficult, as Toronto rents are high and vacancies are low at around two per cent. The building owner, the Medallion Corporation, acknowledges the rental challenges in the housing market but tells Marketplace that the issues raised are specific to Regan and can’t share more due to tenant privacy. Following the ACORN Canada rally and our visit, the building’s property management returned to finish the repairs to Regan’s unit. He says he is now able to live comfortably, with renewed hope. “It just makes me feel like I’m human again. I can sleep in my own bed. I’m happier.” Watch our full investigation, Behind Closed Doors: Canada’s Rental Crisis, Friday at 8 p.m. on @CBC-TV or stream it on @CBCGem. (Video: CBC Marketplace; Reporting: Travis Dhanraj, Anu Singh and Tyana Grundig) #Rent #Rentals #Home #Housing #RentalCrisis #Canada #Toronto #CBC #CBCNews #CBCMarketplace

Marketplace journalists posing as consumers bought diamond rings from Ben Moss Jewellers, Peoples Jewellers and Michael Hill, and asked their employees about the ethics of their diamond supply chains. None of the retailers were able to say where their international diamonds were from, apart from those included in some specialty collections. But, while undercover, journalists were told that their diamonds were void of ethical concerns. Each retailer visited subscribes to the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, a system set up in 2003 to prevent “blood diamonds” from entering the global market by certifying them as “conflict-free. Joanne Lebert of IMPACT, a natural resources NGO, said these days the “conflict-free” definition only really covers diamonds from the Central African Republic. IMPACT was a founding member of the Kimberley Process but withdrew in 2017 after its calls to expand the definition of “conflict-free” were unsuccessful. Peoples and Michael Hill both told Marketplace they are part of other organizations that go beyond the Kimberley Process, including the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), which sends third-party auditors to inspect members’ supply chains. Michael Hill and Ben Moss say it’s difficult for retailers industry wide to know where all their diamonds are from. The RJC said in a statement that it supports “continuous improvement” on its members’ supply chains “as opposed to complete compliance.” Tom Hart, the vice-president of merchandising for Charm Diamond Centres, which owns Ben Moss, said the company hasn’t considered joining the RJC, but said their “key suppliers” are members. “We always tell our associates, ‘If you have a customer who cares about anything to do with labour or environment or anything, direct them to Canadian diamonds,’” said Hart. “We did misinform you, and so I apologize if in the past other customers have been misinformed,” he went on. “That certainly would not have been our intent.” (Photo: Surdon/Shutterstock; Graphics: David Abrahams/CBC Marketplace; Reporting: Katie Pedersen, Jeremy McDonald, Katie Swyers and Rosa Marchitelli/CBC Marketplace) #Diamond #Rings #Jewelry #CBCMarketplace