MONTREAL, Oct. 31, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Corner stores in Québec are asking Health Minister Christian Dubé to revisit a ban on flavoured vapour products from their stores, introduced one year ago today, following an explosion in demand for these products from illicit online vendors.
The Convenience Industry Council of Canada (CICC), which represents local corner stores across the province, are drawing attention to ongoing health, fiscal and legal issues that resulted from this arbitrary ban, which has failed to curb youth vape access and use in the province. While Quebec’s 5,000 law-abiding convenience store owners have seen their sales cut in half, unscrupulous businesses are thriving by illegally selling flavors online or flavor enhancers in stores.
"Instead of protecting the public, this regulation worsens the situation. It encourages illegal vaping sources, increases its appeal to young people, and penalizes honest convenience store owners. It’s clearly a complete failure, for which the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, bears full responsibility," stated Michel Gadbois, Vice-President of the CICC.
Online sales boom: 600 Canadian websites listed by the CICC
The Quebec flavor ban, in place for a year now, has created a real boon for online vaping sales in Canada, as indicated by a new directory released today by the CICC, listing over 600 vaping websites serving Quebec.
Hosted on platforms like Shopify, these sites offer a wide range of disposable vapes with fruit and other flavors—especially popular with teenagers due to their eye-catching designs. Moreover, most of the restrictions on selling these products, such as bans on discounts, promotions, and sales to minors, are widely disregarded.
According to the storeleads.com directory, the five most popular sites in Canada are, in order: fatpanda.ca, vapeloft.com, uvapeshop.com, canvape.com, and vapevapevape.ca. Together, these five sites generate nearly $30 million in annual sales. Accessible to minors, they offer
discounts, bulk purchase reductions, first-order discounts, and free shipping beyond a certain amount, with no strict age verification for buyers. Additionally, they do not collect Quebec excise tax, instead charging federal and provincial taxes where they are based.
This illegal supply adds to the popular wave of flavor enhancers offered by the vast majority of the 400 vape shops in Quebec—a phenomenon the CICC denounced last spring through an extensive field investigation. However, despite the minister’s stated intention to prohibit these practices, the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) has so far been unable to halt this activity, which, in practice, effectively bypasses the law.
Québec’s convenience stores are asking the Legault government to address the illicit online market, and for vape shops to abide by similar regulations to stores that sell alcohol, so that commercial fairness is reestablished. “It is important that all legal retailers follow the rules, and that urgent
action be taken to address illegal retailers at the same time,” said Gadbois.
“As we have already done, we stand ready to continue to work with government to resolve an issue that is punishing law-abiding local stores”, concluded Gadbois.
About the CICC
The Convenience Industry Council of Canada (CICC) is a national, not-for-profit council that unites the largest convenience store chains in the country as well as numerous regional banners and their affiliated retailers. It represents their interests at all levels of government, provide data and research for informed business decisions, organize networking and development events, and protect the industry's reputation. The convenience store industry employs 193,056 Canadians (including
51,138 Quebecers), generates $53.7 billion annually (including $14.2 billion in Quebec) in goods and services, and annually contributes $25.6 billion in taxes nationwide (including $6.7 billion in Quebec).
| Contact: | Michel Gadbois, Vice-President of the Convenience Industry Council of Canada (CICC) |
| Cell: (514) 946-1522, Email: mgadbois@industriedepanneurs.ca | |
References:
- List of online sales sites serving the Quebec market, click HERE
- CICC Investigation on flavour ban circumvention in Quebec: click HERE
- Requirements for a grocery-store alcohol permit (in French only), click HERE
