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More rights for airline passengers; Telecoms pushed to fight scammers: CBC's Marketplace consumer cheat sheet

More rights for airline passengers; Telecoms pushed to fight scammers: CBC's Marketplace consumer cheat sheet

Miss something this week? Don't panic. CBC's Marketplace rounds up the consumer and health news you need.

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You'll have more rights at the airport this holiday season

Starting on Dec. 15, if your flight is cancelled or delayed, you might be eligible for compensation. A large Canadian airline will have to pay each passenger $400 for arrival time delays between three and six hours, and up to $1,000 if the flight is late by more than nine hours. And there's more: If your delay is overnight, the airlines are now on the hook to pay for your hotel or other comparable accommodations.

WATCH: A CAA spokesperson has advice for anyone planning to fly

Canadian telecoms need to do more to fight scammers, says CRTC

If you're fed up with the number of sketchy calls you're receiving lately, you're not alone. The CRTC says that Canadian telecoms can do more to help prevent these calls from getting through, and is mandating the implementation of STIR/SHAKEN technology by Sept. 30, 2020. CRTC chairperson Ian Scott says the new technology will allow Canadians to know before they answer a call whether it's legitimate or should be treated with suspicion.

Paul Chiasson/ The Canadian Press
Paul Chiasson/ The Canadian Press

Online returns ending up in landfills, journalist's research reveals

In an interview with The Current, environmental journalist Adria Vasil discussed how online shopping has created a surplus of perfectly good products that are ending up in dumpsters and landfills. Amazon has faced accusations in France and Germany of destroying returned items, and Burberry admitted in 2018 that it had incinerated £90 million ($156 million) worth of clothing and accessories in the previous five years.

Earlier this season, Marketplace investigated how some Canadian plastic was ending up overseas in Malaysian landfills.

Why some people are using safe parcel drops

The last thing any of us want over the busy holiday season is for packages delivered to our doorstep to be stolen. That's why in Winnipeg, and other cities across Canada, many people are starting to get their parcels delivered to safe pickup spots. And in Prince George, B.C., police are even working with Amazon to place decoy packages on doorsteps in an attempt to discourage would-be thieves.

Phil Noble/Reuters
Phil Noble/Reuters

What else is going on? YouTube will start removing videos featuring racist, sexist insults. The video streaming company said it will now take down videos that lob insults at people based on race, gender expression, sexual orientation or other "protected attributes." Volkswagen charged for allegedly violating Canadian emissions standards. The federal government is charging Volkswagen for allegedly importing cars into Canada that company executives knew violated emissions standards. Privacy watchdog says StatsCan pilot raised 'significant privacy concerns.' In his annual report to Parliament, Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien says a plan by Statistics Canada to collect Canadians' banking data raised privacy concerns but did not break the law. Airbnb reins in parties with new rules. Airbnb is taking more steps to crack down on parties and nuisance guests in the wake of a Halloween shooting at an Airbnb rental in a San Francisco suburb.

The latest in recalls

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