The currency differential can only accelerate the buying up of some of our most historic Canadian brands

We reported last week that RONA, the once-leading “Canadian-owned” home improvement retailer, is now going to have to quietly declare itself the “leading” home improvement retailer. What does “Canadian-owned” do for you, when operating in this country?

It brings you an American bidder, it seems. The currency differential can only accelerate the buying up of some of our most historic Canadian brands.  But I digress…

Here is a post about Lowe’s buying RONA, from Edmonton restoration painter Rick Fowler (see a profile of Rick in our Jan/Feb print issue… see DIGITAL EDITION at the bottom of our website).

“Identical to the purchase of General Paint by American-owned Sherwin-Williams and several other Canadian businesses. “We won’t change a thing” is the very first lie. Then the layoffs start… but only a few at a time, until there is virtually no trace of the old business left. It’s a pattern that is way too common to ignore.”