The lawsuit was filed after a Competition Bureau of Canada investigation revealed gas stations in four Quebec cities called one another to set the pump price; 13 Quebecers and 11 companies were charged with price fixing last June in Victoriaville, Thetford Mines, Magog and Sherbrooke, Que.
Lawyers representing drivers in Quebec argued [image-nocss] earlier this month that after reviewing the evidence collected by the Competition Bureau, notably some 2,000 phone conversations, they are convinced the price-fixing scheme was taking place all over Quebec.
But Justice Dominique Belanger dismissed the request because she doesn't want the case to turn into a "huge commission of inquiry."
"It's not the Superior Court's role to investigate the problem as exposed. We would be better off managing efficiently several class actions rather than getting entangled in one class action that is too big," she wrote.
Following the Competition Bureau investigation, three companies pleaded guilty and were fined slightly more than $2 million: Les Petroles Therrien Inc., operating under the Petro-T banner; Distributions Petrolieres Therrien Inc.; and Ultramar.
Six people also pleaded guilty and have been sentenced to terms of imprisonment totaling 44 months.
Click herefor previous CSP Daily News coverage.
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