Latest news with #SQDC
CBC
11-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Will extending SQDC store hours help curb illegal cannabis sales?
Starting in August, Quebec's cannabis retailer, known as the SQDC, will keep 19 of its stores open later to try to get people to go to them instead of illicit sellers.
CTV News
04-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Some SQDC stores to stay open later as Quebec imposes new rule
Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC) reported an 18 per cent increase in second-quarter net profit to $29.4 million. A person enters an SQDC shop in Montreal on Saturday, January 15, 2022. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press) Certain Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC) locations will stay open later on weekends, following the passing of a new law by the Quebec government. Some 20 stores will extend their opening hours, the SQDC said in a news release, as part of 'its mission ... to protect public health.' READ MORE: Stores in these 3 Quebec cities will stay open late on weekends in pilot project According to client experience vice-president Jean-François Dulac-Lemelin, almost 20 per cent of people who occasionally buy cannabis from the black market say store hours are a factor. As of Aug. 3, select branches will be open until 10 p.m. from Thursday to Saturday and until 6 p.m. on Sundays. The 9 p.m. closing time will still apply from Monday to Wednesday. The locations include: Crescent Street (Montreal) Mont-Royal Metro (Montreal) Old Port (Montreal) Snowdon Metro (Montreal) Promenade Masson (Montreal) Newman Boulevard (LaSalle) Pointe-Claire Repentigny Longueuil-Greenfield Park Laval-Sainte-Dorothée Saint-Jérôme Sainte-Thérèse Trois-Rivières-Ouest Quai Saint-André (Quebec City) Lebourgneuf (Quebec City) Sainte-Foy (Quebec City) Sherbrooke-Fleurimont Granby Chicoutimi-Montcalm The SQDC states that an additional Montreal location will be added in the fall. Cannabis use on the rise According to data from the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ), more people reported consuming cannabis in 2024 than in 2018. Consumption reached an all-time high in 2022, at 19 per cent of Quebecers over the age of 15, before dipping to 17 per cent in 2023 and remaining stable at 18 per cent in 2024. Men consume cannabis at a higher rate than women (22 per cent versus 14 per cent), and young adults between 21 and 24 represent the age group with the most users (35 per cent) in the last year. They are followed by those aged 25-34 (31 per cent), 18-20 (28 per cent), those aged 35-54 (21 per cent), and those aged 15-17 (16 per cent). About eight per cent of people 55 and up reported consuming cannabis in the last year. Of these users, 42 per cent said they consume cannabis at least once a month, while 18 per cent are occasional users and 23 per cent are regular users. Daily cannabis consumers represent 17.5 per cent of responders. Though most users still prefer to smoke cannabis (81 per cent), the INSPQ noted an interest in edible products and oral drops, concentrated pills, vaping, and 'dabbing.' The SQDC said it also noticed the trend, and is planning to introduce vaping products by the end of the year to push against the black market. 'The SQDC no longer updates its data on its market share relative to the illegal market: due to the high popularity of concentrated products (hashish and infused pre-rolls), the current calculation methods used by Health Canada and the Department of Finance no longer allow us to show a realistic picture of the situation,' it said in an email statement.
