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Budget Car Rental blames possible tire thieves after SUV sends driver, kids spinning out of control
When Norm Wylie’s 12-year-old daughter asked if he would take her and a friend on a road trip from Winnipeg to Minneapolis, Minn., to see her favourite YouTube stars, he couldn’t say no.
The group had scored hard-to-get tickets, so the plan was to rent a newer — and safer vehicle — than the one Wylie owns from a Budget Car and Truck Rental.
Instead, they got an SUV with tires so bald it sent them spinning out of control on a highway in a vehicle that legally, shouldn’t have been on the road.
“We’re doing 360s down the highway. The girls are screaming. I’m screaming. And then we flew backwards into the ditch,” Wylie said.
Vehicle rental companies have a “checkered record” when it comes to maintenance, says George Iny, who heads up the Automobile Protection Association (APA).
He noted that safety can take a back seat to keeping vehicles on the road, a situation that was made worse by the pandemic and the vehicle shortage that followed.
Go Public asked Avis Budget Group, which oversees Budget Car Rental franchise locations, if that’s the case with their vehicles, but they didn’t answer the question.
An inspection on Wylie’s rental found the vehicle tread on the rear tires was just 0.8 mm — half the minimum 1.6 mm that’s required in most provinces, including Manitoba, where Wylie lives.
Wylie complained to the franchise owner by email. In his response, Don Johal apologized, saying that even before the accident, he had already been “reviewing and re-developing” the vehicle inspection and maintenance program at the locations he oversees.
Johal also blamed tire thieves, saying at times, good tires have been swapped out for bad ones while the vehicles were rented out or sitting on the Budget rental lot at night.
Budget credited Wylie the money he spent on the rental and in a statement said independently operated franchised locations are expected to adhere to laws, as well as safety guidelines. Read More
Canada’s new dental care plan could impact nearly 9 million Canadians — are you one of them?
CBC’s Evan Dyer breaks down what to expect when the government’s new dental care program rolls out in 2024, how applications will work, how much coverage people can expect to see and potential stumbling blocks.
The federal government unveiled details about its highly anticipated Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) earlier this week.
The CDCP is a $13-billion insurance program that will start covering most basic dentistry costs next year for uninsured Canadians with a household income under $90,000.
That’s about nine million Canadians, according to the federal government.
Applications will first open to eligible seniors aged 87 and older. Applications for other age groups will then be phased in with a staggered approach, with the process opening up to all eligible applicants aged 18 and above sometime in 2025.
The CDCP will help cover the cost of various oral health-care services, with the focus on “those deemed medically necessary by an oral health-care professional,” an information officer with the general information line for the Government of Canada told CBC News.
Applicants with household incomes below $70,000 will not have to pay participating dentists, hygienists or denturists — Ottawa will pick up the tab for covered services.
Families with incomes between $70,000 and $79,999 will see 60 per cent of service fees covered by the government. The other 40 per cent they will have to cover out of pocket in what’s known as a co-pay.
For those in the $80,000 to $89,999 income bracket, the co-pay jumps to 60 per cent, with the federal plan covering the rest of the costs. Read more
Ontario vastly expanding where booze can be sold, aiming to modernize alcohol retail market
Starting in 2026, Ontarians will be able to buy beer, wine, cider and seltzers at convenience stores, big box outlets, some gas stations and more supermarkets, marking a major increase in where alcohol is sold in the province.
Starting in 2026, Ontarians will be able to buy beer, wine, cider and seltzers at convenience stores, big box outlets, some gas stations and more supermarkets, marking a major overhaul in how alcohol is sold in the province.
A suite of changes announced by Premier Doug Ford Thursday are intended to modernize the booze market, the provincial government said, by ushering in “the largest expansion of consumer choice and convenience since the end of prohibition almost 100 years ago.”
The Ministry of Finance estimates there will be some 8,500 new locations where consumers can purchase low-alcohol products, giving Ontario the third-highest density of alcohol retail stores among the provinces, behind only Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec. Ontario will be only the second jurisdiction, after Quebec, to offer beer in corner stores and the first to sell ready-to-drink cocktails in those locations.
The LCBO will continue to be the only retailer that sells high-alcohol spirits like gin and whisky.
The move would fulfill a promise Ford made during the 2018 election and marks the second attempt the premier has made to put beer and wine in corner stores, previously passing but not enacting legislation to cancel an agreement with the Beer Store.
As part of the overhaul, the province is ending its Master Framework Agreement with the multinational conglomerates that own The Beer Store, which currently has a quasi-monopoly on the distribution and sale of beer in Ontario. Read more
What else is going on?
How to access the new RSV vaccine, and how much will it cost?
The Ask CBC team has been answering your questions.
Tesla is recalling over 2 million cars in the U.S. and Canada over system that checks if drivers are alert
Notification letters are “expected to be mailed” to vehicle owners on Feb. 10, 2024.
SmileDirectClub is shutting down months after filing for bankruptcy protection
Customer orders that haven’t shipped yet have been cancelled and “Lifetime Smile Guarantee” no longer exists, the company said.
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