March 10, 2023 -- At least 20 anti-poverty protesters, affiliated with the local Ben Trop Cher campaign against the cost of living, entered and disrupted the Maxi Superstore in Parc-Extension in Montreal earlier this morning. Protesters unveiled a banner reading "Things are too expensive! Our lives before your profits!" (original French: C'est ben trop cher; Nos vies avant vos profits), as well as chanting, singing, distributing flyers with the title "Food Is Way Too Expensive! Bring Down the Prices. Stop Exploiting Us!, and stickering merchandise with the slogan "Ben Trop Cher".

The Parc-Extension Maxi store was preparing to welcome a visit of investors and bankers affiliated with Loblaw Companies Limited, and has previously hosted visits from senior executives across Canada, including Loblaw CEO Galen Weston Junior. The protesters kept their disruption going for roughly 20 minutes before leaving the store. At least five police cars arrived after the protesters left, responding to a 911 call from panicked Maxi managers, and the cops futilely searched the store, the nearby metro station and the underground garage for the protest perpetrators.

Loblaw -- one of the big three food chains in Canada -- is responsible for brands such as Metro, Maxi, Pharmaprix and others. With rising food prices and inflation, Loblaw has made multi-billion profits in the past three years, while consistently raising food prices and simultaneously refusing better pay and benefits to its frontline workers. In the words of the Ben Trop Cher flyer passed out to grocery shoppers: Against the greedy capitalists who get rich on our misery, let's organize together so that our lives are finally worth more than their profits.

For more info about the Ben Trop Cher campaign in Montreal, visit bentropcher.info. Report and photos by No Borders Media.