Canadian Competition Tribunal Orders Divestiture in Waste Merger: Some Lessons Learned
Richard Elliott, Sep 13, 2012
The Canadian Competition Tribunal (the “Tribunal”) has issued its first decision in a fully contested application under the merger provisions of the Competition Act (the “Act”) in over a decade. On May 29, 2012, further to an application by the Commissioner of Competition (the “Commissioner”) challenging the acquisition (the “Merger”) by CCS Corporation (“CCS”) of Complete Environmental Inc. (“Complete”), the owner of a landfill site in northeastern British Columbia known as Babkirk, the Tribunal ordered CCS to divest Complete.
The Commissioner’s application raised a number of legal issues, including the threshold and analysis for establishing that a merger has prevented future competition, as opposed to lessening existing competition in the marketplace. Importantly, the case also demonstrates the Commissioner’s willingness to challenge mergers that are not subject to notification under the Act and that have already been completed. Finally, the case also confirms the Commissioner’s readiness to seek the dissolution of a merger as an alternative to divestiture (even though the Tribunal did not grant dissolution in this particular instance). Accordingly, the potential for a post-closing challenge by the Commissioner should be of significance to all parties to a transaction, including vendors, where the transaction may have anticompetitive effects.
Links to Full Content
Featured News
Judge Mehta Questions Both Sides in Landmark Google Antitrust Case
May 2, 2024 by
CPI
FCC Urges Urgent Funding for Removal of Chinese Telecom Equipment from U.S. Networks
May 2, 2024 by
CPI
Former Pioneer CEO Facing Potential Criminal Charges For Colluding With OPEC
May 2, 2024 by
CPI
South Korea’s Antitrust Regulator Greenlights K-Pop Powerhouse Deal
May 2, 2024 by
CPI
Exxon’s Pioneer Purchase Approved, Former CEO Barred from Board
May 2, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Economics of Criminal Antitrust
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Navigating Economic Expert Work in Criminal Antitrust Litigation
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
The Increased Importance of Economics in Cartel Cases
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
A Law and Economics Analysis of the Antitrust Treatment of Physician Collective Price Agreements
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Information Exchange In Criminal Antitrust Cases: How Economic Testimony Can Tip The Scales
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI