LAWS ET REGULATIONS

Managing a convenient store or a grocery is not an easy task, especially with all the laws, norms and regulations that govern its activities.

With the aim to offer you the maximum support and give you pertinent informations that will allow you correctly and legally operate your business, you will find out in this section a view of the main regulation which you have to conform as an owner of a convenient store or a grocery.

THE LAW OVER THE HOURS AND THE ADMISSION DAYS IN THE COMMERCIAL ESTABLISHMENTS

This law, revised at the beginning of the '90, is under the responsability of "Développement économique et régional et Recherche". For those who are interested to know more, the ministry site present more details.

THE LAW ON HEALTH AND THE WORK SECURITY AND THE ONE ON WORK ACCIDENT, AND THE PROFESSIONNAL ILLNESS

The CSST manage the application of these two important laws for employees security and workers indemnisation in case of accident.

We especially wish you to remember here the duty for an employer to enroll by the CSST. To know the mode and the inscription steps on CSST, you just have to click here.

QUEBEC TOBACCO ACT

This law arouse many questions from business people. In order to know more about important articles reporting to your business, consult the following table or consult the internet on Tobacco Law.

As the law mandate you to show in store, some posters concerning smoking is forbidden or moreover to sell to minors, the ministry offer your the opportunity to order these poster on live from their site.

LABOUR STANDARDS IN QUEBEC

The Commission des normes du travail manage this law. Its mission is to put down, the universal regime on work conditions in Quebec. The commission contribute this way to maintain the best exchange between employers and employees.

As a small enterprise, the minimal labour standards are the reference on which you must follow to manage the labour conditions of your employees. These norms causes many interrogations from employers. To help you find out easily and quickly some answers to your questions, you have access here to the principal norms resume.

PRICE MARKING ACCURACY POLICY

The regulatory rules and price marking are specified by article 223 of the "consumer protection act" which is on the responsibility of the "Office de la protection du consommateur" (OPE).

This regulation compell the business to tag price all goods that they sell in store, except for certain categories of goods, which are exempted. These last are equally described in this article.

The retailers who use the optical technology care prevail however from a general exemption, as long as they respect definite conditions concerning the price exactness.

For more details about this regulation, consult the O.P.C. web site.

THE LAW PROHIBITING THE SALE OF LOTTERY PRODUCTS TO MINORS

The # 84 law, in force since February 1st 2000, forbid the sale of lottery products to minors, the main goal is to decrease the risk of game dependence to minors.

Moreover, an internal directive of Loto-Québec forbid to a retailer to pay a winning lottery ticket to a minor. All winning ticket must be paid to his legal guardian.

THE LAW ON THE SALE DISTRIBUTION OF BEER AND SOFT DRINKS IN UNIQUE REFILL CONTAINERS

Recyc-Québec is the organisation who manage this law and who watch that the responsibility of each intervening party in the process of recycle recovery and the management of the returnable bottle related to unique refill containers is well respected.

In this process the retailer has two obligations. First he must sell only unique fill containers of beers or soft drinks, who bears the consignement mention, and second is to accept the returns of those empty containers, giving back consumers due.

To know more about the management of returnable containers, Recyc-Québec maintain an interesting web site, most interesting on the subject. We invite you to consult it.

LAW ON FOOD PRODUCTS - RULE ON FOOD PRODUCTS

The "Ministère de l'Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l'Alimentation" is responsible, by virtue of the law on food products an the rules on food management permit.

Any person who prepare or keep warm or cold any food in view to sell it or serve it against remuneration to consumers must have a permit.

By definition, we understand by preperation, activities like wrapping, warming, rewrapping and rewarming, etc... The retailer that only cool some soft drinks, ice, and ice cream is not oblige to have a nutritions premit.

There is therefore 2 categories of nutritions permit:

1- KEEPING WARM OR COLD

This category is reserved to an operator of a place, whose activities uniquely consist of keeping warm or cold some foods, without making any other preparation.

2- GENERAL PREPARATION

This category concern any operator of a space where are made some activities of food preparation which are not as the preceding category.

The cost of these permit is adjusted every year. To know more we invite you to reach the " Direction générale de l'alimentation du MAPAQ and consult the form of permit request, on which you will find the permit cost for the year to go.

LAW AND REGULATIONS ON LIQUOR PERMIT THE ACT ON LIQUOR PERMIT

For all retailers, the sale of alcoolic drinks brings an important portion of the turnover. Some very precise laws and rules register the sale's activities.

To know your rights and obligations we invite you to consult the web site of "La Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux". You will access directly to inscription "Demande de permis d'alcool" in clicking on this link. The "Régie" present you also a resume of the main points to take in consideration in relation with your permit here.

RELATIVE PERMIT FOR VIDEO CLUB LOCATION

For those who want to offer a new service to their customers and have in mind to operate a video club, take note, that you must have a permit, and pay certain duties and fees. Take note that certain rules apply in regards of this service. You can ask for a permit here.