Associations

While the Convenience industry agrees with Health Canada's mandate to reduce youth vaping, Ottawa's new proposed vaping regulations aimed at reducing the level of nicotine in vapour products will stand in the way of adult smokers looking to quit, while putting unrealistic expectation on c-store operators.In a statement, Imperial Tobaccos said the proposal "will severely hinder the federal government’s ability to reach its stated objective of reducing the smoking rate in Canada to less than 5%  by 2035."Health Canada announced Friday it is proposing to lower the maximum nicotine concentration allowed for vaping products that are manufactured or imported for sale in Canada to 20 mg/ml.

The federal government has proposed rules for its Clean Fuel Standard that producers and distributors would have to follow under its climate plan.

The federal government says it wants to reduce the amount of nicotine allowed in vaping products as part of greater efforts to curb their appeal to young Canadians.Health Canada announced Friday it is proposing to lower the maximum nicotine concentration allowed for vaping products that are manufactured or imported for sale in Canada to 20 mg/ml.

The federal government has released a $15-billion plan to meet its climate change commitments that includes steady increases to its carbon tax in each of the next 10 years.

Between the pandemic and evolving regulations on key categories, it’s been an extraordinary year of changes and challenges for the convenience industry.

Retailers in Ontario will earn 30% sales commission for every pack of $5 Plinko tickets activated from January 4 to March 31, 2021. This is an increase of 22% over the regular commission of 8%.The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation says the move is a way to "thank all our retailers and support you for your hard work through this challenging time due to the pandemic."It's also a strategy to drive customer awareness and sales growth of this new lottery game, which launches in the new year.Retailers will earn $105 per pack activated vs $28 based on regular commission of 8%: The promotion is slated to last three months.This fall, the Ontario Convenience Stores Association petitioned the provincial government to recognize and reward the key role that c-store operators play in driving revenue for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation by increasing lottery commissions across the board by 2%.As the cost of doing business for c-stores continues to increase—not to mention the added financial and related challenges brought on by the pandemic—the OCSA argues that this is an ideal opportunity for the province to support the channel and small business owners.  C-stores account for 76% of Ontario lottery sales for OLG.

2020 has been a challenging year for all retailers in Ontario.

Ontario's Main Street Relief Grant is designed to help small businesses with the unexpected costs of PPE.To be eligible, c-stores must have two to nine employees to be eligible for grants of up to $1,000.To apply, you'll need to submit receipts or proof of costs for PPE purchased since March 17, 2020.