Miss something this week? Don’t panic. The CBC’s Marketplace rounds up the consumer and health news you need.
Want this in your inbox? Get the Marketplace newsletter every Friday.
We’re back!
Good morning. This is Bobby Hristova.
We’re back to give you consumer news, tips and insider info to help you save cash and stay healthy.
Next Friday, we’ll be back on air with a new episode about lab diamonds.
They look identical to natural diamonds, but are lab diamonds changing the jewelry game or just the price tag? We reveal what’s really behind that sparkle. Plus, does the product match the promise? We’re testing fast-food marketing from popular restaurants to find out which chains come up short.
You can watch on Jan. 16 and 8 p.m. local time and 8:30 p.m. in Newfoundland and Labrador on CBC-TV and CBC Gem.
‘It’s like on Amazon’: Illegal drugs advertised online, delivered by Canada Post
WATCH | Websites are selling illegal drugs online. Here’s why it’s so hard to stop them:
Websites are selling illegal drugs online. Here’s why it’s so hard to stop them
Advertisements on popular social media platforms are promoting illegal drugs for sale online, then shipping them through Canada Post. The problem, experts say, is much bigger than a few ads, or stopping some parcels.
It’s like Amazon for hard drugs: cocaine, heroin and ecstasy, paid for with credit cards and e-transfers, delivered by Canada Post.
For weeks, CBC Ottawa and Radio-Canada exchanged messages with nearly a dozen people who have been buying these drugs online. Eventually one came forward, offering to talk about their experience.
“The first time I was like, ‘OK, it’s not true, it’s a scam,’” John said. CBC News has agreed to withhold his real name because he fears the impact of his drug use on his family and his job.
“You go on the website and it’s very easy.”
We started seeing ads offering pure cocaine pop up on Facebook and Instagram, with images of white powder. Pretty soon our social media feeds were flooded with them.
These narcotics are highly addictive and highly illegal, but the ads claim the drugs are tested and safely delivered.
The drug ads appear on social media platforms including Instagram and Facebook, owned by parent company Meta, which makes more than 90 per cent of its profits from advertising.
Meta refused an interview request from the CBC. Instead, a spokesperson responded with an email.
“Content that attempts to buy, sell or trade illicit drugs is not allowed on our platforms. We have removed the flagged ads and pages, disabled the ad accounts, and restricted the account admins from running ads in the future,” the spokesperson wrote.
Meta says it uses AI and specialized consultants to flag and stop the ads. LegitScript is one company that specializes in flagging ads that sell illegal content online.
Canada Post also refused requests for an in-person interview, and instead sent the CBC a statement.
“When our postal inspectors confirm that an item contains an illegal drug, they remove the item from the mail stream and turn it over to the police,” the Crown corporation wrote.
CBC News reached out to the RCMP over several weeks. Canada’s national police force refused our repeated requests for an interview, but a spokesperson replied in an email.
“Through co-ordinated investigations, advanced cyber tools, and strong partnerships … we are actively targeting individuals and networks profiting from the sale of illicit substances online,” the spokesperson wrote.
Read more from the CBC’s Omar Dabaghi-Pacheco and Ryan Garland.
Viral video on WestJet plane sparks debate over passenger legroom, calls for more regulation
WATCH | WestJet goes viral over new, tightly configured seating plans:
Viral video sparks WestJet legroom complaints
An Alberta family is speaking out after a video showing them struggling to sit in a tight new WestJet seating arrangement went viral. The airline is facing criticism for putting profits before people with the tightly configured, non-reclining seats.
A viral video showing an Alberta family’s tight squeeze on a recent WestJet flight is prompting conversations about passenger legroom on Canadian airlines and whether the federal government needs to get involved.
On Dec. 26, 2025, Amanda Schmidt, her mother and her father were flying on WestJet from Edmonton to Toronto, en route to the Dominican Republic.
The family bought ultra-basic economy seats, which were non-reclining, and found their seating circumstances quite cramped.
