Premier Wab Kinew’s NDP government introduced a bill that would make it an illegal business practice to set prices based on information about particular consumers—whether that’s details a vendor has on a person’s shopping history or algorithms that make educated guesses about what a new buyer might be willing to pay. The government focused on “predatory” pricing of groceries but the law would apply to anything sold in a store or online. (The Logic)

Talking point: Manitoba’s Business Practices Act allows for corporate fines of up to $300,000 for a first offence. The federal Competition Bureau has been examining algorithmic pricing tools more broadly and heard in a consultation that at the individual level, they could be good if consumers who can’t afford to pay more end up with discounts. But frequent buyers could also see higher prices, comparison shopping could be difficult and ever-changing price labels could conceal fraud and deception.