In the event you work a typical 9-to-5, chances are high the weekend is once you atone for errands. The issue is, in Quebec, Sunday night procuring has by no means actually been a factor.
That would quickly change in an enormous means.
The Quebec government announced today that non-food retailers throughout your complete province will have the ability to keep open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday via Sunday, beginning March 11, 2026. The change comes within the type of a one-year voluntary pilot challenge, which means shops can select whether or not or to not benefit from the prolonged hours.
Samuel Poulin, Quebec’s minister for the financial system and small and medium-sized companies, made the announcement this morning. “A number of entrepreneurs throughout Quebec wished extra flexibility relating to their enterprise hours,” he mentioned in a press release. “With this pilot challenge, we’re responding to their request and giving them the room they should higher welcome their clients. It is a robust gesture when it comes to deregulation and we’re pleased with it.”
The pilot applies to non-food retailers, like retailers, boutiques, {hardware} shops, markets, and different factors of sale. Grocery stores and pharmacies aren’t included since they already function beneath completely different guidelines, and sure companies with current exemptions are additionally excluded.
For context, Quebec is among the solely locations in North America that also legislates retailer opening hours.
As we covered back in December, this has been within the works for some time. A smaller pilot launched in October 2025 let retailers in Gatineau, Laval, and Saint-Georges keep open till 8 p.m. on weekends. In the present day’s announcement replaces these three city-specific initiatives with a single province-wide one which extends the hours additional and opens it as much as retailers in each municipality in Quebec.
The regulation will probably be printed within the Gazette officielle du Québec on February 25. How lengthy these prolonged hours stick round after the pilot yr will rely on how companies and buyers truly reply.