Corporate Governance

LAVAL, Quebec — Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., parent company of Circle K, reported a relatively strong fourth quarter for its 2020 fiscal year despite grappling with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic."Our agile, decentralized model, as well as the advancements we made in operational excellence this past year, helped us to face the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19 and I'm proud to say, I think we've emerged from this historic year a better and stronger company, both financially and culturally," president and CEO Brian Hannasch stated during the company's Q4 earnings call on June 30."We ended the fourth quarter with strong top-line trends, including 12 weeks of positive traffic, before we endured a significant decline in traffic and fuel volumes with the pandemic stay-at-home orders implemented across our global footprint," he added.Looking at the fourth-quarter numbers, same-store merchandise revenue decreased by 0.5 percent in the United States and 6.5 percent in Europe, while increasing 4.7 percent in Canada compared to the same quarter last year.From a fuels perspective, volumes declined sharply during the first weeks following the stay-at-home orders.

Robots that can cook - from flipping burgers to baking bread - are in growing demand as virus-wary kitchens try to put some distance between workers and customers.

Quebec has become the first Canadian province to make mask-wearing mandatory in all indoor public places for people aged 12 years and older.Premier Francois Legault said the new directive enters into effect Saturday - just in time for the province's annual construction holiday.Businesses will be expected to enforce the new rules and are subject to fines of between $400 and $6,000 if their customers are caught violating the health directive, Legault told reporters Monday in Montreal.He said the government is considering imposing fines on individuals beginning in August.

Ottawa's new rules restricting the promotion of vaping products in places young people can access are set to come into effect next month.Health Canada published regulations July 8 prohibiting vaping advertisements in public spaces where youth may be exposed to them.The ban applies to all retail locations and online stores that sell e-cigarettes, except for adult-only establishments.The measures are set to take effect on Aug.

C-stores not in compliance run the risk of being chargedIt's fair to say the messaging around Ontario's new vaping regulations is confusing for operators and other industry stakeholders.

Like all convenience store retailers, Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

The first shipment of Alberta crude from British Columbia tidewater is on its way to the Irving Oil refining facility in Saint John.

New rules restricting the sale of most flavoured vape products have come into effect in Ontario.The rules mean most of the products can now only be sold at specialty vape and cannabis retail stores, which serve customers 19 and older.Products with menthol, mint and tobacco flavours are exempt from the new regulations, which came into effect July 1.READ: Ontario agrees to delay enforcement of new vaping rules The regulations also mean vapour products with nicotine levels higher than 20 milligrams will be limited to specialty stores.Those shops will also no longer be allowed to have indoor displays that are visible from outside.Health Minister Christine Elliott unveiled the long-anticipated package of measures in February after expressing concern for months about youth vaping.The measures banned the promotion of vaping products in convenience stores and gas stations earlier this year.