Is there a kosher meat monopoly in Montreal? He’s alleging it's driving up prices

This is $25.99 a kilo. Mendy Boryarski is fed up with the cost of kosher meat, and he's on a mission to bring prices in Montreal down. Major problem. People are going to New York to buy meat, people are not eating meat, and people are just not eating kosher meats. So here's our production room. Boryarski says the Jewish Community Council of Montreal, or JCC, is responsible for this. He alleges it's driving up costs through its certifier, MK Kosher. The JCC denies Boryarski's allegations. They don't allow competition into the market, so they're able to charge exorbitant prices. Boryarski sells meat from KSR, a rival to MK. He says because he chose to operate outside of the JCC system, it's blocking him from getting a foothold in the commercial side of the industry. And he's taking his fight to the Competition Tribunal of Canada. There's been a groundswell of support from the Montreal Jewish community. Boryarski and his legal team also claim the JCC forces local congregations to buy only MK-approved kosher products. It's just important to have more competition to bring more affordability to that market. Having a case heard at Canada's competition tribunal can be difficult. But Crane says the timing is right to challenge the JCC's alleged market dominance because of changes to the Competition Act. In response to the rising cost of living and skyrocketing grocery bills, Parliament changed the act to allow the tribunal to take cases based on public interests. Rabbi Ruben Pupko isn't taking sides in the dispute, but is behind the idea of more competition. I would say the community is divided between those who are agitated and frustrated and those who have quietly surrendered, but not too many people are happy. The term kosher translates to fit to eat. Pupko says the method of slaughtering the animal is more humane and pain-free, and every step of the process is carefully monitored with inspections. But keeping kosher comes at a cost. I've never heard anyone complain it was too inexpensive. The shoppers CBC spoke with told us they often travel to New York in search of lower prices. The fact that there is not significant competition in Montreal is a significant contributing factor to the cost. There's no question. Okay, so today we're going to drive around Montreal and we're going to go to four, maybe five, at different grocery stores and butchers and try to get an idea of what the general cost is for kosher meats in and around the city. We visited these stores because they're listed on the JCC website under the kosher section. Our investigation found that MK certified ground beef, after factoring in currency conversion, was on average 40 to 50% more expensive than Bingo Wholesale, a well-known American grocer in New York. MK Kosher certified beef was also on average more expensive than KSR beef sold by Boyarsky. At Alf Meats, ground beef from South America was 18 to 37 percent less compared to MK at the places we price checked. I don't think the issue is on a competition level. The JCC maintains Bingo Wholesale is an outlier in New York. It says its data doesn't support the finding. that beef prices are higher in Montreal. There's applications, there's ways. Look around. You have tremendous specials. The JCC also disagrees with KSR about what is acceptable kosher food. MK has its standards. It has its rules. It's accepted in certification that a certifier has the ability to define its standards. In an affidavit, the JCC denies that its certifier enforces any exclusivity agreements, with the exception of banquet halls. MK Kosher has full-time employees to ensure that its strict religious standards are being observed. This includes drop-in inspections at restaurants and at synagogues and 24/7 video surveillance in kitchens and prep areas. MK Kosher charges a one-time fee for some of its services, like attending a slaughter, and recurring fees for others, like maintaining an MK certificate. It's fair to characterize it as a moneymaker that helps subsidize the rest. We call it a moneymaker. It definitely has a surplus that is reallocated to community needs. You're attacking a certifier, not a seller. He says issues like this are typically handled internally, often by the rabbinical tribunal of Montreal, rather than being fought out in court. I don't think it's the place of tribunals to interfere in kosher certification and generally religious beliefs and discussions. discussions. So they get to set the policies and then they get to reap the rewards. But since that tribunal is also part of the JCC, Boyarsky says he had no choice but to take this route. They're the prosecutor, they're the judge, and they're the jury. They get to decide who could sell what, who could sell what, who could bring it in. They control everything across the board. A federal court judge will decide if Boyarsky's lawsuit has merit and if it will be heard by the competition tribunal. If successful, the JCC could be forced to pay millions in damages.