 Flowers Canada Retail (FCR) representatives, Arman
Patel, Susan Clarke, Amanda Robinson and Lou Lavenia met with the
Ontario Ministry of Economic Trade and Development in February. Their
objective was to address the unfair competition currently facing
Canadian retail florists. Order gatherers using fictitious names, made
to resemble local names and local telephone exchanges, have consumers
in the dark on the true identity of online merchants.
FCR asked the Ontario Government to conduct a study on the retail floral industry. They expect the results of this study will work to expose these deceptive practices. The results will give the Ontario Government the means to establish legislation to curb unfair and non-competitive trade practices. Ontario legislation to correct this marketing practice would put back in the hands of the consumer the decision of whether or not to support local businesses. Similar laws, recently passed in Pennsylvania and Texas, require the company name and location to accompany all advertising.
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Lou Lavenia (government affairs committee, FCR) shakes hands with
Fernando Traficante (director, sector competitiveness branch). Also
present (left to right) are Joseph Veloce (manager, aerospace and
service sectors, SCB), Bruce Haines (senior advisor, retail service
sector, SCB), Arman Patel (exec director, FCR), Susan Clarke
(President, FCR), and Amanda Robinson (member, Ontario board of
directors, FCR).
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In response to this meeting the Ontario government has asked FCR to put together a proposal for the study. This proposal will need to include the information they hope to gather and how they plan to gather it. A budget also needs to be determined along with how much the Ontario Government will be asked to fund. Flowers Canada is moving forward with this in hopes that legislative changes made in Ontario will encourage the rest of the provincial governments to follow suit.
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