The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday edition that Tim Hortons is firing back at more than a dozen Quebec franchisees who sued the company over their declining profitability -- saying the restaurant owners are responsible for their business struggles and, in one case, for spending "lavishly" on investment properties and helicopters rather than investing in the operations. The Globe's Susan Krashinsky writes that the fast-food giant's statement of defence sheds light on how Tim Hortons sets the prices of items such as coffee and doughnuts. The Quebec franchisees first filed their lawsuit against Tim Hortons in 2024, claiming the company's decisions had eroded their profitability -- which had collectively declined by millions of dollars in recent years. The lawsuit represents 15 franchisees operating 41 outlets in the province. Restaurant Brands, the owner, has 3,900 Tims locations in Canada, 620 of which are in Quebec and operated by 300 franchisees. The 15 who are plaintiffs in the lawsuit argued that their costs for supplies had risen, while the hikes to menu prices had not sufficiently offset those costs, squeezing their profit margins, eroding their restaurants' value and harming them financially since 2019.