Quebec is studying time restrictions imposed on stores and launches a pilot project

Do you have to allow traders to close shop later to adapt the Quebec economy to consumer habits? This is the question to which Quebec wants to answer the outcome of its new pilot project, which will reject stores at 8 p.m. during the weekend in three regions of the province.

Laval, Saint-Georges and Gatineau stores will be able to close three hours later in Quebec, on Saturdays and Sundays this summer.

These areas have been selected due to their economic and geographic situations, according to the Minister Delegate for the Economy, Christopher Skeete.

There were certain criteria: an urban, rural and border area. [Laval est urbaine]and Gatineau is border with Ontario, which has no law on opening hours. Saint-Georges is rural and border with the United Statesjustifies the Minister Delegate, who is also responsible for the Laval Region, at the microphone of the program A whole morning.

The pilot project, lasting one year, may be renewed for an additional year. Quebec will eventually evaluate the effects of schedule change on consumers and workers.

The new opening hours regime may be subject to a bill to make it permanentindicates the draft settlement supervising the implementation of the pilot project.

In a completely different order of ideas, the shops of erotic objects benefit from a separate pilot project, which was also announced on Wednesday. In addition to authorizing their opening every day of the year, including public holidays, this project will allow them to serve customers until 11 p.m., everywhere in Quebec.

Still useful to limit the opening hours?

Unless you benefit from an exemption (like grocery stores, cinemas, restaurants or service stations), Quebec shops must usually offer their services in a range from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. the weekend, and from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. per week, under the law on hours and days of admission to commercial establishments.

Facing a world in transition and Amazon of this world, open 24/7the Minister Delegate considers that Quebec must question the need to keep these schedules. The idea of ​​the pilot project is to measure the impacts of the withdrawal of the Quebec government over the opening hours.

Quebec is the only jurisdiction in North America which [limite les heures d’ouverture des commerces] Wall wall, arbitrarily. One wonders if it is still relevant.

For good reason, the Quebec administration receives Forty exceptional requests to the law Because it is ill -suited to the realities of certain cities, certain regions, cities or sectors of the economyexplains Mr. Skeete.

Failing to have a clear consensus, with obvious evidence that it does not answer [aux critères de chaque commerçant]the question I ask myself is: “Is it up to the government to decide?”

A risk for competition?

According to the government of Quebec, the tags provided for in the law aim to ensure healthy conditions of competition et a balance between the rights, interests and needs of traders, as well as those of their staff and consumers.

A soundtrack led by the Quebec retail trade council between the fall seasons 2022 and 2023 failed to release a clear line as to the opinion of the traders with regard to this measure.

Contacted by Radio-Canada, the Council recognizes that the subject raises passions and that there is, among other things, a real fear of certain owners of smaller businesses not to be able to respond to these new prolonged hours, unlike greater businesses, which have more financial and human means.

The latter could thus be found in unfair competition which would not promote local purchasehowever, warns his spokesperson Geneviève Duval, who still salutes the government approach.