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The Competition Bureau of Canada is escalating its investigation into the country's largest grocery retailers—Loblaw, Sobeys, and Metro—over their use of anti-competitive property controls. After the companies were slow to provide information, the Bureau obtained Federal Court orders compelling them to produce records related to restrictive covenants in lease agreements. These controls can block rival grocers from opening stores in certain locations, sometimes for decades. The probe aims to determine if these practices unlawfully stifle competition, contributing to higher food prices and limiting consumer choice in a highly concentrated market.