Canadians flocking to U.S. for cheap milk

Did you see the YouTube video of Canadian shoppers at a U.S. Costco clearing an estimated 650 litres of milk in less than a minute? That story made headlines on both sides of the border. While the focus was on our alleged rudeness (gasp), the media missed a golden opportunity to address the elephant in the room.

Our dairy industry is stuck in the ’70s. The world has changed a lot since then. People are on the move and that includes crossing borders and seeing first-hand how we fare compared with others. If milk is 50-per-cent cheaper at a U.S. Costco, people will find out quickly, and that applies to pretty much every consumer good out there. Nothing will stop us from finding out how much one litre of milk, a dozen eggs, or your favourite type of cheese costs in other markets.