Earlier this week, the Minister of the Economy, Christopher Skeete, introduced Bill 85, which brings together some 30 regulatory relief measures. These include the relaxation of regulatory constraints for pharmacies and grocery stores.  The topic inspired the Néomédia team for the survey question of the week. 

In effect, Bill 85 will allow these businesses to have more than four employees on the floor during the week after 9 p.m. and on weekends after 8 p.m. In addition, Bill 85 also opens the door to pilot projects on extended store hours for all retailers. 

In total, 16 economic sectors and 12 departments are targeted under this bill, which represents an estimated $20M in savings for the businesses involved. 

As soon as it was tabled, the bill is already causing discontent among the public, particularly among the owners of convenience stores. The latter are afraid of losing their customers, who turn to their shops when grocery stores and pharmacies are closed. 

However, Minister Skeete was reassuring that benchmarks will be identified to guide the extended hours pilot projects. He indicated that it was not being considered to allow shops to remain open 24 hours a day. 

According to the elected official, Quebec is the only province where opening hours are imposed on merchants.

For the Conseil du patronat, the measure is welcomed because it would allow retailers to better meet their customers' needs, including adjusting the number of employees according to their reality. 

At the other end of the spectrum, the United Food and Commerce Workers' Union denounces this initiative. It was argued that these changes would not allow young workers to maintain a work-life balance, which could have significant impacts on their school retention. 

This week, we asked: Would you like extended opening hours in pharmacies and grocery stores?

The choice of responses proposed was as follows: 

- Yes, absolutely: 5.9%; 

- Yes, I think it would accommodate several people: 5.9%; 

- Yes, but it should be up to the merchant: 8.8%; 

- No, current hours are fine with me:47.1%; 

- No, I think it would hurt other traders: 32.4%; 

What about you? What do you think?  Click here to answer this week’s question.