Retailers warn Quebec repair rules are ‘impossible,’ advocates say they’re overdue

Bill 29 requires retailers and manufacturers to provide clear repair and maintenance information, a move advocates call overdue.

Starting Oct. 5, retailers and manufacturers in Quebec will be required to provide consumers with clear information about the repair and maintenance of their products.

The changes come under Bill 29, a law adopted in 2023 aimed at curbing planned obsolescence and encouraging durability, repairability and maintenance. They expand on the province’s Consumer Protection Act, which has included obligations to provide information about replacement parts and repair services since 1978.

While consumer advocates see the new rules as a step forward, some retailers say they are unworkable.

“More time is needed,” according to the Retail Council of Canada

The Retail Council of Canada (RCC) warned the measure would bury stores in red tape, with each retailer responsible for producing their own documents, while manufacturers must also provide parallel ones.

“It sounds like a big challenge,” said Francis Mailly, vice-president of public affairs at the RCC. “Do they have to put stickers on more than 10,000, 50,000 items? It’s a major burden.”

Mailly said retailers support the goal of making products last longer, but argued the regulation was too vague and left businesses with an “impossibility to comply entirely and to make sure that it works” while also ensuring that “consumers win something out of it.”

He called on the government to take a step back, giving retailers, manufacturers and lawmakers more time to work together on what he said is a realistic plan. Mailly argued it could take years to properly implement such a system.

Consumer groups welcome change

For Sara Eve Levac, lawyer and analyst at Option Consommateurs, the changes were overdue.

“There’s been a two-year period where merchants and manufacturers knew that this would come into force,” she said, adding that this time should’ve been used to prepare.

Levac noted that the new obligations mainly add requirements for information on maintenance and repair, building on existing consumer protection laws. She said the changes would make the repair process more transparent, particularly given the high repair costs.

“What we’re hearing is that repair costs are 50 or even 75 per cent of the price of the good, which discourages consumers to go with the repair,” she explained. “But as of October 5, it will be easier to have your goods repaired.”

She also pointed out that businesses can make use of exceptions built into the law, by clearly notifying customers if they cannot provide replacement parts, repair services or maintenance information.

Still, Levac said gaps remain. She argued the government should have gone further by specifying what counts as a reasonable repair price.

Shifting attitudes

Beyond the regulations, supporters said the changes could help shift how Quebecers think about repairs.

Spaces like Repair Café and community workshops already encourage people to fix broken goods, from toasters to vacuums, instead of throwing them away.

Levac said too often, consumers abandon repairs because they don’t have access to the necessary information, parts or equipment. By standardizing what companies must provide, she believes the law could make a real difference.

“These modifications bring a form of remedy to these problems,” said Levac.

What’s at stake for retailers

Retailers who fail to comply face steep penalties. Since January 2025, fines of up to $3,500 per day can be imposed under the Consumer Protection Act, in addition to possible penal fines of up to $175,000 per offence.

Mailly said retailers want to comply, but warned that the way the law is written makes that almost impossible.

“Many of them are worried and confused,” he said. “The [regulation] can be interpreted different ways and they need clear guidelines to make sure that the scope is truly realistic.”