Latest news with #SimonJolin-Barrette
Montreal Gazette
2 days ago
- Business
- Montreal Gazette
CAQ government invokes closure to fast track energy bill
By QUEBEC — Arguing it is acting in the interests of economic growth, the Coaliton Avenir Québec government has cut short the debate on legislation modernizing the energy sector, Bill 69. Shortly after 3 p.m. Friday, CAQ house leader Simon Jolin-Barrette informed the legislature the government would be invoking closure, forcing the bill into law. The decision means the summer recess of the National Assembly will be delayed a few more hours as MNAs debate into the night with a vote sometime early Saturday morning. It is the seventh time since taking power in 2018 the CAQ uses closure to fast track legislation and bypass the normal rules of procedure. The move immediately sparked an angry reaction from the opposition parties that oppose the bill and want it scrapped. But the government said the debate on the bill has lasted long enough. Tabled way back in June 2024 by former CAQ super minister Pierre Fitzgibbon, the legislation has been stalled for months. After Fitzgibbon's resignation in September 2024, the bill was eventually picked up by the new economy and energy minister, Christine Fréchette. 'After more than 150 hours of consultations and detailed study, the repeated obstruction by the opposition parties, only two-thirds of the clauses of the bill have been adopted,' Fréchette said Friday. 'If work continues at this pace, on the same date next year, the bill will still not have been adopted.' The bill makes sweeping changes to way Quebec's energy sector operates and power rates are set, and also introduces for the first time the concept of energy sobriety to curb consumption. The Legault government wants to double electricity production by 2025 and Bill 69 is part of the equation. It will permit Hydro-Québec to dispense with tendering rules in the awarding of certain contracts as well as enter into agreements with indigenous communities. The bill is supposed to allow the provincial energy utility to launch new wind-power projects as early as this summer. Hydro-Québec plans to spend $200 billion by 2035 on its expansion. Fréchette said the additional wind power alone will add 2,000 megawatts of power to the grid for power-hunger Quebec companies as well as creating 1,000 jobs in regions of Quebec that have been hard hit in the fallout over U.S. trade tariffs. Waiting for the opposition was no longer an option. Adopting Bill 69 now will enable Hydro-Québec to save $6 billion by implementing the new wind-power system earlier, she said. The bill will also permit private companies to sell their electricity to industries directly. For consumers, Bill 69 will ensure domestic electricity rate increases are capped at 3 per cent (a CAQ election promise) and abolish the base price for gas that might be pushing prices up at the pump. But the last minute addition of 52 amendments to the original legislation sparked an uproar with the three opposition parties, which accused the government of trying to steamroll them. Parti Québécois energy critic Pascal Paradis estimated the new amendments being rushed in will eventually cost consumers $1 billion in extra charges. He said the bill fundamentally weakens the power regulator agency, the Régie de énergie. 'Quebecers will have to shell out,' Paradis said. 'Bill 69 is basically a tool box to increase rates.' The business lobby also objected to the bill, saying Quebec companies and institutions will bear the costs of all the projects.
Hamilton Spectator
07-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
New rules on tipping, price labelling take effect across Quebec
MONTREAL - New rules on tipping and on price displays at grocery retailers took effect Wednesday across Quebec, in a move the government describes as an effort to make things easier for consumers. The rules require the display of any suggested tipping options to be 'neutral and uniform,' to prevent a merchant from pressuring clients to give higher tips. In addition, the rules require merchants to ensure the terminals do not suggest tips that are calculated on the price after taxes. For example, a suggested tipping percentage on a $100 tab should be based on that amount and not $114.98, which includes the federal and provincial sales taxes. Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette, who oversees consumer protection, said the new rules will make life simpler for Quebecers by removing 'irritants' at a time when 'every dollar counts for Quebec families.' 'Our government is taking action to protect Quebecers' wallets,' he said in a statement. Also, grocery retailers will now have to include more information on displays, such as the price per unit of measure, and the price for customers who don't belong to a store's loyalty rewards program. That measure extends to any retailer that sells food, including convenience stores. The province has also raised the baseline for an existing price accuracy policy from $10 to $15 – meaning that if the price at checkout is higher than the advertised price, the product must be offered for free if it is less than $15. The pricing error policy has existed since 2001. Michel Rochette, president of the Retail Council of Canada's Quebec branch, noted that consumers in stores should see changes in labelling. Rochette said in any given store, you could have 30,000 to 40,000 different products, so it's a major task to change labels. However, the province's consumer protection agency recently added new criteria not included in the law that will take longer to implement. In recent weeks, the government decided the rules would extend to websites, phone applications and flyers. 'So it's asking the industry to reprogram and reconfigure its advertising and communications, which wasn't the case at the start,' Rochette said. 'So there will be a need for some flexibility for the government.' Martin Vézina, vice-president of public affairs at the Quebec Restaurant Association, said the transition will take some time as some terminals need to be reprogrammed or replaced altogether. The association has warned its members that they have the responsibility to comply with the regulations, even if an external company oversees their point-of-service terminals. Restaurant owners, he said, could see savings on credit card fees and taxes. But servers and wait staff could see less tips. 'It remains to be seen if servers will find that the reduction in tips will make them change employment,' Vézina said. Nathalie Guy, on her lunch break in downtown Montreal, said tipping had got out of hand, particularly during the pandemic as most people switched to using debit or credit. She recalled one time where she felt she had 'no choice' but to tip while purchasing a meal. 'As long as it's fair and at the discretion of the customer, I think that's what is important,' Guy said. Karine Grondin, finishing her meal at a food court, said she welcomes the rules. 'Everywhere now you're asked for one (a tip),' Grondin said. 'It's up to people to decide, but I agree it shouldn't be on an amount including taxes.' Speaking to reporters in Quebec City, Jolin-Barrette noted the goal of the in-store display changes is to better inform shoppers. 'Until last week, in some stores, you practically had to have a magnifying glass to see the price per hundred grams to see what the real unit price was,' Jolin-Barrette said. 'So from now on, the information will be very clear: the regular price, the discounted price, the unit price, and the price per measure.' The changes were introduced last fall and passed unanimously at the national assembly in November. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2025.
