Laval QC ☕ The morning chat
Good morning to one and all!
We hope your coffee is nice and hot this morning, because we’re starting the week with plenty of concerns. Between changes that affect your daily life and stories that remind us of the importance of our community, there’s lots to fuel your morning. Settle in comfortably.
🔦 Main Story
Stores Can Stay Open Later Starting March 11
Beginning March 11, retail businesses in Quebec that wish to do so will be able to stay open later on weekends, as part of a one-year pilot project. The Quebec government will allow eligible businesses—such as stores, boutiques, and hardware stores—to open every day from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., except on holidays.
Currently, retail establishments must close at 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. This pilot project follows trials in three cities, including Laval, where stores could stay open until 8 p.m. on weekends, on a voluntary basis, excluding holidays.
Grocery stores and pharmacies, which already have exemptions from restrictions on opening hours, are not affected by these changes.
Quebec is also running a separate pilot project allowing adult stores to stay open until 11 p.m. every day. That pilot project is ongoing.
For Laval merchants, this is a new flexibility that could be a game-changer.
⚡ To Note
Raymond Bouchard has passed away.
Actor Raymond Bouchard, who died Saturday, distinguished himself in theater, television, and film. He was described as extraordinary, humane, funny, and touching.
A loss for Quebec’s cultural world.
Senate wants immigration measures removed from Bill C-12.
Senators on the social affairs committee want the immigration sections of Bill C-12 removed or significantly amended by the Senate’s national security committee.
The committee heard concerns that the legislation contains possible human rights violations, excessive executive powers, and a lack of procedural fairness.
Bill C-12 proposes to ban people who arrived in Canada more than a year ago from applying for refugee status and would give the government the power to cancel or modify immigration documents, including permanent resident cards.
The Senate’s national security committee will conduct a clause-by-clause review of the bill on Monday.
Armed man shot near Trump property.
A man carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and a gasoline can was shot near Donald Trump’s property in Florida, according to the U.S. Secret Service.
Caroline Proulx trial begins.
The trial between Harvest Ministries International, a Christian group, and former Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx began Monday at the Quebec City courthouse.
The British Columbia-based group is contesting the Quebec government’s cancellation of its planned conference in June 2023 at the Quebec Convention Centre. Proulx justified her decision by citing her disagreement with the organization’s beliefs on abortion.
The group is seeking more than $200,000 in compensation.
Drainville proposes carbon tax refund for farmers.
CAQ leadership candidate Bernard Drainville is proposing a full and permanent refund of the carbon tax for agricultural businesses.
He also plans to ease environmental permits for cleaning waterways, water withdrawals, and farm expansion projects.
Drainville faces Christine Fréchette in the CAQ leadership race. Legault’s successor will be elected April 12.
Loblaw to invest $2.4 billion and open 15 new stores in Quebec.
Loblaw Cos. Ltd. plans to spend $2.4 billion to expand and renovate its store network and supply chain this year, opening 70 new stores in Canada, including 15 in Quebec.
The retail giant says its expansion in Quebec could create 1,985 jobs in 2026. The plan includes 34 new Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix pharmacies and clinics and 31 No Frills and Maxi stores.
The company will also renovate 191 stores. Last week, it opened a new Maxi store on Sainte-Catherine Street, employing 70 people.
Canada finishes the Games with 21 medals.
Canada finished the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics with 21 medals, its lowest total since Salt Lake City 2002, when the country won 17 medals. Of these 21 medals, only five were gold.
Canada ranked eighth overall in the medal standings, its worst result since Albertville 1992. About three-quarters of Canadian medalists are 30 or older.
COC CEO David Shoemaker said this is not the result Canada strives for. With federal government funding unchanged since 2005, Canadian Olympic officials had warned for years that a decline could occur.
The COC is requesting $144 million in additional funding for national sports organizations.
By-election in Chicoutimi.
Voters in the Chicoutimi riding head to the polls Monday to elect their next representative in the National Assembly. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of former CAQ municipal affairs minister Andrée Laforest, who unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Saguenay in November.
Polling stations are open from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., with 17 stations open. Seven candidates are vying for the seat.
Before falling to the CAQ in 2018, Chicoutimi had long been a PQ stronghold.
Quebec winter sports must adapt to climate change.
Research by the Ouranos consortium in 2024 for the Quebec Ski Areas Association predicts a decrease of 15 to 45 centimeters in natural snow cover, a reduction of 15 to 25 days of continuous snow cover on the ground, and an increase in winter rain and freeze-thaw cycles depending on region and scenario.
To adapt, ski resorts should increase their investments by 18% to 23% by 2050 and by 48% to 72% by 2070. They would need 300 to 1,200 additional employees by 2050-2070 to maintain the slopes.
However, ASSQ president Yves Juneau says milder average temperatures will offer more pleasant conditions during January and February, when most business occurs.
The sector plans $134 million in investments over the next two years.
🚇 Local Stories
Montreal Metro’s tunnel boring machine unveiled.
The 9.7-meter-wide tunnel boring machine that will dig tunnels for the extension of Montreal’s Blue metro line was unveiled Monday. The machine will dig through rock to create the tunnel from the future Vertières station to Anjou station, a distance of 4.6 kilometers.
It is described as the largest drill of its kind in Quebec and a feat of engineering rarely seen in the province. Digging will begin in April and will not stop until the work is completed.
The tunnel boring machine arrived in Quebec in October and had to be assembled.
👋 Before We Go
That’s it for this Monday morning. Between changes affecting your daily life and projects shaping our region, there’s plenty to reflect on over your coffee.
Enjoy this new week, take care of yourself and your loved ones, and have a great day. 🍁