Each Saturday and Sunday at 5 p.m., Charlie Whitley closes his classic clothes retailer in Montreal’s Mile-Finish neighbourhood and feels annoyed.
He desires to remain open later, however that will be towards the legislation. “It does not make any sense,” he stated in regards to the “ridiculous” guidelines.
“It pains me each weekend to shut the door at the moment.”
However the law is about to change — at the very least quickly — with a one-year pilot undertaking beginning March 11 that will enable shops to remain open on weekends as late because the legislation permits on weekdays: 9 p.m.
And whereas some retail homeowners welcome the change, others say the rise in on-line procuring makes prolonged working hours irrelevant. In the meantime, there are fears that the brand new guidelines will worsen labour shortages.
Quebec is the one Canadian province that also broadly regulates retail opening hours year-round, Samuel Poulin, the province’s minister for small- and medium-size companies, stated in an electronic mail. Most retail outlets, other than pharmacies and grocery shops, should shut by 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sundays.
The strict guidelines have been imposed to guard workers’ work-life stability and assist smaller outlets compete with bigger chains, which might typically afford the overhead prices of longer working hours, the federal government says.
However with the rising recognition of on-line procuring, brick-and-mortar shops are going through tight guidelines on working hours when their opponents — large platforms like Shein and Temu — haven’t any comparable restrictions.
And whereas Whitley is completely happy he’ll quickly be capable to open his clothes retailer till 9 p.m. on weekends, different Montreal retail homeowners, like Suzanne Foucault, do not share his enthusiasm.
Proprietor of Uchuu, a clothes retailer on Laurier Avenue West, Foucault stated that spreading the identical variety of prospects over longer working hours would enhance staffing prices with out essentially producing further income.
“We might solely dilute gross sales, not enhance them,” she stated.
On-line procuring already permits prospects to purchase exterior of retailer hours. “Individuals are working from house; they gained’t come out to buy,” Foucault stated.
Myriam Élie, proprietor of knickknack retailer Myel, additionally on Laurier Avenue West, echoed that opinion. “We’re not planning on extending our hours,” she stated, noting that 20 to 30 per cent of her retailer’s gross sales are on-line.
Jennifer Glasgow of Jennifer Glasgow Boutique on St-Laurent Boulevard stated she could regulate hours, however solely seasonally, “when the times get longer, and the temperature rises.” Chilly climate, she stated, does not encourage late-day procuring.
The latest pilot undertaking stems from trials carried out final 12 months in three Quebec cities — Gatineau, Laval, and St-Georges — the place companies might keep open till 8 p.m. voluntarily
There are exceptions to Quebec’s strict guidelines — two particular zones in downtown are permitted to set their very own working hours. As properly, two different zones within the central a part of town are allowed keep open till 8 p.m. on weekends.
Procuring centres throughout Montreal are approaching the pilot undertaking in their very own methods.
Andrew Lutfy, the top of Royalmount, a newly opened high-end procuring and leisure advanced in midtown Montreal, stated he helps the added flexibility. “The federal government shouldn’t become involved in our operations,” he stated.
Starting March 11, Royalmount will function from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday to Tuesday, and from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday. “Manufacturers and prospects are asking us to remain open longer, particularly on weekends,” Lutfy stated. “Tenants haven’t any selection; they must comply with go well with.”
Different procuring areas are extra cautious. The advertising group for Place Ville Marie — the tower advanced on the nook of McGill School Avenue and Cathcart Avenue in downtown Montreal — has no plans to increase opening hours below the pilot.
Roger Gagné, economist and director of the Centre for Research on Productiveness and Prosperity in Montreal, stated a enterprise will adapt “in keeping with the wants of its prospects.”
“We’ll doubtless not have uniform opening hours throughout the retail sector.”
Lutfy agreed. “It’s not an all-sizes-fit-all resolution,” he stated, including that smaller boutiques could not see the profit.
Gagné doesn’t count on longer hours to considerably change shopper behaviour. “Folks will not begin consuming extra as a result of opening hours are completely different,” he stated. “It can simply enhance their consolation.”
Renaud Brossard, vice-president of communications on the Montreal Financial Institute, says the pilot doesn’t go far sufficient.
“Most provinces truly haven’t any regulated enterprise hours exterior of particular holidays,” he stated, noting that in Ontario, companies can theoretically function 24/7 however not often do. The flexibleness, he stated, permits retailers to regulate as wanted.
Julia Posca, a researcher on the institute for socioeconomic analysis and knowledge — IRIS — stated prolonged hours could add strain on labour shortages.
“It will complicate the problems, that is for positive,” she stated. She famous there have been 11,300 vacant retail jobs in Quebec as of mid-December 2025 — a quantity decrease than throughout the COVID-19 pandemic however nonetheless vital, she stated.
For her half, Foucault stated hiring has been a problem. “We have already had problem discovering individuals to work.”
Lutfy, nevertheless, believes prolonged hours might create alternatives for part-time employees.
“If we have a look round our outlets right now at 4 o’clock within the afternoon, we will see that it’s primarily younger part-time employees who’re working these hours,” he stated. “In the end, it’s going to create job openings that can be stuffed by younger individuals.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first printed March 4, 2026.