Vancouver Sun
07-05-2025
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
Quebec businesses can no longer ask for tips on taxes
Quebec became the first Canadian province to enact legislation stipulating that recommended tip amounts on payment terminals must be calculated using the subtotal — the price before the GST (five per cent) and the province's sales tax (9.975 per cent) are applied. In most Canadian retail and service settings, when a consumer is presented with a digital debit machine displaying suggested tip percentages, that figure is calculated using the post-tax total. It should be common knowledge, but it's not, and it often results in people paying an added gratuity on money ultimately paid to government. As of Wednesday, suggestions on a $100 tab at a Quebec brasserie, for example, will be determined by that number, not the current $114.98 after tax sum. That means an 18 per cent gratuity works out to be $18, not $20.70. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The province introduced the measures to return to the halcyon days when patrons, particularly those at bars and restaurants, were given a bill that displayed the tax breakdown, allowing them to determine how much to tip before the server returned to collect payment. While promoting the changes last fall, Simon Jolin-Barrette, Quebec's minister responsible for consumer protection, cited a January 2024 Canadian survey that found 62 per cent of people went overboard on tips because of percentages presented or by doing the math themselves based on the after-tax total. 'We shouldn't feel pressured when someone hands us the terminal at the time of payment,' Simon Jolin-Barrette told the National Assembly when Bill 72 was passed in November. The new rules also state that the tipping options must be 'presented in a uniform manner.' On many debit machines, choices are sometimes accompanied by praise for the employee, like 'good,' 'great,' or 'amazing.' 'There should no longer be undue pressure with exclamation points, comments, smiley faces, depending on the level of satisfaction linked to the level of the tip,' Québec solidaire member Guillaume Cliche-Rivard said in support of the measures last fall. Quebec is the only remaining province where a lower minimum wage is paid to those who regularly receive tips — they make $12.90 hourly compared to the $16.10 everyone else earns. Ontario eliminated its reduced wage in 2022, and Alberta abandoned its in 2019. 'We really do depend on the tips to make a living, so with it being less, it'll just affect my yearly income and everyday life,' Montreal waiter Tyler Muehleisen told City News this week. When passed last fall, Montreal barista Sophia Cooke told The Link she worried skewing tipping culture toward the consumer rather than the worker could create more competition for the most sought-after positions in an already competitive market. As for consumers, a recent survey by H&R Block suggests Canadians are growing weary of tipping expectations and being asked to tip for services that traditionally wouldn't warrant one. 'A colossal 94 per cent of Canadians say they're annoyed by card payment machines prompting tip options for services that tips or gratuities weren't previously expected,' the survey of 1,790 people in February found. Regardless, 57 per cent who tip only do so because they feel uncomfortable not choosing a tip option. As for how much they tend to leave, more than half (53 per cent) choose the lowest option or only tip for exceptional service, while 39 per cent consider themselves generous tippers. While respondents were divided on whether the tip money is actually making it to the worker or being pocketed by their employer, the vast majority (88 per cent) agreed that tipping culture allows the employer to pay lower wages. Another survey, conducted by Lightspeed Commerce in 2024 and featuring 1,500 Canadian respondents, found nearly half (47 per cent) tip between 10 and 15 per cent . About a quarter will tack on 16 to 20 per cent. Additionally, more than three-quarters (77 per cent) are opposed to auto-tipping prompts like those now more tightly regulated in Quebec. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Global News
07-05-2025
- Business
- Global News
New tipping and price display rules take effect in Quebec
New rules on tipping and on price displays at grocery retailers are in effect as of Wednesday across Quebec. Tips must now be calculated on the price before taxes, and tipping options must be 'neutral and uniform,' so that a merchant can't suggest a percentage that a client should give. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Also, grocery retailers will now have to include more information on displays, such as the price per unit of measure, and the price for customers who don't belong to a store's rewards program. That measure extends to any retailer that sells food, including convenience stores. The province has also raised the price accuracy policy from to $15 from $10 — meaning that if the price at checkout is higher than the advertised price, the product must be offered for free if it is less than $15. Story continues below advertisement Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette, who oversees consumer protection, says the new rules will make life simpler for Quebecers.
Toronto Star
07-05-2025
- Business
- Toronto Star
New rules on tipping, price labelling take effect across Quebec
MONTREAL - New rules on tipping and on price displays at grocery retailers are in effect as of today across Quebec. Tips must now be calculated on the price before taxes, and tipping options must be 'neutral and uniform,' so that a merchant can't suggest a percentage that a client should give. Also, grocery retailers will now have to include more information on displays, such as the price per unit of measure, and the price for customers who don't belong to a store's rewards program. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW That measure extends to any retailer that sells food, including convenience stores. The province has also raised the price accuracy policy from to $15 from $10 — meaning that if the price at checkout is higher than the advertised price, the product must be offered for free if it is less than $15. Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette, who oversees consumer protection, says the new rules will make life simpler for Quebecers. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2025.