Cision Canada
04-07-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
Project to Extend the Opening Hours in 20 SQDC Stores Français
MONTRÉAL, July 4, 2025 /CNW/ - Following the adoption of Act 8 (commonly referred to as Bill 85), which amends the Regulation respecting periods of admission to commercial establishments, the Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC) will launch a project aimed at extending the opening hours of 20 stores in order to better carry out its mission of converting the users to the legal market with its focus on protecting public health. "The goal of this process is to better fight the illegal market at a time of the day when demand exists and illegal vendors are very active," explains Jean-François Dulac-Lemelin, Senior Vice-President, Customer Experience. "We want to continue serving users by improving accessibility to lower-risk products. This project will help us better understand consumers' behaviour and habits. Nearly 20% of our customers who buy cannabis outside our network cite our opening hours as a reason." Beginning August 3, eight hours of operation will be added. The extended schedule will be until 10 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and until 6 p.m. on Sundays. The current schedule of staying open until 9 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays will be maintained. It should be noted that since opening its first 12 stores in 2018, the SQDC has been planning to take advantage of extended store hours. The adoption of Act 8 now makes that possible. Targeted locations Twenty points of sale located in busy areas across Québec will be included in the project. An additional Montréal store will join the list later this fall and an exception will be made for another Montréal store. Exception for the Vieux-Montréal store The Vieux-Montréal store will be the first to feature the extended schedule and will do so from its official opening on July 7. This new point of sale will be the 107th in the SQDC network and will feature several changes introduced by the SQDC over the last year to improve its concepts and the customer experience, such as island display cases, displaying products by category (dried flowers, edibles, pre-rolleds, hash, etc.) to improve our advisory approach and using warmer construction materials. "We are very pleased to open a new store in this part of the city and further increase the coverage of our market," said the store's manager, Mario Quattrociocche. "Our advisors have received the necessary training and are ready to field questions from a diverse range of customers. Our model is already well viewed abroad." About the Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC) The SQDC is a government corporation mandated to distribute and sell cannabis in Québec with a focus on protecting customers' health and safety. The company is committed to offering quality products and informing and advising consumers on how to minimize the health impacts of cannabis. The goal is to shrink the illegal cannabis market in Québec. The declared dividend equal to the company's net income is transferred to the Fonds de lutte contre les dépendances, a fund managed by the Ministère des Finances du Québec, and reinvested primarily in cannabis-related education, prevention efforts and research. For more information, visit
Cision Canada
04-07-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
/R E P E A T -- MEDIA ADVISORY - The SQDC to Extend the Opening Hours of Some Stores/ Français
MONTRÉAL, July 2, 2025 /CNW/ - The Société québécoise du cannabis invites media representatives to attend an update on its project to extend the opening hours of some stores, part of its effort to fight the illegal market as the company opens a new store in the Vieux-Montréal district. Date: Friday, July 4, 2025 Time: 9:30 a.m. Address: 84, rue Saint-Paul Est, Montréal Company representatives at the event: Suzanne Bergeron, President and Chief Executive Officer; Alexander Bove, Director, Real Estate; Jean-François Dulac-Lemelin, Senior Vice-President, Customer Experience; Théogène Morin, Regional Director; Mario Quattrociocche, Manager, Vieux-Montréal store; and Alban Troja, Director, Evolution and Performance, Customer Experience. Please note that interviews will be possible in French and English, microphone stands may be useful (no audio mult box) and parking is difficult in the area. About the Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC) The SQDC is a government corporation mandated to distribute and sell cannabis in Québec with a focus on protecting customers' health and safety. The company is committed to offering quality products and informing and advising consumers on how to minimize the health impacts of cannabis. The goal is to shrink the illegal cannabis market in Québec. The declared dividend equal to the company's net income is transferred to the Fonds de lutte contre les dépendances, a fund managed by the Ministère des Finances du Québec, and reinvested primarily in cannabis-related education, prevention efforts and research. For more information, visit
Cision Canada
02-07-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
MEDIA ADVISORY - The SQDC to Extend the Opening Hours of Some Stores Français
MONTRÉAL, July 2, 2025 /CNW/ - The Société québécoise du cannabis invites media representatives to attend an update on its project to extend the opening hours of some stores, part of its effort to fight the illegal market as the company opens a new store in the Vieux-Montréal district. Date: Friday, July 4, 2025 Time: 9:30 a.m. Address: 84, rue Saint-Paul Est, Montréal Company representatives at the event: Suzanne Bergeron, President and Chief Executive Officer; Alexander Bove, Director, Real Estate; Jean-François Dulac-Lemelin, Senior Vice-President, Customer Experience; Théogène Morin, Regional Director; Mario Quattrociocche, Manager, Vieux-Montréal store; and Alban Troja, Director, Evolution and Performance, Customer Experience. Please note that interviews will be possible in French and English, microphone stands may be useful (no audio mult box) and parking is difficult in the area. About the Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC) The SQDC is a government corporation mandated to distribute and sell cannabis in Québec with a focus on protecting customers' health and safety. The company is committed to offering quality products and informing and advising consumers on how to minimize the health impacts of cannabis. The goal is to shrink the illegal cannabis market in Québec. The declared dividend equal to the company's net income is transferred to the Fonds de lutte contre les dépendances, a fund managed by the Ministère des Finances du Québec, and reinvested primarily in cannabis-related education, prevention efforts and research. For more information, visit
