Mar 18, 2026
The loyalty card in your wallet may be working against you.
For years, Canadians have scanned their rewards cards at the grocery store — collecting points, unlocking discounts and assuming the system was designed in their favour. But a growing body of evidence suggests retailers have been feeding that data into pricing algorithms that can quietly charge some shoppers more than others for the exact same item (1).
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Manitoba is the first province in Canada to say that is not acceptable.
On March 17, 2026, the Manitoba government introduced Bill 49, an amendment to the province's Business Practices Act (BPA) that would make it an unfair business practice for retailers to use consumers' personal data — or algorithmically determined information — to increase the price of goods for a specific consumer. The measure covers both in-store and online purchases, and explicitly extends the BPA's reach to online retailers and distributors (2).
"Protecting Manitobans from unfair pricing practices is essential to keeping life affordable," explained Public Service Delivery Minister Mintu Sandhu in a released statement (3). "These are first of their kind amendments and take aim at the misuse of personal data to inflate prices."
How algorithmic pricing works — and why it matters for Canadians
Dynamic pricing — adjusting prices based on demand, inventory or time of day — has been a feature of airline and hotel booking for decades. What is newer, and more troubling to consumer advocates, is personalized pricing: Using an individual shopper's profile to set a price specific to that person.
Retailers collect enormous amounts of data through loyalty programs, apps, in-store tracking and online browsing. Algorithms then analyze that data to determine how price-sensitive a given shopper is. A customer who consistently buys premium cuts of meat and name-brand cereal, lives in a higher-income postal code and never compares prices might be charged more than a customer who regularly switches brands and uses coupons.
Canadians who are most generous with their data — loyal, frequent loyalty-card users — are, paradoxically, the most exposed.
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Who is most at risk when it comes to dynamic pricing
While algorithmic pricing can affect anyone, three groups face disproportionate exposure.
Lower-income households and renters spend a larger share of their income on groceries, so any pricing premium — even a few dollars per shop — compounds quickly.
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New immigrants may not be aware that prices can vary by consumer profile, or that opting out of data sharing is even possible.
And online-first shoppers — a segment that has grown sharply since the pandemic — face the greatest risk, because personalized pricing is far easier to deploy invisibly in a website or app than on a physical shelf.
Government of Manitoba acts to protect residents — but rest of Canada is still on its own
Bill 49 is a provincial measure, and Manitoba is acting alone. This is key considering that federal competition law does not currently contain an explicit prohibition on personalized algorithmic pricing. This means Canadians in every other province and territory remain unprotected when it comes to the risks imposed by collecting data and its use in dynamic pricing.
The Manitoba government has framed the bill as part of a broader affordability package that also includes freezing the price of milk, freezing hydro rates, cutting the gas tax permanently, removing property controls on grocery store locations and increasing the property tax credit.
Could this protection roll out to the rest of Canada?
Consumer advocates are watching closely.
If Bill 49 passes and proves enforceable, it could create pressure on Ottawa and other provincial governments to follow suit — a dynamic similar to how Quebec's stronger consumer-protection rules have historically influenced national standards.
Read more: The ultra-rich are bailing on volatile stocks right now — these 4 shockproof assets are their new safe havens
What you can do right now
You don't have to wait for your province to act on your behalf. Hhere are four practical steps any Canadian can take today.
Audit your loyalty-card privacy settings
Log into all rewards programs and limit as much as you can. For instance, both PC Optimum and Scene+, two of Canada's largest grocery loyalty programs, allow members to limit how their data is used for personalized offers. Log into your account and review the data-sharing and personalization options.
Shop incognito
When checking online grocery prices — or shopping for anything online — open a private browser window or sign out of your account first. Prices visible to an anonymous visitor may differ from those shown to a logged-in loyalty member.
Compare signed-in vs. signed-out prices
For high-value items — large grocery orders, electronics — check the price both while signed in and while signed out. Screenshot any discrepancy and keep records.
Contact your elected representatives
The most durable protection will come from legislation. Write to your federal Member of Parliament (MP) and provincial Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) urging them to introduce data-pricing protections similar to Manitoba's Bill 49.
Results are clear for Canadians
For Manitoba residents, the passage of Bill 49 would provide a legal avenue to challenge unfair pricing. Keep your receipts, document price discrepancies and monitor the bill's progress through the legislature.
For everyone else, the lesson from Winnipeg is clear: The era of 'set it and forget it' loyalty programs is over. Understanding how your data is used — and taking steps to limit that use — is now part of a smart personal finance strategy.
Article sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
Province of Manitoba: Bill 49 (1, 2, 3)
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Romana King is the Senior Editor at Money.ca. She writes for various publications, and her book -- House Poor No More: 9 Steps That Grow the Value of Your Home and Net Worth -- continues to be an Amazon bestseller. Since its publication in November 2021, this book has won five awards, including the New York CPA Society's Excellence in Financial Journalism (EFJ) Book Award in 2022.
