New rules on pricing, tip calculation take effect in Quebec today. Here's what you can expect

CBC News

· Posted: May 07, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

As of May 7, Quebec consumers should beryllium noticing immoderate changes erstwhile retired doing their market buying oregon grabbing a wound to devour astatine a restaurant.

That's due to the fact that caller rules surrounding pricing and however tips are calculated travel into effect today.

In November, Quebec unanimously passed Bill 72.

The authorities aims to help Quebecers marque the champion choices based connected their fund and needs by protecting them against abusive commercialized practices.

Here's a database of what you tin expect.

Suggested extremity calculations 

Businesses are present required to cipher suggested tips based connected the terms earlier tax.

For example, suggested tips for a edifice measure of $100 will be calculated arsenic a percent of $100, not the after-tax full of $114.98.

WATCH | Tip inflation? How Quebec is clamping down:

When proposing the changes, Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette, who is besides the curate liable for user protection, noted that 62 per cent of Canadians reported leaving a higher extremity than they had planned due to the fact that of the options presented astatine the wage terminal. 

"We shouldn't person to consciousness unit erstwhile we're paying the bill," Jolin-Barrette said. "Tipping needs to stay a discretionary prime for consumers."

He besides stressed the value of having the close accusation to amended usher user decisions. 

Some fearfulness the changes volition mean little net for unit who trust connected tips, but Martin Vézina, vice-president of nationalist affairs astatine the Quebec Restaurant Association, said it won't person a important interaction connected the manufacture astatine large.

Restaurant owners, helium said, mightiness adjacent payment by paying little successful recognition paper fees connected tips, arsenic good arsenic little income taxation connected declared tips. 

Compensation for pricing errors

As of Wednesday, if an item's advertised terms is $15 oregon little and doesn't lucifer the terms scanned astatine the currency register, consumers successful Quebec tin perchance get the point for free. 

That is the lawsuit if the scanned price is higher than the terms advertised for that item, beryllium it in-store, successful an advertisement oregon a flyer.

Merchants volition besides person to springiness a $15 discount for inaccurate pricing connected items sold for much than $15. 

"The main happening is that you ne'er person to wage supra the advertised terms successful immoderate situation," said Charles Tanguay, a spokesperson for the Office de la extortion du consommateur.

The Price Accuracy Policy is not a caller regulation. It's been successful spot since 2001, but until now, the basal magnitude was $10, not $15. 

WATCH | Pricing errors and your rights arsenic a consumer:

The increase, Tanguay said, accounts for ostentation and is meant to beryllium an inducement for businesses to trim pricing errors, which helium says tin magnitude to disinformation "and tin bring a user to [make] incorrect decisions." 

There are of people immoderate exceptions. The policy doesn't use connected shoes and clothing, items without barcodes and medicine sold exclusively successful pharmacies. A afloat database of exemptions tin beryllium recovered here. 

Michel Rochette, president of the Quebec subdivision of the Retail Council of Canada, told CBC News that portion the  enactment agrees with the summation from $10 to $15, it was taken aback by the scope of the caller law.

It was lone precocious that the assembly learned it would besides use to online ads and flyers and "every benignant of publicity," which he's disquieted mightiness pb to confusion. 

He said sometimes the terms successful a flyer is antithetic from the terms connected the website, and prices tin besides alteration from portion to region. 

"If you widen the scope of that bill, you know, recognizing what is the close terms to the close store, it could bring a batch of caller challenges," Rochette said, adding the assembly is hoping for clearer guidelines and a much realistic timeline.

Clearer terms labelling for food

The caller standards enactment successful spot are besides meant to marque comparing nutrient prices easier for shoppers.

Grocery stores and different businesses selling nutrient products are present required to intelligibly statement the regular outgo of a product and specify whether items are taxable.

When a terms is offered for a acceptable of nutrient items, accidental 3 lemons for $2.50, and these items tin beryllium purchased separately, the portion terms indispensable beryllium sufficiently disposable compared to the terms of the set. 

"If I bargain conscionable 1 item, however overmuch should I pay? I don't privation to cognize needfully however overmuch is 3 items if I conscionable privation one," Tanguay said.

Items that are connected merchantability indispensable besides amusement the regular price.

Find each the caller labelling rules here.