A video posted to TikTok by Amanda shows her father, Manfred Schmidt, who is 6’3″ and approximately 220 pounds, appearing uncomfortable in his seat.
“I could not get into the seat. I mean, I tried to get my knees in front of me … I’m a little bit taller than normal, maybe, but not a lot,” Manfred said.
“It was going to be like a four-hour flight. I was concerned about, OK, well, what are we gonna do? I mean, you can’t recline, you can’t move. You’re jammed in there like a sardine.”
Manfred said flight attendants later allowed him to sit in a seat with more legroom, but Amanda wants to see some accountability from the airline.
“It’s inhumane, basically, to make people travel like this, and then also that it is a health and safety concern,” she said. “When you buy a seat for a human, you should be able to expect it to fit a human safely.”
WestJet declined an interview request, but said in an email to CBC News that the airplane in the video is “one of our newly reconfigured aircraft.”
The airline said it is trying to make air travel available to more Canadians by trying new products, such as aircraft that accommodate an extra row by changing seat pitch, which is the distance between the back of a seat, to the back of the seat in front of it, thereby reducing legroom for passengers.
Some rows on certain WestJet aircraft have a 28-inch pitch (about 71 centimetres). According to John Gradek, an aviation expert at McGill University, a 30-inch pitch (about 76 centimetres) is typical in the Canadian airline industry.
Read more from the CBC’s Julia Wong.
Canadian airlines could be forced to ‘up their game’ as Ottawa allows more competition from Middle East
WATCH | Eased restrictions on Middle East flights puts pressure on Canadian airlines:
Eased restrictions on Middle East flights puts pressure on Canadian airlines
As the federal government eases restrictions on the amount of flights from the Middle East, experts say Canadian airlines may face pressure to upgrade their planes and service level to stay competitive.
Airlines in Canada could soon be under pressure from customers to improve their services as the federal government opens its skies to more competition from the Middle East.
Ottawa is loosening restrictions on the number of flights coming from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates after past diplomatic spats had limited flights.
Aviation expert John Gradek said airlines from the Middle East are considered the “envy of the world” because of the services they offer, which will force Canadian airlines to do more if they want to go head-to-head with these foreign carriers.
“Canadian carriers are going to have to up the ante and up their game to be able to compete,” said Gradek, who is a lecturer of aviation management at McGill University in Montreal.
“It’ll push Air Canada, it’ll push WestJet and may push our friends over at Air Transat to kind of look at the service level they’re offering on board the airplane, and the amenities and actual configuration of the airplanes.”
Canadian MPs and senators, through parliamentary committees, have studied a series of issues hitting Canada’s airline industry in recent years, including a lack of competition, high fares, accessibility complaints and passengers’ rights.
Some airlines, like Emirates, are famous for their first-class seats. Videos created by YouTubers and influencers have garnered millions of views showing off Emirates’ caviar meals, fancy sleeping pods and showers onboard.
Read more from the CBC’s Ashley Burke.
What else is going on?
Quebec Superior Court approves class action against Ticketmaster over service fees
Law firm says pricing scheme is abusive, with fees based on ticket prices rather than actual cost of service
Nestlé recall of some baby formulas does not apply to Canadian products, company says
Nestlé voluntarily recalled the formula — mostly in Europe — due to potential contamination
Cheaper obesity medications could come to Canada this summer, as Health Canada reviews generics
Having generics that might significantly reduce the price is welcome, obesity physician says
Why car costs keep going up, and what it might take to bring them back down
The average price of buying a car has increased by more than 40 per cent since 2018
Warner Bros. rejects revised Paramount bid, tells shareholders to stay with Netflix
Warner Bros. board says offer hinges on ‘extraordinary amount of debt financing’
Marketplace needs your help!
Have you complained to the consumer protection office in your province or territory? If so, we want to know how it went. Email us at marketplace@cbc.ca.
Are you planning on calling customer service for your cell, cable or internet provider? Or are you looking to cancel your service? Before you do, Marketplace wants to hear from you! Email us at marketplace@cbc.ca.
Catch up on past episodes of Marketplace on CBC Gem.
