Small businesses including family run convenience stores will benefit and will qualify with each credit card network individually.

Specifically, small businesses with annual Visa sales volume below $300,000 will qualify for the lower interchange fees from Visa, and those with annual Mastercard sales volume below $175,000 will qualify for the lower fees from Mastercard.

This government influenced decision will take effect in the fall of 2024 and will benefit the 1000's of convenience stores and will give some relief (though not enough). 

National convenience store chains and national gas chains will not see a benefit due to their higher volumes of transactions, but we presently understand they have negotiated a preferable rate already and this program was designed to help the independent family run stores throughout the country.

Please find the link to the governments updates on this announcement: 
 

It is imperative to remind all family run convenience stores to ensure they have reviewed their policies for selling tobacco, vape and lottery tickets to prevent any failures when it comes to selling these age restricted programs.

All local public health units will be hiring underage mystery shop employees to test convenience stores on your ability to properly refuse the sale of these products to underage customers. Don’t be fooled and make sure all your employees are aware that these types of shops can take place at any time. Many stores experiencing mystery shop attempts between 6pm – 10pm.

Every local public health unit must conduct a minimum of 2 underage shops a year in every community on every store, with more being planned should you have a failure in the past two years. We are proud of our record to refuse the sale to minors and this message to remind you to take age testing very seriously.

Feel free to visit: we-expect-id.com for updates. Members of the OCSA can train as many employees as possible for free while non-members will need to purchase the training.
 

In light of recent increases in cigarette prices and ongoing tax challenges faced by legal tobacco, the prevalence of untaxed cigarettes remains at a concerning 30-35% in Ontario.

While the tobacco category is experiencing a decline, it is crucial for us to strengthen our in-store business by consistently raising awareness among our local MPPs about the detrimental effects of turning a blind eye to this illicit activity within our communities.

It's worth noting that this issue has persisted for far too long across various governments and ministries, and it is essential for retailers to voice their concerns and actively contribute to finding a solution that brings cigarette smokers back to our stores.

Tobacco plays a significant role in our day-to-day operations, and when a smoker is influenced to purchase from an unknown source, we not only lose their business for other high-margin and impulse products but also face the risk of eroding our customer base.

Instead of simply complaining about high prices, it is imperative that we educate our local MPPs about the specific challenges we face and the resulting loss of business. This approach sends a strong message and allows us to build a productive relationship with our local political representatives.

To address this issue effectively, we must unite our efforts and work together to educate local politicians and engage with our tobacco industry contacts. By collectively communicating the gravity of this crime to our customers, the media, and politicians, we can highlight the importance of combating contraband tobacco.

It will require the combined dedication of retailers, customers, and the tobacco industry to raise awareness about the illegal distribution of untaxed cigarettes throughout Ontario and put an end to it.
 

Don’t forget that Moneris is offering discounted rates for OCSA members.  

If you are currently a Moneris customer you will need to reach out to them for your preferred rates.
 

Just over 6 weeks ago Premier Ford once again committed to opening the beer/wine market in Ontario and specifically confirmed that these products will be available in convenience stores in Ontario.

The OCSA has represented the entire convenience industry for the past 13 years on this opportunity and we are getting closer to the promise to allow Ontarians to buy their local Beer, Craft Beer and Ready to Drink in our channel.

We anticipate we will hear some type of government announcement by the fall of this year as we work out the logistics of how best to rollout out this new category. 

We will continue to offer updates as we hear additional news and will ensure the members of the OCSA are and will be at the front of the line when rollout takes place. 
 

'Protecting Ontarians by Enhancing Gas Station Safety to Prevent Gas and Dash Act, 2023'

This bill was passed in April 2023 which mandates GTA gas stations to implement Pre-Pay at the pumps to protect our employees and customers from drive offs as well as the business losses family run gas sites are experiencing. 
 

The vape file in Canada continues to evolve with Health Canada implementing new regulations and reporting on this file. In Ontario we presently have regulations that allow for vape shops to sell approved flavours while convenience stores have rules that are unfair to us allowing smokers to make the choice to switch to a vape product.

Youth access is a real issue (still) and not the fault of convenience stores. The leniency of the current rules in place around offshore supplies and age testing of delivery companies to individual houses are impacting our ability to sell in convenience stores. 

Convenience stores have proven that we can responsibly sell tobacco, lottery and even alcohol (where permitted) and are very good at age testing because not doing so could result in the losing our business. 

The OCSA did a freedom of information asking the Ministry of Health (MOH) for their age testing (mystery shop) program on home delivery companies seeking the pass and fail rate. To our surprise, there are no mystery shops or testing of any home delivery of vape products so some would conclude that youth access seems to be an issue with these type of allowances.  

Hopefully when the dust settles, adult customers looking for an alternative to cigarettes will have the opportunity to come to your store and purchase a vape type product or a heated tobacco product as an alternative to a better future. 

Here is a link to the latest Health Canada regulations:   

The Ontario Convenience Stores Association (OCSA) works year-round to advocate for convenience stores throughout the province, supporting large and small family-run business alike, communicating with the government on relevant files and innovating ways to push the channel forward.

Among the OCSA's current projects are securing beer and wine in convenience stores, advocating for a larger portion of lottery commissions and working with the appropriate authorities to spread awareness about the negative impacts of contraband tobacco.

Your voice is welcome. Join the OCSA today!