Kelowna campaign stop: Eby takes on big grocery retailers

Oct 2, 2026 | 3:49 PM

BC NDP leader David Eby brought his provincial election campaign and fight against big grocery stores to Kelowna Friday.

Speaking at the Save-On location in Glenmore, he announced five key elements, including a so-called Price Guard to cap profits on the basics, and a ban on anti-competitive real estate deals he said keeps smaller retailers out of neighborhoods.

He also vowed to end what he called the “hidden games” of “shrinkflation” , stop big retailers exploiting personal data to manipulate pricing, and to work with the federal government to help build independent retailers.

In a statement Eby said this year, an average family of four will spend over $17,500 on groceries.

“While families face prices 27% higher than five years ago, the five retail chains controlling 80% of the market are thriving, while billionaire owners like the Weston and Pattison families grew their combined wealth by $4.4 billion last year.

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“The BC NDP will use a “price guard” to cap profit margins on essentials like milk, eggs, cheese, butter, and poultry. The proposal also includes mandating clear per-unit pricing to combat shrinkflation.”

Eby’s five-point grocery price plan

Price Guard to cap profits on the basics: Set a hard ceiling on retail margins for everyday essentials, including milk, eggs, cheese, butter, and poultry, which already have wholesale price management. This applies to corporate retailers only and prevents them from unfairly marking up food for customers and from reducing compensation for local farmers.
Stop them from blocking competition: Ban anti-competitive real estate deals and property controls that big grocery chains use to keep independent competitors and smaller food retailers from opening up shop in your neighbourhood and charging you higher prices.
End their hidden price games: Mandate clear, consistent per-unit pricing on the shelf in all stores. This ensures transparent, honest pricing so corporations can’t use deceptive “shrinkflation” to quietly hide price hikes on smaller packages.
Stop predatory surveillance pricing: Strengthen consumer protection and privacy laws to prohibit AI-powered algorithmic pricing. This ensures big corporations can’t exploit your personal data and market power to unfairly manipulate and raise prices at the register.
Support smaller local grocery stores: Invest in local food infrastructure by partnering with Ottawa to build an independent, regional wholesale food terminal in the Lower Mainland. This would let smaller independent grocers bypass the giants’ distribution chains, ensuring big supermarkets aren’t the only option.

by Vernon Matters staff

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